Tennis News

Five Things To Know About Vit Kopriva, Who Idolised Federer

Vit Kopriva has had a dream week at the Swiss Open Gstaad. Entering the tournament, the 24-year-old had never competed in an ATP Tour main draw.

Now, the World No. 249 is the second player to reach the semi-finals on his ATP Tour debut since May 2012, joining this year’s Cordoba campion, Juan Manuel Cerundolo. By defeating top seed Denis Shapovalov in the second round, Kopriva became the lowest-ranked player to oust a Top 10 opponent since World No. 698 Thanasi Kokkinakis beat World No. 6 Milos Raonic at The Queen’s Club in 2017.

“This week is amazing. Thursday last week I didn’t even know that I would play qualies. I went here just to try [to get into qualifying], because I was an alternate. I’m enjoying this week and it’s an amazing feeling,” Kopriva told ATPTour.com. “I can’t believe that I’m playing the semi-finals tomorrow and that I’ve beaten such good players this week. This is just something incredible for me.”

Kopriva had high praise for the Swiss ATP 250, where he is enjoying the scenic views of the local mountains. Before playing Casper Ruud in the semi-finals, Kopriva spoke to ATPTour.com. Here are five things to know about the Czech player…

THIS is how you make your ATP Tour debut! ?

?? Vit Kopriva, No. 249 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, stuns World No. 10 Shapovalov 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in Gstaad.

?: @TennisTV | @SwissOpenGstaad pic.twitter.com/nLZUgAd9Ku

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 22, 2021

He Grew Up Under The Tutelage Of Petra Kvitova’s Father
When people think of Czech tennis, WTA superstar Petra Kvitova quickly comes to mind. Kopriva has a special connection with the lefty, as he trained under her father, Jiri Kvita.

Kopriva’s father enjoyed playing the sport in their town of Fulnek, where Kvitova is from. And that is where Kopriva began training aged six with Kvita. The young Czech played two or three times per week from an early age. He played piano for less than three years, and tennis was the only sport he competed in.

Federer Is His Idol
Czech tennis has a rich history. On the men’s side, Kopriva grew up watching Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek among others. But one player stood above all for the 24-year-old: Roger Federer.

It is fitting that he is enjoying his breakthrough run this week in Gstaad. Not only is it in the 39-year-old’s home country, but Federer lifted the trophy in 2004. Kopriva’s former coach, Jiri Novak, beat Federer in the 2003 Gstaad final, and they have been in touch this week to joke about that moment. Kopriva’s current coach is another Czech, Jaroslav Pospisil.

Rafa’s Book Made A Difference
Although Kopriva idolised Federer, he also holds great respect for Rafael Nadal, another 20-time Grand Slam champion. When the Czech was 15, he read the Spanish legend’s memoir “Rafa”.

“I realised I had to work hard like he did amazingly [well],” Kopriva said. “He spent so many hours on court, so many hours on fitness, and I didn’t at that time. I just started to play more, enjoy more tennis and get more power from that moment.”

Kopriva Nearly Did Not Travel To Gstaad
The 24-year-old lost in the first round of an ATP Challenger Tour event in Amersfoort last week, and nearly did not travel to Gstaad. Kopriva was not sure whether he would go to this ATP 250 or another one in Umag. He ended up arriving in Switzerland as an alternate.

“I was hoping I would get in here and I did. I played so well in the first round of qualies,” Kopriva said. “In the final round of qualies, I was a set and a break down, 5-6 in the second. I [came back] somehow and from that moment I’ve just been trying to enjoy it.”

He Loves Ice Hockey & Football
Although Kopriva did not play sports outside of tennis competitively as a kid, he considers himself a “huge sports fan”.

“From a young age, I’ve watched ice hockey and football. I really like those because in our country, they’re very popular. This is how I spend my free time outside of tennis,” Kopriva said. “I have some fantasy football and fantasy hockey leagues with my friends. I really like those sports, I’m a big fan.

“My favourite football team in the Czech Republic is FC Baník Ostrava and my global club is FC Chelsea. Once I was in London to watch their game at Stamford Bridge. I’m also watching NHL hockey. In the Czech Republic, my favourite team is HC Vítkovice Ridera.”

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Gasquet Marches Into Umag SF

Fourth seed Richard Gasquet reached his first ATP Tour semi-final of the season on Friday at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag as he moved past Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 7-6(7).

The 35-year-old struck the ball well from the baseline throughout as he broke five times. He failed to serve the match out at 5-4 in the second set, but took his third match point in the tie-break to advance in one hour and 51 minutes.

“I started well,” Gasquet said. “I could not manage to break him at 4-2 in the second set and then I struggled a little bit on my serve. It was tough, but I fought a lot to finish the match in the second set. It was a great tie-break and important to win. I need to be physically ready to go further as I try and reach the final.”

Gasquet is the second-oldest semi-finalist in the tournament’s 31-year history, behind only 35-year-old Paolo Lorenzi, who reached the 2017 final (l. to Rublev). The Frenchman is now 2-0 in his ATP Head2Head Series against Dzumhur and will next face either second seed Dusan Lajovic or German qualifier Daniel Altmaier.

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Tokyo Olympics: 2020 Games begin as Naomi Osaka lights Olympic flame in poignant ceremony

The Tokyo 2020 Games are officially under way as Naomi Osaka lights the Olympic flame in a poignant opening ceremony.

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Gaston Upsets Garin In Gstaad

Frenchman Hugo Gaston saved four match points on Friday at the Swiss Open Gstaad to upset fourth-seeded Chilean Cristian Garin 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(11) to reach his first ATP Tour semi-final.

The 20-year-old twice fought back from a break down in the final set before he saved four match points at 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, and 10/11 in a mammoth tie-break to advance in two hours and 20 minutes. He has now claimed 17 clay-court wins at all levels this season, having reached ATP Challenger Tour finals at the Concord Iasi Open and the Roma Garden Open I.

“I am very happy to be in my first [ATP Tour] semi-final,” Gaston said. “It was a great fight. It was a really long match. I always tried to play my game, and it is a good win for me. I hope I can continue like that.”

Gaston won 75 per cent (36/48) of his first-service points and used the drop shot to great effect throughout to set up a meeting with either seventh seed Laslo Djere or countryman Arthur Rinderknech.

The World No. 155, who was competing in his first tour-level quarter-final on Friday, becomes the youngest Gstaad semi-finalist since 2006, when a then 17-year-old Marin Cilic enjoyed a run to the last four.

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Isner Growing In Confidence, Reaches Los Cabos Semi-finals

Second seed John Isner fired into his first ATP Tour semi-final for 18 months at the Mifel Open on Thursday night. The former World No. 8 struck 21 aces, and lost only 11 service points, in a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Alex Bolt of Australia in 67 minutes.

Isner won five straight games from 3-3 in the first set, winning 20 of 27 points. He later admitted that he felt more confident at the Cabo Sports Complex, than he did in his opening-round win over Russia’s Evgeny Donskoy on Wednesday.

“Yesterday’s match was a really struggle from start to finish and I could have easily lost that match,” said Isner, who is now 11-6 on the season. “After the win, I was very happy and because of that I played a bit better tonight. It was more straight forward, but that was because I felt more comfortable on court.

“I felt much better tonight on serve than I did last night. My first serve percentage was better and I didn’t hit any double faults. In the game I got broken last night [at 2-3 in the second set against Donskoy], I hit three doubles faults. It was just a better performance today.”

Isner will next challenge fellow American Brandon Nakashima, who will appear in his first tour-level semi-final. World No. 133 Nakashima saved three match points at 4-5, 0/40 in the third set of a hard-fought 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4) over fifth seed Jordan Thompson of Australia in two hours and 46 minutes.

It marks the first time that three Americans have reached an ATP Tour semi-final since the 2019 New York Open (Isner, Reilly Opelka and Sam Querrey). Third seed Taylor Fritz will play top-seeded Briton Cameron Norrie in the Los Cabos semi-finals on Friday.

Fritz/Monroe Through To Doubles Semi-finals
Fritz and Nicholas Monroe knocked out second seeds Jonathan Erlich and Santiago Gonzalez 6-4, 4-6, 10-6 for a place in the semi-finals. Fritz and Monroe came through a stressful Match Tie-break, which they initially led 5-0, only to lost eight of the next 10 points and trail 7-8. They will next play Hans Hach Verdugo and Isner, who knocked out wild cards Ernesto Escobedo and Luis Patino 6-4, 2-6, 10-7.

Elsewhere, American wild cards Mackenzie McDonald and Sam Querrey overcame fourth-seeded Australians Matthew Ebden and John-Patrick Smith 7-5, 6-3. They will now prepare to face Hunter Reese and Sem Verbeek, who defeated Treat Huey and Steve Johnson 6-4, 7-6(3).

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Fritz Fights Through, Norrie Sails In Los Cabos

Third seed Taylor Fritz outlasted countryman Steve Johnson in a 6-4, 6-4 battle on Thursday to reach his third semi-final of the year at the Mifel Open in Los Cabos. 

Just over a month and a half ago at Roland Garros, Fritz left the court in a wheelchair after suffering a right meniscus injury, which required surgery. Now, after reaching the third round at Wimbledon (l. to Zverev) in his comeback event, the No. 37-ranked American is back into the last four of an ATP Tour event for the first time since April (Cagliari). 

Fritz saved all four break points that he faced across both sets against Johnson. He served 11 aces and won 80 per cent (27/34) of points behind his first serve to close out the victory in an hour and 32 minutes and improve to 3-2 in his ATP Head2Head against Johnson.

Fritz, who reached the final in Los Cabos in 2019, will next face top seed Cameron Norrie as the American searches for his second ATP Tour title. 

Norrie, who is making his first appearance as the top seed at an ATP Tour event this week, raced into the semi-finals after dropping just two sets against American qualifier Ernesto Escobedo to win 6-1, 6-1. The Brit, who currently sits at a career-high No. 30 in the FedEx Rankings, won 84 per cent (21/25) of his first-serve points, and broke serve five times en route to victory. 

He will look to take the lead in his ATP Head2Head against Fritz as the pair meet for the seventh time in Los Cabos. The American topped Norrie in their most recent clash at the Miami Open presented by Itau in March to level the count at 3 wins apiece. 

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Alcaraz Races Past Martin Into Umag QFs

#NextGenATP Carlos Alcaraz overcame an early deficit to charge past Andrej Martin 6-3, 6-1 on Wednesday at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag and power into his second ATP Tour quarter-final.

The 18-year-old has been on a steady climb up the FedEx ATP Rankings in 2021. He entered Umag as the seventh seed – his first appearance as a seeded player at a tour-level event – and one spot shy of his career-high of World No. 72. With the victory over Martin, he has amassed a 12-10 record on the season, highlighted by a run to the semi-finals in Marbella in April.

He was made to work by 31-year-old Slovakian Martin, who raced to an early lead on Goran Ivanisevic Stadion – as the court’s namesake, who was recently inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, watched on from the stands. Martin took a 3-1 lead with an early break as Alcaraz, who sported heavy taping on his right arm and elbow, needed a few games to settle into the match. But once the Spaniard found his footing, there was no looking back. 

The 18-year-old raised his level to break straight back, and won five consecutive games from 1-3 to seal the opening set. The same pattern emerged in the second set: Martin took an early lead with a break at 1-0, but Alcaraz never let him race away with it. He responded by winning six games in a row and closing out the victory in an hour and 16 minutes.

Alcaraz will next face third seed Filip Krajinovic, after the Serbian player won 76 per cent (28/37) of first-serve points to defeat Radu Albot 6-4, 6-2. Krajinovic improved to 10-7 in clay-court matches on the season, and booked a spot into his fourth quarter-final of the year.

Second seed Dusan Lajovic also won on Thursday in Umag, needing an hour and 51 minutes to take down Bernabe Zapata Miralles 7-5, 6-4. Lajovic, who also reached the last eight on clay in Hamburg and Belgrade, converted four of his 12 break opportunities en route to victory. He will next face Daniel Altmaier, after the German qualifier upset eighth seed Gianluca Mager with a 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 comeback win. 

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Huesler/Stricker March On In Gstaad

Marc-Andrea Huesler and Dominic Stephan Stricker continued their impressive partnership in their second ATP Tour event together as they eased past Federico Delbonis and Guillermo Duran 6-1, 6-4 on Thursday to reach the semi-finals at the Swiss Open Gstaad.

The Swiss pair did not face a break point as they advanced in 54 minutes. They will next face French team Benoit Paire and Arthur Rinderknech after they won 92 per cent (34/37) of their first-service points to overcome Americans Robert Galloway and Alex Lawson 7-5, 6-4.

Polish duo Szymon Walkow and Jan Zielinski also advanced to the last four with a hard-fought 6-4, 6-7(7), 10-7 win against Dustin Brown and Tristan-Samuel Weissborn.

Walkow and Zielinski squandered two match points in the second set before coming through in the Match Tie-break. They will next play Jakub Paul and Leandro Riedi after they received a walkover from Zizou Bergs and Tallon Griekspoor.

Elsewhere, at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag, top seeds Tomislav Brkic and Nikola Cacic eased past Roman Jebavy and Jiri Vesely 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the semi-finals. They will next face Croatians Ivan Sabanov and Matej Sabanov after they moved through with a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Damir Dzumhur and Antonio Sancic.

David Vega Hernandez and Fernando Romboli also advanced as they saved four match points to defeat Admir Kalender and Mili Poljicak 3-6, 7-5, 16-14. Radu Albot and Pedro Martinez await next after the Moldovian-Spanish tandem beat Italians Marco Cecchinato and Stefano Travaglia 6-4, 6-1.

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Kopriva Shocks Shapovalov In Gstaad

Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva sprung a major surprise on Thursday at the Swiss Open Gstaad as he fought back to defeat top-seeded Canadian Denis Shapovalov 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to record a career-best win.

The 24-year-old, who is making his ATP Tour debut this week, won 82 per cent (27/33) of his first-service points as he rallied back to overcome the World No. 10 in one hour and 49 minutes. He will face Mikael Ymer in the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 event after the Swede saved two match points to move past Feliciano Lopez 6-7(6), 7-6(7), 6-4.

Kopriva is currently at a career-high No. 249 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. He is the lowest-ranked player to beat a Top 10 opponent since then World No. 698 Thanasi Kokkinakis defeated former World No. 6 Milos Raonic at The Queen’s Club in 2017.

Shapovalov dictated play in the first set as he stepped inside the baseline and forced Kopriva back with his heavy topspin on his groundstrokes. The top seed raced 5-2 ahead and sealed the first set with one of the 11 aces he hit in the match.

The whole contest changed at the start of the second set though, when Kopriva moved into a 3-0 lead as he struck the ball with greater power to force Shapovalov into errors. Despite being broken back, Kopriva quickly regained his advantage as he served well to level. He continued to play consistently from the baseline in the third set, chasing down every ball as he disrupted Shapovalov’s rhythm to claim a massive win.

Shapovalov enjoyed a run to his first Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon earlier this month (l. to Djokovic). Having reached the final at the Gonet Geneva Open (l. Ruud) in May, the Canadian was seeking his first ATP Tour title since capturing the Stockholm Open in 2019.

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Fritz Goes Behind The Scenes In Los Cabos

American Taylor Fritz is competing at the Mifel Open this week, just six weeks after undergoing knee surgery following Roland Garros. While the 22-year-old’s focus is fully on the court, he has found time this week to explore the new tournament venue in Los Cabos, which is built from nature.

The Cabo Sports Complex has been developed by using materials from the land, with the walls and the structure of the area built from natural minerals. Fritz is a massive advocate of the ATP 250 venue that holds the tag line, ‘Sync With Nature’.

“It almost feels like a vacation,” Fritz said. “It is always nice being out here. The whole decoration is built off the land which is really cool. I think this venue is so great for the fans, so I am really excited for the future.”

The complex, which is based by the desert, is only set to improve in the future, with a 3,500 seater stadium court set to be ready for next year. It possess 16 acres of space, which makes it Los Cabos’ largest complex that is available to the public.

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