Tennis News

Bublik Bounces Shapovalov In Madrid

The best season of Alexander Bublik’s career continues to get better.

The Kazakhstani battled past 11th seed Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 after two hours and 20 minutes on Tuesday to reach the third round of the Mutua Madrid Open. The 23-year-old will next play seventh seed Diego Schwartzman or 2021 breakthrough star Aslan Karatsev for a spot in the quarter-finals in his tournament debut.

Bublik now has a career-high 18 wins in 2021 just more than four months into the season. The 23-year-old was the more consistent player inside Stadium 3, taking advantage of Shapovalov’s 40 unforced errors to take a 2-0 ATP Head2Head series lead against the Canadian, who hit 14 double faults.

“I started on the same level as the other day, so it’s not so much of my game not working. It’s more mental,” Shapovalov said. “Throwing in five doubles in one game, it’s not like I don’t know how to serve. It’s completely mental.”

Bublik Second-Serve Return Placement

^{Graphic courtesy of Hawk-Eye Innovations/ATP Media}
Bublik had never previously won an ATP Masters 1000 match outside of Miami. But now he has two impressive wins under his belt against in-form Hungarian Marton Fucsovics and Shapovalov.

In other action, Albert Ramos-Vinolas maintained his high level with a 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 victory against Taylor Fritz. Just two days ago, the Spaniard lifted his third ATP Tour trophy in Estoril, but he managed to quickly adjust to the Madrid altitude to move on after two hours and 29 minutes.

Ramos-Vinolas will next play Argentine qualifier Federico Delbonis, who eliminated 10th seed Pablo Carreno Busta in Monday’s final match of the evening. Delbonis leads their ATP Head2Head series 4-2.

The 33-year-old Ramos-Vinolas leads the ATP Tour with 17 tour-level wins on clay this year, and Delbonis is second with 10.

Did You Know?
With his win against Shapovalov, Bublik is now 9-0 against left-handers.

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Rublev Survives Paul Challenge In Madrid

Andrey Rublev overcame a tough challenge on his Mutua Madrid Open debut on Tuesday to beat Tommy Paul 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 for a place in the third round. Paul put forth a brilliant effort while Rublev struggled to control the ball in the unfamiliar high altitude. 

“It’s important to win when you’re not [playing] your [best] game and things are not going well,” the Russian said on-court. “So it’s really important to win this match to have more confidence. I’m happy that I turned it around.”

The World No. 7, who has advanced to the quarter-finals or better in all seven tournaments he has played this season, is now 9-2 at the ATP Masters 1000 level in 2021, after reaching the semi-finals in Miami and the final in Monte-Carlo.

Rublev’s next opponent is still undecided as John Isner awaits the winner of Roberto Bautista Agut and Marco Cecchinato, who play later Tuesday.

Rublev opened up a 4-2 lead in the first set, but Paul stayed calm, even with this week also marking his Madrid debut. After four straight service breaks heading into the tie-break, and later a 1/5 deficit, the American held his nerve to fight back and clinch the 49-minute opener by winning six points in a row.

In the second set, Paul showed signs of fatigue, and after trading service games, Rublev capitalised on Paul’s slight letdown in energy to break for 5-3. The third set could have gone either way with both raising their intensity. Paul had a look at a break point at 4-3, but Rublev saved it and then took all of the momentum to break in the very next game. He sealed his first win in Madrid with an ace.

Rublev improves to 3-0 in their ATP Head2Head Series and inches ahead of Stefanos Tsitsipas to take the lead for most ATP wins in 2021 with 27.

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Cameron Norrie's blisters mean British number two withdraws from Madrid Masters

British number two Cameron Norrie withdraws from the Madrid Masters because of blisters on his foot.

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Garin Perfect In The Clutch To Beat Verdasco In Madrid

Cristian Garin was perfect in the clutch moments on Monday evening to dismiss home favourite Fernando Verdasco 6-1, 6-4 in the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open.

The Chilean No. 1 saved all eight break points he faced and converted the three opportunities he earned to advance after one hour and 27 minutes, setting a second-round clash against German Dominik Koepfer, who ousted American Reilly Opelka 6-4, 6-4 earlier in the day.

The difference in Madrid experience could not have been greater inside Manolo Santana Stadium, as Garin was making his tournament debut and Verdasco was competing in the Spanish capital for the 18th consecutive edition (he also played in qualifying in 2002). But when it mattered most, Garin was the more comfortable player. 

The 16th seed played aggressively when he needed to. But more importantly, he gave very few free points away, forcing Verdasco to beat him. The Spaniard could not do so, as he made 32 unforced errors, more than doubling Garin’s count (15).

One seed who was unable to move on was 10th seed Pablo Carreno Busta. Qualifier Federico Delbonis rallied from a set and two breaks down to defeat the Spaniard 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the last match of the day. The Argentine will next challenge Estoril champion Albert Ramos-Vinolas or American Taylor Fritz.

In other action, Marcos Giron won a marathon three-setter against Pablo Andujar, clawing past the Spaniard 6-7(8), 7-6(4), 7-5 after three hours and 26 minutes. The American had already played a match that lasted longer than three hours in the first round of qualifying against Thiago Monteiro.

Giron will have to recover quickly when he plays third seed Dominic Thiem on Tuesday evening. The 27-year-old owns one Top 10 victory, which he claimed against Matteo Berrettini at last year’s Rolex Paris Masters.

Did You Know?
Garin is in second seed Daniil Medvedev’s section of the draw. If both men reach the third round, they will meet for the second time in their ATP Head2Head series. The Russian triumphed in straight sets two years ago in Montreal.

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Preview: ‘Recharged’ Thiem Leads Seeds, Rublev Ready For Debut

The top seeds are set to hit the courts as first-round action wraps up at La Caja Magica on a jam-packed Tuesday at the Mutua Madrid Open.

Third seed Dominic Thiem leads the way, set to start against American qualifier Marcos Giron under the lights inside Manolo Santana Stadium. Into the second round with a bye, the two-time Madrid finalist is contesting his first tournament since the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships after taking a break to recharge.

“It had something to do with [winning] the US Open title,” Thiem said in a pre-tournament interview. “Chasing a goal for such a long time and then finally achieving it, it took a lot out of my body and my head. With all the euphoria and everything, I was playing well the rest of last year. And then in Australia, it somehow got to me a little bit. I decided to take a little bit of time off to recover and make a small reset.

“I feel recharged. I was away from tennis for a while and away from everything, so I definitely recharged and I’m ready again for everything.”

Thiem, who owns a 5-4 record on the season, is looking for his 18th tour-level title in Madrid, and his second ATP Masters 1000 crown.

Sixth seed Andrey Rublev will start his debut Madrid campaign against American Tommy Paul in the second round at Arantxa Sanchez Stadium. The World No. 7 is hoping that his snakebitten years are behind him, after a series of unfortunate events – ranging from a wrist injury and a spinal fracture to a global pandemic – kept him out of the tournament for the past three years.

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“When my ranking became [high enough] and I was around 30 in the world, I was injured twice, two seasons in a row, during the summer which is the clay-court season. And then last year was pandemic,” Rublev said with a wry smile. “So unlucky three seasons already, and now finally I’m here. I’m feeling like hopefully it’s going to be my first year when I play the whole season, non-stop, all the tournaments.”

Rublev couldn’t be in a better position for his first Madrid venture, after recently reaching his first Masters 1000 final at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (l. Tsitsipas). He is tied for the most wins on the ATP Tour with 26, and will hope to add one more and extend his ATP Head2Head lead against Paul to 3-0.

Also in action, eighth seed Matteo Berrettini and Fabio Fognini booked an all-Italian second-round battle. It will be their second career meeting, with Fogini claiming a straight-sets victory in their 2017 Internazionali BNL d’Italia match.

#NextGenATP stars Felix Auger-Aliassime and Jannik Sinner will also be among those searching for a spot into the second round on Tuesday. Coached by the inimitable Toni Nadal, Auger-Aliassime will face Norway’s Casper Ruud in his opening match, while Miami finalist Sinner will meet Argentina’s Guido Pella for the first time. Karen Khachanov and Kei Nishikori also feature, facing off for the fifth time in the first match of the day.

ORDER OF PLAY – TUESDAY, MAY 04, 2021
MANOLO SANTANA STADIUM start 11:00 am
First Round – K. Khachanov (RUS) vs K. Nishikori (JPN)

Not Before 1:00 PM
WTA MATCH – [13] E. Mertens (BEL) vs [3] S. Halep (ROU)

Not Before 3:00 pm
First Round – [9] R. Bautista Agut (ESP) vs [Q] M. Cecchinato (ITA)

Not Before 7:00 pm
Second Round – [3] D. Thiem (AUT) vs [Q] M. Giron (USA)

ARANTXA SANCHEZ STADIUM start 11:00 am
First Round – [15] F. Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs C. Ruud (NOR)
Second Round – T. Paul (USA) vs [6] A. Rublev (RUS)

Not Before 3:00 PM
WTA MATCH – [5] A. Sabalenka (BLR) vs J. Pegula (USA)
Second Round – [8] M. Berrettini (ITA) vs F. Fognini (ITA)
WTA MATCH – [ND] M. Keys (USA) / J. Pegula (USA) vs [2] B. Krejcikova (CZE) / K. Siniakova (CZE)

STADIUM 3 start 11:00 am
First Round – G. Pella (ARG) vs [14] J. Sinner (ITA)
First Round – C. Norrie (GBR) vs F. Krajinovic (SRB)
Second Round – A. Bublik (KAZ) vs [11] D. Shapovalov (CAN)

Not Before 5:00 PM
WTA MATCH – A. Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) vs [11] J. Brady (USA)
Second Round – A. de Minaur (AUS) vs L. Harris (RSA)

COURT 4 start 11:00 am
[Q] P. Herbert (FRA) vs A. Davidovich Fokina (ESP)
T. Fritz (USA) vs A. Ramos-Vinolas (ESP)
N. Basilashvili (GEO) vs B. Paire (FRA)
K. Krawietz (GER) / H. Tecau (ROU) vs H. Kontinen (FIN) / E. Roger-Vasselin (FRA)

COURT 5 start 11:00 am
[12] H. Hurkacz (POL) vs J. Millman (AUS)
[Q] A. Popyrin (AUS) vs J. Struff (GER)
T. Puetz (GER) / A. Zverev (GER) vs F. Auger-Aliassime (CAN) / H. Hurkacz (POL)
[7] W. Koolhof (NED) / L. Kubot (POL) vs [WC] P. Tsitsipas (GRE) / S. Tsitsipas (GRE)

COURT 6 start 11:00 am
WTA MATCH – E. Perez (AUS) / S. Zheng (CHN) vs [5] A. Guarachi (CHI) / D. Krawczyk (USA)

Not Before 12:30 PM
WTA MATCH – [OSE] B. Bencic (SUI) / J. Teichmann (SUI) vs N. Hibino (JPN) / R. Voracova (CZE)
WTA MATCH – [DA PR] E. Vesnina (RUS) / V. Zvonareva (RUS) vs [OSE] B. Mattek-Sands (USA) / I. Swiatek (POL)
WTA MATCH – [3] G. Dabrowski (CAN) / D. Schuurs (NED) vs V. Kudermetova (RUS) / A. Potapova (RUS)
After Suitable Rest – S. Gille (BEL) / J. Vliegen (BEL) vs M. Fucsovics (HUN) / C. Ruud (NOR)

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Nadal, Thiem, Tsitsipas & More Stars Training Hard In Madrid

With the Mutua Madrid Open underway, the world’s best players, including Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas, are working hard in practice to prepare themselves for a big run at the Caja Magica.

Nadal is chasing a sixth title at the Spanish ATP Masters 1000 tournament, where he has lifted the trophy in 2005, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2017. The top seed has been training hard with the likes of World No. 10 Matteo Berrettini and countryman Jaume Munar.

Other stars who have practised together this week include Thiem and Andrey Rublev as well as Tsitsipas and Sebastian Korda.

The stars have not just been working hard on the court, though. They have also been preparing their bodies, both to be ready for training and for the rigours of tough clay-court matches.

Players have shown a variety of excercises, from typical work with bands to football warmups.

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Alcaraz On ‘Dream’ Nadal Clash: ‘It’s The Best Birthday Present’

#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz made sure that his birthday bash will be one for the ages.

The teenager will turn 18 on Wednesday, and he will celebrate with a second-round meeting against Spanish legend and top seed Rafael Nadal at the Mutua Madrid Open.

“It’s the best present for my birthday,” Alcaraz told Tennis Channel, cracking a laugh. “It’s a dream come true. To play against Rafa here in Madrid in front of the Spanish crowd, I will never forget this moment and I will learn from him.”

“I don’t know how to describe this feeling now,” he added. “It’s a dream come true.”

In order to book the blockbuster clash against his childhood idol, Alcaraz had to go through Adrian Mannarino, a player sitting 86 spots higher in the FedEx ATP Rankings at No. 34. But Alcaraz got the job done in convincing style, blasting 19 forehand winners en route to a 6-4, 6-0 victory.

“They always say the 18th birthday is special, but it will be even more special to turn 18 playing against one of the best tennis players of all time, and the best for me,” Alcaraz said in his post-match press conference. “Rafa is one of my childhood idols. It’s going to be very special.”

With his first ATP Masters 1000 victory, Alcaraz checked off a new milestone in a season full of firsts. He began 2021 by qualifying for his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open, where he claimed a victory in his main draw debut after impressing at the end of last season with back-to-back ATP Challenger Tour titles.

Alcaraz’s rapid rise has drawn comparisons to Nadal’s own ATP breakthrough as a teenager. In fact, the 17-year-old just became the youngest match winner in tournament history in Madrid – passing 18-year-old Nadal’s record in 2004.

“There will be many comparisons. I’m sure they’ll talk about me and Rafa. They will compare the new generation with the legend,” Alcaraz said. “But I’ll try to give my best. I have to play my game, try to keep improving and enjoy it. I’ll stick with my feelings on court. I’ll be nervous, but I’ll try to play as relaxed as possible and give my absolute best.”

Alcaraz will aim to keep his nerves in check as he takes on Nadal inside Manolo Santana Stadium on Wednesday. The top seed will be going for his sixth Mutua Madrid Open title and arrived in the Spanish capital after winning his 87th tour-level title in Barcelona.

“I’m working to manage the nerves. In the difficult moments I try to be aggressive and play my style,” Alcaraz said. “I’m improving step by step and these kinds of matches are helping me a lot to grow. I’ll use each difficult moment that arises in matches to keep improving.”

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Alcaraz Sets Nadal Clash In Madrid

Carlos Alcaraz booked a dream Mutua Madrid Open second-round encounter against five-time champion Rafael Nadal on Monday.

The #NextGenATP Spaniard, who will celebrate his 18th birthday on Wednesday, ripped 19 forehand winners en route to a 6-4, 6-0 win against Adrian Mannarino. This is Alcaraz’s maiden ATP Masters 1000 victory in just his second event at the level. The 17-year-old made his Masters 1000 debut at the Miami Open presented by Itau in March (l. to Ruusuvuori).

The World No. 120 will meet Nadal for the first time in the second round. However, the pair has already shared some court time together this year. Alcaraz and Nadal met for a practice session ahead of this year’s Australian Open.

Nadal & Alcaraz’s first practice together ?

Hopefully the first of many! ?

?: @alcarazcarlos03 (IG) | @RafaelNadal | #NextGenATP pic.twitter.com/5VK8PoPBW6

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 6, 2021

Backed by a reduced home crowd inside Manolo Santana Stadium, Alcaraz rushed Mannarino in the early stages with depth on his groundstrokes and fired multiple forehand winners to race into a 2-0 lead. The Murcia native maintained his lead to serve for the first set at 5-4 and he converted his first set point with a crosscourt backhand winner.

Alcaraz breezed through the second set to book his encounter against Nadal. The Spaniard continued to dictate rallies with aggressive forehands and showed great touch at the net to improve to 7-7 this season.

Fabio Fognini booked a second-round clash against countryman Matteo Berrettini on Monday. The 33-year-old overcame Spanish qualifier Carlos Taberner 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3 in two hours and 15 minutes.

Fognini and Berrettini, who helped Italy reach the ATP Cup final in February (l. to Russia), will meet for the second time in their ATP Head2Head series. Fognini won the pair’s maiden encounter in straight sets at the 2017 Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

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Madrid Open: Dan Evans beats Jeremy Chardy to reach second round

British number one Dan Evans beats Jeremy Chardy in three sets for a first win at the Madrid Open.

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Melo/Rojer Eliminate Murray/Soares In Madrid

Marcelo Melo and Jean-Julien Rojer eliminated eighth seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 6-3, 6-4 on Monday in their opening match at the Mutua Madrid Open.

The unseeded pair, which entered the tournament with a 1-8 team record, saved all seven break points it faced to eliminate the Great Ocean Road Open champions in 70 minutes. Melo and Rojer are both aiming to add to their Madrid trophy collections, having both lifted the trophy with previous partners.

Melo did not drop a set en route to the Madrid trophy in 2017 alongside Lukasz Kubot. Rojer is a two-time champion in Madrid, following title runs with Horia Tecau in 2016 and 2019.

Melo and Rojer will meet Millennium Estoril Open champion Tim Puetz and 2018 singles titlist Alexander Zverev or last year’s Rolex Paris Masters winners Felix Auger-Aliassime and Hubert Hurkacz in the second round.

Later in the day, John Peers and Michael Venus will meet Max Purcell and Luke Saville. Spanish wild cards Marc Lopez and Jaume Munar will also be in action against Rohan Bopanna and Denis Shapovalov.

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