Tennis News

Thiem Battles Past Karatsev In Doha

Top seed Dominic Thiem withstood the challenge of Russian wild card Aslan Karatsev on Wednesday in a comeback victory at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. The World No. 4 bounced back from last month’s Australian Open fourth-round exit by beating Karatsev 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 56 minutes.

“We played in juniors 10 or 11 years ago, and we also practised in Vienna, so he wasn’t completely new to me,” said Thiem, who hit nine aces and won 83 per cent of his first-service points against Karatsev. “But he has raised his level so much in the past six months, especially last month in Australia.

“I was up in the tie-break and then I lost it, which was not nice, but he helped me a little bit in that first game. I think he hit two double faults. After you lose a close set, it’s super important to have a good start in the next one. And that’s what I had. It was pretty fast, 3-0, and so I was positive again in my mind. I also loosened up a little bit and started to play better.”

Thiem will next face 2019 champion and fifth seed Roberto Bautista of Spain. One break of serve in each set was enough for Bautista Agut to beat Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik, this season’s Antalya Open and Singapore Tennis Open finalist, 6-4, 6-3 in 70 minutes. The Spaniard won 32 of 37 first-service points to advance to the quarter-finals.

In a high quality first set, which didn’t feature a break point en route to the tie-break, Thiem struggled to return Karatsev’s serve, but opened up a 5/2 advantage in the tie-break. Karatsev responded, winning the next five points to clinch the 52-minute opener, which ended with a Thiem backhand error.

Thiem regrouped in the second set, with Karatsev paying the price for two double faults in the second game. Thiem varied his groundstroke length and service pace to take a 3-0 lead and carried the momentum by breaking Karatsev’s serve once more in the first game of the decider.

Last month, Karatsev became the first player in the Open Era (since April 1968) to reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam championship on his main draw debut. The 27-year-old rose from No. 114 to No. 42 in the FedEx ATP Rankings after his performances in Melbourne. He also helped Russia capture the ATP Cup crown (d. Italy).

Defending champion Andrey Rublev, the third seed from Russia, advanced to the Doha quarter-finals without hitting a ball after his opponent, France’s Richard Gasquet, the 2013 Doha titlist, withdrew ahead of the match due to a leg injury.

Rublev could have a rematch of last week’s ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament final should Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics beat Stan Wawrinka’s conqueror, qualifier Lloyd Harris of South Africa, in the final match on day three.

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17-Year-Old Rune Records First ATP Win In Santiago

Danish qualifier Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune continued to turn heads in Santiago as he fought to his first ATP Tour main draw victory against Sebastian Baez on Monday at the Chile Dove Men+Care Open.

The 17-year-old has been on a tear all year long, reaching three ITF-level finals and winning an ITF 15K trophy to start the season. After qualifying his way into an ATP Tour main draw for the first time earlier in the week, Rune sealed his first victory 6-3, 6-2 in an hour and 19 minutes.

“It’s a great feeling winning my first ATP match,” Rune told ATPTour.com. “I was playing very good and was very focussed on the court and didn’t make any bad decisions. I was controlling my game and my attitude. It made me super happy the way I carried the whole match and [gave] everything until the last point.”

Rune, the current No. 1-ranked junior who won the boys’ title at Roland Garros in 2019, was up against a former junior World No. 1 in Baez. The Dane quickly established himself as the aggressor and earned the first of his 12 break opportunities in the second game of the match. Rune broke Baez four times and kept the Argentine qualifier under pressure on his way to a straight-sets win.

“I think it’s something realistic to [aim to] be Top 100 at the end of the year,” said Rune, who currently sits at No. 410 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. “So far I’m doing good, I’m winning matches and trying to fight [for] every match. This year I [have only] lost three matches and my goal is to make it hard for my opponent.

“This week, I don’t know what to expect. I’m not the favourite for the next match so I’m not saying I’m winning the whole thing. But if that happens it’s great. I’m just taking it one match at a time.”

Indeed, Rune will face a big test against second seed Benoit Paire in his next match. The Danish teen is not superstitious, but he will likely continue to rock the same eye-catching hairstyle that he’s worn during his run in Santiago.

“It feels good having it like this. So far it’s going good, so why not keep it,” Rune explained. “I’m not superstitious in any way, but it’s nice because my hair was growing a lot and I thought I don’t like playing with [a] hat. So I did this.”

Joining Rune in the second round are seventh seed Federico Coria and eighth seed Federico Delbonis. Coria celebrated his 29th birthday with a three-hour marathon comeback against Gianluca Mager, 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(4), while Delbonis also advanced after a lengthy battle against Jaume Munar, needing two hours and 49 minutes to take down the Spaniard 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4.

Elsewhere, Cordoba Open champion Juan Manuel Cerundolo escaped from a 1-4 deficit in the opening set against fellow wild card Gonzalo Lama. The 19-year-old bounced back empathically to close out the match 7-5, 6-2. Andrej Martin overpowered Buenos Aires finalist Francisco Cerundolo in a one-sided victory, 6-1, 6-2, while Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo returned to the second round in Santiago after a 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 win against Jozef Kovalik.

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Goffin's Confidence Soaring In Doha: 'I'm Feeling Great'

David Goffin struggled at the end of 2020, losing his final five matches of the season, including his last 12 sets of the year. But the Belgian is off to a hot start in 2021, and that continued on Tuesday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

The sixth seed beat Serbian Filip Krajinovic 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 22 minutes to reach the second round in Doha. He will play American Taylor Fritz for a spot in the quarter-finals.

“I’m feeling great. I’m taking a lot of pleasure on the court. I’m feeling more relaxed, confident in my choices, [confident] with my serve. It’s a huge difference,” Goffin said. “I’m serving well, returning well, I’m solid. I’m feeling sharp for the moment. It’s great.”

At his best, Goffin has been one of the toughest baseliners on the ATP Tour. After winning his first title since 2017 last month in Montpellier, the Belgian’s confidence has soared.

“[It helps] a lot, because instead of going on the side on my groundstrokes, I just cut the angles,” Goffin said. “I’m more confident to cut the trajectory and go more for the line maybe, so I’m more aggressive. I think my opponents, they feel it. They feel more pressure. They feel that I’m more into the court in front of my baseline.”

Goffin hit eight aces and did not face a break point against Krajinovic, who beat the Belgian twice on hard courts in 2019. The sixth seed now leads their ATP Head2Head series 3-2.

“It was a really good match because Filip was playing well. I think he was feeling the ball well from the start. It was not easy. Then I had the first break, so it changed a lot [in] the match,” Goffin said. “I’m happy the way I’m feeling, moving, and playing on the court now.”

The top seed on Goffin’s half of the draw is Roger Federer. They cannot meet in a match until the semi-finals, but the friends already reunited on the practice courts in Doha.

World No. 14 Goffin will next play Fritz, whom he beat in three sets in their only previous meeting at the 2019 Western & Southern Open. Fritz defeated Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(5), 6-4 in the first round.

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Evans On Federer: ‘You Definitely Second-Guess Yourself’

Roger Federer has not competed since the 2020 Australian Open. But the element of surprise will be out the window for his first match back on Wednesday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. The three-time Doha champion will play frequent practice partner Daniel Evans in the second round.

“We obviously practised for [the] past two weeks [in Dubai], and I thought he was playing pretty well. We played plenty of sets. It was competitive. But it’s all very different when you get on the match court,” Evans said. “It will be a lot different tomorrow. It’s going to be at night, as well, so a little slower. So we’ll see how the match goes.”

It wasn’t the first time Evans has trained with the 103-time tour-level titlist. As always, the Brit had nothing but positive things to say about the experience.

“It’s obvious to say he works hard. Some days we practised for three hours. Other days we practised for an hour and a half. It’s been just like most tennis players, really,” Evans said. “Obviously the level is a lot higher than most, but it’s been good to get some good practise in.

^{Photo Credit: @qatartennis}
Evans needed three sets to defeat Jeremy Chardy on Tuesday. There was a special guest in the stands on Centre Court at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex: Federer.

“He obviously has seen a lot of my game the past few weeks, so I guess I would say it was more out of boredom,” Evans said, cracking a laugh. “He’s probably [was] waiting for his practice [more] than scouting out what’s happening on the court. Let’s put it down to that.”

Federer leads the pair’s ATP Head2Head series 3-0, with the Swiss winning all nine sets they have played. In the past, Evans has pointed to Federer having “every shot” in his arsenal, something the Brit further explained before their fourth clash.

“It’s more the variation. You’re not sure what’s going to come next, different spins, different pace. You definitely sometimes second-guess yourself. He obviously moves very well. So that would be the biggest thing,” Evans said. “I feel like I deal with variation pretty well, and I do feel a bit flustered when practising different things [against him]. I’m sure for the more robotic players out there it’s not ideal with a hell of a lot of variation he’s got.”

Will training with Federer so recently help Evans when they compete for a spot in the quarter-finals? According to the Brit, one of them will have an advantage.

“I think it’s tougher for me by a long stretch. But no, it has been nice to see his game. Obviously it does help I have been able to see it, but it’s still going to be a difficult task,” Evans said. “He looked fit when I practised with him. If he’s fully fit, it’s definitely going to be tough. As well, I should enjoy the occasion.”

Although Federer has not played in 14 months, Evans is expecting a difficult test against the Swiss. But the 30-year-old will challenge Federer, too. He is playing some of the best tennis of his career. In January, Evans claimed his first ATP Tour title at the Murray River Open without losing a set. In February, he reached a career-high No. 26 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

“I’d say I’m definitely a lot better now [than when we last played at the 2019 US Open]. I feel more comfortable. In that sense, obviously he’s not played so much. It will be a little different for him tomorrow, as well. Probably my better chance to get some good tennis out there and trouble him,” Evans said. “I’ll go out there and enjoy it and see what happens. There’s no drama if it goes wrong tomorrow. If I win, it would be great.”

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Qatar Open: Dan Evans to play Roger Federer after Jeremy Chardy win

Great Britain’s Dan Evans will be Roger Federer’s first opponent when he comes back from over a year out of action.

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Watch Federer Practise In Doha

If you’ve missed Roger Federer, you’re certainly getting a good dose of him this week at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

The 39-year-old legend practised with Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev before beginning his run at the ATP 250. You can watch extended footage of their hit from behind the baseline above.

Federer will play frequent practice partner Daniel Evans in the second round. The 39-year-old leads their ATP Head2Head series 3-0, with all three of their meetings coming at Grand Slams. Federer has won all nine sets they have played.

During his pre-tournament press conference, Federer said, “I have missed the Tour. I have missed the second family, [which is] how I call the Tour.” The 103-time tour-level champion showed that on the practice courts when he greeted good friend David Goffin. The Swiss spotted the Belgian and quickly said, “David Goffin, baby!”

Federer has also been spotted doing his physical warm-up on the grounds of the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.

The three-time Doha champion owns a 26-3 record at this tournament. Federer has advanced to at least the semi-finals in six of his seven appearances.

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Harris Upsets Idol Wawrinka In Doha; Evans To Face Federer

Lloyd Harris recorded the biggest win of his career on Tuesday night at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. The South African qualifier withstood the power of Stan Wawrinka, the seventh seed and 2008 Doha finalist, in a 7-6(3), 6-7(6), 7-5 victory over two hours and 41 minutes for a place in the second round.

“I don’t have many words right now,” said Harris. “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. I am proud of how I fought back after losing the second set. I feel like I’ve done really in the past couple of months and I hope to keep the momentum going.”

Wawrinka recovered from 2/4 down in the second-set tie-break, finishing with a forehand approach and two backhand volleys to carry the momentum into the decider. But Harris came within two points of a 3-0 lead in the third set, before Wawrinka clawed his way back – only to be broken in the 11th game. The 24-year-old closed out to love, finishing with his 11th ace.

Harris, who is making his Doha tournament debut this week, will next face last week’s ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament finalist, Marton Fucsovics of Hungary. Fucsovics defeated Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic 7-6(3), 6-3 in one hour and 44 minutes. 

Watch Tuesday Doha Highlights:

Daniel Evans saved 16 of 18 break points to beat France’s Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 in two hours and 55 minutes. The Briton will next face his frequent practice partner of the past two weeks, Roger Federer, in the second round on Wednesday.

“I thought he was playing pretty well,” said Evans, when asked about Federer’s form. “We played plenty of sets. It was competitive. But it’s all very different when you get on the match court, as I found out today. I wasn’t perfect out there, and I had been playing pretty well in practice. It will be a lot different tomorrow. It’s going to be at night, as well, so a little slower.”

Elsewhere, Vasek Pospisil will play fellow Canadian and fourth seed Denis Shapovalov after defeating Australian qualifier Christopher O’Connell 6-3, 6-4 in 83 minutes.

Melo/Rojer Earn First Win As A Team
Fourth seeds Marcelo Melo and Jean-Julien Rojer earned their first victory as a team on Tuesday when they defeated Kevin Krawietz and Reilly Opelka 6-1, 7-6(9). Last week in Rotterdam, Melo and Rojer lost in a Match Tie-break against Krawietz and Horia Tecau.

 

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A post shared by Marcelo Melo (@marcelomelo83)

Secon seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic also advanced with a 6-1, 6-3 triumph against Marcelo Arevalo and Matwe Middelkoop. The Croatians have already won three ATP Tour titles together this year in their first season as a duo.

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'Happy Like A Kid', Tsonga Savours Marseille Win

Three-time champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga came back from the brink against big-serving Feliciano Lopez on Tuesday at the Open 13 Provence to claim his long-awaited first ATP Tour victory since 2019.

The 35-year-old Frenchman was hoping home soil would help bring back the spark after struggling to bounce back from injuries, including left knee surgery. He had to go about things the hard way, recovering from a set down and weathering 13 blistering aces from Lopez on his way to a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory.

“This is probably one of the best victories of my career, because it was tough for me to play tennis. I had so much pain for so many months,” Tsonga said in an on-court interview. “Today, I won one match. That was one of my goals for these few weeks… I’m happy like a kid.”

Tsonga owned a 5-0 lead over 39-year-old Lopez in their ATP Head2Head record, but the big-serving Spaniard was the first to take control in their first meeting since 2012. Two breaks of serve bracketed the opening set as Lopez took advantage of an error-strewn stretch from Tsonga.

The Frenchman converted his only break opportunity of the second set to take an early lead, and raised his level to hold serve under the lefty’s relentless pressure. Tsonga went toe-to-toe with Lopez on serve, and fired 16 of his 19 aces across the final two sets. He dodged a third-set tie-break after taking a 6-5 lead, and fired his final ace of the day to seal the victory after two hours and eight minutes.

“Both of us, we are almost 80 years old together,” Tsonga joked. “I’ve known him for a long time and I have a lot of good memories with Feli… I’m really pleased that I won against him. For me it’s a good victory; he plays well indoors, he’s a lefty, he’s tall. I’m just happy today.”

Tsonga will face fourth-seeded countryman Ugo Humbert in the second round.

Also in action, Pierre-Hugues Herbert dominated on serve and at the net to beat sixth-seeded Japanese star Kei Nishikori 6-1, 6-4.

“I knew I would need to be aggressive from the start, as I knew Kei would be better than me from the baseline,” said Herbert. “I cannot complain about anything today and I stuck to my game plan from the beginning to the end. I am very happy with the win. I kept moving forwards and did let him play.”

Herbert beat his first seeded player at an ATP tournament since overcoming fifth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Montpellier second round in 2020. The 29-year-old completed his second victory of the year with his 11th ace, having won 25 of 30 first-service points in the 70-minute encounter.

Herbert will next face Cameron Norrie of Great Britain or fellow Frenchman Constant Lestienne. 

Australian qualifier Matthew Ebden recovered from a set and break deficit to beat Benjamin Bonzi of France 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 in two hours and 27 minutes. Wild card Bonzi served for the match at 5-4 in the second set. Ebden will next challenge Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori in the second round.

American Mackenzie McDonald will play 2018 champion and third-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov after coming through a 7-6(2), 7-6(1) victory over Italian Stefano Travaglia, last month’s Great Ocean Road Open finalist (l. to Sinner).

Top Seeds Advance In Doubles
Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski, the top seeds in the doubles draw, defeated McDonald and Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals. The British brothers are pursuing their first title together since Budapest in 2019.

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Djokovic Celebrates 311 Weeks At No 1 In Belgrade

Novak Djokovic joined hundreds of fans outside Belgrade’s city hall on Monday night in celebration of setting a new all-time record for most weeks at No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

The Serbian, who has spent 311 weeks in the top spot to overtake Roger Federer tally of 310 weeks, watched a fireworks display in front of the Djokovic family restaurant in Belgrade. Bigger buildings in the city were illuminated with Djokovic’s portrait and there was also a video projection of the best moments of his career.

“Today is a special day for myself, my family as well as Serbia,” said Djokovic, who was joined by his parents, Srdjan and Dijana. “Thank you for the success, which is not only mine, but of the whole nation.”

Earlier on Monday, the 33-year-old had posted “Big day today,” on Twitter. Djokovic also praised his wife, Jelena, daughter, Tara, mother and childhood coach, Jelena Gencic, as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations.

Today we also celebrate @jelenadjokovic, Tara, my mom, Jelena Gencic and all of the incredible women in my life and around the world ❤️ thank you for all you do and who you are ❤️❤️❤️ #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/hvEzmqkFE1

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) March 8, 2021

Two weeks ago, Djokovic captured his 18th Grand Slam championship trophy — two shy of joint-leaders Rafael Nadal and Federer (both with 20 major titles) — with a record ninth Australian Open crown (d. Medvedev).

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Roger's Still Got It! Federer Issues Volleying Challenge

It may not have been the flattest or hardest of surfaces, but Roger Federer proved he’s still got it on Tuesday!

Fourteen months after he last competed, the Swiss superstar took to social media in Doha with a new volleying drill against a temporary wall.

Afterwards, Federer told his fans, “I don’t know how many we got, but help me out and be a part of it!”

Still got it, @rogerfederer ?@QatarTennis pic.twitter.com/kq7nmmsD1T

— ATP Tour (@atptour) March 9, 2021

Federer, who will return to action at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Wednesday, issued a similar challenge to fans in April last year, embracing #tennisathome at the start of the global COVID-19 lockdown.

Here’s a helpful solo drill. Let’s see what you got! Reply back with a video and I’ll provide some tips. Choose your hat wisely ??? #tennisathome pic.twitter.com/05lliIqh1h

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) April 7, 2020

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