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Schwartzman Storms Into Third Roland Garros Quarter-final

  • Posted: Jun 07, 2021

Based on his form in Paris, you would have no clue that Diego Schwartzman arrived at Roland Garros on a four-match losing streak.

The 10th seed has found devastating form on the terre battue, defeating Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6(9), 6-4, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals at the clay-court major for the third time. The Argentine, who has not lost a set in the tournament, will next play 13-time champion Rafael Nadal or #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner.

“I love this country, I love Paris. I think my best tennis is always here,” Schwartzman said in his on-court interview. “It was not a good clay season, but when I came the first day here, I was feeling very well again. I’m very happy to be back, very happy to be in the quarter-finals again. I’m not very happy to maybe play Rafa in the next round, but let’s see what happens this time.”

With the way the match started, a straight-sets victory appeared unlikely. Struff, who beat seventh seed Andrey Rublev in the first round, powered to a 5-1 advantage and had his eyes set on a maiden Grand Slam quarter-final berth.

But Schwartzman, who made the semi-finals here in October, clawed his way back into the opener, saving seven set points in the first set to seize the momentum. He never looked back, becoming the fourth Argentine man to reach three Roland Garros quarter-finals after three hours and two minutes.

“The people were enjoying, so why not play a few more games in the match?” Schwartzman joked. “It really was an amazing feeling today, playing with a lot of people… I love you guys, so see you next round.”

What was most impressive was not just that Schwartzman saved seven set points, but that he did it at several points throughout the set, staving off the German’s relentless attack. The 28-year-old saved four set points at 1-5, another on serve at 2-5 and one more at 3-5 prior to the tie-break, which was full of tension.

Schwartzman saw a 3/0 lead evaporate and saved a seventh set point at 6/7, after Struff hit a backhand into the net. The Argentine finally claimed the 66-minute opener with a net cord winner, which Struff could not scramble up cleanly.

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The World No. 42 put the disappointment behind him to break first in the second set. But Schwartzman never let his focus slip, converting all three of his break points in the second set, which he finished off with back-to-back screaming backhand passing shots.

Struff rallied from a 0-4 deficit in the third set with courageous shotmaking, but Schwartzman was undeterred. This year’s Buenos Aires champion broke for the eighth time in the match — with another backhand passing shot — to clinch his victory, turning to his camp and screaming “Vamos!” with both arms in the air.

“I did many mistakes. I think at the beginning of the match, he had the first set very easy. I made a comeback. Then in the second I was two times a break down. Then in the third I was up, then I was not sure to close the match,” Schwartzman said. “It was a weird match, but it sometimes happens. The important thing is I won in three sets. I’m just thinking positively right now.”

Did You Know?
Schwartzman is into his fifth Grand Slam quarter-final, putting him in fourth place among Argentine men for the most trips to the last eight at a major.

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Piet van Eijsden, Long-Time Tournament Director, Dies Aged 85

  • Posted: Jun 07, 2021

Piet van Eijsden, the former Dutch champion and long-time Tournament Director, has passed away after a short illness aged 85.

Van Eijsden was associated with the Dutch Open in various positions for more than 50 years, first as a member of the ‘t Melkhisje tennis club in Hilversum, where the clay-court tournament was held between 1957 and 1994. He was instrumental in its move to Amsterdam (1995-2002) and later to Amersfoort (2003-2008).

As a player, Van Eijsden captured 11 Dutch titles, including the 1961 singles championship, and was a part of the Davis Cup team between 1958 and 1966. Van Eijsden helped to attract the likes of Rod Laver, Tom Okker, John Newcombe, Guillermo Vilas, Thomas Muster, Miloslav Mecir and Marcelo Rios to the Dutch Open. After 20 years on the organising committee, Van Eijsden became the Tournament Director in 1978.

Van Eijsden stepped down as Tournament Director in 2004 handing over the reins to his daughter. But he remained as an ambassador and two years later presented Novak Djokovic with the singles trophy, when the Serbian star captured his first ATP Tour title over Chile’s Nicolas Massu 7-6(5), 6-4 at the Sportpark Bokkeduinen in Amersfoort.

In July 2007, Van Eijsden joined former champions — Ladislav Legenstein, winner of the first edition in 1957, Okker ((1966, ’69-70, ’73), Vilas (1974-75), six-time champion Balazs Taroczy (1976, ’78-82), Miloslav Mecir (1987), Francisco Clavet (1990, ‘96), Magnus Gustafsson (1991, 2000) and Alex Corretja (2001) — at a Gala Dinner to celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the Dutch Open. After the 2008 edition, the license was sold and the tournament moved to Belgrade, where it became known as the Serbia Open.

Piet van Eijsden, tennis player and tournament director, born 9 May 1936, died 19 May 2021.

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Preview: Can Sinner & Musetti Pull An Italian Job On Nadal & Djokovic?

  • Posted: Jun 07, 2021

There hasn’t been an Italian men’s Grand Slam champion since Adriano Panatta lifted the trophy at Roland Garros in 1976. But after a long wait, the country’s tennis renaissance seems to have finally sparked in earnest as, for the first time in the Open Era, three Italian men are through to the fourth round at a major: ninth seed Matteo Berrettini and #NextGen ATP stars Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti.

With Berrettini already safely into the quarter-finals, 19-year-olds Sinner and Musetti are gearing up for their toughest tests of the fortnight as they prepare to face second seed Rafael Nadal and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, respectively, for the chance to join him. 

“Me and Jannik, I think we are the future of Italian tennis, and of the tennis in general,” Musetti declared after his third-round victory over countryman Marco Cecchinato. 

[TENNIS POINT]

Sinner, last year’s breakthrough quarter-finalist (l. Nadal) and Musetti, who is making his Roland Garros debut, have turned heads in Paris en route to the fourth round. Sinner has been his usual calm, cool and big-hitting self as he claimed wins over Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Gianluca Mager and Mikael Ymer. Musetti couldn’t be more different, bringing artistry and drama in equal measures as he navigated past 13th seed David Goffin, Yoshihito Nishioka and Cecchinato. 

“Many, many people [are] speaking [about] who is better [between] me and Lorenzo. I think it’s great to see, especially for Italian fans,” Sinner said. “We have two different styles of players, two different personalities on court and off court.”

Sinner, who hails from northern Italy – closer to Austria and Germany than the Mediterranean Sea – leads the ATP Race To Milan for a place in the Next Gen ATP Finals, while Musetti, who grew up in sunny Tuscany, sits in fourth position.

“I’m just living what [Jannik] was living like last year, so we are growing up together,” Musetti reflected. “But I have to focus on myself… I have to improve myself. Of course, I’m really proud and happy that Jannik is still winning and is still going forward in the Slams and is one of the best in the Race.”

Sinner will meet 13-time Roland Garros champion Nadal in the second men’s match on Court Philippe-Chatrier. It will be the pair’s second meeting at this event, but a lot has changed for the young Italian since his straight-sets defeat to Nadal at last year’s quarter-finals. Sinner went on to lift two ATP Tour trophies, reach an ATP Masters 1000 final [Miami] and break into the Top 20 of the FedEx ATP Rankings.

 

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“He’s young. He’s improving every week. He has big shots. [It’s] going to be a tough one,” Nadal acknowledged after his third-round win over Cameron Norrie. “I need to be solid. I need to be aggressive too, because if not it’s very difficult. I need to make him play from tough positions, and I can’t make a lot of mistakes.

“I know it’s the fourth round, you can’t expect an easy opponent out there. Jannik is not the best fourth round [for me], without a doubt. He’s a dangerous one… We know each other well.”

Nadal will take a 2-0 ATP Head2Head lead into their match-up, after claiming a victory over the Italian earlier this season on his way to the title in Rome (d. Djokovic). The winner will face either 10th seed Diego Schwartzman or Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff in the quarter-finals.

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World No. 1 Djokovic will get his first look at #NextGenATP Musetti in the Chatrier day session match, but it won’t be the first time the two have shared a court.

After cruising past Ricardas Berankis to reach the fourth round without dropping a set, Djokovic revealed that he and Musetti have been frequent practice partners throughout the season – including at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. The top seed will be very aware of the trouble the No. 79-ranked Musetti can bring.

Read More: Musetti Makes Magic With Shot Of The Year Contender In Paris

“I know very much that he is a big challenge to me,” Djokovic said. “So there is no question I have to go out playing on a high level, because he will not have much to lose. I’m sure he’s gonna come out and really try to play the tennis of his life… on the big courts.”

Ninth seed Matteo Berrettini awaits the winner of Djokovic-Musetti. The 25-year-old Italian received a walkover from Roger Federer after the 2009 champion withdrew from the tournament, sending him into the quarter-finals here for the first time.

Tenth seed Schwartzman will face Struff in the second match on Court Suzanne-Lenglen for a shot at the winner of Nadal-Sinner. The Argentine, who reached the semi-finals here last year (l. Nadal), has flown under the radar and advanced to the fourth round without dropping a set or facing a tie-break. 

 

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After lifting the trophy on home soil in Buenos Aires in March, Schwartzman has struggled to gain momentum as the clay swing turned to Europe. But he snapped a three-match losing streak in style in Paris, and he hasn’t looked back since.

“Finishing [the clay-court season] in Roland Garros, I was thinking, ‘Okay, this place, it’s a great place for me,’” Schwartzman said. “I did great things here in the past, and I have to play good tennis. Let’s see what happens. If it’s not a good week, I can go back [home] just for a few days.”

Schwartzman and Struff are level at 1-1 in their ATP Head2Head record, with the Argentine claiming victory in their lone clay-court meeting at Monte-Carlo in 2017. The German equalled his best Grand Slam result by reaching the fourth round with victories over seventh seed Andrey Rublev and #NextGenATP Carlos Alcaraz along the way. 

Click Here For Full Day 9 Order Of Play. 

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Cervara On Medvedev: 'When He Feels Good, He Can Do Big, Big Things'

  • Posted: Jun 07, 2021

Daniil Medvedev has made a clay-court breakthrough this fortnight, advancing to the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, where he had previously not won a match.

His longtime coach, Gilles Cervara, is pleased with the accomplishment, saying “It’s a good feeling to add another one in our career. It’s a great feeling.”

Medvedev has often joked in the past about his play on clay and hoping to win his first match at Roland Garros this year. But now, the Russian is into the last eight with the loss of just one set. The second seed also quietly has moved closer to taking the No. 1 FedEx ATP Ranking from Novak Djokovic, which he can accomplish by winning the title or by making the final without Djokovic also reaching the championship match.

ATPTour.com spoke to Cervara on Sunday about all of that and more.

I’m sure you’ve seen all the talk and Daniil has joked all the time about not having a win at Roland Garros. Does that make it especially nice that he’s found such good form in Paris?
For me, I try not to listen too much about this. When you are a coach, in the previous weeks he started to [talk] about the clay, that he doesn’t like the clay. As a coach, you cannot trust this. You cannot listen to this, you cannot stop on this. That’s my feeling, that’s my opinion. We will fight to get into the semi-final now. It’s your job. Of course you are able to win and play on clay courts.

Was one of the big things for you ahead of this tournament making sure he focuses on that and not the other stuff?
On the first day when we arrived in Paris, I was almost sure it would be a great tournament like he said in the press. But as a coach, after his first feeling here in practice [when he said he felt good], also for this I didn’t listen to [what he said in press]. I understood that he felt good. If he feels good, that’s great.

But now we’re going to see day after day, and especially after the first match how he is going to fight, how he is going to behave on the court. That will be the only proof that he is in good shape and a good mindset.

He had a tough first opponent, Alexander Bublik. When did you first realise that Daniil was feeling good?
I would say every day on court in practice, the four days we practised here. He won every set he played against his opponents and when he was in trouble, he didn’t say any words. That’s when I felt, ‘Okay, maybe he is right, he feels good and it’s not [words].’

At this moment, I felt we could have an opportunity to do something okay. After that, during every match it was like, ‘Okay, let’s see.’ I didn’t expect amazing things, but I was ready for big things, because I know Daniil and I know when he feels good, he can do big, big things.

You mentioned it was a good sign that he wasn’t saying much in tough moments on court. Was that something that you told him, that it wasn’t a good thing that earlier in the clay season he would talk too much on court?
Of course. It’s tough to say to a player, ‘Don’t talk’ when he wants to talk, especially with Daniil. It’s more when he talks, something is wrong, something needs to be improved inside himself. That’s his job, that’s our job and his mental coach’s job with him, to improve this. It’s not like, ‘Okay, I stop talking’ and it works. It’s more [for him to think], ‘I’m in a good mindset, so when it’s tough, I don’t feel the need to talk.’

Daniil has mentioned a few times in press how he likes the ball and the bounce in Paris. Do you feel the conditions are different this year?
I don’t think it’s different this year, but it’s different for him. It’s different for him because here in Paris it’s warm this year, so there is a lot of sun. The balls get faster and with more life in the bounce, so of course it’s great for him.

Not the clay, but inside the court, the ground is stronger than in Rome and Madrid. It’s not as soft. It changes everything. Small details can change everything for the player’s feeling, and that is what happened in Daniil.

We’ve seen on hard courts that Daniil gets in zones where he just doesn’t miss and it drives opponents crazy. Do you see him almost playing like that in Paris where he’s just settling into those types of rallies?
Yes, of course. That’s exactly what I just saw in his match today [against Cristian Garin]. In the first two sets it was like he didn’t miss. He plays in his zone because he doesn’t think, he has his automatism (the performance of actions without conscious thought) and his game puts his opponent in trouble. 

How amazing is it that Daniil has a real chance to get to World No. 1 this tournament?
Of course I will not think about this. The points, the record, the ranking, of course I do care. But during the tournament, the most important thing is that you try to play and be the best you can on the court during the match. If you are good, the rest is coming. But I don’t think about World No. 1 at all.

Next up is Stefanos Tsitsipas. How much does having such a good record against him help Daniil’s confidence?
I wish yes. In reality, I don’t know. It’s not the first time that they’ve played against each other on clay, because they played in Monte Carlo in 2019. It’s great that he has already beaten Tsitsipas.

If you could pick one thing that’s most important for Daniil the rest of the tournament, what would that be?
That’s tough, [there are] so many things. But as I know him, I will say to feel that he can play his tennis without thinking. [It is important that he is] feeling that his tennis is efficient and doesn’t make him think too much. Kind of reacting, but not 100 per cent. It’s to be in his automatism without thinking about anything else.

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Zverev Races Past Nishikori To Reach QFs In Paris

  • Posted: Jun 06, 2021

In the battle between US Open finalists, sixth seed Alexander Zverev triumphed over Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 on Sunday to race into the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.

Zverev improved to 16-5 at Roland Garros, his joint-most successful Grand Slam in terms of matches won alongside the Australian Open (16-6). He also improved his ATP Head2Head lead over the Japanese player to 5-1, and 3-1 on clay courts. 

“I hope I continue playing the same way I did this match. Maybe even better,” Zverev said. “Now we’re in the quarterfinals, there’s only eight of us left, and the opponents are not getting easier. You need to perform at your best, play at your best.”

The German arrived in Paris after lifting an ATP Masters 1000 trophy on the clay courts of Madrid, recording head-turning wins over Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem and Matteo Berrettini en route to the title – along with a first-round win over Nishikori. Zverev’s Mutua Madrid Open victory marked his 15th tour-level title, and his second of the season after clinching the ATP 250 event in Acapulco in March.

Both Zverev and Nishikori have seen their five-set records tested during this Parisian fortnight. Zverev was taken the distance by qualifier Oscar Otte in the first round, and improved his record in Roland Garros five-setters to 7-0. Nishikori had two five-set marathons under his belt coming into their fourth-round clash, improving to 26-7 in fifth sets, the best winning percentage among active players. 

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But Zverev ensured they would not go the distance on Sunday after making a strong start to their Court Philippe-Chatrier night session clash. The German was going to the down-the-line backhand regularly with great success, getting to a 3-0 lead before Nishikori found his footing. That set the tone for the rest of the match as Nishikori found himself making up for lost ground across the one-hour, 57-minute match.

Zverev’s first serve let him down as the former World No. 4 earned his only break of the match at 3-1, consolidating to level the score at 3-3. Zverev never let him get comfortable, dragging the Japanese player from end to end with his heavy groundstrokes. He earned the break back late in the set at 5-4 to close out the opening tilt.

Zverev sped through the second set at the expense of just one game, opening up a 5-0 lead with a double break. In the third, Nishikori dug his heels in after going down another double break for 0-3, running after every ball and returning with interest. He earned unforced errors from Zverev to earn one of the breaks back, but Zverev took back control after a lengthy battle for 4-1. The German reeled off the last two games comfortably to seal his spot in the quarter-finals.

The sixth seed booked a last-four meeting with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina after the 22-year-old Spaniard battled past Federico Delbonis 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 earlier in the day. The German leads their ATP Head2Head 2-0 going into their first clay-court match-up. 

“No matter who you’re playing, they already won four matches,” Zverev said. “I’m looking forward to that, of course. I know it’s not going to be any easier from this moment on.”

Nishikori was vying to become the 51st player in history to record 100 men’s singles match wins at the Grand Slams. He is now 13-11 on the season.

Did You Know?
Zverev is now the second German man in the Open Era to reach three quarter-finals at Roland Garros. He follows in the footsteps of Boris Becker, who advanced to this stage on four occasions between 1986 and 1991.

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