Tennis News

Djokovic/Gomez-Herrera Win Mallorca Thriller To Reach QFs

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic made his debut at the Mallorca Championships in doubles with good friend Carlos Gomez-Herrera of Spain, and the pair delighted fans with a thrilling victory on Tuesday.

The wild cards rallied from a set down and saved two match points in a nail biting Match Tie-break to take down Tomislav Brkic and Nikola Cacic 5-7, 6-4, 13-11. 

“We had a lot of fun on the court, I must say,” Djokovic said in an on-court interview. “Xarly is a longtime friend my brother and I, we’ve known each other [for] almost 15 years. We’ve played only once together and we lost that only match. This one was very, very close, but it was an amazing experience.”

Djokovic, who lives in Marbella, was playing in just his second doubles event of the year. At the ATP Cup in February, he partnered with today’s opponent Cacic against Germany (l. to Struff/Zverev). 

For 31-year-old Marbella native Gomez-Herrera, the victory on Spanish soil was twice as sweet. After saving two match points in a Match Tie-break that went down to the wire, a Djokovic passing shot winner helped clinch Gomez-Herrera’s first main draw victory in doubles.

“For me, it’s a privilege to play with him as a friend,” Gomez-Herrera said. “He’s always there backing me up, so just being next to him on court means a lot.”

 

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They will next face top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in the last eight, after the Mutua Madrid Open champions fought past Roman Jebavy and Jiri Vesely 6-2, 3-6, 12-10.

Elsewhere at the Mallorca Country Club, second seeds Marcus Daniell and Philipp Oswald needed two sets against Sander Arends and Matwe Middelkoop to advance, 6-3, 6-2. Andres Molteni and Andrea Vavassori also defeated Guido Pella and Joao Sousa 7-6(3), 7-6(6).

There was no doubles action on Tuesday at the Viking International Eastbourne after Monday’s washout and today’s early rain at Devonshire Park.

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Ace Leader Bublik Blasts 18 In Eastbourne Victory

Alexander Bublik is the 2021 ace king, and he showed why on Tuesday in Eastbourne.

The eighth seed blasted 18 aces past fellow Kazakhstani Mikhail Kukushkin in a 6-1, 6-4 victory in the first round of the Viking International Eastbourne. The 24-year-old will play Belarusian Egor Gerasimov in the second round.

When looking at the aces leaderboard, familiar names include John Isner, Reilly Opelka, Ivo Karlovic and Milos Raonic among others. But Bublik has separated himself from the field so far this year.

2021 ATP Tour Ace Leaders

^{*Still competing this week}
The World No. 39 now has 444 aces in 36 matches, and nobody else on the Tour has more than 331 (Opelka, 19 matches). Although last season was shortened due to COVID-19, Bublik finished 12th on Tour with 273 aces in 28 matches.
 

His next opponent, Gerasimov, eliminated former World No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-4. This will be the pair’s first ATP Head2Head meeting, but they split two professional clashes in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Also moving on Tuesday was Australian veteran John Millman, who beat home favourite Jay Clarke, a wild card, 6-3, 6-2. The 32-year-old will next play Italian Lorenzo Sonego.

Top seed Gael Monfils learned his second-round opponent when Aussie lucky loser Max Purcell edged countryman James Duckworth 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(5) after one hour and 46 minutes.

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Popyrin Snaps Skid In Eastbourne

Alexei Popyrin got back on track Tuesday with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win against lucky loser Norbert Gombos at the Viking International Eastbourne.

The Aussie has had a breakthrough season in 2021, winning his first ATP Tour title in Singapore and reaching his career-high No. 61 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in May. But the 21-year-old arrived in Eastbourne on a five-match losing streak at all levels.

Popyrin turned that around against Gombos behind three service breaks. The World No. 67 was unable to convert any of his three break points in the first set to fall behind, but he ultimately was able to gain the momentum and improve as the match went on.

Popyrin made the second round at Wimbledon in 2019 as a qualifier. He will next play Ilya Ivashka, who defeated lucky loser Alastair Gray 6-2, 7-6(5) after one hour and 44 minutes.

In perhaps the match of the day, Marton Fucsovics clawed past Slovenian Aljaz Bedene 7-6(3), 3-6, 7-6(3) to earn his 100th tour-level win. The Hungarian won 81 per cent of his first-serve points to advance after two hours and 44 minutes, and he will next play lucky loser Soonwoo Kwon.

Sixth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beat Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer 7-5, 6-1 in a battle between Next Gen ATP Finals alumni. This was the Roland Garros quarter-finalist’s first tour-level win on grass, and he will face Canadian Vasek Pospisil for a quarter-final spot.

Home favourite Liam Broady, a wild card, also moved on with a 6-3, 7-6(4) triumph against American Frances Tiafoe. The lefty will play second seed Alex de Minaur next.

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Eastbourne International 2021: Harriet Dart loses opener, defending champion Karolina Pliskova also out

Harriet Dart loses to Elena Rybakina in the first round at Eastbourne, while defending champion Karolina Pliskova is also out.

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More Rain Hits Eastbourne, View Revised Tuesday Schedule

The start of play at the Viking International Eastbourne on Tuesday has been pushed back to 12:30pm local time due to rain. Matches were scheduled to begin at 10:30am at Devonshire Park, following a wash-out on Monday.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, sixth seed and recent Roland Garros quarter-finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, seventh seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas, eighth seed Alexander Bublik and Frances Tiafoe are all set to contest first-round matches on day two.

SCHEDULE – TUESDAY, 22 JUNE 2021

CENTRE COURT start Not Before 12:30 pm
ATP – J. Tsonga (FRA) vs E. Gerasimov (BLR)
WTA – [Q] C. Giorgi (ITA) vs [5] K. Pliskova (CZE)
WTA – [WC] H. Watson (GBR) vs [4] I. Swiatek (POL)

Not Before 2:00 pm
ATP – F. Tiafoe (USA) vs [WC] L. Broady (GBR)

Not Before 3:30 PM
WTA – [1] A. Sabalenka (BLR) vs [Q] B. Pera (USA)

COURT 1 start 12:30 pm
WTA – P. Badosa (ESP) vs [2] E. Svitolina (UKR)
ATP – J. Millman (AUS) vs [WC] J. Clarke (GBR)
ATP – [6] A. Davidovich Fokina (ESP) vs [Q] M. Ymer (SWE)

Not Before 2:00 PM
WTA – [7] E. Mertens (BEL) vs C. Gauff (USA)
WTA – P. Martic (CRO) vs [6] B. Bencic (SUI)

COURT 2 start 12:30 pm
WTA – [WC] H. Dart (GBR) vs E. Rybakina (KAZ)
WTA – [8] A. Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) vs [WC] J. Ostapenko (LAT)
ATP – E. Ruusuvuori (FIN) vs [7] A. Ramos-Vinolas (ESP)
ATP – [WC] J. Ward (GBR) vs V. Pospisil (CAN)

COURT 6 start Not Before 1:30 pm
ATP – [LL] A. Gray (GBR) vs [Q] I. Ivashka (BLR)
ATP – [LL] M. Purcell (AUS) vs [Q] J. Duckworth (AUS)

ATP – M. Fucsovics (HUN) vs A. Bedene (SLO)

COURT 12 start Not Before 1:30 pm
ATP – [LL] N. Gombos (SVK) vs A. Popyrin (AUS)
ATP – [Q] M. Kukushkin (KAZ) vs [8] A. Bublik (KAZ)
ATP – [LL] A. Seppi (ITA) vs Y. Nishioka (JPN)

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Wimbledon 2021: Crowds, tickets, tennis – what can we expect?

Wimbledon is back but not quite as we know it – what can we expect in terms of crowds, tennis and Henman Hill?

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Wimbledon: Fans frustrated as Ticketmaster cancels tickets

Customers say they’ve lost out on tickets to the finals because the rules on credit cards weren’t made clear.

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Musetti Bids School Farewell And Says Hello To Wimbledon

Lorenzo Musetti pushed World No. 1 and eventual champion Novak Djokovic to five sets in the fourth round at Roland Garros. When the Italian returned home, it was not just to work on his game; it was to hit the books.

For a week-and-a-half following that loss, the 19-year-old prepared for an oral exam that marked the end of his high school studies. On Saturday, the Italian took the test at his school, Istituto Parini, in Cecina.

“It was the end of the school period of my life. Now I am free!” Musetti told ATPTour.com. “It was a big test. It was all the subjects. It was not easy. But I was prepared, and it went well. I don’t know yet the score that I’ll receive, but I will know next week if I passed or not.”

Musetti has faced plenty of pressure-filled moments since breaking onto the ATP Tour towards the end of last season. The #NextGenATP star has often thrived at the biggest tournaments and performed well on stadium courts. But according to the teen, this was a different experience.

“I was a little bit nervous, because you take the oral exam in front of all the teachers and all the professors. I’m used to speaking with the media and doing interviews. But when you speak about school or something that you study for, it’s not the same,” Musetti said. “The professor asks you about every subject from the year and you have to try to respond.

“For me it went well. I think I passed.”

Musetti has studied in Spanish, English and French, adding another level of complexity to his schooling. He won’t miss studying on the road in addition to all his other responsibilities.

“It was an extra thing to do, so it was not easy to manage it,” Musetti said before cracking a laugh. “Now I’m free, so it’s going to be better for sure.”

Currently at a career-high No. 58 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Musetti was unable to play any tournaments since Roland Garros because of his studies. But now, he is eager to compete at Wimbledon.

Musetti has never played a professional match on grass. But he played the Wimbledon boys’ singles event in 2018, when he made the quarter-finals with wins against Juan Manuel Cerundolo and Hugo Gaston. The 19-year-old believes his artistic game will translate to the surface well.

“It was really surprising for me, [my result at] the French Open. Both [that tournament and the exam] went really well and of course I’m trying to be prepared as I was for those for Wimbledon,” Musetti said. “I’m looking forward to it a lot. For sure I will enjoy playing on grass. I think it’s going to be a good mix, a good combination with my game and grass. I hope to play well and to play my game and to try to go as far as I can.”

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This Is What Tsonga Is Trying To Prove…

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is set to begin his run at the Viking International Eastbourne, an ATP 250 grass-court tournament, on Tuesday against Belarusian Egor Gerasimov. In the past, the Frenchman would be a leading favourite at this event. But this week, he is just trying to win a match.

The 36-year-old is 1-6 on the season, and before 2021 he had not earned a victory since 2019. Tsonga is not down on himself, though. Instead, the fan favourite is taking this moment as a personal challenge.

“I think the goal for the moment is to prove to myself that I’m able to still play a good level of tennis,” Tsonga told ATPTour.com.

The 18-time ATP Tour titlist has reached incredible highs in tennis, climbing to a career-best No. 5 in the FedEx ATP Rankings and competing in the Nitto ATP Finals three times. He has also earned a combined 16 wins against the Big Three of Roger Federer (6), Rafael Nadal (4) and Novak Djokovic (6).

But in recent years, injuries have kept Tsonga from playing his best. The Frenchman underwent left knee surgery in 2018, which kept him out for more than seven months, and last year back issues limited him to just two matches.

In the first round of this year’s Open 13 Provence, Tsonga battled through a tough three-set victory against fellow veteran Feliciano Lopez. The three-time Marseille champion had won 464 tour-level matches before that triumph. But judging by the wide smile that stretched across his face, that victory meant more than most.

“This is probably one of the best victories of my career, because it was tough for me to play tennis. I had so much pain for so many months,” Tsonga said on court after the match. “Today, I won one match. That was one of my goals for these few weeks… I’m happy like a kid.”

In these tough moments, Tsonga has gained an even greater appreciation for being able to play professional tennis. And although he is now World No. 83, the 36-year-old is embracing the challenge.

“What I’ve been through the past couple of months was really challenging and when you play tennis, it’s because you like tennis,” Tsonga told ATPTour.com. “For me, it’s already a big challenge to be able to play good matches and to be able to still compete with the new generation.”

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De Minaur Believes Rising Stars Are ‘Getting Closer And Closer’

Australian star Alex de Minaur thinks that despite Novak Djokovic winning the Australian Open and Roland Garros titles this year, the younger generation, led by World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, is closing the gap.

Alongside the Russian, Dominic Thiem lifted the US Open last September, beating 24-year-old Alexander Zverev in the final. Roland Garros finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is 22, is currently second in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin.

“They are definitely knocking on those doors and beating these top guys in these tournaments,” De Minaur said. “When it comes to winning the Grand Slams, obviously we have had Novak win the past couple. Look, I think we’re getting closer and closer.

“I know everyone out there is gunning to be the next Grand Slam champ, and to try to make that big step. All the players are out there, they are doing everything they can to make that step, and take over.”

The 22-year-old believes the experience that younger players have gained in the past year has been invaluable in helping reduce the gap. However, De Minaur admits there is still more work to be done.

“I think a lot of it is experience, as well. Every time we get to play those matches, we get to learn a lot and improve and lose respect for these type of players. That’s only a good thing, because that means we can go out there and try to play like it’s just another match,
and more times than not, we’ll end up playing a better match, and if not win, get really close,” De Minaur said.

“Time is obviously on our side, and every match, every day that goes by, we have a bit more of a chance. But saying that, it’s definitely not done yet. They are bringing up some incredible tennis to this day, so it’s going to be completely tough. But, I think we’re all ready for the challenge,” De Minaur added.

The Australian is currently at a career-high No. 18 in the FedEx ATP Rankings after reaching the semi-finals at the cinch Championships (l. to Berrettini) in London last week. He is the second seed at the Viking International Eastbourne this week, and is keen to continue his good grass-court form on the south coast of England.

“I’m very happy with my week at Queen’s. I feel like I have been gradually improving every week on the grass,” De Minaur said. “The grass season is always one of my favourite parts of the year. I’m enjoying my time in the UK.

“I have always enjoyed the grass. I think it suits my game. I’m able to be a bit more aggressive. I’m able to use my movement, and try to sneak in and come to the net a lot. I just always like the quicker-paced courts.”

De Minaur will face either America’s Frances Tiafoe or British wild card, Liam Broady in the first round in Eastbourne.

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