Tokyo Olympics: Andy Murray and Joe Salisbury advance to men's doubles quarter-finals
Andy Murray continues his bid for a fourth Olympic medal as he and Joe Salisbury reach the men’s doubles quarter-finals in Tokyo.
Andy Murray continues his bid for a fourth Olympic medal as he and Joe Salisbury reach the men’s doubles quarter-finals in Tokyo.
Nick Kyrgios and Jack Sock did not step on court until nearly midnight Monday evening in Atlanta due to rain. But once they did, the close friends wasted little time getting the job done.
The Australian-American team defeated Pakistan’s Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and India’s Divij Sharan 6-1, 6-3 in 50 minutes to reach the second round of the Truist Atlanta Open.
“I have such great memories here and I love playing here,” Kyrgios said in an on-court interview. “Obviously [Jack is] one of my best mates, not just on the tennis court, but in my life. I hadn’t seen him in forever… It’s just good to be back out here to be honest, and we’re having so much fun, so it’s good.”
This was the pair’s first match together since the 2019 Laver Cup, where they beat Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Kyrgios and Sock triumphed in Lyon together in 2018.
Another tandem of singles stars also advanced Monday, when Reilly Opelka and Jannik Sinner ousted second seeds Jonathan Erlich and Santiago Gonzalez 6-2, 6-2. In the day’s other doubles match, Marcelo Arevalo and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela beat wild cards Keshav Chopra and Andres Martin 6-1, 6-4.
Just one month ago, American Frances Tiafoe stunned Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets at Wimbledon. The Greek earned his revenge on Tuesday in Japan.
The 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion dismissed Tiafoe 6-3, 6-4 to reach the third round at the Tokyo Olympics. The Greek star won the first three games of the match and never relinquished the momentum to triumph after 77 minutes.
Tiafoe made it clear ahead of the clash that he expected Tsitsipas to be ready. “I’m pumped up,” the American said. “I know he wants me and I want him.”
But with rain delaying outdoor play, Tsitsipas’ game proved too difficult to deal with under the roof of Ariake Coliseum. The third seed stayed on top of rallies and did not lose his serve in the match. The seven-time ATP Tour titlist hit nine aces and won all but three of his first-serve points (28/31) to control the action.
Tsitsipas will next play 14th seed Ugo Humbert or Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic for a place in the quarter-finals. This is the Greek’s debut at the Olympics.
World number two, Japan’s Naomi Osaka, loses in the third round as world number 42 Marketa Vondrousova progresses at Tokyo 2020.
Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka suffers a surprise exit in her home Olympics as Czech Marketa Vondrousova earns a straight-set win.
There are 12 Americans in the main draw of the Truist Atlanta Open, and Steve Johnson helped get his country’s contingent off to a good start on Monday.
The four-time ATP Tour titlist defeated Alexei Popyrin 7-6(4), 6-3 after one hour and 15 minutes to reach the second round. The 31-year-old American is competing at this ATP 250 for the fourth time, and it is the third time he has made it through his opener.
Johnson hit 12 aces and did not face a break point against his 21-year-old opponent in their first ATP Head2Head clash. The World No. 80 will next play fifth seed Taylor Fritz or Russian qualifier Evgeny Donskoy.
[WATCH LIVE 2]Another American who advanced on the first day of main draw action was qualifer Bjorn Fratangelo, who eliminated 37-year-old Italian Andreas Seppi 7-5, 7-6(5). The World No. 190 will challenge fourth seed Reilly Opelka, also from the United States, for a spot in the quarter-finals.
Australian Jordan Thompson showed his grit in 7-6(2), 1-6, 6-2 victory against eighth seed Lloyd Harris, setting a showdown against American Sam Querrey or German Peter Gojowczyk.
#NextGenATP stars Carlos Alcaraz, Hugo Gaston and Brandon Nakashima have all been highly touted, and last week they showed why as all three players broke new ground.
Eighteen-year-old secured the biggest breakthrough of the group on Sunday at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag by lifting his first ATP Tour trophy in a fitting triumph against Richard Gasquet, a veteran who knew only too well that hype, having been a teenage star himself.
As Alcaraz made waves on the Croatian coast, his fellow #NextGenATP hopes were making sizable inroads of their own at concurrent ATP Tour events. On Saturday, American Nakashima appeared in his first tour-level final in Los Cabos, where he came up short against top-seeded Briton Cameron Norrie. In the Swiss Alps, Frenchman Gaston was attempting to become the lowest-ranked Gstaad champion since the FedEx ATP Rankings began in 1973. But in his first tour-level final, the lefty found third seed Casper Ruud too tough.
Nevertheless, it was a memorable week for all three talented players.
Alcaraz’s 6-2, 6-2 victory over former world No. 7 Gasquet made him the youngest ATP Tour titlist since an 18-year-old Kei Nishikori in Delray Beach 13 years ago. Alcaraz became the youngest tour-level winner from Spain since countryman Rafael Nadal, who was eight days younger when he won in Sopot 17 years ago.
“I had a lot of good moments in this tournament. I beat five great tennis players,” Alcaraz said. “I think that I grew up a lot in this tournament and I keep a lot of experience from this tournament. It’s going to be useful for the future.”
The teenager first announced himself last February, when as a 16-year-old ranked outside the Top 400, he stunned countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas in Rio de Janeiro on his ATP Tour main draw debut. He again defeated his fellow Spaniard in the Umag semi-finals on Saturday – one of three top-four seeds he defeated on his title run.
Victory over former Top 10 star John Isner on Friday made the 19-year-old Nakashima the youngest American to reach an ATP Tour final since an 18-year-old Taylor Fritz in Memphis five years ago. Having failed to win a tour-level match all season entering the week, he fell one victory shy of becoming the youngest man from the United States to win a trophy outside his home country since 19-year-old Michael Chang in Birmingham in 1991.
“Making a first ATP final is a great accomplishment for me, but obviously we want to be on top at the end of this week. I know now from this week and this loss what I need to work on to bring home that title next time,” Nakashima said following his 2-6, 2-6 defeat against Norrie. “Hopefully in these next couple of tournaments in the U.S. before the US Open I’ll be able to get some good results and hopefully be able to pick up my first ATP title as well.
“I definitely learned a lot from this week – both positively and negatively – what I need to work on, specifically my fitness needs to improve, playing all these tough matches this week.”
At Roland Garros in 2020, Gaston made an emphatic Grand Slam debut before his home crowd when he defeated former champion Stan Wawrinka en route to the fourth round. It took two-time finalist Dominic Thiem to stop him in five sets, but he had done enough to boost French expectations. Nine months later, the 20-year-old beat three seeds in succession to reach the championship match in Gstaad, before Norwegian Ruud ended his run 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday.
“I tried to do my best, but I am happy overall with my week,” Gaston said. “I hope I can continue like this. It is amazing to play in an ATP Tour final. Now I need some rest for my body, but I feel good.”
Alcaraz’s breakthrough lifted him to No. 5 in the ATP Race to Milan, where he has his sights set on making his Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals debut. Gaston rose two places to eighth place, while Nakashima is now nipping at his heels in ninth.
“For me it’s incredible. It’s a goal,” Alcaraz said of his Milan prospects. “It would be amazing to play the [Intesa Sanpaolo] Next Gen ATP Finals against the best Next Gen [players] of the year. I would enjoy that moment.”
It’s time for Roberto Bautista Agut to giddy up in more ways than one.
The Spaniard is the second seed at this week’s Generali Open in Kitzbühel. But before his run begins, the nine-time ATP Tour titlist rode a Lipizzaner horse at the Stanglwirt Hotel.
“I have horses at home,” Bautista Agut said. “It’s one of my favourite hobbies, and hopefully my kid likes it as much as me and we can both enjoy the experience with animals.”
Photo Credit: Generali Open/Alexander Scheuber
Bautista Agut has greatly enjoyed having his family in Austria. His wife Ana and 10-month-old son Roberto joined him for the experience in the mountains.
“We are having very nice days before Kitzbühel,” Bautista Agut said. “We are practising hard and we can also in the afternoon have time with my family and enjoy the facilities of the hotel. It’s very good.”
The World No. 16 will play countryman Pedro Martinez as he begins his chase for his first trophy of 2021.
Next Gen ATP Finals alumnus Mikael Ymer is fresh off a quarter-final showing in Gstaad. Could the Swedish star go even further this week in Kitzbühel?
The 22-year-old battled past Uruguayan veteran Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 7-5 after one hour and 35 minutes on Monday to reach the second round of the Generali Open.
“I try to take one day at a time and just focus on what I’m working on. Today, it went very well and I was able to commit to what I was trying to do, even though it was tough in some parts of the match,” Ymer said in his on-court interview. “That’s the most positive [part] of the day and that I managed to win in the end is also a big bonus.”
[WATCH LIVE 2]Ymer saved five of the six break points he faced against his 35-year-old opponent. Next up will be #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who won his first ATP Tour title on Sunday in Umag, or wild card Alexander Erler of Austria.
In other action, Spaniard Pedro Martinez clawed past former Top 10 stalwart Lucas Pouille 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-4 after two hours and 43 minutes to set a second-round clash against his countryman, second seed Roberto Bautista Agut.
Czech lefty Jiri Vesely and Slovakian qualifier Jozef Kovalik will play in the second round after winning their openers Monday. Vesely ousted 2014 Roland Garros semi-finalist Ernests Gulbis 6-4, 6-1 and Kovalik upset ninth seed Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-4.
Lucky loser Carlos Taberner beat #NextGenATP Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, and he will next challenge third seed Filip Krajinovic.
Never let your guard down around Jack Sock! Nick Kyrgios found this out the hard way after getting quite the scare from his good friend – and doubles partner this week – during Media Day at the Truist Atlanta Open.
The Aussie, who won the title here in 2016, was gamely answering questions from press ahead of his return to the ATP 250 event. But just as Kyrgios was getting comfortable, Sock spotted him from across the way.
Creeping up behind his doubles partner while Kyrgios was reflecting on the great fan atmosphere in Atlanta, Sock waited for his moment to strike. Check out the video above to see Kyrgios’ hilarious reaction!
Sock and Kyrgios have taken a wild card into the doubles tournament in Atlanta, and the pair are gearing up for their first event as a team since the Laver Cup in 2019.
“We’ve played together a bunch before and we’re close friends,” Sock told ATPTour.com later. “I actually haven’t seen him in about 18 months since the pandemic hit. We actually all had dinner in Indian Wells right before they announced the whole Tour – and the whole world, really – was shutting down. We all had dinner there, and then we all flew to our separate homes the next day. That was the last time we saw each other.
“But I knew he was playing here, and this was the first tournament that we actually played together since that time. I figured we’d lace them up and see what happens.”
Sock and Kyrgios will be going for their second doubles title together after claiming the ATP 250 trophy in Lyon in 2018. That is Kyrgios’ lone doubles title, while Sock amassed 15 in his career. The American, who won here in 2014 with Vasek Pospisil, added to his haul after winning the Hall of Fame Open title with William Blumberg in Newport two weeks ago.
