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Medvedev Earns Carreno Busta Revenge In Cincinnati

  • Posted: Aug 20, 2021

Daniil Medvedev continued his pursuit of the Toronto-Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 double with a commanding win over Pablo Carreno Busta Friday to charge into the Western & Southern Open semi-finals.

The Russian avenged his loss at the Tokyo Olympics to the eventual bronze medallist with a 6-1, 6-1 win in just 54 minutes to claim his 40th match win of the year. Medvedev has dropped only 12 games this week in Ohio, having cruised past Mackenzie McDonald and Grigor Dimitrov in his opening two rounds.

“That is why we like tennis, because it is made of many, many different small details,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview. “Different conditions, different balls. I played much better today than I did there [at the Tokyo Olympics]. I am really happy to win here and gain a small [bit of] revenge.

“I was feeling great during the match. In these conditions, you try to win the match as fast as possible, especially against Carreno Busta, who can catch fire at any moment and start getting you into long rallies. I tried to keep pushing him and I am really happy I managed to do it.”

The World No. 2, who defeated big-serving American Reilly Opelka to lift his fourth ATP Masters 1000 crown in Toronto last week, was dominant against Carreno Busta. Medvedev overpowered the Spaniard with his flat groundstrokes to extend his winning streak to eight matches as he aims to become just the seventh male player in the Open Era to capture the Toronto-Cincinnati double.

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Medvedev enjoyed a dream run in 2019 to his maiden Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati, and is yet to drop a set this week in Ohio as his love affair with the North American hard-court event continues. The Australian Open finalist will next face countryman Andrey Rublev after the fourth seed overcame Benoit Paire earlier on Friday.

“[There is] lots of intensity when you play Andrey,” Medvedev added. “He has been playing great since the restart of tennis, only ups, so it is going to be a great match. Of course, I want to be on top.”

The 25-year-old has won trophies in Mallorca on grass and in Marseille on hard this year, while he also helped guid Russia to the ATP Cup title in February. Medvedev will compete in his second Masters 1000 semi-final of the season on Saturday.

Medvedev broke the Spaniard in the second game of the match to set up a 4-1 lead after just 12 minutes. With the temperature and humidity soaring at the Lindner Family Tennis Centre, the Russian showed little interest in a prolonged battle with Carreno Busta, wrapping up the opener in just 20 minutes. Medvedev won all 13 first-serve points and closed out the set with one of the nine aces he hit in the match.

The Russian continued to dictate in the second set, hitting with relentless depth and accuracy to move 4-0 ahead as he put 84 per cent of serves into play in the match. Medvedev fired 20 winners in the clash and committed just seven unforced errors compared to Carreno Busta’s 24 to seal his victory.

Carreno Busta, who was competing in his first Masters 1000 quarter-final of the season, did not drop a set en route to his clash with Medvedev. The seventh seed lifted his first ATP 500 trophy earlier this year in Hamburg and also captured the Marbella title on home soil in Spain in April.

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Rublev Battles Past Paire, Into Cincinnati SFs

  • Posted: Aug 20, 2021

Russia’s Andrey Rublev continued his quest for his first ATP Masters 1000 title on Friday at the Western & Southern Open. The fourth seed battled past Frenchman Benoit Paire 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to reach in Cincinnati to reach his third Masters 1000 semi-final of the season.

Rublev has fond memories in Ohio, having defeated Roger Federer en route to the quarter-finals in Ohio in 2019. He won 84 per cent (37/44) of his first-service points against Paire and raised his level in the third set to advance in one hour and 40 minutes. Rublev will next face top-seeded countryman Daniil Medvedev or Pablo Carreno Busta in the last four.

“I think he began to enjoy the atmosphere, to play better to serve better and everything was going in,” Rublev said of Paire’s second-set turnaround. “It was not easy to find the point to take [back] the advantage of the match. In the third set I focussed on trying to be more calm, to not make stupid mistakes.”

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The World No. 7 advanced to his maiden Masters 1000 final earlier this year at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (l. to Tsitsipas) and reached the last four at the Miami Open presented by Itau (both April). Rublev also captured his eighth tour-level crown in Rotterdam in March and helped guide Russia to the ATP Cup title in February. 

In his first ATP Head2Head meeting against Paire, Rublev made a fast start in the first set, stepping inside the baseline and striking the ball with great power on his forehand to dictate. After breaking in the opening game, the Russian was strong on serve and did not face a break point as he raced ahead in 19 minutes.

After receiving treatment for a shoulder injury, Paire started to cause Rublev more problems in the second set. The three-time tour-level titlist demonstrated a mixture of power and precision on his backhand return and covered the court well, showcasing his defensive skills to level the match.

As they moved into a decider, Paire fended off four break points in a mammoth sixth game to remain with Rublev. However, the fourth seed continued to hammer the ball from the baseline and broke with a smash to lead 5-3, before serving out to seal his victory.

Paire was competing in just his second Masters 1000 quarter-final, having advanced to the last four in Rome in 2013. The World No. 50, who upset Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the second round, has reached quarter-finals in Gstaad, Hamburg and Cordoba this season.

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Nadal To Miss US Open, Rest Of 2021 Season

  • Posted: Aug 20, 2021

Rafael Nadal will miss the US Open and the rest of the 2021 season, the Spaniard announced on Instagram Friday due to a foot injury.

“I am very sorry to announce that I will not be able to keep playing tennis during the 2021 season. But as you know I have been suffering too much with my foot for the past year,” Nadal said. “I have missed a lot of important events for me like the US Open now, like Wimbledon, like the Olympics and many other events that are so important and emotional for me.”

 

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Following a semi-final loss at Roland Garros against Novak Djokovic, Nadal did not play until the Citi Open in Washington due to the injury. The legendary lefty made the Round of 16 there before travelling to Toronto for the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers. But Nadal withdrew from the ATP Masters 1000 event.

“After coming back from Toronto, I took a couple of days to think about it. I needed to talk with my family, with my team and with my doctors especially to understand what is going on. But the foot is not the proper way today,” Nadal said. “During the past year I was not practising and preparing myself the way that I need to to be competitive at the standards that I want to be, so we had to take that decision. But I am confident that I will recover 100 per cent and I will be able to fight again for the most important things.

“The injury is nothing new. It is the same injury that I have had since 2005. In that moment, the doctors were very negative about my future career, but I was able to have a career that I never dreamed about. So I am confident that I will recover again the foot and if the foot is better, I am confident that my tennis and my mentality will be there again soon.”

Nadal finishes his season with a 24-5 record and two titles, in Barcelona and Rome. The 35-year-old thanked his fans for all their support, and promised that he will do everything in his power to work his way back: “The only thing you can be sure of is I am going to fight every single day to make that happen.”

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QF Preview: Can Clay Star Ruud Make Hard-Court Statement In Cincinnati?

  • Posted: Aug 20, 2021

Casper Ruud is known for his clay-court prowess, but the Norwegian can make a hard-court statement on Friday in the Western & Southern Open quarter-finals.

The eighth seed will play Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Alexander Zverev for a spot in the last four in Cincinnati. Neither man had previously won a match at the Lindner Family Tennis Centre, but one will move to within two victories of the trophy.

It is an important match for Ruud in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin. Entering the week, the 22-year-old was in eighth place as he pursues a maiden appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals in November. The 360 points that would come with a semi-final berth would give him breathing room ahead Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, who lost Thursday, and draw him closer to seventh-placed Rafael Nadal.

Ruud has now made at least the quarter-finals at four consecutive ATP Masters 1000 events he has played, including two in a row on hard courts. But the winner of four titles this season — all of which have come on clay — will face a stiff test against Zverev, who has not lost a set this week.

The German began his run with an 0-6 record at the Western & Southern Open. But Zverev has found his rhythm on the quick, high-bouncing courts in Cincinnati, taking advantage of his booming serve to put pressure on his opponents throughout the tournament.

“I hope the story has passed me and I can win many more here,” Zverev said in his on-court interview after dispatching Argentine lefty Guido Pella on Thursday. “Obviously I’ve had tough times here, but I’m happy to be here and I feel like I’m playing well. I’m feeling well and that’s the most important thing.”

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Zverev, the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion, began the week in sixth place in the Race. He has won eight consecutive matches and his confidence is showing in his aggressive play. The winner will play the winner of second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime for a spot in the championship match.

From their junior days until early in their ATP Head2Head rivalry, Auger-Aliassime had Tsitsipas’ number. But the Greek star has won four consecutive matches against Felix to take a 4-2 lead in their series.

“[Felix] knows my game better than any opponent out there. We have been playing [each other] since the age of 12,” Tsitsipas said after a three-set victory against Auger-Aliassime in Acapulco this year. “I wasn’t the one winning in the beginning, but it is great that I have developed into the player that I am and he has done an unbelievable improvement. [It is] always a challenge facing him. We do have a history and I really hope that we build a rivalry that is going to be much remembered in ATP Tour history.”

Daniil Medvedev
Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
On the other half of the draw, top seed Daniil Medvedev will try to continue his impressive play against Pablo Carreno Busta in what promises to be a baseline battle.

Medvedev is confident after lifting his fourth Masters 1000 trophy last week in Toronto, but Carreno Busta is no stranger to hard-court success. The Spaniard is a two-time US Open semi-finalist who showed good form in taking out Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz in two tie-breaks on Thursday.

World No. 2 Medvedev will have revenge on his mind, as Carreno Busta just defeated Medvedev in straight sets in the Olympic quarter-finals and went on to win the bronze medal. The Russian leads their ATP Head2Head series 3-2, including a triumph in this year’s Mallorca semi-finals.

The winner will face Russian Andrey Rublev or resurgent Frenchman Benoit Paire. It will be an interesting clash of styles in their first tour-level meeting, as Rublev blasts the ball without hesitation, while Paire uses various spins, feel and is unafraid of coming to net to finish points.

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Felix Upsets Berrettini, Resets For Tsitsipas Clash

  • Posted: Aug 20, 2021

Felix Auger-Aliassime continues to expunge the disappointment of his opening-round exit on home soil in Toronto last week by charging deeper into the draw at the Western & Southern Open. On Thursday night the Canadian defeated close friend and World No. 8 Matteo Berrettini 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament.

“Today I played a great match. At some points he didn’t play his best level but on the court you have to deal with different situations and I was able to find my way through,” Auger-Aliassime said.

The World No. 17 on Friday will play second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas as he attempts to reach his second semi-final at this level (Miami 2019).

Playing his first event since missing the Tokyo Olympics with a thigh injury, Berrettini looked below peak fitness and had additional strapping applied to his generously taped left leg after the seventh game of the first set. The Wimbledon finalist’s plight was not helped by him labouring on average for two and a half minutes longer on his service games in the first than his opponent and by him offering up eight break point opportunities.

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After breaking Berrettini for the second time to clinch the first set, Auger-Aliassime broke the Italian’s opening service game and from there chartered a smooth course towards his first win in three ATP Head2Head meetings and his sixth win over a Top 10 player.

The 21-year-old is 16th in the FedEx ATP Race to Turin and needs to produce big results at the remaining Masters 1000s and US Open to climb into contention for one of seven remaining spots at the Nitto ATP Finals. Coming into this week, he had a modest 4-8 record at the Masters 1000 level dating back to the Tour resumption in August last year.

But he improved to 28-17 on the year Thursday night and has designs on pushing beyond his career-high FedEx ATP Ranking of No. 15 on Monday by continuing his charge at the Lindner Family Tennis Centre.

Auger-Aliassime now turns his focus to his seventh ATP Head2Head meeting with Tsitsipas, who has won the past four battles to lead the rivalry 4-2. “He’s a great rival and tomorrow will be another great battle. From here on it will be top, top players.”

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Tsitsipas' 'Game Changer' Hold Lifts Him To QFs

  • Posted: Aug 20, 2021

Stefanos Tsitsipas advanced to his fifth ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final of the season Thursday night with a fighting win over Italian Lorenzo Sonego at the Western & Southern Open. The Greek notched a Tour-leading 47th match win of the season with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 victory to set a Friday quarter-final with Matteo Berrettini or Felix Auger-Aliassime.

“He was going for every single shot and his footwork was close to unbelievable,” Tsitsipas said. “He can do damage against high-ranked players. Things got really difficult in a few moments but I stayed there and waited for the opportunity to present itself.”

Tsitsipas had not won a match at the Lindner Family Tennis Centre before this week, although he did reach last year’s semi-finals when the tournament was played in New York due to the pandemic.

Sonego stunned the second seed with an explosive opening set in which he hit 15 winners to three unforced errors and by winning 87 per cent of first-serve points.

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In the first game of the second set, Tsitsipas dug himself out of a 0/40 hole for just the fifth time of the year and broke Sonego in the next game to steal the momentum. The former Nitto ATP Finals champion took a more aggressive posture inside the baseline and won 11 of 13 net approaches.

The Greek also broke the 26-year-old World No. 27 in the first game of the third set and never relinquished his stranglehold on the match as Sonego didn’t get a sniff at a break point in the decider.

“That was a game changer,” Tsitsipas said of the hold in the first game of the second set. “After finding my game from that part of the match onwards, things started working pretty well for me. The psychology kind of changed and I was having that fighting spirit and not letting go was very crucial.”

Both players had clean stats sheets, with Tsitsipas boasting 24 winners to 15 unforced errors and Sonego 35 winners to 20 unforced errors. But the Greek’s edge in winning 31 of 51 points of five-to-nine-shot duration proved decisive.

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