Tennis News

Day 4 Preview: Tsitsipas, Medvedev Eye Quarter-Finals In Toronto

Stefanos Tsitsipas will look to extend an unbeaten run against Karen Khachanov on his 23rd birthday on Thursday after holding his nerve to reach the third round at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in Toronto. Since he reached his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final against Rafael Nadal in Canada in 2018, the Greek has made giants strides.

On Monday, he surpassed the Spaniard as the new No. 3 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. On Thursday, he will look to improve on an impressive record in Canada to 7-2 should he extend his ATP Head2Head ledger against Khachanov to 4-0 on Thursday.

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Tsitsipas recovered after letting five match points slip in an epic 22-minute, 28-point tie-break against Ugo Humbert, before he eventually prevailed 6-3, 6-7(13), 6-1 in his opening match. He had fallen to the Frenchman in both prior ATP Head2Head encounters, including at last month’s Tokyo Olympics.

“I didn’t want to think about it. Whatever happened happened, and I don’t want anything to affect me. I don’t want anything to get inside my head,” Tsitsipas said of missing five match point opportunities in the second set. “I just showed incredible mental balance and mental strength to overcome this difficult tie-break that I just experienced… I still had high hopes that I could pull something good off.”

Click here to view the full Day 4 Order Of Play

Tsitsipas remained on track for his third title of the season, following his first ATP Masters 1000 crown at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and victory in Lyon. His third-round opponent, Khachanov, left the Japanese capital with a silver medal.

The Russian came up just short against Tsitsipas 7-5 in the deciding set in the Rotterdam quarter-finals in the pair’s most recent showdown in March. The 25-year-old has already scored impressive victories over in-form Briton Cameron Norrie and 15^th-seeded compatriot Aslan Karatsev to reach the third round.

Top seed Daniil Medvedev continues his campaign on Thursday when he meets World No. 85 James Duckworth for a place in the quarter-finals. The Russian, a runner-up to Nadal in Montreal two years ago, survived a tricky second round against one-time doubles partner Alexander Bublik in three sets.

“I don’t know if the conditions changed with the humidity, but I was not playing well before the rain… I knew I had to play better if I was to win,” Medvedev said. “When back on the court, from the first game I felt much better. I only felt better and better during the match, he did not have one break point [after the rain]. I turned around the match completely.”

The 29-year-old Duckworth sprung a straight-sets upset of 16^th seed and Sunday’s Citi Open champion Jannik Sinner for his best result in Canada. The Australian’s previous best results at the event were three straight second-round qualifying defeats, the last of which came five years ago.

“He’s very solid off both sides. He’s got no real holes in his game. He hits with great length. That’s one of his best attributes – he’s able to put the ball so deep that it’s really hard to attack him,” Duckworth said of Medvedev. “It’s going to be tough, but I’ll go out there, give it a good crack and see what happens.”

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Bublik/Garin Upset Peers/Polasek In Toronto

Alexander Bublik and Cristian Garin rekindled their partnership on Wednesday to topple sixth seeds John Peers and Filip Polasek 6-4, 6-4 at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers. 

Bublik and Garin both bowed out in their opening matches in singles after tight three-setters, with Bublik falling to top seed Daniil Medvedev yesterday and Garin to Atlanta champion John Isner earlier in the day. But they found success in doubles as they contested their third tournament of the year together, and first since Madrid and Rome (1-2).

The Kazakh-Chilean tandem won 90 per cent (44/49) of first-serve points, and didn’t face any break points en route to victory in 61 minutes. Bublik and Garin will next face Matwe Middelkoop and Luke Saville. 

They weren’t the only team to record a successful reunion on Wednesday. Daniel Evans and Neal Skupski played their first match as a team since Rome in May, and took down Miomir Kecmanovic and Casper Ruud 7-5, 6-3.

The Brits previously reached back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 finals in Miami and Monte Carlo, losing out to Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic both times. Now they will get a shot at revenge, as the top-seeded Croatians await in the second round. 

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Johanna Konta: British number one fights back to beat Elina Svitolina and reach the Canadian Open third round

British number one Johanna Konta fights back from a set down to defeat third seed Elina Svitolina and reach the Canadian Open third round.

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Schwartzman Opens Toronto Campaign With Paire Victory

Diego Schwartzman was in ruthless form on Wednesday, easing past Benoit Paire in straight sets to reach the third round at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

After gaining a crucial break at the end of the first set, Schwartzman took control of the match, defeating the Frenchman 7-5 6-1.

The opening set was an intense contest, with the turning point occurring at 5-5 when Schwartzman displayed his phenomenal defensive abilities to save two break points. The Argentine would go on to hold serve and break in the subsequent game to take the set.

Paire had more difficulty on serve in the second set, in which he made only 42% of first serves and committed seven double faults. No. 8-seeded Schwartzman was able to win the set handily as a result by breaking the Paire serve three times.

Schwartzman has had past success in Canada, reaching the quarter-finals in Montreal in 2017.

Up next for the World No. 14 is Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, who defeated American Tommy Paul 6-3, 6-4 in his second round match. Bautista Agut recovered from an early break deficit in the first set to win routinely, winning 82% of first-serve points and breaking the Paul serve four times.

The ATP Head2Head rivalry between Bautista Agut and Schwartzman stands at 1-1, with the Spaniard beating the Argentine at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in 2019.

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Tsitsipas Provides Message Of Support To Greece During Bushfire Crisis

Greek national hero Stefanos Tsitsipas sent his heartfelt support to his home country, which is currently facing devastation due to bushfires, following his second-round victory in Toronto on Tuesday. The World No. 3 defeated Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-7(11), 6-1, winning the match on his sixth match point.

Tsitsipas pledged to help those affected by the fires in his post-match press conference.

“My heart is with all the people of Greece,” Tsitsipas said. “I come from the south suburbs of Athens. When I was there a few days ago, I could see the fires from the south. Huge, giant clouds, smoke, which you could see from far, far away. It wasn’t very nice.

“Even at the beach that day when I went to swim, you could see all the debris from the smoke and from the fires in the sea.”

The bushfires have had a devastating impact on the country, with thousands of homes and acres of land ravaged. In some areas of Greece residents have been forced to evacuate their homes as fires continue to rage throughout the country.

“I’m trying to help as much as possible, because first of all, it’s my country,” Tstitsipas said. “I grew up there. It’s where my heart is. I do it for the people, as well. Helping is the least I can do. It’s very unfortunate. It has happened in the past, but we are trying to put some help in there to help kind of bring back what was there before.”

Tsitsipas will take on American Frances Tiafoe in his upcoming third-round match. The two players have met twice in 2021, with Tiafoe winning their first-round encounter at Wimbledon and Tsitsipas taking the victory in the first round of the Tokyo Olympics.

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Rublev Flips The Script Against Fognini In Toronto

Before 2021, Fabio Fognini dominated his ATP Head2Head rivalry with Andrey Rublev. But the Russian has flipped the script this year, and on Wednesday won his third consecutive match against the Italian.

Rublev clawed past Fognini 7-6(4), 6-3 behind 13 aces to reach the third round at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers after one hour and 32 minutes.

“It’s always super tough against Fabio. He’s super talented and you know how great he can play,” Rublev said in his on-court interview. “He’s beaten so many great players, so I knew it was going to be really tough, especially it was my first match and he already played the first round, so he was feeling a bit more comfortable than me.”

There was not much between the two standout baseliners at Aviva Centre. But in key moments, Rublev was able to take the first big swing in rallies and Fognini was forced to play from more uncomfortable positions rather than attacking himself.

Rublev hit 26 winners compared to 12 for Fognini to claim his first victory in Toronto. This was just his second main draw match at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

“I was a bit tight, but this is normal,” Rublev said. “Then little by little during the match I started to play better and better, started to find confidence, and in the end I’m happy that I won in straight sets.”

It will not get easier for the fourth seed, who will next play recent Atlanta champion John Isner. The big-serving American claimed his first win against Chilean Cristian Garin 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 after two hours and 13 minutes.

Isner has won his two previous clashes against Rublev, including a final-set tie-break victory against the Russian earlier this year in Madrid. The 36-year-old has won seven consecutive matches and will try to reach his second quarter-final in Toronto after making the semi-finals in 2012.

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Lajovic Stuns Felix To Reach Toronto Third Round

Dusan Lajovic shocked the Canadian crowd on Wednesday by defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets to advance to the third round at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

Auger-Aliassime was unable to take advantage of the home support, with Lajovic winning 7-5, 6-4.

Lajovic capitalised on nerves and numerous Auger-Aliassime forehand unforced errors to defeat the 21-year-old for the second time.

“I’m happy with the way that I was able to play from the beginning until the end,” Lajovic said. “The game at 4-3 in the second set when I was serving was a really tricky one. I’m happy that I had a little bit of luck in some moments but the most important thing was that was able to control the match and the way that I was able to make him uncomfortable.”

Auger-Aliassime’s costly double fault gifted Lajovic a break at 6-5 in the opening set, and the Serb held routinely in the following game to take a one-set advantage. Lajovic broke serve again in the third game of the second set and did not look back, with the World No. 41 saving two break points on his way to victory.

Following the defeat Auger-Aliassime believed that there were opportunities to get back into the match which he did not take.

“If you look at the match overall, especially in the second set, I felt like I had chances where I could have done better to get a break, to give myself a chance of maybe going three sets, but it is what it is,” Auger-Aliassime said.

Lajovic will look to claim his first win against Casper Ruud in the third round. Ruud has been in remarkable form in recent weeks, winning his past three tournaments (Bastad, Gstaad and Kitzbuhel) and holding a 35-9 record in 2021.

“He’s a guy with a lot of wins right now. It’s not going to be easy,” Lajovic said. “I’m going to be fighting for every point and we’ll see how it’s going to go.”

Auger-Aliassime’s defeat leaves Denis Shapovalov as the only Canadian in the draw. There has not been a Canadian men’s singles winner of the event since Robert Bedard in 1958.

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Nadal Withdraws From Cincinnati

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from next week’s Western & Southern Open due to his ongoing left foot injury, the tournament announced Wednesday.

The Spanish superstar on Tuesday pulled out of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers ahead of his second-round match against Lloyd Harris. The injury forced Nadal to take 20 days off following Roland Garros before making his return at the Citi Open in Washington, where he lost in the third round against Harris.

Nadal, who lifted the Cincinnati trophy in 2013, is 24-5 this season with titles in Barcelona and Rome. The lefty is No. 4 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Canadian Milos Raonic also withdrew due to a heel injury. Last year, the former World No. 3 made the final of the Western & Southern Open, which was held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Harriet Dart knocked out of Canadian Open by Bianca Andreescu

Britain’s Harriet Dart is out of the Canadian Open after a 6-1 3-6 6-3 defeat by defending champion Bianca Andreescu in the second round.

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Day 3 Preview: Shapovalov, Felix Lead Canadian Charge In Toronto

Fifth seed Denis Shapovalov and ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime will be eager to put on a show for Canadian fans on Wednesday as they compete on home soil for the first time since 2019 at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers. 

Shapovalov has come a long way since his 2017 breakthrough at his home ATP Masters 1000 event, and he returns to Toronto on a high after turning heads on grass courts. The 22-year-old reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon (l. to Djokovic), taking down the likes of Andy Murray, Roberto Bautista Agut and Karen Khachanov along the way.

He will be aiming to keep that momentum going as he faces Frances Tiafoe in the second round. The American lucky loser won their first encounter back in 2018, but Shapovalov has won all their matches since to lead their ATP Head2Head 4-1.  The winner will face either 11th seed Gael Monfils or John Millman of Australia.

“The momentum is great from Wimbledon and I just feel like the past couple of months my game level has improved a couple more steps up,” Shapovalov said in a pre-tournament press conference. “I just feel like a confident player right now, I feel like I’m able to compete with anyone. I feel like I’m becoming a really big threat. Those are definitely super positive things for me.”

Joining Shapovalov in the quest to become the first men’s singles champion from Canada since Robert Bedard in 1958 – and the first in the Open Era – will be ninth seed Auger-Aliassime. The 21-year-old celebrated his birthday two days ago, and he aims to keep the party going as he faces Dusan Lajovic in his opening match. 

Auger-Aliassime trails Lajovic 0-1 in their ATP Head2Head, but he arrives in Toronto with three hard-court matches under his belt. He will aim to shake off disappointing early exits at the Tokyo Olympics and Washington as he seeks to reach a second ATP Masters 1000 semi-final this week in Toronto. The in-form Casper Ruud, seeded sixth, will await the winner. 

Also in action, fourth seed Andrey Rublev and Fabio Fognini will contest the ninth chapter of their increasing rivalry as they face off in the second round. The Italian leads their ATP Head2Head 5-3, but Rublev has won their past two encounters. Rublev or Fognini will face the winner of John Isner and 13th seed Cristian Garin.

Elsewhere, 15th seed Aslan Karatsev and Karen Khachanov will do battle in a clash between Olympic silver medalists – Khachanov in singles, Karatsev in mixed doubles (w/ Vesnina). The winner will next face third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. 

Click here to view the full Day 3 Order Of Play.

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