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Murray, Bautista Agut Look To End French Reign In Montpellier: All You Need To Know

  • Posted: Feb 18, 2021

French champions have ruled the courts in Montpellier at the Open Sud de France, lifting the trophy eight times since the first edition in 2010. Three-time winner Richard Gasquet and 2019 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga lead a group of home hopefuls looking to continue that winning tradition when the ATP 250 event kicks off on 22 February.

The tournament is headlined by a pair of Top 20 players, Roberto Bautista Agut and David Goffin, who will each be aiming to double their indoor hard-court title count. Goffin’s lone title on the surface came on French soil at the 2014 Moselle Open (Metz), while Bautista Agut triumphed at the Sofia Open in 2016.

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray will arrive in Montpellier in search of matches as he enters his first ATP Tour event of the year with a wild card. Currently sitting at No. 125 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Murray kicked off his comeback 2021 season with a strong showing at the Biella Challenger Indoor 1, where he reached his first final at any level since 2019.

 

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Lucas Pouille, the 2018 champion, will be back in action as countrymen Ugo Humbert, Gilles Simon and Pierre-Hugues Herbert are in the hunt to be Montpellier’s fifth different French champion. Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz and #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner, who have already won ATP 250 titles in 2021, will also hit the courts in Montpellier.

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

Established: 2010

Tournament Dates: 22-28 February 2021 

Tournament Director: Sebastien Grosjean

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 20 February 2021 at 12pm

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Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Sunday, 21 February (10am); Monday, 22 February (10:30am)
* Main draw: Monday, 22 February – Sunday, 28 February at 12:30pm and 7pm
* Doubles final: Sunday, 28 February at 12:30pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 28 February at 3pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV
TV Schedule

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Venue: Arena Montpellier
Surface: Indoor Hard

Prize Money: € 262,170 (Total Financial Commitment: € 323,970)

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

Honour Roll
Most Titles, Singles: Richard Gasquet (3), Gael Monfils (3)
Most Titles, Doubles: Edouard Roger-Vasselin (2), Mate Pavic (2)
Oldest Champion: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 33, in 2019
Youngest Champion: Alexander Zverev, 19, 2017
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 7 Tomas Berdych in 2012
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 210 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2019
Most Match Wins: Richard Gasquet (26)
Last Home Champion: Gael Monfils in 2020

2020 Finals
Singles: [1] Gael Monfils (FRA) d [PR] Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 7-5, 6-3  Read More
Doubles: Nikola Cacic/Mate Pavic d. Dominic Inglot/Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 6-4, 6-7(4), 10-4  Read More

Social
Hashtag: #OSDF21
Facebook: @OpenSuddeFrance
Twitter: @OpenSuddeFrance
Instagram: @OpenSuddeFrance

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Cilic, Mannarino Seek Singapore Success: All You Need To Know

  • Posted: Feb 18, 2021

The “Little Red Dot” will host an ATP Tour tournament for the first time in 22 years when the Singapore Tennis Open kicks off on 22 February.

The ATP 250 event will be played on indoor hard courts and held on a single-year licence at the 3,000-seater OCBC Arena inside the vast Singapore Sports Hub. Singapore previously hosted an ATP tournament between 1989-1992 and 1996-1999.

Adrian Mannarino and John Millman will anchor the draw for the 2021 edition of the Singapore Tennis Open. Both players will be looking to double their ATP Tour trophy haul. Mannarino triumphed on grass two years ago in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, while Millman won his maiden title this past November in Nur-Sultan.

Marin Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion, will also feature in Singapore. The big-serving Croatian enjoys an indoor hard court and will be in the hunt for his ninth title on the surface to bring his total to 19 ATP Tour titles. Alexander Bublik, Yoshihito Nishioka and Radu Albot are also in action.

Here’s all you need to know about the Singapore tennis tournament: what is the schedule, when is the draw, how to watch and more. 

Established: 2021

Tournament Dates: 22-28 February 2021 

Tournament Director: Galastein Tan

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 20 February 2021 (Time TBA)

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Schedule
* Qualifying: Saturday, 20 February (11am); Sunday, 21 February (12pm)
* Main draw: Monday, 22 February – Sunday, 28 February (Monday-Friday 1pm, Saturday 12pm)
* Doubles final: Sunday, 28 February at 1pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 28 February at 4pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV 
TV Schedule

Venue: OCBC Arena (Singapore Sports Hub)
Surface: Indoor Hard

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

Prize Money: US $300,000 (Total Financial Commitment: US $361,800)

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Karatsev: 'It Was A Great Two Weeks'

  • Posted: Feb 18, 2021

Aslan Karatsev left Melbourne Park with his head held high on Thursday after a semi-final exit to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

“It was a great two weeks for me, starting with the qualifying,” said Karatsev, after a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 loss to nine-time champion Djokovic. “It’s a good experience. To play against Novak, helps me to get experience.

“It felt unbelievable [to play in front of a big crowd]. There was a lot of people here, and the support was really warm. It was [a] good atmosphere to play [in].”

Karatsev, who qualified for his first Grand Slam championship and beat eighth seed Diego Schwartzman, No. 18 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and No. 20 seed Grigor Dimitrov en route to the Australian Open semi-finals, admitted that the difference between him and Djokovic on Rod Laver Arena was “huge”.

“The difference is really big,” said Karatsev, who was contesting just the 19th tour-level match of his career. “He doesn’t give you free points. On my serve, you have to play a rally every point. [My] serve didn’t work well today, and on my service games there [were] always rallies. He served well all the match, [so] you’re under pressure.”

The 27-year-old Russian, who started the tournament at No. 114 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, will rise into the Top 50 on Monday and looks forward to playing in ATP Tour events.

“It give me more experience, more confidence,” said Karatsev. “Now I will be playing all [the] big tournaments without [having to play in] the qualifying. I’ll [use] this confidence and just keep playing, keep practising.

“[I feel] that I can play with everyone. I think it’s helped me a lot [for] my career. I improved my ranking, Top 50 [too].”

Karatsev joined Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev as a part of Russia’s ATP Cup title-winning team prior to the Australian Open. Medvedev plays Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second Australian Open semi-final on Friday.

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Djokovic: 'The Love Affair Keeps Going'

  • Posted: Feb 18, 2021

Eight-time champion Novak Djokovic says knowing that he has never lost an Australian Open final gives him more confidence ahead of Sunday’s test against Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The World No. 1, who was speaking after a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 semi-final victory over Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev on Thursday, said, “Of course, it contributes to [having] more confidence. Coming into the final, knowing that I [have] never lost in the final or semi-finals [at the Australian Open] just makes me feel more comfortable on the court.

“But each year is different, although it does have a mental effect on me [and] maybe on my opponents. It does definitely have a positive effect on me. It’s not a decisive factor in the way the match is going to go… Regardless of my great record, I think both Tsitsipas and Medvedev will want to get their first Grand Slam title.”

Djokovic, who injured his abdominal region in a third-round victory over Taylor Fritz last week, went on to discuss his route to a 28th major championship final (17-10 record) and how he played pain-free against Karatsev on Rod Laver Arena.

“I’ve never experienced the kind of a injury that I experienced in third round here, and had to deal with in the past five days,” said Djokovic. “I also had tough match-ups. I had big hitters: Fritz, [Milos] Raonic, [Frances] Tiafoe, [Alexander] Zverev. I just had to deliver my best [level].

“I see every experience that I have at the Grand Slams as something that I can actually draw a lot of lessons from, learn from and grow. [I] definitely had to stretch myself to the limit in the past five days in every sense, but I’m really pleased that in terms of [the] injury, it’s going in the right direction.

“I am surprised [by] the way I felt tonight. I think it surpassed, in a way, my greatest wishes and the way I wanted to feel… I didn’t think that I’d play without pain tonight. And I did play without pain.

“Each day [the injury] is progressing and getting better, and so today is [the] best [I’ve] felt. Hopefully, [the injury] will stay the same until the final.”

The Serbian, who has compiled an 81-8 match record at Melbourne Park, admitted he has always aimed to begin each season in good form.

“I think, as any other tennis player at the beginning of the season, I really want to get off the blocks and start the season in the best possible way. So I’m fresh, I’m motivated, I’m inspired to play my best tennis. Then, of course, the surface, the conditions, especially night matches are very suitable to my style of play.

“I just somehow always manage to find the best game when it matters the most. The more I win, the better I feel coming back each year…. The love affair keeps [on] going.”

After Rafael Nadal’s loss to Tsitsipas in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Wednesday, Djokovic is guaranteed to remain as World No. 1 through at least 8 March, when he will overtake Roger Federer to set a new record of 311 total weeks at No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

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Updates: Djokovic Leads Karatsev In Semi-final

  • Posted: Feb 18, 2021

World No. 1 and eight-time champion Novak Djokovic leads Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev 6-3 on Thursday night in their Australian Open semi-final. Djokovic is on course to reach his 28th Grand Slam championship final, where the Serbian will meet fourth-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev or fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece.

Karatsev didn’t appear to be fazed by the biggest occasion of his career, striking powerful groundstrokes to keep Djokovic behind the baseline in the first set. The Russian won four straight points from 0/30 to overcome his first challenge at 2-3, but Djokovic broke to love for a 5-3 advantage after Karatsev made three consecutive errors. Djokovic won eight straight points to clinch the 35-minute opener, which saw Karatsev commit 13 unforced errors.

The 27-year-old Karatsev is bidding to become the first player to reach the final on his Grand Slam debut. At No. 114 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Karatsev is also attempting to become the lowest-ranked man to reach a major single final since World No. 125 Goran Ivanisevic at 2001 Wimbledon.

After Rafael Nadal’s loss to Tsitsipas in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Wednesday, Novak Djokovic is guaranteed to remain as World No. 1 through at least 8 March, when he will overtake Roger Federer to set a new record of 311 total weeks at No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

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