Tennis News

Cerundolo, 19, Reaches Cordoba Final In ATP Tour Debut

Argentine qualifier Juan Manuel Cerundolo had never played an ATP Tour main draw match before this week at the Cordoba Open. Now, the 19-year-old is one victory away from lifting his first trophy on home soil after defeating Federico Coria 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

Cerundolo is now the first player to make the final in his Tour debut since Spain’s Santiago Ventura in 2004 Casablanca.

“Honestly, I still can’t believe what is happening,” Cerundolo said in an on-court interview. “It was a really tough match, I was playing very solid in the first set but he started to come back and then anything could happen. After the second set, I did well to recover mentally and withstand him.”

Cerundolo and Coria were both in uncharted waters on Saturday as they each contested their first ATP Tour semi-final. But their roads to get to that point couldn’t be more different: 28-year-old Coria was making a late-career breakthrough, while young Cerundolo was in the midst of the best week of his career after making his ATP Tour main draw debut. In fact, Cerundolo had only played 14 matches in the ATP Challenger Tour and owned a 7-7 record coming into Cordoba.

But the 19-year-old looked more like the veteran on Cancha Central, doing damage with his lefty forehand as he redirected Coria’s power back at his countryman. Cerundolo finished the match with 30 winners against Coria’s 19 as he sealed the victory after two hours and 10 minutes.

“I would describe myself… as a defensive counter puncher,” Cerundolo said. “I like to hit with the other guy’s power. When you face powerful opponents like Fede [Coria], you have to go after them a little bit or else things can get complicated.”

The victory made Cerundolo the youngest Argentine to reach an ATP Tour final since Jose Acasuso, 18, at 2001 Buenos Aires. At that tournament, Acasuso was coached by Alejandro Cerundolo, Juan Manuel’s father.

Cerundolo awaits the winner of fifth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas and fellow Argentine qualifier Facundo Bagnis for a shot at the title. 

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Ebden/Smith To Face Top Seeds For Singapore Doubles Crown

Fourth seeds Matthew Ebden and John-Patrick Smith charged into their first ATP Tour final as a team at the Singapore Tennis Open after defeating Luis David Martinez and David Vega Hernandez 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday.

The Aussie duo has been in form since joining forces at the start of the season. Ebden and Smith enjoyed a strong showing on home soil and reached back-to-back quarter-finals in their first two tournaments, the Great Ocean Road Open and Australian Open.

They’ve kept up the high level in Singapore, dropping only one set en route to the final. Ebden and Smith needed an hour and 15 minutes to end Martinez’s and Vega Hernandez’s run inside Centre Court. The Venezuelan-Spanish team toppled No. 2 seeds Rohan Bopanna and Ben McLachlan in the opening match, but they couldn’t keep up with Ebden and Smith in the semi-final.

Ebden and Smith created six break opportunities across two sets, converting on three occasions. The Aussies needed just one break to claim the opening set, but found themselves having to fight back from 0-3 down in the second. Ebden and Smith responded by combining for four aces and winning the last five games of the match to seal their spot in the final.

The fourth seeds will face the Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen for the Singapore doubles crown. Gille and Vliegen, the top seeds, are closing in on their fifth ATP Tour title together and booked their spot in the final with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over No. 3 seeds Luke Bambridge and Dominic Inglot on Friday.

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Goffin Claims Maiden Montpellier Final Spot

David Goffin made a personal breakthrough at the Open Sud de France on Saturday, as he reached his first final at the ATP 250 with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory against Egor Gerasimov.

The Belgian won 86 per cent of first-serve points in the third set (12/14) to advance to his first final since the 2019 Western & Southern Open. Goffin was appearing in his third semi-final in Montpellier, after falling at the final-four stage in 2018 and 2020.

The World No. 15 has levelled his ATP Head2Head series against Gerasimov at 1-1. Goffin lost his only previous meeting against the Belarusian at last year’s Open 13 Provence in Marseille.

Gerasimov was attempting to reach his second ATP Tour championship match. Last year’s Pune runner-up defeated former World No. 1 Andy Murray en route to the semi-finals in Montpellier.

Goffin will face Roberto Bautista Agut or Peter Gojowczyk in Sunday’s final. The second seed owns a 3-2 lead in his ATP Head2Head rivalry against Bautista Agut and won his only previous tour-level match against Gojowczyk at the 2017 Swiss Indoors Basel.

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Bublik Books Popyrin Singapore Final Clash

Alexander Bublik continued his impressive start to 2021 on Saturday, as he defeated Radu Albot 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the Singapore Tennis Open.

Bublik claimed 87 per cent of his service points in the decider (20/23) and struck 12 aces to reach his second final of the year. The Kazakhstani, who retired from last month’s Antalya Open final with a right ankle injury, now owns a 9-3 record in 2021.

After dropping the first set in under 30 minutes, Bublik claimed early breaks in the second and third sets by taking time away from his opponent with powerful returns and regular net approaches. The fourth seed grew in confidence throughout the match on serve and reached his fourth ATP Tour final (0-3) after 90 minutes. 

Bublik’s victory guarantees a first-time ATP Tour titlist in Singapore. Earlier in the day, Australia’s Alexei Popyrin upset 18-time tour-level titlist Marin Cilic 7-6(5), 7-6(2) to reach his maiden ATP Tour championship match.

Competing in his maiden tour-level semi-final, the 21-year-old rallied from 1-4 down in the first set and held his nerve in two tie-breaks to eliminate the former World No. 3 in just under two hours. Popyrin landed 15 aces en route to his seventh win in nine matches this season.

“It feels amazing [to be in my first ATP Tour final]. I have sacrificed a lot,” said Popyrin. “I have worked so hard my whole life to be in an ATP Tour final and now I am finally in one. It feels amazing. All the sacrifices that me and my family have [made are] finally paying off.”

Cilic was attempting to move one win away from his 19th tour-level trophy. The 2014 US Open champion owns eight ATP Tour crowns on indoor hard courts.

Bublik and Popyrin will meet for the first time at tour-level in Sunday’s final. In their only previous meeting on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2018, Popyrin rallied from a set down to defeat Bublik 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 in Astana.

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Gilles Simon to take indefinite break because of mental health concerns

Former world number six Gilles Simon says he is taking an indefinite break from playing because of mental health concerns.

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Schwartzman & Garin Lead Buenos Aires Action; All You Need To Know

Born in Buenos Aires and named after football legend Diego Maradona, Diego Schwartzman is about as Argentine as they come. The former World No. 8 will hope that home court advantage will help him take a sip from the Argentina Open trophy for the first time. 

Home talent has enjoyed plenty of success in Buenos Aires, winning four editions during 2004-2008, but it’s been 13 years since an Argentine has won since then. With the tournament introducing a new trophy in 2017 in the shape of a mate gourd – a nod to the country’s favourite beverage – fans are more eager than ever for an Argentine champion to toast his victory. 

 

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Schwartzman will be joined by Chile’s Cristian Garin as both of South America’s top-ranked singles players hit the court at the ATP 250 event. Contested on red clay at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, known as the “Cathedral of Argentinean tennis”, the tournament also features Benoit Paire, Miomir Kecmanovic and Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

Here’s all you need to know about Buenos Aires tennis tournament: when is the draw, what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more. 

Established: 2001

Tournament Dates: 1-7 March 2021

Tournament Director: Martin Jaite

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 27 February at 3pm

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Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Saturday 27 February – Monday 1 March; Saturday at 9:30am, Sunday and Monday at 11am
* Main draw: Monday 1 – Sunday 7 March, Monday – Friday at 11am and 6pm (weekend start times TBA)
* Doubles final: Start time TBA
* Singles final: Start time TBA

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV 
TV Schedule

Venue: Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis
Main Court Seating: 4,800

Prize Money: US $329,550 (Total Financial Commitment: US $411,940) 

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: David Ferrer (3)
Most Titles, Doubles: Horacio Zeballos (4)
Oldest Champion: David Ferrer, 31, in 2014
Youngest Champion: Casper Ruud, 21, in 2020
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 2 Gustavo Kuerten in 2001
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 90 Nicolas Massu in 2002
Most Match Wins: Nicolas Almagro (29) 

2020 Finals
Singles: [8] Casper Ruud (NOR) d [LL] Pedro Sousa (POR) 61 64   Read & Watch
Doubles: [1] Marcel Granollers (ESP) / Horacio Zeballos (ARG) d Guillermo Duran (ARG) / Juan Ignacio Londero 6-4, 5-7, 18-16   Read More 

Social
Hashtag: #ArgOpen2021

Facebook: @ArgentinaOpen
Twitter: @ArgentinaOpen
Instagram: @argentinaopenatp

Did You Know… From Carlos Moya’s triumph in 2003 to Rafael Nadal’s in 2015, Spaniards and Argentines (David Nalbandian, Juan Monaco, Gaston Gaudio, Guillermo Coria) shared 13 straight titles in Buenos Aires.

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Cagliari Added To ATP Tour Calendar

The ATP Board has approved a single-year license for the Sardegna Open in Cagliari in the week of April 5, the first week of the European clay-court swing. ATP Tour players will now have two opportunities to play in Europe in the week before the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, following an announcement earlier this year of a single-year license awarded to the AnyTech365 Andalucia Open in Spain.

The Cagliari event adds to the depth of tournaments held in Italy, which also includes the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, the traditional ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome, the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan and, for the first year, the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

“The addition of this ATP 250 tournament to the already very rich programme of major international events in Italy reflects the confidence in the country’s organisational skills we enjoy around the world,” said the President of the Italian Tennis Federation, Angelo Binaghi. “When the ATP invited us to present our candidacy to organise an ATP 250 in that week we did not hesitate to do so. It’s also a great opportunity to promote the appeal of the Sardinia region as a tourist destination during difficult times.”

The tournament will take place at the Cagliari Tennis Club and will be broadcast live exclusively by the federal TV channel SuperTennis.

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Ramos-Vinolas Takes Revenge On Schwartzman In Cordoba

Fifth-seed Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas broke up the Argentine party at the Cordoba Open as he took down last year’s finalist Diego Schwartzman 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 on Friday.

Schwartzman was looking to become the fourth Argentine to advance and complete a home sweep of the semi-finals. But Ramos-Vinolas didn’t read the script, and won his third three-setter of the week to stun the World No. 9 at home.

“I’m really happy because it was my first win against him after five losses,” Ramos-Vinolas told ATPTour.com. “I think he’s a great player, and I did a great job to beat him today.”

It was the perfect revenge for Ramos-Vinolas, who fell at this stage to Schwartzman last year in Cordoba. That result extended the Argentine’s ATP Head2Head lead to 5-0, with Ramos-Vinolas unable to win a set in any of their encounters.

But this time around, Ramos-Vinolas raised his level to overpower Schwartzman and reel off the first four games of the match en route to taking a one-sided opening set. He had to weather a mid-match comeback from Schwartzman, who was drawing from the crowd’s energy as he sported taping on his left knee. 

Ramos-Vinolas needed two hours and 27 minutes to prevail and move into his first ATP Tour semi-final since 2020 Santiago. He will face another Argentine in his next match after qualifier Facundo Bagnis recorded a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Jozef Kovalik. 

Earlier in the day, Cancha Central witnessed back-to-back upsets as two more Argentine players claimed big wins over seeded players to advance in Cordoba. 19-year-old Juan Manuel Cerundolo continued his dream run with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 victory over No. 7 seed Thiago Monteiro to start Friday’s action. 

Sitting at No. 335 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Cerundolo qualified for his first ATP Tour event to join older brother Francisco in the main draw, becoming the first pair of Argentine siblings to feature at the same tournament since 1981. But Juan Manuel just kept winning, toppling third-seeded Miomir Kecmanovic in the second round before taking down Monteiro to reach the semi-finals.

“It’s amazing, I can’t believe it,” Cerundolo told ATPTour.com. “I just feel very happy and I want to enjoy this moment… The most important thing is the confidence [from] these matches. Since the qualies, I have a lot of confidence so I think that was the key. I need to stay healthy mentally too because these matches are very hard.” 

Cerundolo is now the youngest Argentine to reach an ATP Tour semi-final since 18-year-old Juan Martin del Potro in Adelaide in 2007.

Federico Coria followed Cerundolo’s upset with one of his own as he powered past No. 2 seed Benoit Paire 6-3, 6-2. No. 95 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Coria broke Paire six times and needed just 72 minutes to move into his first ATP Tour semi-final.

The younger brother of former World No. 3 Guillermo Coria, 28-year-old Federico will be looking to channel his sibling’s famous clay-court prowess and lift his maiden ATP Tour trophy at home. Guillermo himself lifted nine trophies during his career, including one on home soil at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires in 2004.

In order to achieve the same in Cordoba, Coria will have to end another Cerundolo brother’s run in his next match. Coria defeated Francisco in the second round, and will now face 19-year-old Juan Manuel for a spot in the final.

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Federer Teases Fans Ahead Of Doha Return

It wasn’t much, but after a year, fans will take even a fleeting glimpse of Roger Federer.

On Friday, little more than a week out from his return to the ATP Tour, the Swiss legend tweeted a photo of himself from an undisclosed practice court, leaning on the net with a simple message: “The countdown to Doha begins”

The countdown to Doha begins
???#1weektogo pic.twitter.com/EDAgvqp2Md

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) February 26, 2021

Teasing fans just a little, Federer didn’t reveal in which city he was practising, nor was he holding a racquet in his hand.

In the first hour after it was posted, Federer’s tweet had more than 2,000 retweets, 20,000 likes and a number of creative memes.

“Looking forward to see you King Roger in my country,” tweeted Fahad Imran Butt.

“This week better go by quickly,” wrote Steven Ross. “So happy to see you again. One lovely pic can change your fan’s day,” tweeted “hanay”.

The 39-year-old, 103-time tournament champion has been sidelined for the past 13 months following two surgeries on his right knee, but will make his long-awaited return 8 March at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.

His last match was a semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the 2020 Australian Open.

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Tsitsipas & Wawrinka On Rotterdam QF Collision Course

The last time that World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas and three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka clashed, they produced an epic and entertaining battle that went down to the wire. Now, they’re on track for another showdown at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.

Four of the Top 10 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings, led by World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev, are heading to Rotterdam for the first ATP 500 tournament of the season. There are several mouthwatering first-round matches to watch – not to mention the blockbuster action in store should the seeds win through.

Headlining a stacked bottom half of the draw, Tsitsipas and Wawrinka are on a quarter-final collision course. The pair contested one of the best matches of the 2019 season at Roland Garros, with Wawrinka coming away the victor after more than five hours, 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 8-6. But the eighth-seeded Swiss will have to overcome a major test right out of the gate as he drew one of the toughest first-round opponents: an unseeded Karen Khachanov.

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray has also landed in the bottom half of the draw. The 2009 champion returned to Rotterdam with a wild card, and will begin his campaign against Robin Haase. The winner would have to get through No. 4 seed Andrey Rublev in the second round. Rublev will face a qualifier, and could take on No. 6 seed David Goffin in the quarter-finals. 

Top seed Medvedev starts his own campaign against Dusan Lajovic as he seeks his first title in Rotterdam. But a trophy would just be the icing on the cake for the Russian, who is looking to overtake Rafael Nadal and rise to the No. 2 spot in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time.

Medvedev only has to make the final to become the first player outside the Big Four — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray — to hold a top two spot since Lleyton Hewitt was World No. 2 back in 2005. 

But he could face a stern test in the quarter-finals in the form of seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, should the Canadian get past former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori in his own first-round battle. An Australian will await the winner in the second round, either John Millman or Alex de Minaur. Third seed Alexander Zverev and fifth seed Roberto Bautista Agut have also landed in Medvedev’s half of the draw. 

Did You Know…  The Rotterdam honour roll includes Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

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