Top seeds Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo went two-for-two on Friday at the Winston-Salem Open to win their first ATP Tour team title of 2019. The Polish-Brazilian pairing beat American wild cards Nicholas Monroe/Tennys Sandgren 6-7(6), 6-1, 10-3 on Friday evening to claim the ATP 250 championship, their 13th doubles crown together.
Kubot/Melo dismissed Brits Jamie Murray/Neal Skupski 6-2, 6-3 earlier in the day. Both doubles semi-finals were postponed until Friday because of rain on Thursday.
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Kubot/Melo, four-time titlists together in 2018, were 0-2 in title matches this season (Indian Wells, Halle) coming into the final. But the veteran pairing saved all five break points faced in the second set and ran away with the Match Tie-break. They’ll receive 250 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $40,600 in prize money.
Monroe/Sandgren were playing in their second tournament together after falling in the first round of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati last week. They beat Belgians Sander Gille/Joran Vliegen 7-6(1), 6-4 to reach the title match. The Americans will receive 150 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $20,800 in prize money.
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 26 Aug – 8 Sep
Coverage: Live text and radio commentary on selected matches on the BBC Sport website and app
Great Britain’s Harriet Dart is through to the main draw of the US Open for the first time following victory over Chinese teenager Wang Xiyu.
Dart, 23, won 6-2 5-7 6-3 in a tense final qualifying match in New York which involved 36 break points.
The British number three converted two of 11 break points in the first set but Wang broke late for a third time to win the second.
Dart recovered well and won the last four games in the final set.
The world number 140 joins British number one Johanna Konta in the women’s main draw but compatriots Heather Watson and Katie Swan lost in the first round of qualifying.
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Dart reached the third round at Wimbledon this year and qualified for the Australian Open in January.
The US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year, starts on Monday.
Nadal: ‘Playing On The Street With Friends’ Contributed To Success
Aug232019
Three-time champion calls 2013 triumph his best memory from US Open
Rafael Nadal received a hero’s welcome from fans as he made his way onto Louis Armstrong Stadium for Media Day at the 2019 US Open, but the three-time champion shared that the opposite – a normal upbringing filled with both fun and challenging moments – has been instrumental to his success on the ATP Tour.
“You need to be prepared for the tough moments,” he said. “If you overprotect the young kids when they have problems – because in life you are going to have problems at some point – probably they are not very well-prepared…
“Probably that’s one of the reasons I have been able to be very competitive at very young stages of my career. I probably got a normal education, not like superstar education. I just played on the street with my friends. I had a very really normal life. That helps you to grow with the normal education.”
Nadal’s best memory from Flushing Meadows, rather than being the completion of his career Grand Slam here in 2010, was borne from one of those tough moments. The Spaniard missed the second half of the 2012 season with a left knee injury, and returned to finish 2013 as the year-end No. 1 with 10 titles from a career-high 14 finals.
“I think the match I have the best memory [of] probably is the final of 2013,” he said. “[It was an] important victory for me after a big and long injury in 2012. Being able to win a Grand Slam here on hard courts again was so special for me.”
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The 33-year-old Spaniard, who added another US Open title to his collection in 2017, is still going strong 16 years after his tournament debut. Ahead of the season’s final major, Nadal claimed a record-extending 35th ATP Masters 1000 title at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal (d. Medvedev). Since mid-May, he’s won 21 of his past 22 matches and, in the process, became the first player this season to qualify for the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals.
“Of course, arriving to the big events with good feelings helps,” said the World No. 2. “My last events have been win Rome, win in Roland Garros, semi-finals in Wimbledon, and winning Montreal. That’s a positive feeling, positive memory on my mind. That helps for the confidence.”
Nadal’s sole loss during that period came against Roger Federer at Wimbledon, but the earliest he could face either the Swiss or defending champion Novak Djokovic would be in the final, with his chief rivals in the top half of the draw.
“I have plenty of work before that to know if I have an advantage or not,” he said of being in the other half. “So let’s see if I am able to do my work for my side.”
This year, Nadal is seeded to meet Roland Garros finalist Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals. But his first test will come against Australian John Millman, who scored a big upset last year in New York when he defeated Federer.
Nadal and Thiem played arguably the most memorable match of the 2018 US Open, when the Spaniard claimed a 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-6(5) victory in a quarter-final battle that wrapped up at 2:04 in the morning. Nadal, who also played lengthy matches against Karen Khachanov and Nikoloz Basilashvili earlier in the tournament, ended up retiring in his semi-final match against Juan Martin del Potro with a knee injury.
Read: A Night To Remember As Nadal Survives Thiem In Classic
“My feeling on the knees are better this year than last year,” he said. “Last year the problem was I played three or four very, very long matches. That’s tough…
“I hope to be ready for it. I think I am playing well. I am practising the right way during these days. Of course, winning in Montreal helps. I am ready for the action.”
Canadian trying to reach first ATP Tour final this week
Denis Shapovalov reached his second semi-final of the season on Friday at the Winston-Salem Open, beating Russian Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6(4) to make the last four at the ATP 250 event.
Before this week, the #NextGenATP Canadian hadn’t won back-to-back matches since his last semi-final, at the Miami Open presented by Itau in March. But Shapovalov, with former World No. 8 Mikhail Youzhny in his coaching box on a trial basis, has turned his season around in North Carolina.
The 20-year-old hit 10 aces and won 61 per cent of his second-serve points against Rublev, who beat seven-time Western & Southern Open champion Roger Federer last week in Cincinnati.
Shapovalov will face Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, who beat #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-1. Hurkacz beat Shapovalov in March at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, their lone FedEx ATP Head2Head encounter, and is also trying to reach his first ATP Tour final.
In the other semi-final, top seed Benoit Paire will meet American Steve Johnson. Paire overcame a mid-match dip to beat Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-3. The Frenchman is going for his third ATP Tour title of the season this week.
Johnson, who won an ATP Challenger Tour event in Aptos two weeks ago, is through to his first ATP Tour semi-final of the season. The 29-year-old outlasted 14th seed John Millman of Australia 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 26 Aug – 8 Sep
Coverage: Live text and radio commentary on selected matches on the BBC Sport website and app
Roger Federer says a caravanning holiday around the Swiss countryside has left him feeling the best he has “in years” before the US Open.
Federer, 38, is going for a record sixth Open era men’s singles title in New York.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion, who last won at Flushing Meadows in 2008, says the trip helped him process his Wimbledon defeat by Novak Djokovic.
“Overall, if I look back, I’m very happy,” Federer said.
“The way I played at Wimbledon is going to give me some extra confidence.
“This is probably the best I’ve felt in years coming into the US Open which is encouraging.”
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Federer beat long-time rival Rafael Nadal in a memorable semi-final at the All England Club, then lost to top seed Djokovic in a historic fifth-set tie-break after holding two match points.
“I struggled a little bit the first couple days. At the same time I was caravanning with my kids. I didn’t have that much time thinking about all the missed opportunities,” Federer, who lost to Australian John Millman in the US Open last 16 last year, said at Flushing Meadows on Friday.
“I was setting up tables and organising my life for my four children, driving around the beautiful countryside in Switzerland.
“Sometimes you have flashbacks, things like ‘oh, I could have done that, should have done that’.
“The next day you’re having a glass of wine with your wife thinking ‘the semis was pretty good, even the finals was pretty good’. You go in phases.
“It took me maybe a couple of days to get those things out of the system, like it takes with everything.
“I’ve had a great run through the clay, on the grass as well, that I was not going to be too down on myself. I hope it’s going to help me for here.”
Federer won all five of his US Open titles consecutively between 2004 and 2008, putting him alongside Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras in terms of victories since the Open era was introduced in 1968.
“I’m not putting extra pressure on myself,” the third seed, who will play a qualifier in the first round, said.
“I know it’s going to be tough. I’m not coming in as the overwhelming favourite like maybe I did back in 2006 or 2007.
“I’m very much aware of how I need to approach this tournament mentally.”
Federer has only played once since his Wimbledon loss, suffering his quickest defeat in 16 years when he was beaten 6-3 6-4 by Russian Andrey Rublev at the Cincinnati Masters.
“It might be a good thing that I lost early, who knows,” Federer said.
“Maybe I needed to get knocked down in Cincy, get my act together, train hard. That’s what I did. Now I’m ready for the US Open.”
Federer: ‘I Needed To Get Knocked Down In Cincy, Get My Act Together’
Aug232019
Swiss begins his pursuit of sixth US Open title against a qualifier
Roger Federer has won the US Open five times, but all of those victories in Flushing Meadows came in consecutive years from 2004-08. Nevertheless, the 38-year-old arrives in New York confident as he begins his pursuit of a 21st Grand Slam title.
“We were talking on the practice court yesterday or two days ago, this is probably the best I’ve felt in years coming into the US Open again, which is encouraging,” Federer said.
The Swiss superstar has long enjoyed success at the season’s final major, advancing to at least the fourth round in his past 17 appearances, dating back to 2001. But since his string of championships here, Federer has made the final just twice, in 2009 and 2015.
“It hasn’t always been easy here,” Federer said. “Two years ago I came in with a back issue a little bit, I had a struggle early on with five-setters. I remember Tiafoe and others. That set the tone the tournament was going to be tough. Last year I struggled with the heat against Millman… 2016 I missed it entirely.
“I mean, look, I have no explanation why it didn’t go as well as it did. I think [I was] a bit unlucky [with health] for sure, also. That was part of it.”
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Although Federer has a strong 85-13 record at this tournament, he has not lifted the trophy in New York in 11 years. The World No. 3 doesn’t feel an itch to rejoin the winners’ circle here just because of that compared to his usual desire to triumph, though.
“I’m not putting extra pressure on myself. I know it’s going to be tough. I’m not coming in as the overwhelming favourite like maybe I did back in 2006 or 2007. I’m very much aware of how I need to approach this tournament mentally,” Federer said. “What I’m very proud of is I’ve had a very consistent last year and a half, two years, ever since my back locked up on me in Montreal. I struggled here as well, struggled for quite a while.
“I’ve been playing well. Playing well in Slams recently, which has been great. I think also the win over Rafa in the semis [of Wimbledon] was big for me. Also the finals, the way I played that in Wimbledon, is going to give me some extra confidence.”
Federer was desperately close to claiming his ninth Wimbledon title, earning two championship points against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. But the Serbian was able to capitalise on a missed forehand from the Swiss and a passing shot from his own racquet to stay in the match, before emerging victorious after a final-set tie-break at 12-all.
“I struggled a little bit the first couple days. At the same time I was caravaning with my kids. I didn’t have that much time thinking about all the missed opportunities. I was setting up tables and organising my life for my four children, driving around the beautiful countryside in Switzerland,” Federer said. “Sometimes you have flashbacks, things like, ‘Oh, I could have done that, should have done that.’ The next day you’re having a glass of wine with your wife thinking, ‘The semis was pretty good, even the finals was pretty good.’ You go in phases.
“We put up a great fight. Somebody had to win. Novak was the better man on the day. He was tough. I don’t know. I’ve been there before, had some tough losses along the way. So many great wins, as well. I was just more upset rather than being sad. I think being upset made me get over that finals much easier than being sad, dwelling over it too much.”
In his only tournament since Wimbledon, Federer was upset in the third round of the Western & Southern Open by Andrey Rublev. The last three times Federer lost that early in Cincinnati (‘08 R16, ‘06 R32 & ‘04 R1), he went on to lift the US Open trophy.
“I’m happy where my game is at. Cincinnati might be a good thing that I lost early, who knows. It’s maybe one of those things that sometimes needs to happen, like when I won at the Australian Open, went to Dubai, lost first round in ’17, then went on to win Indian Wells and Miami,” Federer said. “Maybe the same thing, played a great Wimbledon. Needed to get knocked down in Cincy, get my act together, train hard. That’s what I did. I’m ready for the US Open.
“It’s going to be a tough tournament to win, no doubt about it. I feel like I’m part of that group who can do it.”
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 26 Aug – 8 Sep
Coverage: Live text and radio commentary on selected matches on the BBC Sport website and app
Carlos Ramos will not umpire any matches involving Serena or Venus Williams at this year’s US Open, tournament officials have confirmed
The Portuguese umpire docked Serena Williams a game for verbal abuse in last year’s final against Naomi Osaka.
Williams, 37, called Ramos a “liar” and a “thief” having already received a point penalty for smashing her racquet.
She was also handed a code violation for coaching during the final in New York, which she lost in straight sets.
US Open referee Soeren Friemel says the decision is a good one for the tournament, the players and the umpires.
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“We have selected the best officials for the 2019 US Open, and there is some flexibility,” he told reporters at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre at Flushing Meadows
“It’s not the first time that we made decisions that is good for the tournament, is good for the players, and is good for the umpires as well to not be on those matches.
“In the end, our goal is to assign the best chair umpire for the right match so in taking all those factors into consideration, the decision was made that he would not do any of the Williams sisters’ matches.”
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In heated exchanges in last year’s final, Williams told Ramos “you will never, ever, ever be on another court of mine as long as you live.”
But the US Open says the decision has been taken “collectively,” and not in response to a request from the Williams sisters.
It is not unusual for umpires to be kept away from players after a contentious match.
The Brazilian Carlos Bernardes did not umpire Rafael Nadal for a significant period after a disagreement about time violations at a tournament in Rio in 2015.
Ramos umpired this year’s Australian Open semi-final between Petra Kvitova and Danielle Collins, but has not yet been given the chance to add to his tally of 10 Grand Slam singles finals.
“Carlos has worked all the other Grand Slams,” Friemel added.
“He has done Davis Cup, Fed Cup, and he’s going to work the Davis Cup final so he’s considered still for all high-profile matches.”
The US Open is the final Grand Slam of the year, and begins in New York on Monday.
All four Winston-Salem Open singles quarter-finals and both doubles semi-finals will be played on Friday, weather permitting, after nearly a complete washout postponed action on Thursday at the ATP 250 event. Among the singles quarter-finals to watch, top seed Benoit Paire will face 11th seed Pablo Carreno Busta. Their match was suspended with Paire leading in the first set 4-3.
Andrey Rublev, Roger Federer’s Cincinnati conqueror, is to meet second seed Denis Shapovalov of Canada.
In doubles, Jamie Murray/Neal Skupski will try to reach their first team final against top seeds Marcelo Melo/Lukasz Kubot, and Belgians Sander Gille/Joran Vliegen will meet American wild cards Nicholas Monroe/Tennys Sandgren. View Friday’s Complete Schedule
Italy’s Sinner, 18, One Match Away From US Open Main Draw
Aug222019
Teenager fell in first round of Wimbledon qualifying in June
#NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner, 18, is on the verge of qualifying for his first Grand Slam. The teenager fought past 28-year-old Croatian Viktor Galovic 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-5 in two hours, 49 minutes to move into the third and final round of US Open qualifying on Thursday.
Sinner, No. 131 in the ATP Rankings, won only one more point than Galovic and will next meet 24-year-old Spaniard Mario Vilella Martinez, No. 202 in the ATP Rankings. Martinez beat Aussie Akira Santillan 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-2.
Sinner won his first tour-level match in May at the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome, beating American veteran Steve Johnson in three sets. The teenager then won his second ATP Challenger Tour title three weeks ago in Lexington.
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Czech Jiri Vesely, who reached a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 35 in April 2015, beat 23rd seed Jason Jung 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 and will face 15th seed Paolo Lorenzi for a place in the main draw. The 37-year-old Italian beat Frenchman Enzo Couacaud 7-6(3), 6-3.
Spanish veteran Guillermo Garcia-Lopez swept American Noah Rubin 6-1, 7-6(3) and will meet Constant Lestienne of France. The 27-year-old Paris resident beat Italian Alessandro Giannessi 6-3, 6-0.
Shapovalov-Felix US Open Rematch Leads Five Matches To Watch
Aug222019
Tsitsipas & Rublev, who met in Milan last year, to battle for spot in second round
The US Open draw ceremony was held Thursday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, with one of the highlights being third seed Roger Federer getting drawn into defending champion Novak Djokovic’s half of the draw. But there are plenty of reasons to watch the action from the first match, and ATPTour.com examines five of the first-round matches to watch.
Draw Preview | View Draw
[18] Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Denis Shapovalov It was unlikely these two #NextGenATP Canadian phenoms would play each other in the first round of the US Open last year. To happen again in 2019 is insane, right? But the sensations will have to once again put aside their friendship to play for a spot in the second round at Flushing Meadows.
When they met here last season, Auger-Aliassime, No. 117 in the ATP Rankings at the time, had qualified, whereas Shapovalov was the 28th seed. Felix was forced to retire during the third set of that match due to a reoccurring heart problem. Auger-Aliassime evened their FedEx ATP Head2Head series with a straight-sets victory this year at the Mutua Madrid Open.
And this time in New York, Auger-Aliassime is the player who enters the match with the momentum. The 19-year-old cracked the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings for the first time this week, and he has won 31 of his 37 tour-level matches this year, making his first three finals in Rio de Janeiro, Lyon and Stuttgart.
“Felix is playing more of a defensive-minded game style, but with the ability to attack, too,” former Canadian great Nestor said about Auger-Aliassime’s game in Montreal. “Denis is more of the aggressive type and the shot-maker. He’s going big and hopefully he gets hot and when he gets hot, he’s a Top 5 player.”
[8] Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Andrey Rublev The two up-and-comers met at last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, a five-set win for Tsitsipas. But Tsitsipas, Greece’s #NextGenATP star, won’t be full of confidence ahead of their second FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting.
The No. 8 player in the ATP Rankings is on a three-match losing streak, including opening-round losses at the past two ATP Masters 1000 events in Montreal and Cincinnati, and Tsitsipas didn’t make it past the second round at last year’s US Open (l. to Medvedev).
Rublev, meanwhile, could hardly have envisioned a better North-American hard-court swing. The 21-year-old Russian, who missed three months last year (back), upset Roger Federer in straight sets at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati and is playing in the quarter-finals at this week’s Winston-Salem Open. Rublev also will be able to rely on past good memories in New York, having reached the 2017 quarter-finals (l. to Nadal), becoming the youngest US Open quarter-finalist since Andy Roddick in 2001.
[11] Fabio Fognini vs. Reilly Opelka Can Italy’s No. 1 again dash an American hope in New York? Fognini beat American Michael Mmoh to start his 2018 US Open and will try to make it back-to-back years against the 6’11” Opelka, who recorded his best Grand Slam result at Wimbledon by making the third round (l. to Raonic).
Fognini, who made the fourth round in New York in 2015, is trying to reach his second Grand Slam quarter-final this fortnight (Roland Garros 2011), while Opelka, No. 42 in the ATP Rankings, will be going for his first win at his home Grand Slam. Fognini has proven himself one of the best baseliners in the world, cracking the Top 10 for the first time this year, but will he be able to get into enough rallies against the big-serving Opelka?
[2] Rafael Nadal vs. John Millman Surely John Millman can’t pull off the impossible two years in a row, can he? Last year, under the lights in Arthur Ashe Stadium, the veteran Aussie shocked five-time champion Roger Federer in the fourth round to make his first Grand Slam quarter-final.
Nadal, however, will have his eyes wide open at the challenge. The three-time US Open champion (2010, 2013, 2017) and 2018 semi-finalist (ret. vs. Del Potro) has never lost in the first round in Flushing and is going for his 19th Grand Slam title this fortnight.
[6] Alexander Zverev vs. Radu Albot On paper, this may look like a mismatch in Zverev’s favour. The reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion has won 11 ATP Tour titles and climbed as high as World No. 3, while Albot claimed his maiden tour-level trophy this year in Delray Beach and is currently No. 40 in the ATP Rankings.
But Albot is a tough competitor who will make Zverev play a lot of balls, and will take full advantage of any opportunities in rallies to take the ball early if Zverev remains well behind the baseline.
The German is in 10th place in the ATP Race To London, but he is coming off of an opening-match exit in Cincinnati. Now he will be made to work hard against Albot, who seeks his first Top 10 win. The pair also practised together Wednesday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
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