Players returning to action at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour event in Todi, Italy, understand that it’s taken a team effort to make this all come together.

Operating a professional tournament amid a global pandemic is no simple task. From establishing protocols and policies to make everyone feel safe and secure, while maintaining world-class Italian hospitality, credit goes to the organisers for making this a possibility.

With frequent temperature checks, mask wearing enforced throughout the grounds and social distancing in effect, players have shown their appreciation for the tournament’s efforts. After booking his spot in Saturday’s semi-finals, Yannick Hanfmann had nothing but praise for the 12th edition of the Internazionali di Tennis Citta di Todi.

“I think that for the first tournament of the ATP Challenger Tour restart, you guys are doing a fantastic job,” Hanfmann exclaimed. “Everybody feels pretty safe here. All the players are following the protocols and we’re just lucky that it’s possible to play here with all the rules in place.”

Doubles finalist Andrey Golubev added: “We’re all excited to be back on the court and I’m very thankful for the organization of these Challengers. We know that organizing these events is the hardest part and especially with these protocols, everyone needs to be careful. Hopefully it will be better and better in the coming weeks.”

Hanfmann defeated second seed and former World No. 16 Marco Cecchinato 6-4, 6-4 to reach his second semi-final of the season. He will face the last remaining Italian hope, Gian Marco Moroni, on Saturday. Moroni overcame Cedrik-Marcel Stebe 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 later in the day.

“He was the second seed and playing at home in Italy, so I expected to be the underdog,” added Hanfmann. “The conditions today were very hot, so my serve was going to have a good effect. I know that he struggles a bit on the backhand side, so I just tried to convert as much as I can from my serve and play really aggressive. I think that worked today.”

In the other semi-final, Spain’s Bernabe Zapata Miralles will square off against Antoine Hoang of France. Zapata Miralles advanced when Facundo Bagnis was forced to retire due to a leg injury, while Hoang prevailed 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 over third seed Federico Gaio.

“It was a really tough match and a really tough week, winning in the third set in each match,” said Hoang. “I’m really happy to win in the end. Today, I was 4-2 down and I fought and found a way to win. It’s really satisfying. I kept a good mindset to fight until the end.”

American youngsters Sebastian Korda, 20, and J.J. Wolf, 21, secured their first main-draw berths at the ATP Masters 1000 level after remarkable victories in the final round of qualifying at the Western & Southern Open Friday in New York.

World No. 224 Korda, the 6’ 5” son of former Australian Open champion Petr Korda, won 11 straight games after dropping the opening set to stun veteran Frenchman Gilles Simon 3-6, 6-0, 6-1. Korda’s only tour-level main draw appearance to this point was a first-round loss at the 2018 New York Open.

With his father flying in for his next match, Korda will play fellow qualifier, Finnish 21-year-old Emil Ruusuvuori, in the first round.

“It’s definitely awesome, especially after all the time off,” Korda said. “It wasn’t easy mentally. I’m super happy to get through. It’s a big opportunity for me and I’m really excited to get out there and keep fighting.

“The first set was really close. We both had some break points. Second and third sets I played a little better and I think he was struggling a little bit on serve.”

Wolf, a native of Cincinnati, the traditional home of the tournament, will see his tour-level debut happen at the elite Masters 1000 level. The World No. 144 rallied from a set down Friday to beat highly rated 23-year-old Spaniard Jaume Munar 2-6, 6-2, 6-4. The match was a stark contrast to his emphatic 52-minute dismissal of Belarusian Egor Gerasimov on Thursday.

“It means the world to me, especially being the Cincinnati tournament, even if it’s not based in Cincinnati this year,” said Wolf, who fell in the final round of qualifying at the tournament the past two years. “It’s still very close to my heart and I wouldn’t want it to be anywhere else. To get over this hump is a big breakthrough for me.

“That’s what I practise for. I’ve always wanted to play against the best guys in the world. They know exactly what their game is and how to execute it. I want to one day be up there.”

Wolf will play veteran Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the first round.

Americans went four-for-four Friday, with Orlando-based MacKenzie McDonald clawing out a 6-7(0), 7-5, 7-6(5) win over German Dominik Koepfer. Californian World No. 102, Marcos Giron, who has just five tour-level wins, also rallied from a set down to defeat Frenchman Gregoire Barrere 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4.

In a cruel twist of fate, McDonald and Giron were drawn to play each other in the first round.

Ruusuvuori will also make his Masters 1000 main-draw debut after Brazilian opponent Thiago Monteiro retired trialing 4-6, 1-2. Just 14 months ago Ruusuvuori was outside the Top 400. But after winning four Challenger titles he is now just one place away from cracking the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. In the first round of qualifying he ousted veteran Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-0, 6-4.

“It’s a good achievement. My team and I chose to play all the big tournaments as much as possible, just to be around with these top guys and play against them,” Ruusuvuori said. “I played well in my first two matches here, so I’ll try to do it again and we’ll see how it goes.”

Main draw play begins 11 a.m. Saturday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, with the men’s singles final set for Friday, 28 August. The US Open will follow, beginning 31 August.

Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime headline the opening day of the Western & Southern Open, as the ATP Tour returns from its Tour suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the final match of the day on Grandstand, Shapovalov will face 2016 champion Marin Cilic in his first tournament appearance since the Open 13 Provence in February. At that event, Shapovalov claimed his second victory in three ATP Head2Head encounters against Cilic. The 21-year-old is excited to see the return of the ATP Tour, not just for himself but also for tennis fans around the world.

”It is really awesome to see sports coming back, especially at a time like this,” said Shapovalov. “I feel like fans and people around the world are waiting for something to get a hold of, watch and support at this time.”

Auger-Aliassime will aim to build on his strong start to the 2020 ATP Tour season when he opens the day on Court 17. The Canadian, who finished as a runner-up in Rotterdam and Marseille earlier this year, will face Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round.

Andy Murray will compete at his first ATP Tour event since lifting his 46th tour-level singles trophy at the European Open in Antwerp last October. The two-time Western & Southern Open champion will meet fellow wild card Frances Tiafoe in the third match on Grandstand. Murray and Tiafoe will be meeting for the first time in their ATP Head2Head series, with Alexander Zverev awaiting the winner in the second round.

Other notable matches include Sam Querrey and Milos Raonic’s clash on Court 17 and Benoit Paire’s Court 10 meeting with Borna Coric. Alex de Minaur and Jan-Lennard Struff will contest the first match of the day on Court 11.

ORDER OF PLAY – SATURDAY 22 AUGUST 2020
GRANDSTAND start 11:00 am
WTA Match

Not Before 1:00 pm
WTA Match
[WC] Frances Tiafoe vs [WC] Andy Murray

Not Before 5:00 pm
WTA Match

Not Before 7:00 pm
[12] Denis Shapovalov vs Marin Cilic

COURT 17 start 11:00 am
Nikoloz Basilashvili vs [15] Felix Auger-Aliassime
Kyle Edmund vs [PR] Kevin Anderson
WTA Match
Sam Querrey vs Milos Raonic

Not Before 7:00 pm
WTA Match

COURT 10 start 11:00 am
WTA Match
Benoit Paire vs Borna Coric
[Q] Lloyd Harris vs Taylor Fritz
[Q] Ricardas Berankis vs [WC] Tommy Paul

Click here to view the full Day 1 schedule.

If one comeback win wasn’t enough, Stan Wawrinka is embracing the flair for the dramatic this week in Prague.

For a third straight day, the former World No. 3 stormed back from a set down to advance at the I.CLTK Prague Open by Moneta. He overcame 20-year-old wild card Michael Vrbensky 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the final on a sun-kissed afternoon in the Czech capital.

Wawrinka entered the ATP Challenger Tour event in search of match play, as he seeks to find his rhythm on the court and gain much-needed confidence after the five-month COVID-19 break. With a combined 12 sets played and seven hours and 23 minutes on court this week, the Swiss says it’s exactly what he needed.

“It was a tough match and a tough battle for sure,” said Wawrinka. “I’m happy to have won the match, but I’m not playing the way I wanted to play. I’m just trying to win matches to get more time on the court, so for that I’m doing a great job.

“I started making less mistakes [after the first set] and we were playing longer rallies. I started feeling a little better and I’m just happy to now be in the final. It was the goal when I came here. I’m hoping to play better tennis every day and hopefully that will come again tomorrow.”

All four of Wawrinka’s victories in Prague have gone to a deciding set, with his most recent wins over Oscar Otte, Sumit Nagal and Vrbensky coming from a set down. He needed two hours and 21 minutes to defeat the home hope Vrbensky on Friday. After conceding two breaks of serve in the first set, Wawrinka saved all three break points faced from then on.

The World No. 17 will seek his first ATP Challenger Tour title in 10 years (Lugano 2010) when he battles Russia’s Aslan Karatsev in Saturday’s championship. It will be Wawrinka’s 39th professional final, having reached 30 title matches at the Tour-level and an additional nine on the Challenger circuit.

In the second match on Court 1, Karatsev defeated Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-5, 7-6(7) in two hours and 14 minutes. The 26-year-old saved a set point in the second set tie-break, rallying from 1/5 down to earn the victory.

Photo: Martin Sidorjak/Prague Open 2020

“We played a good match,” said Karatsev. “He’s a tough opponent. A Top 100 player with a lot of experience. In the second set, I was down 5/1 in the tie-break, but I played every ball and had some success. I tried to play my game and just found a way. Against Stan, I will try to enjoy the match and do my best.”

Sitting at No. 253 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Karatsev is appearing in his sixth Challenger final and second of the year. In January, he finished runner-up to Attila Balazs in Bangkok. The Russian’s lone title came on home soil in Kazan in 2015.

Dominic Thiem believes that the lack of fans at the Western & Southern Open and at the upcoming US Open will play a big factor in the fortunes of every player over the next few weeks in New York.

“Tennis is such a mental sport, and I guess it makes it way more difficult without fans, because I just imagine playing in the fifth set on Arthur Ashe, night session, way past midnight, and in a normal year you get so much energy from the fans,” said Thiem during a virtual press conference over Zoom on Friday.

“They give you so much, all this atmosphere. And now, in an empty stadium, maybe your coach and your team there, that makes it, I guess, very, very lonely, very, very tough. That’s going to be a very interesting thing to experience. But it’s the same for everybody. The one who will do it the best, who will manage these special circumstances the best, will be the one who lifts the trophy at the end.”

Second seed Thiem, the 2016 and 2017 Western & Southern Open quarter-finalist, will play Filip Krajinovic or a qualifier in the second round. It will be his first match since 22 February at the Rio Open presented by Claro.

“Honestly, I’m zero per cent nervous or scared about travelling here,” said Thiem. “I think we are safer than anywhere else on the whole planet. It’s different. The one who wins the title here definitely deserves it, and players-wise or draw-wise, it’s worth the same like every year…. The draw is still super, super strong.

Looking ahead to the resumption of the ATP Tour, after a five-month suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Austrian says, “You have to play your cards smart there… Definitely until the end of the season, it’s super busy and also not going to be easy to make a good schedule, to play all those tournaments physically and mentally 100 per cent. But I will try to do my best now.”

Thiem has a big opportunity to consolidate his position at No. 3 in the FedEx ATP Rankings with a big run, having just 10 points to defend over the next few weeks.

Andy Murray flew into New York with a degree of trepidation, but his concerns have eased ahead of the Western & Southern Open.

Initially staying at a house in Greenwich, Murray moved to the hotel a few days ago and has been pleasantly surprised by the work the United States Tennis Association has undertaken to ensure the players’ stay is as safe as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The USTA have done, in my opinion, an excellent job of setting everything up. They’ve done a really good job at the hotel, They got games and arcades and things like that, which I enjoy. [I’m] still a bit of a child in that respect. They’re putting on different food in the evenings for the players. We can get delivery. [The] room is absolutely fine. You have a gym there. I had considered staying in a house.

“I would say going into the hotel was a little bit of a concern. Then when you get in there and you see everything that they’re doing to make sure it’s as safe as it can be, then I felt quite relaxed. Since I got in, I’ve been tested twice. There’s security, not just at the hotel, but on the site, making sure that everybody has their masks on. There’s hand sanitizer everywhere… I feel comfortable now that I’m here. But I did have some, I guess, concerns beforehand.”

Murray plays wild card Frances Tiafoe in the first round, with fifth seed Alexander Zverev waiting in the second round. After a five-month suspension of the ATP Tour, the 2008 Western & Southern Open champion believes there may be a number of surprising results over the next week.

“I do feel there will be a lot of upsets,” said Murray. “Usually there’s a little bit more time to get used to the conditions… It’s just going to be different playing in front of no fans. I kind of felt that a little bit yesterday when I was walking through the grounds. It’s nice walking through to your practice courts, not getting stopped or anything, but then the atmosphere is just not the same without the people.”

The 33-year-old Murray, who underwent right hip surgeries in 2018 and 2019, is simply happy to be back on the ATP Tour.

“I’m looking forward to it, just to be back competing again. I’ve really enjoyed the past few days just practising with top players, which I’ve kind of done it a little bit back home but not that much… I’ve been practising. I practised with [Dominic] Thiem, [Andrey] Rublev and [Karen] Khachanov… But I’m feeling quite good on the court physically in terms of my hip.

“For me to know exactly how my body feels after playing a competitive match will be important for me. If I did well and got a few matches, that would suggest my body is probably feeling quite good. If I didn’t do well, my body wasn’t great, it would suggest I probably need to do some work in the sort of eight, nine days before the [US Open] starts. I think it would just give me more kind of information. I’ll be able to learn a little bit more about where I’m at, maybe things I need to work on, things I need to practise and stuff.”

With no crowds at this year’s Western & Southern Open, Stefanos Tsitsipas is approaching the sport with a different mindset on his return to the ATP Tour.

The ATP Masters 1000 event has moved to New York ahead of the US Open, with players following COVID-19 safety regulations. The controlled environment has kept players away from meeting fans and exploring the city, but Tsitsipas is taking the positives from the situation. With less distractions, he is now able to focus on his game and appreciate the sport even more.

“[The controlled environment] gives me, in a way, a different approach towards my tennis. It gives me an opportunity to focus more on my tennis and less on what is happening outside of it, which is great,” said Tsitsipas. “[This situation] gives me an opportunity to practise a lot, discover myself more being out on the court, love my sport even more, appreciate my sport more.”

Before the suspension of the ATP Tour, the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion had reached peak form. In his two most recent events, Tsitsipas claimed his second straight Open 13 Provence title and reached the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships final (l. to Djokovic). Returning to the site of an ATP Tour event for the first time since February has brought joy to Tsitsipas.

”It’s a great opportunity to be able to perform and play at such a high level again. Personally speaking, I’m very happy I get to be back on the court,” said Tsitsipas. “I was very happy when I first came here and saw my fellow players. I greeted all of them, had a smile on my face seeing them, being surrounded by them. It’s a great environment. Honestly, I’m just happy competing again, just happy to be able to be back to my normal happiness.”

This will be the first time that Tsitsipas has competed without spectators in a decade. The 22-year-old believes the lack of crowd support will prove most difficult for the top-ranked players in the FedEx ATP Rankings, who typically receive the greatest levels of support from fans.

”I haven’t really gone out there and played without spectators,” said Tsitsipas. “I think last time was when I was 12, 11 years old… I think it’s going to be challenging for most players, especially for the top players, which are used to having a big fan base, being surrounding by fans cheering their name, having people that love them when they play.

”I think it’s going to create a more equal space for any player. It is going to be challenging. I think it benefits a bit the lower-ranked players.”

When plans for the Western & Southern Open and the US Open were revealed, Tsitsipas was unsure if he would feel comfortable travelling to the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. But after speaking to fellow players and listening to expert health advice from the tournaments, the Greek made the decision to travel to New York and return to action.

“I was worried about the virus at first. Despite all of the regulations that US Open set from early on, I still felt it could be unsecure to travel to the U.S,” said Tsitsipas. “So far it has been proven wrong of what I initially thought… After I spoke to most of the ATP players, after that conversation and everything, I found it secure and safe to travel to the U.S. and that’s why I did so. Plus, I miss competing a lot. I felt like if they think it’s safe for us to play, I should just go and try it out. They know better than I do.”

With no form guide to reference, fans will struggle to predict the outcomes of matches over the next few weeks. Tsitsipas, who will open his campaign against Kyle Edmund or Kevin Anderson, believes the unique circumstances in New York will lead to a number of shock results.

”This year is very different. What I find very interesting is, I want to see who is going to manage that better than anyone else… I think we’re going to see quite a few surprises this year.”

During the suspension of the ATP Tour, Alexander Zverev added a familiar face to his coaching set-up: former World No. 3 David Ferrer.

The 23-year-old spent over a month alongside the Spaniard in Monaco, working on his game as Ferrer adjusted to life as a coach, just one year after retiring from the sport at the 2019 Mutua Madrid Open.

“He is exactly how he was on court. He is like that as a coach. I can’t ask for more,” said Zverev. “He was known as the biggest fighter, the biggest competitor in the world… He is overachieving every single expectation I had of him as a coach. It is amazing.”

Despite Zverev and Ferrer’s different approaches to the game, the German has bonded well with Ferrer in the early stages of their relationship. Ferrer will not be present at the Western & Southern Open or the US Open, but will join Zverev for events in Europe.

“[Working with Ferrer] is great. Honestly, I have to say for me, that partnership so far is one of the best partnerships I have had,” said Zverev. “Our personalities are extremely similar, which you wouldn’t think because of our game styles and how we are on court.

“We get along super well and during the European swing he is going to be there. Unfortunately, he couldn’t come here but I am excited for what is ahead for us.”

One of the reasons Ferrer could prove to be an inspired choice for Zverev is his knowledge of current players on the ATP Tour, including Zverev. The pair contested eight ATP Head2Head encounters, with Zverev earning a fifth win against the 2013 Roland Garros runner-up in Ferrer’s final match as a professional in Madrid.

“We played a bunch of times. We played eight times in our careers, so he knows exactly what I need to improve from a player’s perspective,” said Zverev. “He knows how to play me. He knows what to do to beat me and to have chances against me.”

Ferrer has been meticulous in his plans to improve Zverev’s game. In fact, the 27-time tour-level champion has been analysing Zverev’s past performances on YouTube and bringing a detailed notepad to practice sessions.

“He came immediately with a notebook and said, ‘Okay, this, this, this and that’. He is extremely organised,” said Zverev. “We would practise together and if he sees after two hours of practice that I am not doing this or that well, he would go on YouTube and be spending time looking at videos from two or three years ago [to see] what I was doing better back then, what I am doing better now, how I improved and how my body developed.

“He is doing all sorts of things to just really improve my game and that is something very special. He just quit a year ago in Madrid and he is so into it already. I have enjoyed it and I have loved every second of it so far.”

The Tour suspension has given Zverev time to not only build a new coaching relationship, but also to appreciate life as an ATP Tour player. The World No. 7 has missed the unique feeling of competition and success since his most recent tournament appearance at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in February.

“I started to realise how much I miss tennis. How much I miss the emotions of playing in front of 20,000 people,” said Zverev. “How much I miss the emotions of competing and winning a big match that is important for me. How much I just miss being out there. The emotions and feelings you get on a tennis court, you don’t get them anywhere else… The emotions of winning a big match. The emotions of holding up a big trophy. That is something you don’t get anywhere else.”

Ahead of his return to action at the Western & Southern Open, Zverev took a moment to praise tournament organisers for their hard work to stage the event during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s edition of the ATP Masters 1000 event is being held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, ahead of the US Open which begins on 31 August.

“I think they have done a fantastic job when it comes to accommodation, when it comes to just making the players feel well in the circumstances,” said Zverev. “They built all sorts of little things. A mini golf course, they built basketball hoops all over the place, all sorts of little things… This event is special because we don’t know if we will ever get an opportunity like this again. Obviously we don’t want to, because we want the world to go back to normal again but this is a very special event for us.”

After reaching his maiden Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open in January, Zverev felt that he had returned to his best level after struggling with his game during the 2019 ATP Tour season. The 23-year-old will now look to build on his 6-5 start to the year in his return match against two-time Western & Southern Open champion Andy Murray or Frances Tiafoe.

“I feel like I am competitive again in the biggest tournaments,” said Zverev. “I showed that in Australia. When I arrived in Indian Wells before the tournament got cancelled, I felt like I was ready… We’ll see how everything goes now with the comeback, but I hope I can continue the form I had at the beginning of the year and maybe get even better.”