Tennis News

Korda Sets All-American Parma SF Against Paul

Sebastian Korda set an all-American semi-final against Tommy Paul after taking down eighth seed Yoshihito Nishioka on Thursday at the Emilia-Romagna Open.

The #NextGenATP American dropped serve only once en route to a 6-3, 6-3 victory. After defeating Andreas Seppi and top seed Lorenzo Sonego in the opening rounds, Korda has now booked his spot into his first tour-level clay-court semi-final in Parma. 

“I played a great match. I know he has been playing really good tennis, he reached the semi-final in Lyon [last week],” Korda said in an on-court interview. “But it’s my first semi-final on clay and I’m super happy.”

Korda stayed aggressive throughout the match, and took control of the rallies with his big serve. He created nine break opportunities across both sets, converting on four occasions. In the first set, he took a 3-0 lead with an early break and never looked back. 

But Nishioka, who defeated #NextGenATP Lorenzo Musetti on his way to the quarter-finals, struck back in the second set after once again dropping his first service game. He levelled the score at 1-1, but it would be his only look at break points during the match. Korda lost only two points on his serve in the next seven games, and reeled off the last four games to seal the victory after an hour and 21 minutes. 

Korda will meet Paul in the semi-finals after the sixth seed took down Jan-Lennard Struff 6-2, 6-4. It will be the pair’s second tour-level meeting after Korda came back from a set down to win their Delray Beach battle in January on his way to the final (l. Hurkacz).

“I’m really good friends with Tommy,” Korda said. “We practise together a lot. It’s going to be a really fun match. He’s been playing great, so hopefully it will be a fun one.”

Elsewhere in Parma, Jaume Munar and Italian wild card Marco Cecchinato will meet for a spot in the final after cruising through their own quarter-final battles. 

Munar, who reached a final in Marbella (l. Carreno Busta) last month, only dropped two games against fifth seed Richard Gasquet en route to a 6-1, 6-1 win. Munar didn’t face a break point, and won 96 per cent of points behind his first serve (22/23) and 100 per cent of his second serves (6/6).

Wild card Cecchinato served up seven aces in his 6-3, 6-1 victory over lucky loser Norbert Gombos. He will be seeking his fourth tour-level title in Parma, and will try to improve his 0-1 ATP Head2Head record against Munar. 

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French Open 2021 draw: Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic & Roger Federer in same half of draw

Defending champion Rafael Nadal could meet Novak Djokovic in the French Open semi-finals after the pair land in the same half of the men’s draw.

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French Open: Harriet Dart loses in final round of qualifying for Roland Garros

Britain’s Harriet Dart misses out on a main-draw spot at the French Open with a defeat in the final round of qualifying.

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Novak Djokovic: Boris Becker, Goran Ivanisevic & Nikola Pilic on making of a champion

Novak Djokovic has “two sides” and can be a “24-hour stress” to coach – Boris Becker, Goran Ivanisevic and Nikola Pilic on what makes him a champion.

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French Open: Naomi Osaka says she will not take questions at tournament

Naomi Osaka will not take questions during the French Open due to the impact it can have on the mental health of players.

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Carballes Baena Wins Belgrade Marathon Against Monfils

Spanish qualifier Roberto Carballes Baena claimed the second Top 20 victory of his career with a dramatic 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(4) win over Gael Monfils in a late-night marathon on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the Belgrade Open. 

“It was a very tough match and a very physical match,” Carballes Baena said in an on-court interview. “Gael is a top player and he is so good. He is not playing his best tennis, but for me it is a great win.”  

Carballes Baena, who won the ATP Challenger Series event at this same venue last month (d. Dzumhur), came out on fire against World No. 15 Monfils. He led 4-0 in the opening set and by a break in the second but the Frenchman, who was looking for his second match win of the season (1-3), never stopped fighting. 

The Spaniard was in trouble – and on the brink of defeat – in a rollercoaster third set, as he trailed by a break and then 1/4 in the deciding tie-break. Carballes Baena stayed patient and took his chances, reeling off six points in a row to turn around the tie-break and claim victory after a two-hour and 35-minute battle.

Carballes Baena booked a quarter-final clash against eighth seed Federico Delbonis as he seeks his second tour-level title. The Spaniard will be looking to improve his ATP Head2Head record against Delbonis, who has won all four of their encounters, including most recently in Marbella earlier in the season. 

“Tomorrow is going to be a very tough match. I played four or five times against Delbonis, and I lost all of the times. I think it will be very tough, but right now I want to enjoy this victory and tomorrow I will prepare [for] the match.”

Fifth seed Dusan Lajovic claimed the only straight-sets win of the day to move past Jeremy Chardy and book a spot into the quarter-finals. The Serbian won 72 per cent of points (28/39) behind his first serve, and kept the pressure on the Frenchman by creating 18 break opportunities. Lajovic converted on four occasions en route to a 6-3, 6-4 win.

Lajovic will next face qualifier Andrej Martin, who similarly faced 18 break points in his battle with third seed Nikoloz Basilashvili. Martin saved 10 of those points, and in turn broke serve nine times to claim a 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(4) win over the Munich champion after two hours and 29 minutes. 

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Sabanov Brothers Move Closer To Belgrade Double

One month ago, Ivan Sabanov and Matej Sabanov won their first ATP Tour title in Belgrade. Now the twins are two victories from claiming their second trophy at the same facility.

The Croatian wild cards beat Federico Delbonis and Artem Sitak 6-2, 6-1 on Wednesday to reach the semi-finals of the Belgrade Open. The Sabanov brothers have not lost a set in five of their six matches at the Novak Tennis Center.

They will next play Jonathan Erlich and Andrei Vasilevski, who advanced on Tuesday. On the other half of the draw, Britons Luke Bambridge and Dominic Inglot eliminated fourth seeds Marcelo Demoliner and Santiago Gonzalez 6-4, 6-4. They will face Swede Andre Goransson and Brazilian Rafael Matos for a spot in the championship match.

Top Seeds Advance In Parma
Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen advanced to the quarter-finals of the Emilia-Romagna Open on Wednesday with a 7-6(5), 6-4 triumph against Francesco Passaro and Stefanos Travaglia of Italy. The top seeds are pursuing their sixth ATP Tour title as a team and their second crown of the season (Singapore).

Also moving on in the Parma doubles draw were 2020 Australian Open finalists Max Purcell and Luke Saville, who beat home favourites Marco Cecchinato and Andreas Seppi 7-6(5), 6-4.

In other action, two of the top three seeds were upset. Oliver Marach and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi ousted second seeds Raven Klaasen and Ben McLachlan 6-3, 6-4, and Simone Bolelli and Maximo Gonzalez beat third seeds Marcus Daniell and Philipp Oswald 6-2, 6-4.

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#NextGenATP Alcaraz, Brooksby One Win From Roland Garros Main Draw

Last year, Carlos Alcaraz lost in the first round of qualifying at Roland Garros. This edition, the #NextGenATP star is one win from reaching the main draw on the terre battue for the first time.

Alcaraz defeated Italian Andrea Pellegrino 6-1, 6-2 on Wednesday to reach the final round of qualifying in Paris. The 18-year-old has lost a total of nine games through the first two rounds after beating Slovakian veteran Lukas Lacko on Monday.

The World No. 94, who is the youngest player in the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings, will next play Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, who eliminated Indian Sumit Nagal 6-3, 6-3.

Another #NextGenATP star, American Jenson Brooksby, rallied past Switzerland’s Marc-Andrea Huesler 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4 to move to within a win of qualifying. The 20-year-old, who did not play a professional match in 2020, has already won three ATP Challenger Tour titles this season. He owns the second-highest winning percentage (90.4%) through the first four months of a Challenger season.

Brooksby will play World No. 329 Evan Furness in the third round of qualifying after the Frenchman beat American Denis Kudla 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-4. The home favourite made his first Challenger semi-final in Portugal this April.

Read Brooksby Challenger Q&A

One match lasted three hours and 39 minutes, with 12th seed Hugo Dellien battling past Slovenian Blaz Kavcic 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 6-4. The Bolivian is trying to compete in the main draw here for the third consecutive year. In two other clashes that lasted nearly three hours, Buenos Aires finalist Francisco Cerundolo clawed past American Thai-Son Kwiatkowski 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-6(5) and 16th seed Juan Pablo Varillas of Peru ousted Austrian Sebastian Ofner 6-7(10), 7-5, 6-3.

Second seed Daniel Elahi Galan continued his impressive clay-court season with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph against Turkey’s Altug Celikbilek. The Colombian successfully qualified for Roland Garros last year and advanced to the third round of the main draw. 

American Mackenzie McDonald, who defeated Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round of qualifying, beat Argentine Renzo Olivo 6-3, 6-4 and he will face another Argentine, Marco Trungelliti, for a place in the main draw. Former junior Grand Slam champions Bjorn Fratangelo (2011 Roland Garros), Kimmer Coppejans (2012 Roland Garros) and Roman Safiullin (2015 Australian Open) also advanced.

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Tiafoe: 'We Need More People To Understand The Culture'

In an excerpt from Eurosport’s Players’ Voice series, Frances Tiafoe writes about empowering Black individuals, the importance of understanding culture, inspiring kids to chase their dreams and more. The American also explains how he wants to achieve success to help him make a difference in the community.

I know that there were a ton of NFL and NBA guys going out to schools in low income areas to let kids know that we see and hear them, that we were them too at one point and they aren’t alone; there is light at the end of the tunnel. It’s all about uplifting those kids and reinforcing that there’s life outside the circle they’re living in. I’m a big quote guy and something Will Smith once said really stuck with me, “It’s not about where you are, it’s about where you’re going”, and that’s big! It’s all about empowering Black individuals.

I don’t want everyone to be a Serena Williams or a Frances Tiafoe, I just want them to find their own success in whatever shape that comes in. Whatever your lane is – find that lane! But how do we create those lanes? That’s the main conversation. How are we helping more individuals see that they can be anyone they want to be? I don’t know if that’s ploughing a ton of money into schools or putting $50 million in community projects to guarantee transportation, food or even college scholarships. Kids going to college is massive; that experience can change your whole perspective. I’m not saying that everyone has the means to do that but it’s those sort of ideas that we need executing to make real change.

But first we need more people understanding the culture to gain a sense of what it feels like to be a Black individual each and every day. It’s about changing existing mindsets and that’s tough but it goes back to the importance of using our platforms to continue creating more awareness. The more I achieve on the tennis court, the more I hope to achieve off it; the bigger the results, the bigger the platform.

When I think about my career goals, winning a Grand Slam would be the pinnacle and I’ve always had this dream about taking the trophy back to Africa. My parents both emigrated from Sierra Leone and went through a lot to ensure we had a great childhood; both working endless hours and weekends too. So for them to see me do that and bring it back home – I’m talking real home – that’s massive. I would want to get everybody involved in that moment and let all those kids see that it can happen. The struggles they face are real so that would symbolise a lot and it’s just so much bigger than me. I’d love to do well for my community in (Washington) DC, but doing it for Africa, where my parents are from, I know that would mean a lot to them. I feel like my legacy kind of depends on that and what I do for them, so that’s my ultimate goal.

Read Tiafoe’s Full Eurosport Players’ Voice Column

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Korda Finds Another Level To Topple Sonego In Parma

#NextGenATP American Sebastian Korda raised his level on Wednesday to take down top seed Lorenzo Sonego 6-1, 7-5 and reach the Emilia-Romagna Open quarter-finals.

The 20-year-old arrived in Parma with just one clay-court win under his belt this season, but he has found his rhythm in northern Italy after defeating Andreas Seppi in the opening round. Up against another Italian, Internazionali BNL d’Italia semi-finalist Sonego, Korda saved all six break points faced to claim the victory. 

“I had a really tough opponent, but I had a good game plan and it worked out really well for me,” Korda said in an on-court interview. “It’s an incredible win, he’s been playing some amazing tennis on the clay this year. He’s beaten me earlier this year, so I’m super happy with the win.”

Korda was nearly untouchable in the one-sided opening set, reeling off the first five games before Sonego found his footing. The American faced five break points at 4-0, but some big first serves bailed him out of trouble. In the second set, Sonego raised his level stayed on serve with Korda, powering his way to a set point on Korda’s serve at 5-4. But the American responded in kind, and broke in the next game to take a 6-5 lead before serving out his spot in the quarter-finals.

The American will next face eighth seed Yoshihito Nishioka, who needed an hour and 21 minutes to take down #NextGenATP Lorenzo Musetti in a hard-fought 6-3, 6-2 battle.

“I knew today was going to be [a] very, very tough match,” Nishioka said in his on-court interview. “I know that he played a very good tournament last week, so I know he was tired as well, mentally as well. It was not his best performance, but there were many close games and many deuces. This was a 3 and 2 [win], but it was a very tough match today.”

The Japanese lefty held his nerve after trailing by a break twice in the opening set, raising his level to win the last five games in a row. He weathered the 19-year-old Italian’s full range of variety – and came up with some magic of his own – to save six break points across two tight games in the second set before closing out the victory. 

Lucky loser Norbert Gombos scored the upset of the day to knock out third seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas. The Slovakian saved 10 of 13 break points he faced to seal the 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-2 win after nearly two hours and 40 minutes. He will face wild card Marco Cecchinato after the Italian defeated seventh seed Aljaz Bedene 7-5, 6-2.

Jaume Munar booked a quarter-final clash with Richard Gasquet after moving past second seed Benoit Paire 7-5, 3-1 (ret). Munar needed 65 minutes to edge through the tightly contested opening set and worked his way to a break lead in the second before the Frenchman retired due to illness. He will take on another Frenchman in fifth seed Gasquet, who took down Spanish qualifier Pedro Martinez 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. 

Also in action, fourth seed Jan-Lennard Struff defeated Italian wild card Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(2). He will meet sixth seed Tommy Paul, who needed two hours and 48 minutes to move past Jiri Vesely 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-3.

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