Tennis News

Murray/Soares Battle Into Acapulco Quarter-finals

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares began their quest for a third Acapulco title on Monday with a hard-fought 6-7(4), 6-2, 10-1 victory over Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC. The 2017 and 2018 champions, who are now 9-1 on the 2021 season, could not convert one set point at 6-5, deciding point Deuce in the first set.

This year’s Great Ocean Road Open titlists will now challenge British brothers Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski, who defeated Diego Schwartzman and Joao Sousa 6-4, 7-6(7). The Skupskis recovered from 1-4 down in the second set and saved three set points at 4/6 and 6/7 in the second set tie-break.

Meanwhile, top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos swept past Marin Cilic and Oliver Marach 6-2, 6-3 to set up a clash against Australian qualifiers Luke Saville and John-Patrick Smith, who beat German wild cards Alexander Zverev and Mischa Zverev 6-2, 7-5. Saville and Smith won the first four games of the match.

At the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Frenchmen Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin saved one set point at 6/7 in the second tie-break en route to beating Marcus Daniell and Philipp Oswald 6-4, 7-6(7). Chardy and Martin will now look to record their second straight win over Croatians Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in the quarter-finals, having beaten the in-form second seeds at last week’s Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

Elsewhere, Germans Kevin Krawietz and Jan-Lennard Struff defeated Henri Kontinen and Jordan Thompson 6-7(7), 7-6(4), 10-6. Krawietz and Struff held two set points at 5/6 and 6/7 in first set tie-break and now challenge third seeds Wesley Koolhof and Lukasz Kubot..

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Musetti's Milestone Win: "I Am Expecting This"

Lorenzo Musetti concedes the high of notching his first Top 10 victory may not subside in a hurry. Not done with his first tour-level hard-court victory in an upset of Diego Schwartzman on Tuesday night, the 19-year-old plans to ride that momentum in his Acapulco debut.

“Yeah I am expecting this,” Musetti said of beating Schwartzman in his Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC debut. “I was born on clay. [In Italy] most of the courts are on clay so we are specialists of clay, [but] the ATP Tour, most of the tournaments are on hard courts. And even losing a lot of matches on hard courts, I’m getting a lot of experience and I’m playing really good here.

Despite having grown up honing his skills predominantly on clay, it came as no surprise to the Italian he landed the milestone victory on a hard court. It took six match points to steady the nerves against the seasoned Argentine on Tuesday night for a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 victory.

“It’s not easy to describe. You have to live it to describe,” Musetti said. “The only thing that I’m sure [about] is that tonight it’s going to be tough to sleep, for sure. 

“I have a lot of adrenaline after the match. Even if I’m tired it would be really tough to sleep.”

It was an opportunity he was grabbing with both hands, following the stop-start season that was 2020. It was a year in which he still managed to slash his ranking from No. 360 to No. 128, despite the COVID-19 pandemic having wiped out five months. 

“Yeah I worked a lot. I’ve grown a lot in March, April of the last year,” he said. “I worked every day, like a routine to train because in one month we couldn’t touch the racquet.

“So I had some ways at home and … we were adjusting with my physical trainer via Skype and FaceTime. We did great work, but also in the pre-season we made a really intense workout and finally they paid [off].”

Now the World No. 120 has high hopes of joining compatriot Jannik Sinner as the second 19-year-old Italian in the Top 100. He would become the ninth current player from his country to occupy a place there.

“The start of the season is really good,” he said. “It’s not easy to rise because of the rankings now, it’s still a little bit frozen, but I’m playing good… I’m trying to reach them and break into the Top 100, that’s my goal.

“Now I’m here and I’m focused on the next match against Tiafoe. He won an incredible match against [Brandon] Nakashima. I won once and I lost once against him so let’s see what happens tomorrow.”

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After Ending Haircut Drought, Raonic Fires Into Acapulco Second Round

Milos Raonic defeated Tommy Paul 7-6(6), 6-4 on Tuesday evening to reach the second round of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC. Perhaps just as notably, the Canadian got a haircut!

Due to safety concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic, the former World No. 3 had not had locks trimmed since before leaving for Australia last year.

“I actually felt safe to do it and I found somebody who had been as safe as me and I sort of went through with it,” Raonic said. “Sometimes I was a little bit too embarrassed walking out of the house the way I was, so I felt like it maybe it was time for a haircut.”

The fourth seed hit 13 aces and overcame 10 double faults to battle past Paul after one hour and 49 minutes. Raonic was broken twice, but he had enough firepower to move into the second round, in which he will play German Dominik Koepfer.

“It’s really good. I haven’t played since Australia, so to come here, play a good match against him and do a lot of things well, I have to be very happy with and it also gives me some things that I can do better for tomorrow,” Raonic said. “I look forward to the next challenge.”

In other action, sixth seed Fabio Fognini ousted countryman Stefano Travaglia 7-5, 6-2 in one hour and 26 minutes. The nine-time ATP Tour titlist went winless in two previous ATP Head2Head meetings against Travaglia, but he broke serve four times to advance.

Fognini helped Italy to the ATP Cup final last month and then reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, where he lost against Rafael Nadal. The World No. 17 will play Cameron Norrie for a spot in the quarter-finals, after the Brit’s 6-3, 6-3 win over Stefan Kozlov.

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Tsitsipas Tames Paire in Acapulco First Round

In his eighth appearance as the top seed at an ATP Tour event, Stefanos Tsitsipas was in cruise control in his Acapulco opener on Tuesday night. The Greek easily accounted for Frenchman Benoit Paire at the the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, 6-3 6-1.

Paire’s compatriot Pierre-Hugues Herbert had ended the two-time defending champion’s run in the Open 13 Provence semi-finals in Marseille last week. But Tsitsipas quickly moved on in Mexico, as he opened his account with a second victory from three ATP Head2Head meetings against Paire.

“I didn’t know what to expect from Benoit today,” Tsitsipas said. “I think it’s kind of tricky playing a tournament you haven’t played before. 

“I felt very responsible and very truthful to the way I was playing and the way I was fighting so that was really nice to see. The crowd brought all the energy, they backed me up, they supported me throughout the entire match. 

“That is always important when you’re a newcomer into tournaments. That was something that felt great playing that match.”

While the 22-year-old’s 13 winners were two fewer than the flashy Frenchman’s, he hit just 16 unforced errors to his opponent’s 24. He was far more effective on serve, too, as he claimed 27 of his 32 first-serve points and saved both break points.

Nine double faults proved especially costly for Paire, and he managed to win only five points against the Greek’s first serve throughout the 70-minute affair. It was Tsitsipas’s 11th win of 2021, following back-to-back semi-final runs at the Australian Open and in Marseille.

He will carry a 2-all  ATP Head2Head record into his next match against John Isner. A win would book a quarter-final berth against either #NextGenATP contender Sebastian Korda or No. 7 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.

“He’s a guy that serves really well so that’s going to be the biggest element and the one thing that I’ll really have to resolve during that match,” he said of Isner. “I really hope I can play some good matches in Acapulco and get some love from the fans. It is going to be a tough one that’s for sure.”

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Musetti Magic! 19-Year-Old Upsets Schwartzman In Acapulco

Lorenzo Musetti made a splash on Tuesday evening in Acapulco, earning his first Top 10 win by beating third seed Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to reach the second round of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.

The #NextGenATP Italian broke onto the scene last year when he qualified for the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome, where he defeated Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori in the main draw. Later in the season, he reached his first ATP Tour semi-final in Sardinia.

The dynamic shotmaking and skills he showed in those moments came to the fore in Mexico against Schwartzman. Despite letting slip one opportunity to serve for the match in the third set, the 19-year-old held his nerve to convert his sixth match point and earn the biggest win of his career against the World No. 9.

Musetti was battle-tested after coming through three rounds of qualifying in Mexico, and he did not fear the Argentine star.

“Everyone has a racquet, there is a net. It’s 50-50 every time. That’s tennis,” Musetti told ATPTour.com after qualifying on Monday. “My mindset, I’m mentally trying to stay like this.”

The World No. 120 used a wide array of skills against Schwartzman, playing aggressively, changing the pace at times and putting magical touch on display, all while battling hard for every point.

Musetti could have let things slip just as quickly as his match points disappeared. Schwartzman played like a smart veteran to put the pressure on his younger opponent, making few errors in the key moments. But on his sixth match point, Musetti hit an inside-out forehand on the line, and the Argentine missed a backhand into the net. The teen then fell to the court in celebration.

Musetti will next play one of two Americans: Brandon Nakashima or Frances Tiafoe.

Did You Know?
Musetti has now won three of his four matches against Top 50 opponents. His only loss came against Andrey Rublev last year in Dubai.

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The Last Time With… Dominik Koepfer

Dominik Koepfer is into the second round of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, where he will play former World No. 3 Milos Raonic or American Tommy Paul for a spot in the quarter-finals.

ATPTour.com caught up with the 26-year-old German, who revealed the last time…

I missed a flight?
Weeks ago! [It was] just delays, immigration. It took forever. From Buenos Aires to Cordoba, I missed it in Buenos Aires. 

I paid money to hire a court or buy tennis balls?
Tampa weeks [ago in Florida]. I bought the Dunlop balls they were playing with in Cordoba.

Being famous helped me?
I mean obviously tennis-wise on tennis courts, getting tennis courts, getting free court time, being able to practise at pretty much every facility you want to, that definitely helps. Just being known as a tennis player [helps].

There are definitely connections [to get things], but more through connections [I have] than me being a tennis player. Connections made through tennis definitely helps getting to restaurants, getting things done a little quicker, a little easier.

I strung a tennis racquet?
December 2020, I’d say. I hate doing it, but sometime the stringers aren’t open so just have to do it myself. It’s kind of whenever I break all of my racquets’ strings and have practice the next day. There’s no other choice, really.

I cooked for myself or others?
Off-season. Obviously I was home in Tampa for three months, I cooked quite a lot. I’ve been grilling a lot. I’ve got a new grill, so I’ve been grilling a lot with my coach [Rhyne Williams]. I’d say that’s my favourite thing. It’s the easiest and pretty quick to do, no cleaning involved so yeah, I’d say it’s my favourite.

Rhyne loves it. He sometimes brings fish over and then we grill steak and fish and stuff. It’s good.

I met a childhood idol?
Obviously walking around the Grand Slams you see Rafa walking around in the locker room, practising, in the gym. It’s definitely still a little bit intimidating to be around him. I have not hit with him. I’ve obviously played Djokovic, but never hit with or played Rafa. 

I asked someone for a selfie
Not a big picture fan. Probably when I was younger and when I was watching the WTA tournament in Stuttgart. I used to go there when I was younger. I’d say that’d be the last time I asked a tennis player, Justine Henin, for a selfie.

I went to a concert
March 2020 in New Orleans. It was right before Covid started to hit. It was Diplo at a club kind of thing. 

I attended a live sporting event other than tennis
It was probably a Tampa Bay Lightning game in Tampa last year, at the beginning of the year. Since I moved to Tampa, I’ve been going. Whenever I’m here, I try to go, which isn’t often. But a few times a year I go. 

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Five Things To Know About Lloyd Harris, Who Beat Thiem

Lloyd Harris earned the biggest win of his career on Tuesday against Dominic Thiem, stunning the World No. 4 in the first round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

“I’m super, super happy with that win. [He is] by far the highest-ranked player I have beaten,” Harris said in an on-court interview. “I look up to Domi a lot so, for me, it is a special feeling. I am really happy.”

ATPTour.com looks at five things you should know about the South African before he continues his run in Dubai.

1) The 24-Year-Old Is Stringing Together Big Wins
Harris earned the first Top 5 win of his career against Thiem in Dubai. Previously, he had been 0-4 against the Top 10. In each of those matches, including a Wimbledon clash against Roger Federer in 2019, he won a set, but was unable to advance.

Last week, Harris claimed his maiden Top 20 victory against Stan Wawrinka in Doha. The 24-year-old needed two hours and 41 minutes to topple the Swiss.

“I don’t have many words right now,” Harris said after his victory. “Stan was my idol growing up, so just to play against him was incredible. I was as determined as I could be, really pumped to play.

2) Harris Is Coached By Harris (Unrelated) & Malisse
Harris has long been coached by another Harris… Anthony Harris, who is unrelated. They have worked together since Lloyd was a teenager. When they first met, Lloyd had only played tennis twice a week, but Anthony kept telling him he had Top 100 potential.

It turns out Anthony has great foresight, too. Before Wimbledon in 2019, he kept calling Lloyd to predict he would face Federer in the first round.

“[My coach] came to me in the lounge – I was sitting there with my mom – and he was like, ‘I don’t know how this happened, but it came true,’” Harris remembered. “We were kind of shocked and surprised and excited at the same time.”

Harris is in Dubai with retired Belgian star Xavier Malisse, who cracked the Top 25 in singles and doubles. Malisse previously spent several weeks with Harris in 2019.

3) He Is Following In Anderson’s Footsteps
Harris is the No. 1 South African in the FedEx ATP Rankings at World No. 81, nine spots ahead of Kevin Anderson, his 2020 ATP Cup teammate. But throughout his career, Harris has followed in Anderson’s footsteps.

“At the time I was growing up, from a reasonable age when I was watching tennis, there was no one playing [from South Africa],” Harris said. “Kevin was the first one to come along again and it has been unbelievable to see his rise up the ranks.”

Anderson is a two-time Grand Slam finalist who has ascended as high as World No. 5. When Harris first broke into the Top 100 in February 2019, it was the first time since February 2004 (Ferreira and Moodie) that two South Africans were in the distinguished group at the same time.

4) The South African Picked Up Tennis Early, Played Other Sports For Years
Harris grew up in a tennis home in which both of his parents and his sister, Monique, played tennis. They lived right next to a tennis court. Harris would watch as his family played, and he wanted in.

“I picked up the racquet really, really young and all I wanted to do was just play with them as well,” Harris said. “My mum asked the coaches, ‘Is he not too young? Can he start?’ I was not even three years old. There I was hitting balls already. The thing is, I enjoyed every second of it. I never had played too much.”

Harris played other sports, too, which kept him from dedicating himself solely to tennis until he was 15 or 16. The South African also played rugby, cricket, athletics and swimming.

“That kept me excited for tennis and I kept on enjoying it. That was great,” Harris said. “Back in South Africa, I was lucky enough to be in great schools and have all the facilities and stuff that I needed.”

5) He’s A Tottenham Hotspur Fan & Enjoys Cars
During Harris’ run to last year’s Adelaide final — his first on the ATP Tour — the South African spoke about his love for Tottenham Hotspur, a football club.

“Only became really into football like three, four years ago. Just some of my favourite players that when I started watching, I took a big liking in some of their players. Heung-min Son, Harry Kane probably my favourites,” Harris said at the time. “Then I just started supporting them. Got the shirt, got everything that goes with it. And to be honest, I have been following them like every single match. Now I’m a diehard fan, for sure.”

Harris is also a fan of action. He enjoys cars, his favourite movie is The Fast and the Furious and his favourite superhero is Iron Man. The 24-year-old, whose nickname is “King”, also likes music, the show Breaking Bad and spending time with family and friends.

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17-Year-Old Leo Borg To Make ATP Qualifying Debut In Marbella

Leo Borg, the son of former World No. 1 Bjorn Borg, has received a wild card into qualifying at next month’s AnyTech365 Andalucia Open, with the main draw scheduled for 5-11 April in Marbella.

The 17-year-old Swede has also been awarded a main draw wild card into an ATP Challenger Tour event at the same venue the week before. The tournaments will be played at Club de Tennis Puente Romano, which opened in 1979 under the management of Bjorn Borg as part of Hotel Puente Romano.

Hi Leo! Welcome to the Challenger 80 main draw and the qualifying of the ATP 250 tournament. ?#andaluciaopen @ATPChallenger @ATPTour_ES pic.twitter.com/JusJvSx2aH

— AnyTech365 Andalucía Open (@AndaluciaOpen) March 16, 2021

Leo made his professional debut last February at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Bergamo, Italy, where he lost against former World No. 1 Chun-hsin Tseng. The Swede is now the No. 12 junior in the world after winning a Grade 1 tournament in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Borg posted on social media last year that he spent three weeks training at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar. 

^{Photo Credit: Antonio Milesi}

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Harris Shocks Thiem In Dubai

Lloyd Harris earned the biggest win of his career on Tuesday, when he stunned top seed Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-4 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

The South African served with confidence to eliminate the US Open champion after 72 minutes. This is Harris’ first win against a Top 5 player. The 24-year-old claimed his first Top 20 win at last week’s Qatar ExxonMobil Open against Stan Wawrinka.

Harris was happy to engage in backhand-to-backhand rallies early in the first set. The South African proved the more consistent player on the stroke to earn the first break points of the match at 2-1 and he converted his second chance with a cross-court backhand winner.

Throughout the match, Harris held serve without being forced to deuce. The World No. 81 earned the only break of the second set at 3-3, when he rushed Thiem with deep backhand returns and capitalised on two double faults. Harris closed the match with a powerful first serve into Thiem’s backhand.

Harris will meet 14th seed Filip Krajinovic for a quarter-final spot. The Serbian saved all four break points he faced to defeat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-5, 6-4 in 80 minutes.

Kei Nishikori extended his unbeaten ATP Head2Head record against David Goffin to 4-0 with a 6-3, 7-6(3) win. The Japanese, who reached the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament quarter-finals earlier this month, will face Aljaz Bedene in the third round. Bedene landed 10 aces and won 92 per cent of his first-serve points to beat Lorenzo Giustino 6-4, 6-3.

Karen Khachanov also advanced to the third round on Tuesday. The Russian outlasted Singapore champion Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4) in two hours and 16 minutes. Khachanov will meet Jeremy Chardy for a place in the quarter-finals.

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Nishikori Enjoying New Journey: 'My Goal Is To Return To Top 10'

The abiding memory of Kei Nishikori at his very best is taking his aggressive baseline game to the world’s premier players. But since finishing in the year-end Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the fourth time in 2018, the Japanese superstar has experienced a catalogue of injuries — notably to his right wrist, right elbow and right shoulder.

Now aged 31, Nishikori is working harder than ever to return to his peak performance days, under the guidance of Michael Chang and Max Mirnyi, who both relied upon superb conditioning during their own careers.

“If I want to come back to my level before, I have to be tough,” said Nishikori at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday. “You have to think more, and you have many more expectations. But the way I think now, is [that] this is my second [career] journey.

“I had elbow surgery two years ago, a shoulder injury last year and couldn’t play three or four months. I’ve had many injuries. I have to be happy, and I’ve been playing well [over] the past two weeks. My goal is to return to the Top 10, [the] Top 5 hopefully. I think it will be a long way back, because everyone is playing well. I have to step up more against Top 50 opponents, but I’ve been enjoying the challenge.”

Nishikori, who is currently No. 41 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, admitted to nerves in battling past fifth-seeded Belgian David Goffin 6-3, 7-6(3) over one hour and 53 minutes on Tuesday for a place in the Dubai third round.

“I was a little bit tight, especially the match points [at 6-5 in the second set],” said Nishikori. “He started to play much better from the middle of the second set. I was under pressure in my service games. There were many Deuces and at the end of the second set he was much more aggressive and he made me more defensive. I made a couple of easy mistakes, which made the games tougher.”

Nishikori will next play Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene at the Aviation Club in Dubai. He is competing in just his ninth tournament since returning to the ATP Tour after a 12-month absence in August 2020.

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