Tennis News

Berrettini Advances To Queen's Club Final On Debut

Top seed Matteo Berrettini continued his impressive week at the cinch Championships as he defeated Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-4, to reach the final at the Queen’s Club on Saturday in his debut at the tournament.

The No. 1 Italian has won an ATP Tour title on grass at the MercedesCup (d. Auger-Aliassime) in 2019 and is now 25-6 on the season. Berrettini has yet to drop a set in London, navigating his way past British pair Andy Murray and Daniel Evans earlier this week.

“That was the goal of the week [making the final], and now I have one more step. It is a great achievement, especially for the history of this tournament. I am really happy because to beat Alex today, I had to play my best tennis,” Berrettini said.

“The mentality is that I always think I can win my service games. I know that I have a big weapon with my serve and first shot. If I sleep too well it means something is off ahead of the final. I have to be nervous and tight a little bit, otherwise the adrenaline does not kick in and it is tougher to play,” Berrettini added.

World No. 9 Berrettini won 89 per cent (32/36) of his first-service points and hit eight aces against de Minaur to advance in 84 minutes. He will next face Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie in Sunday’s final.

Berrettini started strongly on centre court, breaking the fourth-seeded Australian’s serve with a backhand winner down the line to lead 2-1. The Italian dictated with his powerful forehand but while he managed to close out the set, de Minaur grew into the match as he started to move Berrettini around the court with his variety of shots.

At the start of the second set, Berrettini continued to pressurise de Minaur with his great depth, conjuring up three break points in the fifth game. However, de Minaur held firm from 0/40 to move 3-2 ahead. Berrettini then successfully fended off a break point himself to level up. The 25-year-old has impressively made 10/12 first serves this week on break points.

Berrettini then brilliantly found the feet of de Minaur at deuce in the ninth game, and broke when the Australian’s slice found the net to lead 5-4. He then served out victory to advance and become the first Italian to reach the final at the Queen’s Club since Laurence Tieleman 23-years-ago.

De Minaur, who is now 16-13 for the season, having won the Antalya Open title in January. The World No. 22 will play at the Viking International Eastbourne ATP 250 grass-court event next week.

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Birmingham Classic: Great Britain's Heather Watson beats Donna Vekic to reach last four

Watch the best shots as Britain’s Heather Watson reaches the semi-finals of the Birmingham Classic with a 6-4 6-2 victory against Croatia’s Donna Vekic.

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Shapovalov Moves Past Tiafoe To Reach First Grass-Court SF

Second seed Denis Shapovalov moved past Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-4, to reach the semi-finals at the cinch Championships in a match that ran over two days in London.

On Friday evening, the Canadian hit four aces and won 82 per cent (14/17) of his first-service points to move a set ahead before bad light stopped play. Shapovalov, who is No. 14 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, returned on Saturday to close out the match and move to 18-12 on the season.

Shapovalov, who reached the Gonet Geneva Open final (l. to Ruud) in May, had not won multiple matches at a grass-court event before this week, but has now won three matches at the Queen’s Club and will face Brit Cameron Norrie in the semi-finals.

In the opening set on Friday, Shapovalov made the breakthrough in the sixth game to move 4-2 ahead before closing out on serve. He then continued where he left off on Saturday, as he played aggressive tennis on his groundstrokes to dictate from the baseline, gaining one break in the second set to advance in 91 minutes.

Tiafoe, who also reached the quarter-finals in 2018 at Queen’s (l. to Chardy), is now 12-11 on the season. The American won the Viking Open in Nottingham on the ATP Challenger Tour last week.

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Queens 2021: Norrie beats Draper in all-British quarter-final

Watch the best shots from Cameron Norrie’s quarter-final win over fellow Brit Jack Draper at Queen’s club.

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Norrie Takes Down Draper To Reach Queen's Club SF

Great Britains Cameron Norrie eased past compatriot Jack Draper 6-3, 6-3 to reach his first semi-final at the cinch Championships in London on Friday.

Norrie, who is currently at a career-high No. 41 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, moved to 28-12 on the season as he hit two aces and won 67 per cent (29/43) of points on his first serve to advance in 86 minutes and end the 19-year-old’s run at the Queen’s Club.

”With the conditions, it was very different compared to the last couple of days,” Norrie said. “Jack has been playing some really good tennis, and all credit to him, he was serving big. I think the slower conditions today suited me a little bit more. I managed to play some really good tennis towards the end of the first set and start of the second.

“It was not easy as the court was pretty slippery towards the end, but I am really pleased to be through. I am happy with how I handled everything. It is a lot of fun to have this momentum and keep it rolling, but I think there are a lot of things I can improve on still.”

The Brit, who has reached finals at the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon (l. to Tsitsipas) and the Millennium Estoril Open (l. to Ramos-Vinolas) this year, beat fifth-seeded Russian Aslan Karatsev in the second round.

In their first ATP Head2Head meeting, Norrie broke early to move 2-1 ahead. The 25-year-old continued to dominate from the baseline, breaking again to seal the set in 43 minutes.

Norrie raced to a 3-0 lead at the start of the second, as the British wild card struggled on serve, winning 58 per cent (7/12) of his first-serve points. While Draper stayed in touch, he failed to convert three break point opportunities in the sixth game, and Norrie went on to close out victory on serve.

Draper, who is currently No. 309 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, was contesting just his second ATP Tour event this week after he played at the Miami Open presented by Itau in March. The left hander recorded a maiden ATP Tour victory against #NextGenATP star Jannik Sinner in the first round before beating Alexander Bublik on Wednesday.

Norrie will play either second-seeded Canadian Denis Shapovalov or American Frances Tiafoe in the semi-finals on Saturday. Shapovalov, who reached the Gonet Geneva Open final (l. to Ruud) in May, won the opening set 6-3, hitting four aces, before bad light ended play for the day.

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Queens 2021: British number one Dan Evans loses to top seed Matteo Berrettini

Watch the best shots from British number one Dan Evans’ match against top seed Matteo Berrettini as he lost 7-5, 6-3 in the quarter-finals at Queen’s club.

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Krawietz/Tecau Reach Halle Final

Third seeds Kevin Krawietz and Horia Tecau overcame sixth seeds Joran Vliegen and Sander Gille 7-6(6), 7-5 to reach the final of the NOVENTI OPEN on Friday in Halle.

Last week’s Roland Garros quarter-finalists (l. to Cabal/Farah), saved a set point in the opener and won 93 per cent (39/42) of their first-service points to advance in 89 minutes.

The German-Romanian tandem could face fifth seeds Michael Venus and Tim Puetz in the final after they defeated Americans Sam Querrey and Austin Krajicek 6-3, 6-4 in the quarter-finals. They will play Felix Auger-Aliassime and Hubert Hurkacz in the semi-finals.

Venus and Puetz hit eight aces and saved all three break points they faced to advance. It is the first time the team has played together this year, with Puetz winning titles at the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon and the Millennium Estoril Open with partner Hugo Nys.

Last year’s Rolex Paris Masters champions Auger-Aliassime and Hurkacz eased past Lloyd Harris and Jonathan Erlich 6-3, 6-4 in 73 minutes.

The pair stormed into a 4-1 lead in the opening set and closed it out as they won 77 per cent (17/22) of their first-service points in the first set. They then raced through the final set to advance.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut’s match against Marcus Daniell and Philipp Oswald was cancelled at the cinch Championships due to rain in London.

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Berrettini Overcomes Evans To Reach Queen's Club SF

Top-seeded Italian Matteo Berrettini moved past Daniel Evans 7-6(5), 6-3 at the cinch Championships in London on Friday to reach his third ATP Tour career semi-final on grass.

“I didn’t serve that well, but I was returning well and I just played better in the last few points of the tie-break,” Berrettini said. “After that, I felt more confident. The conditions were really tough, windy and cold, so I took time to adapt a little bit. I am pretty happy with my performance.

“The court condition was really good. I expected slippery conditions, but it was like yesterday. I came here to win the tournament, that is my goal. Now I am two steps away, I will think about the next match tomorrow. I am happy with the way I am playing, and my mental attitude is really good.”

No. 9 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Berrettini improved to 24-6 on the season, having lifted the trophy at the Serbia Open (d. Karatsev) and reached the final at the Mutua Madrid Open (l. to Zverev). Berrettini has had success on this surface before, having won the MercedesCup in Stuttgart in 2019 (d. Auger-Aliassime).

The No. 1 Italian hit 13 aces and won 81 per cent (38/48) of his first-service points against Evans to advance in one hour and 40 minutes.

In a first ATP Head2Head meeting between the two, both fended off break points at the start of the match as they acclimatised to the damp conditions. After Evans battled through a mammoth game to lead 3-2, the set continued on serve as it reached a tie-break, which Berrettini won after Evans could only push a defensive forehand long.

At the start of the second, Berrettini hammered down four straight aces as he moved 2-1 ahead. The 25-year-old won 57 per cent (8/14) of points on Evans first serve in the second set and broke in the eighth game before closing out victory on serve.

Sixth seed Evans had not dropped a set on his way to the quarter-finals, beating Alexei Popyrin and Adrian Mannarino, but he fell on Friday, meaning the Murray River Open champion (d. Auger-Aliassime) now holds a 14-11 record this season.

Berrettini will now play fourth seed Alex de Minaur in the semi-finals on Saturday.

The Australian de Minaur fought back to defeat former two-time titlist Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and five minutes to advance to the semi-finals on Friday. The 22-year-old, who is currently No. 22 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, won 73 per cent (22/30) of his second-service points and saved 6 of the 7 break points he faced as he moved to 16-12 for the season.

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Rublev: 'I Can Still Improve On Grass'

Andrey Rublev believes he can still vastly improve on the grass after he defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber to reach the NOVENTIOPEN semi-finals in Halle on Friday.

Rublev, who is currently No. 7 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, has a 13-8 career record on the surface, but had only won four ATP Tour main draw matches on grass prior to this run this week.  

“I have adapted to the grass, but there are so many things I can still improve on the grass. For example, with the slice, the volley, and moving better,” Rublev said. “Also, defending on grass, because it is different, you can’t defend with high balls like on clay, so I think I am still far away.

“In general, though, because my game is to play aggressively. If you play aggressive, this helps you a lot on grass, so I think my game for this surface is ok. Philipp Kohlschreiber is good on this surface, so this match has given me confidence.”

The fourth-seeded Russian is now 28-2 at ATP 500 tournaments since the ATP Tour resumed from the COVID-19 suspension in August 2020. However, Rublev lost in the first round to Jan-Lennard Struff at Roland Garros but insists his focus is now on the semi-finals in Halle. He was pleased with his performance on Friday.

“The past is the past; I can’t change it. I would have liked to have great results in Paris, but I played a tough opponent in Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round. Now I try to focus on the grass with Halle, where I am in the semi-finals and trying to do my best,” Rublev said.

“I think I was playing really well today. I was feeling the ball well, I was confident in my shots and my serve. In the tie-break, he had a mini-break and had good chances but straight away I told myself to just keep playing and fighting, and in the end, I somehow managed to turn it around. It will be a tough task against Nikoloz Basilashvili in the semi-finals as he hits the ball flat on the grass.”

Moving his focus to Wimbledon, while the Russian feels that the news that Rafael Nadal will not compete at the Grand Slam will help him, Rublev is still wary of the other names in the draw.

“Of course, for the players like me, with Rafael Nadal not playing, it is a big advantage for me as I am going to be a higher seed now,” Rublev admitted. “But there are so many guys that are really tough to play on grass. For example, imagine having Struff in the first round of Wimbledon or Nick Kyrigos. On grass, it is so tough to play players who serve well so who knows.”

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Felix Soars Past Giron To Reach Halle SF

Felix Auger-Aliasssime needed just 59 minutes to power past American qualifier Marcos Giron 6-3, 6-2 on Friday and book a spot into the NOVENTI OPEN semi-finals.

The 20-year-old Canadian continued his grass-swing momentum in Halle, where he arrived high on confidence after reaching the final in Stuttgart (l. to Cilic). Auger-Aliassime improved to 20-12 on the season after reaching his third semi-final of the year (also Melbourne 2).

“I’ve been playing well these past two weeks, believing in myself a lot and dominating my service games,” Auger-Aliassime said. “As soon as I got the break [in the first set], I feel like I loosened up and things were just going better and better. 

“I don’t think Marcos played his best match, I’ve seen him play great matches before and beat Top 10 opponents… but in the end, I think I was able to put a lot of pressure on him and dictate the points. So I can be happy with my performance.”

Auger-Aliassime had to hit reset and refocus after achieving one of the biggest wins of his career in the last round, when he came back from a set down to upset Roger Federer, his childhood idol and a 10-time Halle champion.

“The main goal was to refocus. I received a lot of messages and attention, and those kinds of things can be tricky,” he admitted. “They can take you out of your ‘zone’ and your focus on the tournament. 

“And maybe the outside doesn’t understand that as much, because even though it looks like I’ve won ‘easy’, I still have to come out and play good tennis and a good match. I think I made a good effort, stayed in my zone, and came out and played great again.”

Auger-Aliassime fired 25 winners and just seven unforced errors across two sets against qualifier Giron, who was seeking a place in his first tour-level semi-final. The Canadian’s big serve helped him take control of the rallies and shut down Giron’s chances, winning 93 per cent (28/30) of points behind his first serves. 

Auger-Aliassime saved the only break point he faced at 2-2 in the opening set, and never looked back as he raced to a break of his own in the next game to lead 4-2. He dropped just one point behind his serve in a dominant second set, taking the lead with a double break. The Canadian fired his 14th ace of the match to set up match point, and backed it up with a powerful unreturned serve to seal the victory. 

He will next face French lefty Ugo Humbert, who continued his great run in Halle with a 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4 victory over #NextGenATP American Sebastian Korda.

“This is my favourite surface, but it was really tough today” Humbert said. “Sebastian played amazing, he is a really great player with a great attitude. It was very tough, but it is a nice victory… a very great battle.”

Humbert had to overcome some big names to book his spot into his second career tour-level grass-court semi-final (also 2019 Newport), taking down Sam Querrey in his opening match before toppling third seed Alexander Zverev in three sets. 

He was in for a battle against 20-year-old Korda, who was competing at the first tour-level grass-court event of his career. Humbert dictated play in the first set with his backhand, but had to contend with the big-hitting American’s firepower in the second as Korda found his footing. 

Humbert saved a set point at 5-4 as he took them into a tie-break, and was two points away from clinching the victory after working his way to 5/5. But Korda powered through, taking the set as Humbert pushed a forehand long. 

Korda struck 28 winners and 25 unforced errors throughout the match – 15 of those errors came off the forehand side, and three came in the last game of the match as the American served to stay in the match. Humbert and Korda had been locked on serve through the third set. But as the Frenchman applied the pressure on the Korda forehand wing the cracks began to show and an error into the net sealed his spot into his first ATP 500 semi-final.

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