Tennis News

Tsitsipas Races Past Paul Into Lyon Quarter-Finals

Second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas wasted no time in getting back to his winning ways in his Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon debut, racing past Tommy Paul 6-1, 6-4 on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals. 

The Greek has been one of the players to beat during the clay-court season since claiming his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (d. Rublev). Tsitsipas has now reached the quarter-finals or better at four of his past five events on this surface, and today’s victory gave him a Tour-leading 30 wins on the season.

“I [took] control of the match from early on, and after that I didn’t let go,” Tsitsipas said in his post-match press conference. “I had a few opportunities in the second set to go up a double break and I missed a shot that I felt like I shouldn’t have missed. But [overall] I was playing good tennis today. I was able to move him around the court and find angles, press with my forehand. It wasn’t my best day on serve, but I found solutions when things proved difficult.”

Tsitsipas did not face a break point across two sets against the unseeded American. Paul, a former Roland Garros champion in the juniors, struggled to connect on his first serve – giving Tsitsipas plenty of opportunities to pounce on his opponent’s attackable second delivery. 

The second seed regularly ran around his backhand and fired deep forehand returns, keeping the pressure on Paul by taking control of the rallies. Tsitsipas reeled off the last five games on the trot with a double break to claim the opening set, and started the second with a 2-1 lead.

Paul raised his level on serve in the second set, improving his first serve percentage from 38 to 71 per cent, but he was unable to make inroads on Tsitsipas’ serve. The Greek player served out the match to love, sealing the victory after an hour and 15 minutes.

In his ninth quarter-final of 2021, Tsitsipas will face Japanese lefty Yoshihito Nishioka next. Nishioka toppled fifth seed and home favourite Gael Monfils 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(2) earlier in the day.

“He is a player who is very fast, and I think that helps on clay,” Tsitsipas said. “He has clay-court tennis, so for sure I am going to take that match as an important one.

“I feel like I’m playing good tennis and I can play against anyone. For me, these matches are important, every single one of them. It’s going to be a battle against Yoshihito who is a lefty, on red clay which is my favourite surface.”

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Lawn Tennis Association launches new diversity strategy for British tennis

The Lawn Tennis Association says it wants to “change the perception of the sport” following the launch of a new diversity strategy.

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Before Corey Kluber's No-Hitter, John Isner Threw The First Pitch

New York Yankees pitcher Corey Kluber threw a no-hitter against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday evening, but he was not the first to throw a pitch inside Globe Life Field on the evening. American John Isner threw out the game’s ceremonial first pitch in Arlington to help promote the launch of the Dallas Open.

“It was good. The ball was a little high, just what I was afraid of. My release point is a little too early. But I didn’t want to ground ball it,” Isner said, cracking a laugh. “I love baseball. The problem is I don’t really have a team, there are no teams in North Carolina [where I’m from]. But it’s great to do promotion for the tournament. The tournament’s going to be great.”

^{Photo Credit: Kelly Gavin/Texas Rangers}
Earlier in the day, it was announced that Dallas will host an ATP 250 from 2022, with next year’s event set for 6-13 February. Isner lives in Dallas, which makes it even more exciting. The tournament will be played at the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex at Southern Methodist University, where Isner practises while at home.

“It’s incredibly nice. It’s very lucky for me to have this tournament coming here so close to home. I practise there all the time,” Isner said. “I’m lucky in the sense that I kind of have a couple of hometown events. Atlanta is one, and here in Dallas. It’s good.”

Also in attendance at the Dallas Open’s launch earlier in the day was NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki, who played for the Dallas Mavericks and is a big tennis fan.

“That was cool. The fact that he loves tennis helps a lot and he really does love this sport, so it’s great,” Isner said.

It was also announced Wednesday that the Isner Family Foundation will serve as a non-profit partner for the event. The Isner Family Foundation provides financial support for qualified families to obtain necessities, such as meals, clothing, transportation, convenient lodging, car seats and medical supplies, while their children are under the care of Children’s Health, one of the largest and most prestigious pediatric health care providers in the country and the leading pediatric health care system in North Texas.

“It’s amazing. That’s going to be something that will be done for many years to come, long after I’m done playing as well,” Isner said. “I consider myself very lucky to have the foundation be a part of that.”

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Shapovalov Survives Cecchinato Challenge In Geneva

Top seed Roger Federer was upset in the second round of the Gonet Geneva Open, and second seed Denis Shapovalov nearly suffered the same fate. But the Canadian rallied past Italian qualifier Marco Cecchinato 6-7(4), 7-5, on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals, which will be played later in the day.

Shapovalov did well to shake off the disappointment of letting slip two match points against Rafael Nadal at his last tournament, the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. The World No. 15 will play Serbian Laslo Djere for a spot in the semi-finals.

This match was supposed to be played Wednesday evening, but was pushed back due to rain. And once play began, Cecchinato showed some of the form that has helped him win three ATP Tour titles and reach the Roland Garros semi-finals in 2018.

Shapovalov, who is pursuing his second tour-level crown this week, dug into the Swiss clay and broke the World No. 104’s serve three times across the final two sets to advance after two hours and 22 minutes. The Canadian hit 15 aces and won 86 per cent of his first-serve points.

His next opponent, Djere, finished off a 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-1 victory against sixth seed Fabio Fognini. The Serbian led 2-0 in the third set when play was suspended on Wednesday.

Pablo Cuevas also advanced to the quarter-finals when he eliminated 18-year-old Frenchman Arthur Cazaux 6-2, 6-4. The Uruguayan veteran will next face fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov.

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Federer & Medvedev To Lead Halle Field

Roger Federer and Daniil Medvedev will lead the field at this year’s Noventi Open, a grass-court ATP 500 event to be held from 14-20 June. Four Top 10 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings have entered.

Federer is a 10-time titlist at the event, where he has tallied a 68-7 record and reached at least the semi-finals in his past 15 appearances. Medvedev, the World No. 2, will make his tournament debut.

Alexander Zverev will try to triumph on home soil as he makes his sixth appearance at the tournament. The 24-year-old made back-to-back championship matches in Halle in 2016 and 2017, losing against Florian Mayer and Federer, respectively.

Andrey Rublev is the fourth Top 10 player in the field, and he will compete in the main draw for the second time after reaching the 2017 quarter-finals. Other players to watch include Canadian star Felix Auger-Aliassime, Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz, Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut and former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori.

A German has won four of the past 11 editions of the event. In addition to Zverev, home favourites Dominik Koepfer and Jan-Lennard Struff have also entered.

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Berrettini, #NextGenATP Sinner Set For Queen's Club Debuts

Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner lead a stacked field at the cinch Championships as Top 10 favourites, #NextGenATP stars and more prepare to descend on The Queen’s Club.

Berrettini, ranked World No. 9 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, will be making his tournament debut in London. He recently reached the Mutua Madrid Open final, won the title at the Serbia Open in Belgrade and helped Italy to the ATP Cup final at the start of the year. The Italian has some pedigree on grass also, having won the MercedesCup title in Stuttgart in 2019.

“I have a heard a lot about the cinch Championships at Queen’s and always wanted to play there,” said Berrettini. “I have played some good tennis so far in 2021, and hope that I can bring my best game to the grass. If I do, I think I can go far on the surface.”

Joining Berrettini in London for the first time will be countryman Sinner. The #NextGenATP star was just seven years old when Andy Murray won his first title at The Queen’s Club, but like Murray he is achieving big things at a very young age.

The 19-year-old Italian is No. 17 in the FedExATP Rankings, has already won two tour-level titles (Sofia and Melbourne), and reached the final of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami. 

“I’m really excited to be competing at Queen’s for the first time,” said Sinner. “So many great players from the past have won the tournament, I heard the quality of the grass courts is incredible, and I can’t wait to play on them.”

 

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They are joined by Top 10 player Diego Schwartzman, three-time Grand Slam title winner Stan Wawrinka, Denis Shapovalov, 2016 runner-up Milos Raonic, and previously announced British stars Andy Murray and Daniel Evans. In-form Aslan Karatsev, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals, and British No.2 Cameron Norrie have also entered.

Tournament Director Luiz Carvalho said, “To add new players like Matteo and Jannik to our player field is really exciting, and I know our ticket-holders will enjoy watching them. With so many fan favourites also entering, we are looking forward to the start of the cinch Championships more than ever.”

The doubles and qualifying lists will be announced in the coming weeks.

The cinch Championships will be able to accommodate approximately 25 per cent of its normal full capacity, and the event will be socially distanced, in line with the current safety protocols required by the UK Government and the ATP Tour.

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Dimitrov, Ruud Beat The Rain To Book Geneva QF Spots

As dark clouds descended at the Gonet Geneva Open, fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov was in a hurry to get off the court. But the storm was coming from the other side of the net, as qualifier Ilya Ivashka threatened to turn around a 6-4, 5-0 deficit and take them the distance. 

The No. 20 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings managed to hold his nerve when it mattered most to edge past Ivashka 6-4, 6-4 and reach his fourth quarter-final of the year in Geneva. 

“Today was honestly just a good day for me, I was very pleased with the way I fought,” Dimitrov said in his post-match press conference. “I’ve been quite misfortunate in my past two or three matches that I’ve played in Madrid and Rome. I felt that I fell short with a few points here and there and therefore lost the matches.

“That can be very discouraging, but I’m very thankful that I actually got the opportunity to compete here again. Getting a wild card meant a lot to me, so I really wanted to execute every chance that I have when I’m out there on the court.”

Dimitrov awaits the winner of French wild card Arthur Cazaux and qualifier Pablo Cuevas, whose match was suspended due to rain. Cuevas was leading 6-2, 4-3 and was serving with a break to the good when the rain came. 

Also in action, 18-year-old Dominic Stephan Stricker took down Marton Fucsovics 7-5, 6-4 to reach his first tour-level quarter-final in his main draw debut. The Swiss wild card saved eight of 11 break points he faced and weathered two rain delays en route to victory.

“It feels great to be here, to beat two of these guys,” Stricker said. “I’m very happy with my performance today. I played a good match. It was hard with these rain delays, but I just tried my best. I’m pretty happy with what I did today and I’m just looking forward to my match tomorrow and just trying my best.”

Earlier in the day, third seed Casper Ruud claimed a spot in the quarter-finals with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Tennys Sandgren. 

The Norwegian arrived in Geneva on the back of a strong run of form that included semi-final appearances at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, BMW Open (Munich) and Mutua Madrid Open.

The 22-year-old took that momentum into his opening match against Sandgren, who is No. 67 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The American was looking for a win in their first tour-level meeting, having fallen to Ruud in the qualifying rounds of Auckland in 2018.

Ruud came out swinging against Sandgren in their Centre Court clash, creating his first break opportunity in the fifth game and keeping pace with the American from the baseline. The third seed raised his level as the set wound to a close, dropping only one point in his final three service games to keep the pressure on Sandgren before breaking to love at 5-5. Ruud got out to an early break in the second set, and converted his fourth match point to seal the victory in an hour and 24 minutes.

Into his sixth consecutive quarter-final appearance, a streak dating back to Acapulco in March, Ruud will next face Dominik Koepfer after the German defeated Feliciano Lopez 7-5, 6-7(1), 6-3. 

Second seed Denis Shapovalov will have to wait to face Marco Cecchinato on Thursday after their match was rescheduled due to rain. The winner will face either sixth seed Fabio Fognini or Laslo Djere in the quarter-finals. Djere was on serve and leading by a break 6-3, 6-7(2), 2-0 when their match was suspended. 

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British grass-court season: Wimbledon, Queen's, Eastbourne, Birmingham set for return

Andy Murray, Venus Williams and Johanna Konta are among the players set to feature when Britain’s grass-court events return next month.

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Thiem: 'I Am Still Trying To Find My Form'

Dominic Thiem is still searching for his best tennis this clay-court season, and the Austrian hopes he can make a step in the right direction as the top seed at this week’s Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone Alpes Lyon.

“I am still trying to find my form. I’m not playing as well as I did in 2019 [at Roland Garros], when I played my best tennis, or as good as in 2018. But I am a better player now,” Thiem said. “I will try and practise well and work hard in Lyon, then work myself into the tournament. My preparation hasn’t been ideal this year, I won’t lie about that. But I am certain I will play well there.”

The World No. 4 has played two events on clay, reaching the semi-finals in Madrid and the third round in Rome. The two-time Roland Garros finalist (2018 and 2019) had not played since March in Dubai before those two events.

“Madrid and Rome were good steps in the right directions, with the semi-finals [in Madrid] and a loss to Sonego [in Rome] in three hours and 20 minutes. I had match point [and lost] 7-6 in the third and after [that] he beat Rublev then played an amazing match against Novak,” Thiem said. “I liked the way I played there and I hope I can take this positive direction into Lyon and get some matches.”

The good news for Thiem despite those losses is that he feels there is plenty of room for improvement in his game.

“In Madrid and Rome there was some per cent missing in my shots. My first serve wasn’t doing enough damage and when I had an easy forehand, I wasn’t hitting in the right direction or placement,” Thiem admitted. “The transitions from offence to defence weren’t good. To go really deep in tournaments, I need to improve these areas of the game and I intend to do so in Lyon this week.”

Thiem has proven that he is a force on clay when on form, winning 10 of his 17 tour-level titles on the surface. After taking nearly two months off to reset following in Dubai, the 27-year-old is eager to continue ramping up his level.

“I was far away from tennis, but tried to get hungry again and get back on Tour,” Thiem said. “I needed to disconnect from the job and I am happy to be back on Tour.”

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Following Federer’s Advice, Stricker Serves Up Geneva Breakthrough

#NextGenATP Dominic Stephan Stricker has been serving up surprises at the Gonet Geneva Open, his debut ATP Tour event. In his first tour-level main draw, he took down US Open champion Marin Cilic in straight sets, and he backed it up with a victory over Marton Fucsovics to reach the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

In both matches, one shot has stood out from the 18-year-old’s arsenal: Stricker’s serve has been booming in Geneva. In the opening round, he managed to out-ace big-serving Cilic with nine aces to four, and against Fucsovics he saved eight of the 11 break points he faced.

“I think everything is working pretty well. I’m serving good here, and I improved a lot on that,” Stricker said in his post-match press conference. “I’m just trying to do my game style: being [on the] offense, but also if I need to I can stay in the rallies. I’m just trying my best and working hard every day here in Switzerland and I think it’s all good.”

The serve has been the shot that the Swiss teen has been working hard to improve, ever since receiving a bit of helpful advice from a practice partner – none other than Roger Federer.

Stricker and Federer shared a practice court for three weeks in Dubai during the pre-season, and the former Roland Garros junior champion was sure to take notes as he worked with the former World No. 1 up close. 

“He told me some stuff, like how the serve is important and it’s the only shot in tennis that you can do by yourself,” Stricker recalled. “You can’t learn it too much, so I just worked really hard on this shot. It’s getting better and I’m winning many points on serve.”

Federer was in the stands on Tuesday to witness the 18-year-old wild card’s upset over Cilic. While they have not gotten much time to catch up in Geneva as the Swiss great contested only his second tournament of the year on home soil, Stricker has felt the support from the 20-time Grand Slam winner. 

“We saw [each other] here and we were talking a little bit, just saying hello but not too much,” Stricker said. “We didn’t practise here but we practised a lot at the start of the year. 

“For sure that helps me to see how good he is and just to see that I’m actually close to his level – maybe not at his level, but I’m just trying to get there. It helps me to see it. I’m getting better and trying to get to this level where these guys are.”

Stricker will have another chance to test his level again – and perhaps earn some revenge on behalf of his practice partner. The 18-year-old will face Pablo Andujar, the player who upset top seed Federer, in the quarter-finals.

“It feels great to be here, to beat two of these guys,” Stricker said. “I’m very happy with my performance today. I played a good match. It was hard with these rain delays, but I just tried my best. I’m pretty happy with what I did today and I’m just looking forward to my match tomorrow and just trying my best.”

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