Henri Kontinen/John Peers made the Erste Bank Open quarter-finals in Vienna on Wednesday with a 6-2, 6-3 win against Frederik Nielsen/Tim Puetz. Kontinen/Peers are currently in eighth place in the ATP Race To London, with 2,910 points, and will next meet Marcus Daniell/Philipp Oswald, who beat Belgians Sander Gille/Joran Vliegen 4-6, 7-5, 10-7. The top eight doubles teams will compete at the Nitto ATP Finals, from 10-17 November at The O2 in London.

Rohan Bopanna/Denis Shapovalov advanced 7-6(6), 6-2 against home favourites Oliver Marach/Jurgen Melzerr and will next face top seeds Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo, who have already booked their place in London.

At the Swiss Indoors Basel, top seeds Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos saved all three break points to reach the quarter-finals with a 6-4, 7-6(3) win against Richard Gasquet/Edouard Roger-Vasselin. This year’s US Open finalists (l. to Cabal/Farah) will play Santiago Gonzalez/Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi for a place in the semi-finals.

In a rematch from this year’s Roland Garros final, Jeremy Chardy/Fabrice Martin got revenge by defeating third seeds Kevin Krawietz/Andreas Mies 7-6(2), 6-4. Chardy/Martin will next take on Taylor Fritz/Reilly Opelka.

Can anyone stop Roger Federer at the Swiss Indoors Basel? The top-seeded Swiss moved closer to a 10th title at this event with an outstanding 6-0, 6-3 second-round performance on Wednesday against Moldovan Radu Albot.

“I’m extremely happy because I really struggled against him in Miami and he definitely got my attention there. I was basically a point away from losing,” Federer said. “It was important for me to show a reaction to that match and come out with a proper game plan. I think I learned a lot from that match.

“I really respect Radu. He tries everything to win in a really tough and great and fair way. I’m very happy with the way I played. I had an answer for everything he threw at me today and that’s great.”

Are you kidding me, @rogerfederer?! ?

That’s MAGIC from RF! ?

?: @TennisTV | #SwissIndoorsBasel pic.twitter.com/kuZuciUqNP

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 23, 2019

Federer improved to 73-9 in Basel and has won his past 22 matches on centre court. The 38-year-old has dropped a mere five games in his first two rounds, competing in his 1,500th tour-level match as he defeated German Peter Gojowczyk on Monday.

“Maybe I was feeling some pressure [in my first appearances] and it was, in some ways, the hardest to play in front of friends and family in Basel, but not in the past 17 years,” Federer said. “I’ve really enjoyed every moment and always tried to understand how I should take advantage of playing at home.”

Read More: Goffin & Wawrinka Make Their Cases For London With Basel Wins

in Miami, Albot pushed Federer to the edge in a three-set tussle. Armed with the knowledge of how dangerous the Moldovan can be, Federer brought his best tennis from the first point. The Swiss dominated the baseline rallies throughout the opening set, firing 13 winners as he sprinted to an early advantage after 22 minutes.

Albot did his best to keep his spirits up and the crowd entertained in spite of the one-sided scoreline. He cracked a sarcastically bemused smile after a rare Federer error at 0-2 in the second set, then bowed to the crowd after holding serve in that game to get on the board.

But while the Moldovan won a moral victory by avoiding a double bagel, he wasn’t able to win much else on the night as Federer continued his vintage form. A strong backhand from the Swiss wrapped up play after 62 minutes. Federer finished the night with 32 winners to just 21 unforced errors, in addition to taking 75 per cent of his service points (30/40).

Rockstar reception for some rockstar tennis ?

Federer’s doing Federer things in Basel…

?: @TennisTV | @rogerfederer | #SwissIndoorsBasel pic.twitter.com/PY6avEZZLw

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 23, 2019

Awaiting Federer in the next round is seventh-seeded Swiss Stan Wawrinka or #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe, who both won their respective first-round matches on Wednesday. Federer leads Tiafoe 3-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, including a win in Basel two years ago. He also holds a 23-3 advantage over Wawrinka in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry and has prevailed in their past seven matches. Federer won their lone Basel clash in the 2011 semi-finals.

“I think the fans would love [a match against Stan] because he’s struggled at this tournament for some reason, but it’s great to see him back healthy,” Federer said. “We’ve always had some tough matches, even on hard courts. Hopefully this match happens for the fans.”

#NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur continued his dominance over Taylor Fritz with a 6-3, 6-3 win and improved to 3-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. The 20-year-old, who also defeated Fritz this July in the Atlanta final, racked up 10 break points and converted four to advance after one hour and 17 minutes. He’ll play Jan-Lennard Struff in the quarter-finals after the German defeated Swiss Henri Laaksonen 6-3, 6-4.

“I felt like I played a very complete match. I had a game plan and was able to stick to it. I’ve been working on just trying to keep that high level,” said De Minaur. “This is a tournament I’m really enjoying. Everything is easy and all the people are so nice, so it’s just a joy to play here.”

Lithuanian qualifier Ricardas Berankis picked up his 100th tour-level win with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 victory over Spaniard Pablo Andujar. Next up for Berankis is a second-round clash with third-seeded #NextGenATP Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Filip Krajinovic, runner-up last week in Stockholm (l. to Shapovalov), continued his top form by easing past fellow Serbian Laslo Djere 6-1, 6-4. The 27-year-old improved to 2-0 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Djere and will meet fifth-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini for a place in the quarter-finals.

Did You Know?
The five games Federer has dropped so far this week is the fewest he’s lost in his opening two matches in Basel since 2006. 

Gael Monfils will get his rematch with #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner. The Frenchman, who’s in contention for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, rallied to beat Austrian wild card Dennis Novak 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 on Wednesday at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.

Monfils hit 13 aces and converted all three break points. “There were some issues and I was getting very frustrated. I was battling with my body, my mind and obviously against the opponent. I think experience won [the match] for me,” Monfils said. “I think his level dropped a bit at 6-5 in the second set and he was a bit tense in the third set, so I tried to put the ball in and that was it.”

Monfils will next face the 18-year-old Sinner, who continued his impressive run by beating German veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber on Tuesday. Sinner beat Monfils last week en route to the semi-finals of the European Open in Antwerp (l. to Wawrinka). The Italian became the youngest ATP Tour semi-finalist since Borna Coric at the 2014 Swiss Indoors Basel.

Monfils added 45 points to his ATP Race To London tally with the first-round win and moved into 12^th place in the Race, passing Japan’s Kei Nishikori. Monfils, with 2,215 points, trails Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, who holds the eighth and final qualification spot (2,525 points), by 310 points. Two spots still remain for the season finale, to be held 10-17 November at The O2 in London.

Does John Isner have a future mixed doubles team on his hands? The big-serving American and his wife, Madison McKinley Isner, welcomed their second child on Sunday, a baby boy named John Hobbs Isner.

Isner shared the news on Tuesday via Instagram. Roberto Bautista Agut, Fabio Fognini, Jeremy Chardy and Andreas Seppi were among the players who showed their excitement at the latest arrival. He and Madison had their first child, a baby girl named Hunter Grace, in September 2018.

”We’re now a party of four! Say hello to John Hobbs Isner born on Oct 20,” Isner wrote. “My little girl couldn’t be prouder to be a big sister and my wife @madkool13 couldn’t be more amazing. I don’t know how you do it. You are and will be the best mother possible.”

Isner has posted a 30-17 record this season, taking the title in Newport (d. Bublik) and finishing runner-up at the Miami Open presented by Itau (l. to Federer).

Andrey Rublev and Alexander Bublik weren’t the only people showing off their athleticism on court on Wednesday at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.

With Bublik serving at 0-2, 15/0 in the final set, an errant forehand from Rublev floated into the air and well wide. Chair umpire Carlos Bernardes got more involved in the action than he anticipated and caught the ball from his courtside seat, sparking a round of applause from the centre court crowd.

Bublik may have won that battle, but it was Rublev who won the war by prevailing in a third-set tie-break to reach the second round.

David Goffin had lost his past three matches to Marin Cilic, but the sixth-seeded Belgian continued to push towards a third appearance at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over the Croatian on Wednesday at the Swiss Indoors Basel.

“It was a tough draw. To have [Marin] in the first round is not easy, but I knew I had to stay focussed on what I had to do. The key today was to serve well because it’s very fast indoors,” Goffin said. “I’ve always had close matches with him and it’s usually just a small difference.”

Blink and you’ll miss him ??

? : @TennisTV | @David__Goffin#SwissIndoorsBasel pic.twitter.com/0wKFNXXg4W

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 23, 2019

The victory keeps the 28-year-old in strong contention for one of the two remaining qualifying spots at The O2 in London, from 10-17 November. Goffin is 10th in the ATP Race to London with 2,370 points after Wednesday’s win. He is 245 points behind eighth-placed Matteo Berrettini, who is currently in the Erste Bank Open quarter-finals, and could add an additional 410 points if he wins the Basel title.

Home favourite Stan Wawrinka closed out Wednesday’s day session with a convincing 6-3, 6-4 win over Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas. The Swiss is in 15th place in the ATP Race to London with 1,865 points after his victory on Wednesday, but made solid inroads towards a fifth appearance at The O2 with the 150 points for his runner-up finish last week in Antwerp (l. to Murray).

“I’m really happy. I was sad to not be able to play the past two years. It was great a match from the beginning to the end. I served really well and was being super aggressive,” Wawrinka said. “It was an amazing crowd, amazing atmosphere and it’s great to play one more day here.”

Pablo Cuevas’ reaction is all of us after that point ??

?: @TennisTV | @stanwawrinka#SwissIndoorsBasel pic.twitter.com/uBfvMOozKE

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 23, 2019

Cilic’s serve is widely regarded as his biggest weapon, but it was Goffin who put on a serving clinic with 11 aces (compared to four for Cilic) and 76 per cent of first-serve points won (37/49). The Belgian was also rock-solid in return games and converted all three break points to advance in one hour and 12 minutes. He finished the day with a tidy 24 winners to just 20 unforced errors.

Goffin now holds a 4-3 lead in his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Cilic after defeating the Croatian for the first time since 2016. He’ll take on another big sever in American Reilly Opelka for a place in the quarter-finals.

Wawrinka, making his 14th appearance in Basel, hasn’t always excelled at this event and arrived with an 11-13 record. But he delighted the crowd with his top form against Cuevas, hammering 30 winners and taking 78 per cent (40/51) of his first-serve points. Wawrinka nailed his 10th ace of the day on match point to prevail in 67 minutes.

Next up for Wawrinka is #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe, who produced a convincing 6-4, 6-2 win over Brit Daniel Evans for his sixth ATP Tour quarter-final of the year. Earlier this week, Tiafoe qualified for his second appearance at the Next Gen ATP Finals, held from 5-9 November in Milan. 

Any formula for success requires a strong work ethic as a necessary ingredient. It’s a characteristic Alejandro Davidovich Fokina has met from an early age, and the #NextGenATP Spaniard’s commitment is already reaping him rewards.

On Monday, Davidovich Fokina burst into the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings for the first time in his budding career, leaping eight spots to No. 93. Pegged as one of Spain’s brightest young talents, the 20-year-old from Malaga is so far living up to lofty expectations during his steady rise.

“Breaking through [into the Top 100] is a huge step,” Davidovich Fokina tells ATPTour.com. “I see big things in my future. Even though it’s been a tough battle this year with lots of ups and downs, I’m trying to finish the season with strong results.”

Despite what he considers a difficult year, the teenager’s accomplishments are proof his hard work and dedication are paying off. Davidovich Fokina announced his arrival in 2019 with strong showings week after week while flashing all the signs that make for a promising star.

In the past 10 months, he has lifted his first ATP Challenger Tour title (Seville), reached his first ATP Tour-level semi-final (Estoril) and made his inaugural main draw at a Grand Slam (Roland Garros). Those results have catapulted the ambitious talent from No. 241 at the start of the year to his current ranking of No. 93, with several weeks to go before the end of the season.

As gracious as he is gifted, Davidovich Fokina credits his team for playing a critical role in his development. Since childhood, he’s been under the guidance of Jorge Aguirre, a prominent figure in Malaga tennis circles. The Spanish pupil is eager to repay his coach and team for their confidence in his abilities by fulfilling his own potential.

“I’ve had a great team backing me from the start,” says Davidovich Fokina. “They push me to learn and to grow every day. They’ve helped to build me into the player I become when I step on the court.”

Davidovich Fokina is 29-11 on the ATP Challenger Tour so far, which includes semi-final showings at Ningbo, China, and Biella, Italy; a pair of finals at Bangkok and Genova; and a title-winning effort in Seville.

By churning out consistent results on the ATP Challenger Tour, Davidovich Fokina has established himself as a player on the cusp of success at tour-level events in the near future. His short-term goal, however, is to finish the year in the best form possible. It’s at Challenger events in Liuzhou, China, this week and at Shenzhen next week where the #NextGenATP standout hopes his season will culminate with more positive results.

“I know that I can still improve in a lot of ways,” Davidovich Fokina says.

The Spaniard is already looking at the off-season as a chance to further refine his game. “Physically, technically and mentally, there’s room to grow. I plan on using the preseason to work on growing in those areas so I can start the next year even better than I did this one.”

The plan for the player and his team is to use this year’s gains as a vehicle toward even greater heights in 2020. One incentive to end the season on a high note: If his current ATP Ranking holds steady, Davidovich Fokina will be granted direct entry into the main draw at the Australian Open in January, an exciting and motivating prospect that the Spanish youngster relishes.

“That boosts my motivation even more,” the 2017 Wimbledon boys’ singles champion says about the possibility of Grand Slam entries without having to battle through three rounds of qualifying.

“It would mean I’d be able to save that energy for my main draw matches, and I would be a lot fresher if I have to go five sets. It’s difficult to compete at Grand Slams and even more so when you’re tired and must play longer to advance. [Direct entry] isn’t something that determines a career, but it’s definitely another step forward.”

Continued development and maturation are Davidovich Fokina’s focus points at this stage, and breaking into the Top 100 is just one step forward in what is poised to be a promising career.

Pablo Carreno Busta extended his late-season run of form on Wednesday by beating Denis Shapovalov for the second time in four weeks at the Erste Bank Open.

The Spaniard broke the four-match winning streak of last week’s Intrum Stockholm Open titlist with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over 72 minutes. Carreno Busta has now won 14 of his past 18 matches since reaching the US Open third round (l. to Goffin).

View Vienna Singles Draw

The former World No. 10 won the first three games of their fourth FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting, breaking in the second game when Shapovalov made a backhand error. The second set looked destined for a tie-break, but a wayward forehand from 20-year-old Shapovalov at 5-5, 30/40 gave Carreno Busta an opportunity to serve for his 29th match win of the season. Carreno Busta committed 11 unforced errors to Shapovalov’s 34.

Carreno Busta beat Shapovalov en route to lifting his fourth ATP Tour trophy at the Chengdu Open on 29 September and last week advanced to the Stockholm semi-finals (l. to Krajinovic). Shapovalov, who has already qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals in November, drops to a 31-25 match record in 2019.

Carreno Busta will next play eighth-seeded Croatian Borna Coric or Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan in the Vienna second round on Thursday.

Elsewhere, Shapovalov’s compatriot, sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who was due to play last week’s VTB Kremlin Cup champion Andrey Rublev, withdrew due to a left ankle injury. The Canadian is replaced in the main draw by Kazakhstani lucky loser Alexander Bublik.

Second seeds Raven Klaasen/Michael Venus encountered few problems in a convincing 6-3, 6-3 first-round win over Cristian Garin/Benoit Paire on Tuesday at the Swiss Indoors Basel. Next up for Klaasen/Venus are Ivan Dodig/Filip Polasek, who saved a set point at 5/6 in the first-set tie-break of their 7-6(6), 7-5 victory against Luca Margaroli/Jan-Lennard Struff.

Fourth seeds Jean-Julien Rojer/Horia Tecau held off a determined effort from Nikola Mektic/Franko Skugor to score a 6-3, 6-7(7), 10-5 win. Rojer/Tecau missed two match points at 6/5 and 7/6 in the second-set tie-break, but recovered quickly to set up a quarter-final battle with Jamie Murray/Neal Skupski.

At the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, third seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Nicolas Mahut saved all three break points in their 6-1, 6-4 victory over Grigor Dimitrov/Feliciano Lopez. Awaiting them in the quarter-finals are Andres Molteni/Diego Schwartzman, who took out Dominic Inglot/Austin Krajicek 6-7(5), 6-3, 10-5.

Fourth seeds Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury rallied from 2-5 in the second set and saved a set point at 4-5 to defeat Karen Khachanov/Andrey Rublev 6-4, 7-6(4). They’ll play Luke Bambridge/Ben McLachlan for a place in the semi-finals.