Tennis News

Fritz, Paul, LeBron James & an Olympics memory for a lifetime

LeBron James is one of the most recognisable people on the planet. If you looked closely at the basketball legend on television during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics, there were nearby faces familiar to tennis fans, including Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.

With WTA star Coco Gauff a co-flagbearer for the United States alongside James, the rest of the tennis team was invited to the front of the American boat, giving them time with James and the rest of the basketball team.

“It was really cool. It was awesome that Coco was a flagbearer, and it was awesome for all of us as well, because of the fact that we did kind of get to experience the opening ceremonies a little bit differently than all the other Americans, because we were up front with the basketball players,” Fritz told ATPTour.com at the Cincinnati Open, where he is the 11th seed. “We were just right in the front, on the boat in the opening ceremonies. It was one of the coolest experiences.”

James, who helped lead the United States to a gold medal in men’s basketball, took a photo with the entire American tennis contingent.

“It was cool. We were just riding the Coco Gauff train. We were only up there because of her, so it was cool seeing her have her moment,” Paul said. “Obviously unreal to be a flagbearer at the Olympics, so that was really cool.”

The ATP tennis players who attended the Opening Ceremony — Fritz, Paul, Christopher Eubanks and Marcos Giron — also rode to the ceremony on the same bus as their country’s basketball team, which was a who’s who of the best players in the world.

“Being on the on the bus with the U.S. basketball team was really cool, too,” Paul, the 10th seed in Cincinnati, said. “We didn’t talk too much to them. I talked to Jrue Holiday a little bit, and Derrick White, but Bron, we kind of just got a picture with. I think he was talking to Coco most of the time.”

Fritz reached the third round in singles and Paul advanced to the quarter-finals, but they did not come home empty handed. The Americans earned bronze in men’s doubles, joining silver medalists Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram as tennis medalists from the United States.

With memories for a lifetime in hand, they will turn their attention to their first tournament in the United States since the Olympics, the Cincinnati Open.

Fritz said: “I think before the event even started, before we were able to medal, just that alone made me happy with my decision to go.”

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Popyrin rides blazing tie-break vs. Korda to reach Montreal final

Alexei Popyrin turned near disaster into unexpected triumph to snap Sebastian Korda’s eight-match winning streak and charge into his first ATP Masters 1000 final in Montreal Sunday night.

After coming within two points of defeat earlier in the day during a tense three-set quarter-final win over Hubert Hurkacz, the Australian survived a roller-coaster opening set against Korda before rolling over the American to claim a 7-6(0), 6-3 win.

“It means the world… it’s an amazing achievement for myself to be honest, and sometimes you have to pat yourself on the back,” said Popyrin, who has followed in the footsteps of countryman Alex de Minaur, who reached the final in Toronto last year. “I’ll do that tonight but tomorrow it’s all hands on deck and back to work.”

“It was a topsy-turvy first set with some breaks here and there. I had some points at 5-4 but played some sloppy points and didn’t convert. I just stayed mentally strong and I knew exactly what I was going to do on my next break point if I got an opportunity. “

Popyrin, who turned 25 last Monday, won 83 per cent of points on his booming first serve and mercilessly attacked the second serve of Korda, who won just 38 per cent of second-serve points.

In Monday’s final Popyrin will play 2024 Madrid champion Andrey Rublev, whom he defeated in the first round of Monte-Carlo at the beginning of the clay season.

Popyrin let slip two set points on Korda’s serve at 5-4 in the first set and when he was broken from 40/15 in the following game, the newly minted Washington champion seemed to have all the momentum. But Popyrin immediately broke back to force a tie-break, in which he blanked Korda 7/0.

Popyrin arrived in Montreal for the hard-court Masters 1000 after winning two matches on clay at the Paris Olympics and had spent eight hours, 22 minutes on court this week en route to the semis.

Earlier in the day Popyrin rallied from a set and 1/3 down against Hurkacz, who was two points from a straight-sets quarter-final victory when the players were locked at 5/5 in the second-set tie-break. But the Australian hit 11 aces and won 75 per cent of his first-serve points to tough out a 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 win despite converting just three of 20 break point chances.

Popyrin came into the match having not won a set against the Pole in their three Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings.

Having surged 32 places this week in the PIF ATP Live Rankings to a career-high No. 30, Popyrin will rise to No. 23 should he take the title. Monday’s final begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT.

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Inspired by the rock star Bruce Springsteen

Teen Javed Khan finds unexpected inspiration in Springsteen’s songs

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Rublev beats rain, Arnaldi to reach Montreal final

An extended rain break couldn’t extinguish Andrey Rublev’s explosive run to the final of the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers, as the World No. 8 dismissed Italian Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 6-2 to charge into Monday’s ATP Masters 1000 final in Montreal.

After a one hour, 40 minute suspension in play at 6-4, 1-1 Sunday night, Rublev returned to court crushing winners at will to win five of the final six games of the match.

Rublev advanced to his sixth ATP Masters 1000 final one day after upsetting World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals.

Rublev’s clean-hitting display in the first set took him to the lead after 51 minutes when rain suspended play at 6:05 p.m. local time.

Rublev will play American Sebastian Korda or first-time Masters 1000 semi-finalist Alexei Popyrin in the final.

Arnaldi was competing in his second tour-level semi-final and first at Masters 1000 level. The 23-year-old Italian is currently up 17 spots to No. 29 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

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Alcaraz's big focus: Year-end No. 1

Carlos Alcaraz has enjoyed a hot stretch of form, winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and capturing the singles silver medal at the Paris Olympics. Now the Spaniard has his sights set on one thing: ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours.

The 21-year-old enters the Cincinnati Open just 450 points behind first-placed Sinner in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, which serves as a barometer for year-end No. 1.

“Obviously being No. 1 is a goal every time that I am [behind] and the race is an important ranking for me. At the end of the year, if you end the race No. 1, in the rankings [it is] quite similar, so you’re going to end the No. 1,” Alcaraz said. “So I’m really focused on that. I’m focused on going to every tournament, thinking about playing great tennis, doing a good result just to get better in the race, and this year, ending the year as No. 1 is one of my main goals right now. So I’m looking forward to doing it and let’s see.”

For nearly the entire first half of the season, it seemed Sinner was in prime position to become the first Italian year-end No. 1 in history. But after earning back-to-back major titles, Alcaraz is hot on the 22-year-old’s heels.

“I’m fighting for being No. 1 in the race, that’s something that I really want to to do as soon as possible, if I could do it in the future,” Alcaraz said. “This one is a really important tournament, really good tournament for me. So I’m going to try to play good tennis, try to play same level as I was playing, and let’s see.”

Alcaraz has won 20 of his past 22 matches dating back to the start of Roland Garros. During that stretch, he has emerged victorious against nine of the 10 Top 20 players he has faced.

“I’ve been playing great tennis, but probably most of the matches I won, I won them without playing great tennis, or I felt like I didn’t play really great tennis,” Alcaraz said. “So the way that I approach every match, I stay there strong mentally in some situations, I’m really, really happy about that.

“[I’m happy] about the way that I [handled] some situations, that I stayed there, even knowing that I didn’t play, or I wasn’t playing great tennis. But [I played] with a positive attitude, with the right face always and trying to find solutions in some moments that I could do it. I’m really happy about it.”

After losing a heartbreaking gold-medal match to Novak Djokovic in Paris, Alcaraz went on holiday with one of his brothers and two close friends. “I just needed a few days without thinking about tennis,” he said.

The Spaniard touched a racquet for the first time since the Olympics on Sunday when he practised in Cincinnati. The second seed will play Gael Monfils or Alexei Popyrin in his opening match.

“I’m excited to to play here again. I’m really happy to be back. Obviously great memories from last year, reaching the final, losing a really tight and epic match,” Alcaraz said. “This is a tournament that I love playing and yeah, excited to start the tournament.”

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Korda keeps coming! In-form American downs Zverev, reaches Montreal SFs

Sebastian Korda’s summer surge continued on Sunday at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers, where the in-form American upset second seed Alexander Zverev to reach his second ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.

Korda prevailed 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-4 against World No. 4 Zverev for his eighth straight tour-level match win and just his second in 14 encounters with Top 5 opponents in the PIF ATP Rankings. The American dealt with the blustery conditions in Montreal better than his opponent, whose victory bid was undermined by 11 double faults, including one to give up a decisive break in the ninth game of the deciding set.

“It means a lot. It’s been a tough year before the US hard-court swing,” said Korda in his post-match interview. “I‘ve just put in a lot of work, and I’m so happy with the results right now. I’m just really enjoying my time on court. Having fun, trying to play aggressive, keep doing my thing, and hope for the best.”

The 24-year-old Korda, who last week won his second Tour title and first at ATP 500 level in Washington, D.C, will now prepare for a quick turnaround before his semi-final. The American faces Alexei Popyrin, who upset Hubert Hurkacz in another rain-delayed clash, in a match scheduled for not before 8 p.m. local time on Sunday evening.

CAN’T STOP WON’T STOP… WINNING 🤖@SebiKorda reaches his fourth consecutive semi-final in as many events and his first at Masters 1000 level!! @OBNmontreal | #OBN24 pic.twitter.com/TKs0uQjKra

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 11, 2024

Korda twice kept his cool to halt some serious Zverev momentum in the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head encounter. He rallied from 1-4 down in the opening set before going onto clinch it in a tie-break, and then responded admirably in the decider after his powerful German opponent had charged to the second set.

Zverev struggled for rhythm on his second serve, particularly in the first and third sets, and Korda finished the match having won 67 per cent (22/33) of points on second-serve return, according to Infosys ATP Stats. He showed no sign of nerves to serve out for a last-four spot.

“I’ve had good preparation for the US hard-court swing and physically I am doing well,” said Korda. “I’m healthy, that’s probably the main thing for me. To stay healthy, and just have fun on court. When I do that, I feel like I can play some pretty good tennis.”

Korda’s only previous Masters 1000 semi-final appearance came in Shanghai last October. After matching that run in Canada, the 24-year-old is up three spots to No. 15 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. He would rise to a career-high No. 13 in the PIF ATP Rankings if he can lift the title on Monday night.

Popyrin stepped on court against Hurkacz on Sunday afternoon having lost all six previous sets he had played against the Pole. Yet the World No. 62 held firm for a 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 victory to become the lowest-ranked semi-finalist at the Canadian Masters 1000 event since the then-No. 143 Denis Shapovalov in 2017.

Although Hurkacz saved a remarkable 17 of 20 break points he faced in the match, Popyrin capitalised on a below-par service game from his opponent to clinch a crucial break in the 11th game of the decider. The 25-year-old Australian is now into his fourth tour-level semi-final and first above ATP 250 level.

Popyrin is up 22 spots to No. 40 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings following his run. He rose to a career-high No. 38 in February, but he will better that if he reaches the final.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Scouting Report: Sinner, Alcaraz, Zverev headline Cincinnati

The North American hard-court swing continues at the Cincinnati Open, where Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev lead the field at the seventh ATP Masters 1000 event of the season.

Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul lead American hopes, while former champions Daniil Medvedev and Grigor Dimitrov also return to the Lindner Family Tennis Center. ATPTour.com looks at 10 storylines to watch over the coming week.

1) Sinner leads the field: Sinner struggled with a right-hip injury during his quarter-final loss to Andrey Rublev in Montreal but will lead the field as the top seed in Cincinnati. The Italian has won four tour-level titles this year, including on hard courts at the Australian Open and in Miami and Rotterdam.

2) Alcaraz returns to hard courts: Alcaraz will compete on hard courts for the first time since he reached the quarter-finals in Miami in March. The No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings has won majors at Roland Garros and Wimbledon since and begins in Cincinnati against Alexei Popyrin or Gael Monfils.

3) Former champions Medvedev & Zverev: Medvedev and Zverev have fond memories in Cincinnati. Fourth seed Medvedev won the title in 2019 and arrives holding an 18-5 hard-court record this year. Zverev, who advanced to the quarters in Montreal, triumphed in 2021 in Cincinnati.

View Singles Draw

4) Top 10 stars in action: Andrey Rublev arrives in Cincinnati having enjoyed a deep run in Montreal. The 26-year-old won an ATP Masters 1000 crown in Madrid earlier this year. Hubert Hurkacz returned from injury in Montreal and the fifth seed will play a qualifier or Miomir Kecmanovic in his opening match in Ohio. Casper Ruud’s best result on hard courts this year was a final run in Acapulco. Seeded seventh, he will play Felix Auger-Aliassime or a qualifier in his opening match. Auger-Aliassime defeated Ruud at the Paris Olympics earlier this month.

5) Race To Turin heats up: Stefanos Tsitsipas, Fritz, Paul and Dimitrov are ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th, respectively, in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. All four Nitto ATP Finals hopefuls will be aiming for deep runs to overtake eighth-placed Andrey Rublev and seventh-placed Alex de Minaur, who is injured and has not played since Wimbledon.

6) Seven Americans in the draw: Alongside Fritz and Paul, there are seven Americans in the draw, excluding qualifiers. Sebastian Korda is still alive in Montreal, where he is in the semi-finals. Former US Open semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe opens against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, while 21-year-old Ben Shelton takes on countryman Reilly Opelka in his opening match. The 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion Brandon Nakashima has received a wild card and faces Fritz. Marcos Giron opens against Sebastian Baez.

7) #NextGenATP Frenchman Fils: Hamburg champion Arthur Fils looks to consolidate his substantial lead in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. The two-time tour-level titlist is aiming for a return trip to the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 18-22 December.

8) Unseeded surprise in Cincy?: Two years ago, then-World No. 152 Borna Coric became the lowest-ranked champion in ATP Masters 1000 history when he lifted the trophy in Cincinnati to win his maiden title at this level. Can unseeded hopes Matteo Berrettini, Karen Khachanov, Felix Auger-Aliassime or Jack Draper follow in Coric’s path?

9) Granollers/Zeballos top seeds: Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos won in Cincinnati in 2021 and will aim to add to the Rome title they won as a team earlier this year. Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden are the second seeds, while Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni are the defending champs. Singles stars Zverev, Tsitsipas, Shelton and Holger Rune compete.

10) Cincinnati celebrates 125 years: The Cincinnati Open is celebrating its 125th year. Founded in 1899, the tournament is planning for the future with $260 million being invested toward on-site improvements as the event prepares for an expanded player field and increased number of days beginning in 2025. Swiss legend Roger Federer has won the singles title a record seven times, with Boris Becker (17) the youngest champion in tournament history.

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Back from the brink! Ram/Salisbury save 4 MPs to reach Montreal final

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury are still alive, but only just, in Montreal.

The American-British duo’s hopes of a third championship-match appearance at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers hung by a thread on Sunday when it trailed Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski 5/9 in a Match Tie-break. Yet Ram and Salisbury saved all four match points they faced before pulling through for a stunning 6-2, 4-6, 11/9 semi-final victory.

The third-seeded Ram and Salisbury clinched the final six points of the match in a victory that echoed Daniel Evans and Andy Murray’s spectacular comeback win at the Paris Olympics two weeks ago. It was their second Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Nys and Zielinski this year, after the two teams’ semi-final clash in January in Adelaide. Ram and Salisbury also triumped in a Match Tie-break on that occasion.

Seeing is BELIEVING 🫨😲

No. 3 seeds @RajeevRam & @joesalisbury92 recover from 9-5(!!!) down in the match tiebreak to reach the championship match! @OBNmontreal | #OBN24 pic.twitter.com/iUalK6mszC

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 11, 2024

In Sunday’s 80-minute encounter, Ram and Salisbury saved five of six break points they faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The 2021 champions and 2023 finalists in Toronto, Ram and Salisbury will hope to clinch their fourth ATP Masters 1000 trophy overall on Monday, when they will take on top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos or fourth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in the championship match.

Ram and Salisbury, who have won the past two editions of the Nitto ATP Finals, have given their chances of returning to this year’s edition of the season finale a huge boost with their run this week in Quebec. The pair has risen eight spots to 12th in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings by reaching the final.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Alcaraz arrives in Cincinnati, hits with Berrettini

Carlos Alcaraz has arrived at the Cincinnati Open, where the Spaniard will compete on hard courts for the first time since March.

The No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings hit with Italian Matteo Berrettini on Sunday after touching down in North America. Alcaraz advanced to the final at last year’s event, falling to Novak Djokovic in a three-set thriller.

POV: You’re at Carlos x Matteo practice 🔥 #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/v9yFKREa3r

— Cincinnati Open (@CincyTennis) August 11, 2024

The second seed, who won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics last week, will face either Gael Monfils or Alexei Popyrin in his opening match in Ohio. Alcaraz is chasing his fourth title of the year and second at ATP Masters 1000 level, having won on hard in Indian Wells in March.

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Rublev too good for Sinner at Canadian Open

World number one Jannik Sinner is knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Canadian Open by Andrey Rublev.

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