Tennis News

Carlos The Conquerer: 17-Year-Old Alcaraz Enters Record Books With Alicante Title

It has been a meteoric and historic rise for 17-year-old Carlos Alcaraz. With every victory on the ATP Challenger Tour, the Spaniard further cements his name in the record books. On Sunday, Alcaraz once again found himself in elite company.

The teenager claimed his third Challenger title and second in as many weeks, prevailing on home soil in Alicante. Competing at his home base of the Equelite Ferrero Academy, in the town of Villena, Spain, he overcame countryman Pedro Martinez 7-6(6), 6-3 to emerge victorious.

With his third Challenger crown, Alcaraz is carving an unprecedented path up the FedEx ATP Rankings. At the age of 17 years and five months, he is the youngest player to lift trophies in consecutive weeks and the second-youngest to claim three titles in Challenger history. Only Richard Gasquet was younger (16 years, 10 months) when he triumphed for the third time in Napoli in 2003.

Moreover, Alcaraz joins an exclusive club of players who have won at least three titles at the age of 17 & under. Gasquet, Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin del Potro and Felix Auger-Aliassime are the only other names on that list.

After opening his 2020 campaign just inside the Top 500, Alcaraz is blasting his way to the precipice of a Top 100 breakthrough. He is projected to soar to a career-high No. 136 in the FedEx ATP Rankings on Monday.

Youngest To Win Three Challenger Titles

There are few players as young as Alcaraz who can demonstrate the poise and maturity of a veteran. The Murcia native is as unflappable as they come, especially with the pressure on and his back against the wall.

After registering consecutive wins from a set down to reach the final, Alcaraz once again dug in his heels with his back against the wall on Sunday. He would break right back when Martinez served for the first set at 5-3 and saved a pair of set points 6/4 in the ensuing tie-break. In was one-way traffic from there, as Alcaraz sprinted to a 6-3 second set, prevailing after one hour and 44 minutes.

How good has Alcaraz been since the tour’s COVID-19 restart in August? Not only is he the first player to secure 20 match wins, posting a 20-3 record, but he also owns three titles in just three months. After claiming his maiden crown in Trieste, Italy, he added a second trophy in Barcelona last week, before going back-to-back on home soil in Alicante.

Two stats stand out above the rest: Not only did Alcaraz extend his staggering record in tie-breaks to 14-1 in his young career, but he remains a perfect 9-0 in 2020. In addition, he concludes the week with an 11-2 mark in deciding-set matches since the circuit resumed on 17 August.

Alcaraz will carry his 10-match win streak to Marbella for the Casino Admiral Trophy, set to commence in one week.

Challenger Match Wins Leaders (since COVID-19 restart on 17 Aug)

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Serbian Success: Djere Captures Sardinia Crown

Laslo Djere became the third Serbian to capture a tour-level trophy in 2020 on Sunday, claiming his second ATP Tour crown with a 7-6(3), 7-5 victory against Marco Cecchinato at the Forte Village Sardegna Open.

The 25-year-old joined countrymen Novak Djokovic (4) and Miomir Kecmanovic (1) to take his nation’s trophy haul to six titles this year after two hours and 19 minutes. Serbian players own a 6-1 record in championship matches this season and Djokovic also led Team Serbia to the inaugural ATP Cup trophy in January..

Serbia’s 2020 Success Story

Eleven of Djere’s 13 tour-level victories this year have come on clay. Prior to his title run in Sardinia, the World No. 74 reached semi-finals on the surface in Cordoba and Kitzbühel. Djere has captured both his ATP Tour trophies at clay events, with his only previous triumph coming at last year’s Rio Open presented by Claro.

Cecchinato was attempting to become the first Italian to triumph at a home ATP Tour event since Filippo Volandri’s 2006 title run in Palermo. The 28-year-old saved match point in his first-round match against Gianluca Mager en route to his fourth tour-level championship match (3-1).

After trading breaks to open the final, a tie-break was required to decide the outcome of the first set. Djere concentrated his attack on Cecchinato’s backhand, extracting four errors in the opening six points to gain an commanding lead. The Serbian closed the set with a pinpoint backhand winner up the line.

Djere began to dictate rallies with his forehand in the second set and held two game points for a 3-0 lead, but Cecchinato continued to battle from the back of the court to find his way back into the match. Despite committing an increased number of errors, Djere maintained his forehand aggression to move closer to victory. Cecchinato attempted to close the net when serving at 5-6, but Djere found the target with two passing shot winners and a deep backhand return to take the title.

Djere earned 250 FedEx ATP Rankings points and €13,320. Cecchinato collected 150 points and €11,130.

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Zverev Beats Felix In Cologne Final, Wins Title For Fifth Consecutive Season

Alexander Zverev won an ATP Tour title for the fifth consecutive year on Sunday, defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-3 to triumph at the bett1HULKS Indoors.

“I had a very tough final in New York and the next final I played here I wanted to come out and obviously play my best tennis, finish the match,” Zverev said during the trophy ceremony.

Zverev and Auger-Aliassime were meeting in the first of what might be many finals, but it was the German who proved superior to take a 3-0 lead in their ATP Head2Head series. The 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion has not yet lost a set in their budding rivalry.

“Felix, you’re an unbelievable player. I know it doesn’t mean much right now, but I’m sure you are not only going to win one title, you’re going to win multiple, multiple titles in your career, bigger titles than this,” Zverev said. “We know each other incredibly well… you’re going to be lifting a winner’s trophy very soon.”

^{Photo Credit: Christof Koepsel/Getty Images}
The World No. 7 has now won three tour-level trophies in Germany and he was dominant for most of the week in his home country. Zverev only lost one set en route to the ATP 250 title, showing an impressive balance of offence and defence to defeat Auger-Aliassime after one hour and 20 minutes.

“It was a good match. [In] the final I played my best tennis, as you should do in a final,” Zverev said. “The week in general was very positive for me. Being back in Germany after over a year was very nice for me.”

Zverev, who is now a 12-time tour-level champion, has won 10 of his past 11 matches on hard courts following his run to the US Open final. He is also the first German to triumph on the ATP Tour this year. 

While Auger-Aliassime was able to power through the stout defences of second seed Roberto Bautista Agut in their semi-final Saturday, the 20-year-old couldn’t find the same success against the home favourite. Zverev did well to make the Canadian go for more from neutral positions, leading to errors on key points.

Zverev also gained more of an advantage behind his first serve, winning 80 per cent of those points compared to 59 per cent for Auger-Aliassime. The top seed held to love four times, while the third seed did so once. It was an uphill battle for Auger-Aliassime after he was broken in his first service game with a miss into the net. That set the tone for their clash.

Zverev’s only hiccup came when serving with a double-break advantage in the opener, hitting back-to-back double faults to concede one of those breaks. But the 23-year-old remained calm and that paid dividends. He threw both arms in the air after Auger-Aliassime missed a forehand long to end the match.

The Canadian is now 0-6 in ATP Tour finals. Auger-Aliassime was trying to become the fifth first-time winner in 2020.

“I just played bad from start to finish,” Auger-Aliassime said.

Zverev earned €24,880 for his efforts throughout the week and he adds 250 FedEx ATP Rankings points to his total. He has already qualified for a fourth consecutive appearance in the Nitto ATP Finals. Auger-Aliassime pocketed €19,790 and 150 points.

Both players will remain in Cologne to compete in next week’s bett1HULKS Championships. Zverev will again be the top seed and Auger-Aliassime will be seeded fifth.

“Quite happy that there are back-to-back weeks here at this indoor [venue],” Zverev said. “Next week is going to be difficult, but I’m looking forward to it already.”

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Melzer/Roger-Vasselin Claim First Team Title In St. Petersburg

Second seeds Jurgen Melzer and Edouard Roger-Vasselin captured their first team title on Sunday at the St. Petersburg Open, defeating Marcelo Demoliner and Matwe Middelkoop 6-2, 7-6(4) to lift the ATP 500 trophy.

The Austrian-French team has now soared into contention in the FedEx ATP Battle For London with the 500 FedEx ATP Doubles Ranking points they earned with their efforts in Russia. Both players have competed in the prestigious season finale with different partners, but they are trying to earn a spot at The O2 in London in their first season as a pair.

“We had a talk exactly this week last year and we decided to try to play the 2020 season,” Melzer said. “I’m happy that with four tournaments left, we still have a chance to go to London. That was our goal when we started the year and it’s still possible, so I’m very happy about that.”

Melzer and Roger-Vasselin first played together at the 2012 Winston-Salem Open, when they both still focussed on singles. They didn’t compete as a team again until last year’s Rolex Paris Masters and this year they have played together exclusively.

The second seeds rallied from a set down in the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, but they weren’t pushed to a Match Tie-break in the championship match. Melzer and Roger-Vasselin won 81 per cent of their second-serve points in the final, only losing one point behind their second delivery in the second set. On clay, they switched returning sides, with Roger-Vasselin taking the ad side. But this week the Frenchman went back to the deuce side, which paid dividends.

“It’s all about communication. When we started together, we both knew we were good players,” Roger-Vasselin said. “We know each other very well on the court. We know what’s going to work, what’s not going to work. So this is why we know exactly what is the best for us to perform.”

Melzer and Roger-Vasselin broke four times from nine opportunities to triumph after one hour and 19 minutes. They saved three of the five break points they faced to earn 500 points each and a split of $35,750.

Demoliner and Middelkoop fell short of winning their third ATP Tour title as a team, but they leave St. Petersburg with 300 points and a share of $28,410.

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Watch Alcaraz In Alicante: 17-Year-Old Bids For Historic Third Title

Watch Free Live Stream Sunday At 11:00am CET

When Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin del Potro, Richard Gasquet and Felix Auger-Aliassime are the only names on the list you are trying to join, you know you’re on the cusp of something special.

This is where Carlos Alcaraz finds himself as he prepares for yet another final appearance on the ATP Challenger Tour. A victory over Pedro Martinez in Sunday’s Alicante championship would see him join Djokovic, Del Potro, Gasquet and Auger-Aliassime as the only players aged 17 & under to lift three Challenger trophies.

The teenage titan has been tearing up the Challenger circuit in recent months, earning statement win after statement win while etching his name in the record books whenever he takes the court. One week ago, Alcaraz clinched the second title of his young career in Barcelona, and now he will vie for trophy No. 3 at his home base of Alicante. In fact, at the age of 17 years and five months, he would become the second-youngest player to win as many titles, behind only Gasquet.

Youngest To Win Three Challenger Titles

There are few players as young as Alcaraz who can demonstrate the poise and maturity of a veteran. The Murcia native is as unflappable as they come, especially with the pressure on and his back against the wall. Alcaraz, who trains at the Equelite Ferrero Academy and is under the tutelage of former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, is producing a magical week at his home club.

He has registered consecutive wins from a set down to reach the final, extending his dominant run in deciding-set matches, which now stands at 11-2 since the restart following the COVID-19 hiatus. Against Juan Pablo Ficovich in the quarter-finals, he trailed 3-6, 0-3 before mounting a stunning comeback. And on Saturday, he rallied from a 1-6 deficit to defeat fellow Spaniard Mario Vilella Martinez.

“It’s been another great week,” said Alcaraz. “I wanted to improve physically this year and it’s showing on the court. I am happy to play well at this tournament, at home, and I’ve been motivated for this for a long time. To play in front of my people is a great joy. It is also a motivation to do well in front of everyone that has been supporting me for so long.”

Not only has Alcaraz been the deciding-set maestro, but the 17-year-old is also becoming the tie-break king on the ATP Challenger Tour. He is a combined 13-1 in tie-breaks in his young career and is a dominant 8-0 in 2020. When the pressure is on, the Spaniard shines.

2020 Challenger Wins Leaders (since restart on 17 Aug)

Martinez, meanwhile, is bidding for his first title since 2018. The World No. 97 entered the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday, continuing a breakthrough season of his own.

The 23-year-old is coming off a third round appearance at Roland Garros, his best result at a Grand Slam tournament. It’s been a year of firsts for Martinez, who won his first match at a slam at the Australian Open, earned his first win on the ATP Tour in Cordoba and his first victory at the ATP Masters 1000 level in Rome, where he claimed his first Top 50 win over Sam Querrey.

On Sunday, Martinez will hope for another first. He has yet to defeat Alcaraz in two previous encounters. Last year, they battled twice on the Challenger circuit, with his 17-year-old countryman prevailing 6-3, 7-6(4) in Murcia and 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in Sevilla.

One year after falling to Pablo Andujar in the 2019 Alicante championship, Martinez is hoping to finally get his hands on the trophy.

“I am from Valencia and this tournament is very close to home for me. I feel at home here at the academy,” said Martinez. “It’s very important to have two Spanish players in the final, so I am looking forward to the match tomorrow. The matches in the quarters and semis were very tough, so I have a lot of confidence. It’s going to be a competitive match and Carlos is playing at a very high level. Hopefully I can get the victory.”

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Will Felix's Sixth Final Be His Title Charm? 'I Can't Look Back'

Felix Auger-Aliassime has long been one of the brightest #NextGenATP talents to watch. One thing he hasn’t done is lift an ATP Tour trophy.

Five times the Canadian has reached a tour-level final and on each occasion he has lost in straight sets. Will the sixth time be the charm? Auger-Aliassime has another chance on Sunday in the bett1HULKS Indoors championship match against World No. 7 Alexander Zverev.

“Obviously it’s unfortunate [what happened in] the past five finals, but that’s in the past now. I think we all try to be as much in the present as we can. It’s not easy to be honest,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I really want to win the final tomorrow. But at the same time, those were five different matches. They were great opponents. The other guys played well. Tomorrow is a new opponent, new venue, new match. I’m a different player and person, also. I can’t look back at all the finals and put them all together in one pot.

“Tomorrow is going to be another one, so I’m going to try to bring the best that I have, which I do every day, and try to win.”

It is seemingly only a matter of time before the 20-year-old, who is currently the No. 22 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings, earns ATP Tour glory. The Canadian won his first ATP Challenger Tour title when he was 16 and he has already tallied two Top 10 victories. But he’ll certainly be happy to earn a trophy at this level.

“It would be great. I’ve been looking forward [to] for the past year-and-a-half. You never know when it’s going to come,” said Auger-Aliassime, who reached his first tour-level final in February 2019 when he was 18. “Maybe it comes tomorrow, maybe it comes later. Every week you really have a chance.”

Auger-Aliassime faces a difficult foe in top-seeded Zverev, who leads their ATP Head2Head rivalry 2-0. The German, competing in his home country, is fresh off making his first Grand Slam final at the US Open.

“Sascha is a great player. He’s been playing well. [He made the] final in New York, which he was so close to winning. He has the level to beat any player in the world and he’s proven it many times,” Auger-Aliassime said. “This is going to be a tough challenge like my past two finals playing against the Top 10. I accept the challenge, I’m up for it and it can only be exciting for me.”

Zverev won both their previous meetings in straight sets, with none of their four sets going past 6-4, but one of those matches was on clay at last year’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. This will be their first battle indoors. Could this be the first of many finals between Auger-Aliassime and Zverev?

“I want to be at the top level, I want to play well for many years, so does he. Will we be able to do it? We’ll see,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I lost the past two times against him. We’ve practised a lot together. He knows my game well, I know his game well. Tomorrow is going to be a tough battle and hopefully I can get my first win against him in an important match like this.”

This Cologne clash will be Auger-Aliassime’s third final of the season. In both Rotterdam and Marseille, he played Top 10 opponents for the trophy. If Felix is to break through, he will have to earn it against Zverev.

“For sure it would mean a lot. I think I’ve done some good work since that first final, I’ve been improving,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I would be really happy.”

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Zverev, Murray To Compete In Cologne For Second Straight Week; When Is The Draw

For a second week in a row, Cologne will stage an ATP 250 indoor hard-court tournament. Alexander Zverev and Andy Murray are set to return for the bett1HULKS Championships, and will be joined this time by Diego Schwartzman and Denis Shapovalov. 

Zverev is currently through to the final at the bett1HULKS Indoors, where he is attempting to win his first title of the season. Two of the German’s 11 ATP Tour titles have come on home soil, back-to-back victories in Munich in 2017-18. Meanwhile, former World No. 1 Murray will be looking to bounce back from his first-round loss to Fernando Verdasco. 

Schwartzman, 28, will be playing his first tournament as a member of the Top 10, having risen to World No. 8 following his semi-final run at Roland Garros (l. to Nadal). The 21-year-old Shapovalov reached a career-high No. 10 in September after his appearance in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia semi-finals (l. to Schwartzman).

Roberto Bautista Agut and Felix Auger-Aliassime will also compete in the second Cologne ATP 250. Auger-Aliassime beay Bautista Agut Saturday for a place in the bett1HULKS Indoors final.

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

Established: 2020

Tournament Dates: 19-25 October 2020

Tournament Director: Barbara Rittner

Draw Ceremony: Sunday, 18 October

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Schedule
* Qualifying: Saturday and Sunday
* Main Draw: Monday – Sunday at 2:00pm.

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV 
TV Schedule

Venue: Lanxess Arena
Surface: Indoor Hard

Prize Money: €325,610 (Total Financial Commitment: €325,610)   

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

Social
Hashtag: #bett1hulks
Twitter: @bett1hulks

Did You Know… The ATP has announced the addition of four new ATP 250 events to the 2020 provisional schedule. In addition to the back-to-back Cologne tournaments, the calendar also features the Forte Village Sardegna Open in Sardinia, Italy, and the Astana Open in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.

We are absolutely in love with our #Bett1 Center Court at the Lanxess Arena ?. Are you too? ? pic.twitter.com/ClD9YZugFG

— bett1_HULKS (@bett1hulks) October 11, 2020

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Goffin, Carreno Busta Lead Title Charge In Antwerp; All You Need To Know

The European Open has crowned four different champions since its first edition in 2016. Top 20 stars David Goffin, Pablo Carreno Busta, Karen Khachanov and Grigor Dimitrov will be among the players looking to continue the trend as they vie for their first title of the 2020 season.

Goffin achieved his best finish at his home country’s tournament in 2016, when he reached the semi-finals (l. to Schwartzman), while Carreno Busta, Khachanov and Dimitrov will be making their Antwerp debuts. Carreno Busta has been in good form since the ATP Tour’s return in August, advancing to the US Open semi-finals (l. to Zverev) and Roland Garros quarter-finals (l. to Djokovic). 

The field will also feature Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic, Alex de Minaur and 2016 champion Richard Gasquet. Daniel Evans will attempt to become the third straight British player to win the title, following in the footsteps of Kyle Edmund (2018) and Andy Murray (2019). 

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

Established: 2016

Tournament Dates: 19-25 October 2020

Tournament Director: Dick Norman 

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 17 October

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Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Sunday from 12:00pm, Monday from 1:00pm
* Main draw: Tuesday – Friday from 2:00pm; Saturday at 1:30pm
* Doubles final: Sunday, 25 October at 3:30pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 25 October at 5:30pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV 
TV Schedule

Venue: Lotto Arena
Surface: Indoor Hard

Prize Money: €394,800 (Total Financial Commitment: €472,590)  

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

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Kyle Edmund, Richard Gasquet, Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (1)
Most Titles, Doubles: Edouard Roger-Vasselin (2)
Oldest Champion: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 32, in 2017
Youngest Champion: Kyle Edmund, 23, in 2018
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 15 Kyle Edmund in 2018
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 243 Andy Murray in 2019
Most Match Wins: Diego Schwartzman (9)

2019 Finals
Singles: [PR] Andy Murray (GBR) d [4] [WC] Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 36 64 64   Read & Watch
Doubles: [1] Kevin Krawietz (GER) / Andreas Mies (GER) d [2] Rajeev Ram (USA) / Joe Salisbury (GBR) 76(1) 63  Read & Watch

Social
Hashtag: #EuropeanOpen
Facebook: @EuropeanTennisOpen
Twitter: @EuroTennisOpen
Instagram: @europeantennisopen

Did You Know… The European Open is the only ATP Tour tournament in Belgium.

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Felix Beats Bautista Agut In Cologne, Earns Shot At First Title

“It’s a good win. It’s good for my confidence to be able to beat Roberto since he beat me last time last year in a tough match,” Auger-Aliassime said on court after his one-hour, 50-minute victory. “Obviously I’m happy to beat a player like this today.”

Auger-Aliassime has previously reached five ATP Tour finals and fallen short in the championship match on each occasion. But on Sunday in Cologne, he will have an opportunity to reverse that trend against top seed Alexander Zverev.

“I’ve practised with him many times back home… hopefully tomorrow I can give myself chances to win. It’s going to be a great battle,” said Auger-Aliassime, who trails their ATP Head2Head series 0-2. “We’ve already played twice and for sure it’s the start of our careers and we’re going to play many times. This is our first final playing and hopefully not the last.”

To get to the final, Auger-Aliassime had to battle past the always solid Bautista Agut. In the first set, the 20-year-old Canadian played jaw-dropping tennis, hitting through the court and his opponent, winning 48 per cent of his return points and breaking twice to clinch the opener.

“I think in the first set I played one of the best sets of my career. I was doing everything well,” Auger-Aliassime said. “The ball was going exactly where I wanted to, I was putting pressure and I felt really good from the start.”

Felix hit a down-the-line forehand into the net to relinquish an immediate break in the second set, which allowed Bautista Agut to settle into the match. The Spaniard made the third seed work hard and used his consistency to force a deciding set.

“In my mind I knew it was going to still be a difficult match, but the way I started playing and with what I had today in me, I just felt like I would get chances at one point during the match. Things got a little more difficult in the second set. I didn’t feel like I played so bad, so I kept believing,” Auger-Aliassime said. “I served way better in the third set than I did in the first two sets and that helped me close the deal.”

The World No. 22 only lost three first-serve points in the third set (19/22) and he saved the one break point he faced to advance to the final. He is now level at 1-1 in his ATP Head2Head series against Bautista Agut.

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Coric Makes Second Straight St. Petersburg Final

Borna Coric weathered an early storm from Milos Raonic on Saturday to reach his second straight St. Petersburg Open final.

The seventh seed found himself down a set in just 37 minutes, but produced an impressive 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 comeback to record his seventh win in nine matches at the event. Coric is through to his seventh ATP Tour championship match (2-4) and will attempt to improve on his runner-up finish at this event last year.

”I am just very happy that I won the match. It was a really, really tough match,” said Coric in an on-court interview. “In the first set, I don’t remember playing that bad ever and also Milos was just serving huge. I didn’t have any response, but luckily in the second set I did find my rhythm and I started to play much better.”

Coric earned three straight comeback wins en route to last year’s final, before falling to Daniil Medvedev in the championship match. The Croatian has experience of improving on runner-up finishes, having claimed his maiden ATP Tour crown at the 2017 Grand Prix Hassan II one year after losing the 2016 final. Coric will attempt to earn his first win against Andrey Rublev when he meets the Russian for the fourth time in the final.

”It is going to be a very difficult match, for sure,” said Coric. “The last time I played him was in 2019 in Shanghai and I lost. Obviously, he is playing some of the best tennis of his whole life. I was watching many of his matches and he was playing absolutely great. I am just happy to be in the final and hopefully tomorrow I can play my best match.”

Coric levelled his ATP Head2Head series against Raonic at 1-1. The World No. 27 lost his only previous clash against the 29-year-old at the 2017 Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com.

Raonic was also aiming to reach his second St. Petersburg championship match. On his tournament debut in 2015, the Canadian beat Joao Sousa to capture his fifth and most recent indoor ATP Tour trophy.

For the second straight match, Raonic broke serve in his opening two return games. The Canadian powered through Coric’s defence with inside-out forehands and capitalised on forehand errors from his opponent to take control of the match. Raonic also moved to the net well, finishing multiple points with overhead winners to claim the first set.

Raonic entered the second set having won all 33 service games he had played in the tournament, but Coric turned the tables on the 29-year-old to get back in the match. The Croatian took advantage of double faults and found his targets when Raonic approached the net to earn back-to-back breaks. Coric sealed the second set with his third ace of the match.

Coric struggled with his timing and was forced to save three break points in his first service game of the third set. But the two-time ATP Tour titlist soon rediscovered the form he showed in the second set, extracting errors from Raonic in extended rallies with great court coverage to claim a crucial break. Coric converted his first match point with a cross-court forehand winner.

Did You Know?
This is the first time in tournament history that both St. Petersburg finalists have rallied from a set down to win their semi-final matches.

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