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First-Time Winner Spotlight: Casper Ruud

  • Posted: Feb 17, 2020

First-Time Winner Spotlight: Casper Ruud

Norwegian lifts maiden ATP Tour trophy in Buenos Aires

Casper Ruud became the first Norwegian to win an ATP Tour singles title on Sunday, defeating Portuguese Pedro Sousa to triumph at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires.

ATPTour.com caught up with the 2019 Next Gen ATP finals competitor after his victory to talk about his maiden tour-level crown, his rivalry with his father and coach, former World No. 39 Christian Ruud, and how he plans to celebrate.

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Casper’s A Champ! Ruud Wins First ATP Tour Title In Buenos Aires

What does winning your first ATP Tour title mean to you?
It’s a great feeling. I’m enjoying the moment, of course. It’s something very special when you get your first [ATP Tour] title and the biggest title of your career so far. I’m enjoying it a lot, but I also have to recharge and think forward, think of the next tournament.

I’m already playing in the next tournament again on Tuesday in Rio, so I have a big task ahead of me. But I will try as good as I can to be ready.

The Latin Swing has always been one of your strongest parts of the year. What about playing in South America suits you so well?
I think the most important [thing] is that it’s on clay. It’s a place where I enjoy coming. It was the first clay-court tournament for me this year. I want to develop my hard-court game also and I think that it’s going in the right way, but clay is the more natural surface for me.

I also enjoy the people, the crowd. They are very passionate down here about tennis and this tournament is really nice. Rio is also an amazing tournament, so there are many things to enjoy with this South American trip.

How much did having the experience of playing a final last year in Houston help you in this match?
I think it helped. Being in your first final is something very special. Last year, I lost the final in Houston against Cristian Garin and this year, I really wanted to try to get a win. It tasted really well when I won the match point and I could take my arms in the air to be a champion for the first time. It was very special.

Talk about how your move to Mallorca to train at the Rafa Nadal Academy has helped your game.
It’s a great place. I think it’s so good down there at his academy. It’s a great place if you want to be a professional tennis player. The academy has helped me so much with the coaches and everything down there, and also Rafa himself. He’s involved in my tennis and my career, so I owe them a lot of thanks and I will keep going down there for as long as I can.

You’re the first Norwegian player to win an ATP Tour title and you have a cool and funny rivalry with your father, former World No. 39 Christian Ruud. Is that over now?
I guess so. Now I’ve beaten his [FedEx ATP] Ranking and won an ATP Tour title, something he wasn’t able to do… I beat him in two different ways now, so I think now I don’t need to hear the question anymore, will I beat my father? Now I’ve done it, so I have to try to think even better and that I can reach even further.

You started the year with your first two Top 20 wins at the ATP Cup. How important was the way you played there?
It was a great start for me, beating two very good players. John Isner and Fabio Fognini are different types of players, so I think that gave me good confidence to start the year. In the Australian Open, I was a little, I’m not going to say unlucky, but it was a very close match that I lost, which is always a pity when you lose a five-setter and 7-6 in the fifth.

It’s a tough match to lose, but I still felt like I was playing well and I wanted to keep building on that for these tournaments down here. This is a great way to start the Latin Swing for me.

How will you celebrate tonight?
I don’t know. Maybe I will have a Coca-Cola and a good Argentine steak.

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Red-Hot Duckworth Soars To Career-High With Bengaluru Crown

  • Posted: Feb 17, 2020

Red-Hot Duckworth Soars To Career-High With Bengaluru Crown

Revisit the week that was on the ATP Challenger Tour, as we applaud the achievements of those on the rise and look ahead to the week to come…

A LOOK BACK
Bengaluru Open (Bangalore, India): James Duckworth picked up where he left off in 2019, adding yet another ATP Challenger Tour crown to his ledger. The Aussie stole the headlines last year with a tour-leading 49 match wins and four titles, and he would secure another piece of silverware on Sunday in Bengaluru.

Duckworth vaulted to a career-high No. 71 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, dropping just one set en route to his fifth title in less than a year. He defeated Benjamin Bonzi 6-4, 6-4 in the championship.

The 28-year-old Aussie has found a second home on Indian soil, having swept both Challengers in the country in recent months. Duckworth was also the champion in Pune in November and just last week he reached his first ATP Tour semi-final at the Tata Maharashtra Open.

“I have had a good run on Indian soil these two weeks. I may think of applying for citizenship,” Duckworth joked. “I am very happy to win here. It was a quality field and organised very efficiently. This win has given me the confidence to try and get to the Top 50.”

Bengaluru

Just two years ago, Duckworth was sitting outside the Top 1,000 as he bid to return from a litany of surgeries, including foot, shoulder and elbow operations. Now healthy, he is showing no signs of slowing down. It was his 11th Challenger title in total.

The Bengaluru Open returned to the calendar after a one year hiatus, having moved from November to February. The crown jewel of Indian tennis on the ATP Challenger Tour, the tournament is the first Challenger 125 event on Asian soil in 2020.

Duckworth

Cleveland Open presented by Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, Ohio, USA): It’s safe to say Mikael Torpegaard enjoys playing in Ohio. The Dane, who was a five-time All-American at Ohio State University, lifted his third Challenger trophy on Sunday in Cleveland. He capped a strong week at the Cleveland Racquet Club with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 win over Yosuke Watanuki.

Torpegaard adds a third Challenger title in total, with all victories coming in Ohio. He prevailed in nearby Columbus in both 2016 (indoor) and 2019 (outdoor), before triumphing this week. The 25-year-old rises to No. 177 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, sitting just 11 spots off his career-high.

For Watanuki, meanwhile, the surging Japanese star is closing in on a Top 200 return. Champion on home soil in Kobe to close the 2019 season, the runner-up finish in Cleveland marked his first professional final outside of Asia.

Torpegaard

Challenger La Manche (Cherbourg, France): In its 27th edition, the ATP Challenger Tour stop in Cherbourg celebrated a first. Roman Safiullin clinched his maiden title, becoming the first Russian winner at the storied tournament. The 22-year-old routed Roberto Marcora 6-4, 6-2 for the trophy on the indoor hard courts of the Complexe Sportif Chantereyne.

Safiullin is the youngest winner from Russia on the Challenger circuit since a 20-year-old Daniil Medvedev captured his lone title in 2016. The former junior No. 2 and 2015 Australian Open boys’ champion, he rises 57 spots to a career-high No. 174 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

It was a hard-earned title for Safiullin, who won six matches in six days to lift the trophy. That included four straight victories in deciding sets, all over home favourites. He edged both Mathias Bourgue and Maxime Janvier 7-5 in the third, before clipping fifth seed Quentin Halys and top seed Antoine Hoang to reach the final.

Safiullin

A LOOK AHEAD
Four tournaments highlight next week’s slate, including Challenger 80 stops in Bergamo, Drummondville, Koblenz and Morelos.

One year ago, Jannik Sinner announced his arrival in Bergamo, Italy, claiming his maiden title. This year, countryman Lorenzo Giustino is the top seed and another emerging teen – Leo Borg – is making his pro debut. The son of tennis legend Bjorn Borg, Leo will open against a qualifier on Tuesday.

In Drummondville, Canada, Dominik Koepfer, Go Soeda, Christopher O’Connell and Brayden Schnur lead a strong field, while Matias Franco Descotte returns as defending champion in Morelos, Mexico. Coming off a title in Dallas, #NextGenATP star Jurij Rodionov is seeded 10th at the Morelos Open.

At the Koblenz Open, a pair of Germans lead the way on home soil, with Yannick Maden and Yannick Hanfmann seeded first and second. Emerging Dutch talent Tallon Griekspoor is seeded third.

ATP Challenger Tour 

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Rotterdam Open: Gael Monfils beats Felix Auger-Aliassime to defend title

  • Posted: Feb 17, 2020

Gael Monfils beat Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-2 6-4 to win the Rotterdam Open for a second straight year.

Monfils, playing in his third Rotterdam final in five years, broke twice en route to serving out the opening set.

Auger-Aliassime, 19, saved four match points while trailing 5-2 in the second set but Monfils reasserted his dominance to win in 87 minutes.

The title was the second in seven days for 33-year-old Monfils after winning in Montpellier last weekend.

British number one Dan Evans was knocked out by third seed Monfils at the quarter-final stage.

Frenchman Monfils then beat Serb Filip Krajinovic in the semi-finals, while Auger-Aliassime beat Pablo Carreno Busta.

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Edmund beats Seppi in New York to win first ATP title for 16 months

  • Posted: Feb 17, 2020

British number three Kyle Edmund won his first ATP event since October 2018 by beating Andreas Seppi 7-5 6-1 in the final of the New York Open.

Edmund converted his one break point in the first set to take the opener against the 35-year-old Italian.

The 25-year-old then took a 3-0 lead in the second set before going on to win it and the match.

Edmund was in fine form with his serve as he hit 11 aces during the final and did not face any break points.

“There’s a lot hard work throughout the year, a lot of ups and downs that you don’t see behind the scenes,” said Edmund.

“To win this title means a lot to me.”

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Edmund Sprints To New York Title

  • Posted: Feb 17, 2020

Edmund Sprints To New York Title

Brit defeats Seppi on Sunday

Eighth-seeded Brit Kyle Edmund saved his best tennis for last on Sunday at the New York Open, winning eight of the last nine games in a comprehensive 7-5, 6-1 victory over Italian Andreas Seppi to take the title.

Edmund picked up his second ATP Tour crown, with his maiden trophy coming 16 months ago in Antwerp (d. Monfils). The 25-year-old improved to 7-3 this year and now leads Seppi 5-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, including a straight-sets victory last month in Auckland.

”There’s a lot hard work throughout the year, a lot of ups and downs that you don’t see behind the scenes. To win this title means a lot to me,” Edmund said.

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Seppi put in an outstanding effort to reach the final after saving a match point in his opening-round win against Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The 35-year-old is still seeking his first ATP Tour crown since 2012 Moscow (d. Bellucci) and dropped to 3-7 in tour-level finals.

”He played a good match today and he deserved to win,” Seppi said. “I enjoyed my time on this court and played some good matches this week. I’ll take the positives from here and move forward.”

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Both players traded comfortable service holds throughout most of the opening set. But with Seppi serving at 5-6, Edmund raised his level and added even more velocity to his groundstrokes. Using his forehand to push Seppi around the baseline, he earned a pair of set points and let out a roar after converting his first chance with a down-the-line backhand winner.

The grueling baseline rallies took their toll on Seppi in the second set and Edmund capitalised, grabbing 12 of the first 15 points for a 3-0 lead. The Brit continued to apply pressure in return games while remaining flawless on serve. The Brit dropped just eight service points throughout the day and won 94 per cent (31/33) of his first-serve points.

Edmund prevailed in another lengthy rally at 1-4 and earned an insurance break after the Italian pushed a slice backhand long. The Brit then closed out the match on his first try after one hour and 22 minutes.

Edmund earned 250 FedEx ATP Rankings points and a cheque for $120,635. Seppi picked up 150 points and $66,770.

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Granollers/Zeballos Save 3 Championship Points, Win Buenos Aires Title

  • Posted: Feb 17, 2020

Granollers/Zeballos Save 3 Championship Points, Win Buenos Aires Title

Granollers/Zeballos triumphed in Montreal last year on their team debut

Top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos battled through a wild Argentina Open final on Sunday, saving three championship points before defeating home favourites Guillermo Duran and Juan Ignacio Londero 6-4, 5-7, 18-16 to lift the trophy.

“It was crazy, it was a spectacular battle,” Zeballos said. “They raised their level and it ended up being a high-level match.”

Granollers and Zeballos, who won last year’s Coupe Rogers title in their tournament debut, saved championship points at 9/10, 11/12 and 15/16 before ultimately triumphing after one hour and 47 minutes. The Spanish-Argentine duo is now 17-6 as a team, also reaching last year’s US Open final.

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“The match points are played with tremendous nerves,” Zeballos said. “In the Match Tie-break we started very down, but we also had to think that the rivals play too, and they can dip the same way.”

Granollers and Zeballos struck nine aces and won 75 per cent of their first-serve points. They also won 71 per cent of their second-serve points, which was better than Duran and Londero’s first-serve winning percentage of 69 per cent. Granollers and Zeballos only lost one set en route to the trophy.

“We played a set and a half very well and won the game at the end,” Granollers said. “In doubles that happens, it is a format that is a lottery. We have endured well, fighting every point until the end.” 

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The champions earn 250 FedEx ATP Doubles Ranking points each and share $34,580. It is Granollers’ 19th tour-level doubles trophy and Zeballos’ 14th trophy.

This was Duran and Londero’s fourth tournament together, and they had not won a match as a team before this event. Duran and Londero, who did not lose a set before the final, split $17,720 and they add 150 points each.

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Monfils Sets Sights On Top 5, Further Success In 2020

  • Posted: Feb 16, 2020

Monfils Sets Sights On Top 5, Further Success In 2020

Frenchman owns 13-2 record in 2020

After winning nine consecutive matches to capture multiple titles in a single season for the first time, Gael Monfils made one thing clear at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament: he is just getting started.

“[In the FedEx ATP Rankings, I want] to reach the fifth spot. I have been sixth,” said Monfils.

The World No. 9, who reached a career-high No. 6 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in November 2016, defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets on Sunday to add to the record-tying third Montpellier title he lifted last week. Monfils has won 13 of 15 matches this year, with his only losses coming against Australian Open finalists Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem in the opening month of the 2020 ATP Tour season.

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A Top 5 position is not the only goal on Monfils’ checklist. The Frenchman also targeted a return to an ATP Masters 1000 final. Monfils has finished as a runner-up on three occasions at a Masters 1000 event, most recently at the 2016 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

“[I would like] to reach the final at another Masters 1000,” said Monfils. “Why not try to win one?”

Monfils’ long-term goal is to put himself in a position to win a Grand Slam title and end France’s 37-year wait for a male Grand Slam singles champion. Yannick Noah, the 1983 Roland Garros titlist, is the only French man to win a Grand Slam singles trophy in the Open Era (since 1968).

“The dream is to win a Grand Slam and that is what I am playing for and training for,” said Monfils. “It is tough, but I believe that maybe one day I will be lucky enough to win one.”

Whether Monfils will be able to achieve these goals is a question that only time can answer, but the Frenchman knows the foundation he will need to give himself a chance of success.

“I need to keep healthy, to keep being 100 per cent and definitely to keep the belief that I can make it.”

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Inglot/Qureshi Take First Team Title In New York

  • Posted: Feb 16, 2020

Inglot/Qureshi Take First Team Title In New York

British-Pakistani pair prevail on Sunday

Dominic Inglot/Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi took their partnership to new heights at the New York Open, clinching the doubles title on Sunday with a tight 7-6(5), 7-6(6) win over Steve Johnson/Reilly Opelka.

Inglot/Qureshi picked up their first ATP Tour doubles title as a team. The British-Pakistani duo began playing at the start of this year and finished runner-up last week in Montpellier (l. to Cacic/Pavic). This is the 14th tour-level doubles title for Inglot and the 18th for Qureshi.

”They put up an absolute fight and it’s never over until it’s over. We were panicking when they kept breaking us, so pulling this out means a lot,” Inglot said. “Aisam and I had a tough week losing in the final last week, so I’m glad we were able to make it one step further here.”

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Johnson dropped to 1-2 in tour-level doubles finals and Opelka still seeks his first doubles crown. The American pair were competing as a team for just the second time, having lost in the opening round last year at this event.

”Reilly let me down. My back is still hurting from trying to carry you,” joked Johnson. “This was a fun week and I always enjoy coming back here.”

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Inglot/Qureshi started out strongly, breaking Opelka in the second game of the match and taking 12 of the first 13 points. The American pair found their footing and earned the break back after Inglot let slip a 40/0 lead on his serve at 3/1.

A double fault from Opelka at 1/1 in the first-set tie-break gave Inglot/Qureshi a mini-break advantage and they quickly built a 6/2 lead. The American pair saved the first three set points, but Johnson missed a routine backhand volley at 6/5 to wrap up the opening set.

Inglot/Qureshi grabbed the momentum at 3-3 in the second set by breaking Johnson after Qureshi knocked off a volley winner. Qureshi couldn’t convert his opportunity to serve out the match at 5-4 and Johnson/Opelka broke back to the delight of the home crowd.

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The British-Pakistani team earned their first championship point at 6/5 in the second-set tie-break, but Johnson erased it with a forehand volley winner. With the score tied at 6/6, Johnson sent a forehand passing shot just wide and a big serve from Inglot wrapped up play after one hour and 34 minutes.

Inglot/Qureshi picked up 250 FedEx ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $40,690. Johnson/Opelka walked away with 150 FedEx ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $20,860.

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Casper's A Champ! Ruud Wins First ATP Tour Title In Buenos Aires

  • Posted: Feb 16, 2020

Casper’s A Champ! Ruud Wins First ATP Tour Title In Buenos Aires

Ruud is first Norwegian to win an ATP Tour title

Casper Ruud will never forget his trip to the 2020 Argentina Open.

The 21-year-old became the first Norwegian to win an ATP Tour title on Sunday, defeating Portugal’s Pedro Sousa 6-1, 6-4 in one hour and 11 minutes. Not only was the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier thrilled to lift his maiden tour-level trophy, but he will have family bragging rights on Monday.

Christian Ruud, Casper’s father and coach, reached a career-high FedEx ATP Ranking of No. 39 in October 1995, more than three years before his son was born. But on Monday, Casper will surpass his father as the highest-ranked Norwegian ever, as he is projected to climb to a career-best World No. 34.

Ruud became the youngest Buenos Aires champion by one year (Guillermo Coria, 22, 2004) with a flawless performance against Sousa, a lucky loser, pushing the first-time ATP Tour finalist well behind the baseline throughout the match and forcing the Portuguese to stay on defence or go for risky shots, leading to unforced errors. Ruud won all nine of his service games without facing a break point, while he broke three times and won 43 per cent of his return points.

The eighth seed broke in his first return game of the match when Sousa, who had his left leg heavily wrapped, missed a cross-court forehand wide. That set the tone for the match, as Ruud used his heavy forehand to open up the court throughout. While Sousa often leapt into backhands to try to add some extra pace to the ball from deep in the court, he never found a way to take Ruud out of his comfort zone.

Ruud crushed an inside-in return winner to secure a second break in the opener, before another Sousa unforced error — he missed a forehand down the middle long — gave the Norwegian the opening set. The Portuguese then hit back-to-back double faults in the first game of the second set to hand Ruud the break.

The Oslo-native Ruud did not look back from there, weathering Sousa’s improving level and the crowd, which was behind the Portuguese. Sousa let the ball fly as Ruud served for the match, earning a 15/30 advantage and later saving a championship point with a rocketed forehand down the line. But Ruud held his nerve, dropping his racquet and lifting both arms in the air after Sousa missed a final forehand from well off the court.

Ruud showed his clay-court prowess from a young age, reaching the 2017 Rio Open presented by Claro semi-finals when he was 18. He advanced to his first ATP Tour final last year in Houston at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship, where he was the youngest finalist since 19-year-old Andy Roddick in 2002.

The Norwegian, who has won more than 64 per cent of his tour-level matches on this surface (34-19), adds 250 ranking points and $102,535. Sousa, the third Portuguese ATP Tour finalist in the Open Era, claims 150 points and $56,760.

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Scouting Report: 15 Things To Watch In Rio de Janeiro, Marseille & Delray Beach

  • Posted: Feb 16, 2020

Scouting Report: 15 Things To Watch In Rio de Janeiro, Marseille & Delray Beach

An executive summary of what every fan should know about the coming week on the ATP Tour

There will be an ATP 500 tournament and two ATP 250 events for the second consecutive week, with four of the Top 10 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings in action. Dominic Thiem leads the way at the season’s first clay-court ATP 500, the Rio Open presented by Claro, while Daniil Medvedev and Nick Kyrgios are the top seeds at the Open 13 Provence and the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com, respectively.

Draws: Rio de Janeiro | Marseille | Delray Beach

Stream live on Tennis TV or watch on your local TV channel – see more information on the ATP Tour TV Schedule.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN RIO DE JANEIRO
1) Thiem Time:
Dominic Thiem, who pushed Novak Djokovic to the brink in a five-set Australian Open final, is the top seed in Rio de Janeiro. The Austrian owns a 10-3 record at this event, where he lifted the trophy in 2017.

2) Dusan’s Drive: Dusan Lajovic has enjoyed a tremendous start to the season, winning four matches at the ATP Cup, reaching the third round of the Australian Open and making the quarter-finals in Buenos Aires. The second seed will try to maintain his momentum in Rio de Janeiro, where he is the second seed.

3) 2016 Champ Back: Besides Thiem, the only former champion in the draw is 2016 winner Pablo Cuevas. The Uruguayan has won 61 per cent of the clay-court matches he has played in his career, ranking as his top surface.

4) Ruud Roaring: 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals competitor Casper Ruud has proven himself a clay-court stalwart, and he made his first big breakthrough on the ATP Tour three years ago in Rio de Janeiro. When he was 18, the Norwegian made the semi-finals at this ATP 500. This edition, he is the eighth seed.

5) From London To Rio: Two doubles teams that competed in last year’s Nitto ATP Finals are the top two seeds in the doubles draw in Rio de Janeiro: No. 1 seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah and No. 2 seeds Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo. 

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/dominic-thiem/tb69/overview'>Dominic Thiem</a> enjoys a visit to Arpoador ahead of the 2020 <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/rio-de-janeiro/6932/overview'>Rio Open presented by Claro</a>.
Dominic Thiem is the top seed in Rio de Janeiro.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN MARSEILLE
1) Six Top 20 Players: Six of the Top 20 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings will compete in Marseille, as will former Top 10 players Marin Cilic, Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon, who are unseeded. Simon has triumphed in Marseille twice.

2) #NextGenATP Stars: Two former Next Gen ATP Finals champions competing in the Open 13 Provence are second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and unseeded Italian star Jannik Sinner. There are five other players who have competed in Milan in the draw. Tsitsipas is the defending champion. #NextGenATP star Felix Auger-Aliassime is the seventh seed.

3) Medvedev Magic: Top seed Daniil Medvedev reached an ATP Tour-leading nine finals in 2019. The Russian, who has a first-round bye, will try to reach his first championship match of 2020 in Marseille.

4) Goffin Goes For Glory: Third seed David Goffin, the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up, is pursuing his first ATP Tour title since 2017 Tokyo. The Belgian is off to a fast start in 2020, beating Rafael Nadal in straight sets at the ATP Cup and making the Montpellier semi-finals.

5) Blockbuster Showdown: The top seeds in the doubles draw, Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies, will play reigning Nitto ATP Finals singles champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and his brother, Petros Tsitsipas, in the first round. Krawietz and Mies defeated Stefanos and Michail Pervolarakis at the ATP Cup, triumphing in an epic 32-point Match Tie-break.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/stefanos-tsitsipas/te51/overview'>Stefanos Tsitsipas</a> wins the <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/marseille/496/overview'>Open 13 Provence</a> title without dropping a set.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is the defending champion in Marseille.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN DELRAY BEACH
1) Radu Returns: One year ago, Radu Albot became the first Moldovan to win an ATP Tour title, saving three championship points against Daniel Evans to beat the Brit in a final-set tie-break and triumph in Delray Beach. Now 30, Albot returns to the home of his maiden trophy as the eighth seed.

2) Nick In Action: Nick Kyrgios is the top seed at this ATP 250 event, and the Aussie will compete for the first time since falling in a three-hour, 38-minute thriller against Rafael Nadal in the fourth round of the Australian Open. Kyrgios fell against Albot in his Delray Beach debut last year.

3) Raonic Ready To Roar: Former World No. 3 Milos Raonic is pursuing his first ATP Tour title since 2016 Brisbane, and he will take confidence knowing he has enjoyed success in Delray Beach. The big-serving Canadian made the final on his debut in 2017, but could not compete in the final due to a hamstring tear in his right leg. Raonic is 5-1 at this tournament.

4) New York Meets Delray: Kyrgios may headline the top section, but there is plenty of New York flavour in it as well. Four players who made last week’s New York Open quarter-finals will be whittled down to one by the last eight. Sixth seed Ugo Humbert will play Kyle Edmund and Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic will face Aussie Jordan Thompson.

5) Bryan Brothers Go For No. 6: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan will compete in Delray Beach for the last time, and they will try to go out with a bang. The twins, who own more doubles titles at this event than any other tandem, pursue their sixth trophy at this ATP 250. They will play Kyrgios and Thompson in the first round.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/radu-albot/a829/overview'>Radu Albot</a> overcomes <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/steve-johnson/j386/overview'>Steve Johnson</a> in a final-set tie-break to reach the <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/delray-beach/499/overview'>Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com</a> semi-finals.
Radu Albot won his first ATP Tour trophy in Delray Beach last year.

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