Swiatek's 25-match winning streak on Paris clay ends
Polish top seed Iga Swiatek sees her 25-match winning streak on the Paris clay ended by China’s Zheng Qinwen in the Olympics semi-finals.
Polish top seed Iga Swiatek sees her 25-match winning streak on the Paris clay ended by China’s Zheng Qinwen in the Olympics semi-finals.
China’s Zheng Qinwen beats world number one Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals of the women’s singles at Paris 2024.
Britain’s Emma Raducanu overcomes a two-hour rain delay to reach the quarter-finals of the Washington Open with a win over America’s Peyton Stearns.
Sebastian Korda and Alex Michelsen made a hot start to their team debut Wednesday at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. The American wild cards defeated Julian Cash and Robert Galloway 6-4, 6-2 in just 47 minutes to reach the quarter-finals.
Korda and Michelsen won 57 per cent of their second-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, compared to Cash and Galloway’s 41 per cent.
Up next for the duo is second seeds Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson. Korda partnered Thompson to win this year’s ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid.
Michelsen won his singles opener earlier in the day against Mattia Bellucci. The 19-year-old and fourth seed Korda are both in the Round of 16.
Atlanta champions Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow extended their winning streak to five matches by defeating Alexander Erler and Arthur Rinderknech 7-5, 2-6, 10-7. The fourth-seeded Americans next meet fifth seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Santiago Gonzalez, who downed Evan King and Vasil Kirkov 6-3, 6-4.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Top seed Andrey Rublev raised his level after a two-and-a-half hour rain delay Wednesday at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, rallying past #NextGenATP Frenchman Luca Van Assche 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the Round of 16.
”I was playing much better after I came back from the rain. Before the rain, I could not put more than two balls [in]. I was missing all over the place,” Rublev said in his on-court interview. “I was even laughing inside of myself because it was something unreal. I never remember myself missing that much. Literally I could not put two balls inside the court. I was a bit shocked.
“Somehow, because of this pause because of the rain, I was able to calm down, to think a bit. ‘Okay, let’s try maybe different thinking.’ And in the end, it worked.”
[ATP APP]The World No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings committed 18 unforced errors in the opening set and trailed 4-6, 3-2 when play was interrupted due to rain. Rublev quickly rebounded following the suspension, breaking Van Assche in his second service game after the resumption and rocketing four aces in a row to send the match into a decider.
A two-time Washington semi-finalist, Rublev dug out of a 0/40 hole at 4-3 in the final set, tallying five consecutive points. He closed the match after one hour, 42 minutes.
Rublev next faces 16th seed Arthur Rinderknech. The 16-time tour-level titlist won their lone Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting in four sets at last year’s US Open. Rinderknech advanced Wednesday following Shang Juncheng’s retirement due to lower back pain after five games.
#NextGenATP Alex Michelsen began his Washington campaign with a 6-3, 7-6(1) win against Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci. Following his win, the 19-year-old Michelsen is up one place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, only behind Frenchman Arthur Fils, who has more than double the American’s points.
Up next for Michelsen is South Korean Seongchan Hong, who upset third seed Karen Khachanov 6-2, 6-4 for just his fifth tour-level win.
Seventh seed Jordan Thompson, a finalist last week in Atlanta, defeated Reilly Opelka 6-4, 6-3. Thompson neutralised the 6’11” American’s serve, winning 75 per cent of his second-serve return points and converting four of his seven break chances.
The Australian next meets another hefty server in ninth seed Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The Frenchman crushed 25 aces en route to a 7-6(6), 7-6(6) victory against Emil Ruusuvuori. Eighth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina ousted Mitchell Krueger 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Watch highlights as Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are knocked out of the men’s doubles after being beaten by the USA pair of Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram 6-2,6-4 at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Reigning French Open champions Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek, and the 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, all advance in the Olympic tennis singles.
Americans Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram ended the Paris Olympics run of Spanish stars Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal with a 6-2, 6-4 victory Wednesday.
Seeded fourth, Krajicek and Ram controlled rallies with high-percentage shots while Alcaraz and Nadal made uncharacteristic errors in the early stages. The Americans remained the more consistent team as the match wore on, breaking Alcaraz’s serve to love at 3-3 in the second set.
[ATP APP]Krajicek served out the match at 5-4, beginning that game with a nervy double fault. With a packed crowd vocally supporting the fans’ favourites Alcaraz and Nadal, the American duo kept its cool, fending off three break points to avoid any late drama.
Krajicek aced Alcaraz on match point, painting the sideline with a hefty ad-side slice, which the chair umpire confirmed grazed the line. Alcaraz and Nadal shared a hug before all four players embraced each other at net. Krajicek and Ram will continue their quest for a medal with a semi-final meeting Czechs Tomas Machac and Adam Pavlasek.
Nadal was later asked in the mixed zone if Wednesday was his final match on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the court on which he has won 14 Roland Garros trophies.
“I’m happy with the love and support I receive here every time I step out on court,” the 92-time tour-level titlist said in Spanish. “I don’t know if this was the last time. Possibly, yes. One stage has ended for me. My objective was to focus on the Olympic Games and afterwards I’d have to decide, and that’s what I will do. Now I go home and rest and disconnect a bit. When I have [a clear mind], I will take the decision of what the next stage will be for me.”
<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/07/31/19/11/nadal-alcaraz-paris-2024-wednesday.jpg?w=100%25&hash=A027320BCCA2E970302E9ADD5A30838A” style=”width:100%;” alt=”Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz embrace after their quarter-final loss.” />
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz embrace after their quarter-final loss. Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images
The 21-year-old Alcaraz wrote in Spanish on X: “Thank you very much Rafa for this week and for sharing the court with me playing for Spain! It wasn’t possible today, but I’m taking a lot of things with me for the future! It has been very special! ❤️”
Alcaraz, making his Olympics debut this fortnight, advanced to the singles quarter-finals earlier in the day with a straight-sets win against Roman Safiullin. Nadal fell in the second round to longtime rival Novak Djokovic.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Muchas gracias Rafa por esta semana y por haber compartido pista conmigo jugando por 🇪🇸! Hoy no ha podido ser, pero me llevo un montón de cosas para el futuro! Ha sido muy especial! ❤️ @RafaelNadal pic.twitter.com/qkF46dslVf
— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) July 31, 2024
Britain’s Katie Boulter and Heather Watson beat Brazilian pair Beatriz Haddad Maia and Luisa Stefani in straight sets to advance to the Olympic women’s doubles quarter-finals
Carlos Alcaraz’s second consecutive Wimbledon title and Matteo Berrettini’s double title delight defined July’s action.
In a repeat of last year’s final, Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic in a hotly anticipated match, with the Spaniard winning in straight sets to successfully defend his Wimbledon crown. Meanwhile Berrettini, who has been beleaguered by injuries and struggled for form over the past 12 months, found his game on the clay by taking back-to-back titles in Gstaad and Kitzbühel.
It was also a notable month for debutant title winners, with both Marcos Giron and Nuno Borges picking up maiden ATP Tour titles in style.
Wimbledon, London – Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz mounted a successful defence of his Wimbledon crown, defeating Djokovic in a rematch of last year’s final. The Spaniard followed up his Roland Garros victory with a second Wimbledon title in as many years, overcoming Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4) in two hours 27 minutes. Djokovic threatened a late resurgence by saving three championship points at 5-4, 40/0 and breaking Alcaraz’s serve that game, but the 21-year-old held his nerve in the tie-break to taste victory once more at the All England Club. Alcaraz became just the sixth man in the Open Era to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year, joining an exclusive list comprising Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Djokovic.
Hamburg Open, Hamburg – Arthur Fils
Twenty-year-old Frenchman Fils broke new ground by claiming a maiden ATP 500 title in Hamburg, overcoming home favourite Alexander Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(1) in a closely fought encounter. The #NextGenATP star cracked the Top 20 for the first time too, reaching a career-high of No. 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
Infosys Hall of Fame Open, Newport – Marcos Giron
Marcos Giron captured a maiden ATP Tour title on home soil, defeating #NextGenATP star Alex Michelsen, in an all-American final. The 30-year-old overcame a defiant Michelsen 6-7 (4), 6-3, 7-5 on the grass to pick up his first title. On winning the trophy, Giron said, “It’s really special. For me this has been years of hard work, years of dedication and years of support from family, friends and coaches. And so I couldn’t have done this without them.”
EFG Swiss Open Gstaad, Gstaad – Matteo Berrettini
Italian Matteo Berrettini recorded his ninth overall ATP Tour title as he cruised to a comprehensive win over Frenchman Quentin Halys, 6-3, 6-1, in Gstaad. The sixth seed dispatched both Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the title, in a tournament where he failed to drop a set. “It feels unbelievable. It feels like it was yesterday that I won my first title here six years ago” said Berrettini, “I’m just so glad that I can keep playing and enjoying, and I think I found the energy of six years ago during this week.”
Nordea Open, Bastad – Nuno Borges
Another debutant ATP Tour title winner, Nuno Borges overcame Rafael Nadal on the clay in Bastad to win 6-3, 6-2. Borges dropped just one set all tournament as the Portuguese seventh seed carved a path to his first title. “I don’t know what to say. I think I was wishing for this moment for a while already,” reflected Borges in his post-match interview. “It’s crazy, in tennis it happens when you don’t expect it sometimes.”
Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag, Umag – Francisco Cerundolo
Fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo sealed a third ATP Tour title in Umag, where he narrowly defeated Lorenzo Musetti 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(5). The Argentine showed spirit and resilience as he crucially broke Musetti at 4-5 down in the third set before rallying back from 1/3 down in the tie-break to secure victory. “I don’t know how I came back. I fought until the last point and luckily I won the match. I’m super proud because it was a really tough battle,” Cerundolo commented in his post-match interview.
Generali Open, Kitzbühel – Matteo Berrettini
Matteo Berrettini extended his winning streak to ten matches as he secured back-to-back titles with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Hugo Gaston in the final of the Generali Open. Berrettini maintained his momentum over recent weeks to overpower Gaston in one hour, 21 minutes and capture his tenth overall ATP title. The Italian’s big serve was on display as he won 80 per cent of his first serve points and hit eight aces en route to victory. The Italian’s third title of the season propelled him up to No. 40 in the PIF ATP Rankings, a far cry from when he was languishing outside the Top 150 as recently as March.
Atlanta Open, Atlanta – Yoshihito Nishioka
Yoshihito Nishioka claimed a third ATP Tour title with victory in Atlanta over Jordan Thompson, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2. In a final afflicted with rain delays totalling over five hours of suspended action, the Japanese player kept his focus to battle past fourth seed Thompson, extending his untarnished Lexus ATP Head2Head record against the Aussie to 5-0. Nishioka’s strong form throughout the week, including defeating home favourite Frances Tiafoe, resulted in him saving 10 out of the 11 break points that he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, a crucial figure that made the difference in Nishioka’s victory.