There’s a new hashtag that might trend on social media Friday evening, and it has nothing to do with hot shots or bloopers. Call it #ShoeGate2019.

It all stems from an unusual moment in the quarter-finals of the Citi Open. Stefanos Tsitsipas was serving at 7-5, 2-0 40/40 against Benoit Paire when he had to return to his chair to change his sneaker. The top seed’s left shoelace sometimes breaks on the last hole when he slides into a forehand.

It was the third time this week the Greek superstar had this problem, leading to a delay, and Paire was not thrilled waiting given he was making a push to get back on serve in the second set.

“In a way he was right that it happened many times in the past. There is nothing I can do about it. The only thing is probably [to] change my footwork,” Tsitsipas said. “I’ve been struggling with it, one of few players that has been struggling with it. I’m not doing it on purpose. Some people think I’m doing it on purpose. It always happens in crucial moments like this when I’m really trying hard, giving everything out on the court, trying to get every single ball back. That’s when it happens.

“It’s very irritating for me to keep playing with a shoe that’s not tight. It can fall off at any moment during the rally.”

After play resumed, Paire lost the next point. But instead of shifting sides of the court, the Frenchman went back to his chair, deciding he needed to change his own sneaker, chucking one that he took off away. That elicited plenty of laughter and cheers from the crowd as he did it. Paire presumably did not need to make the change, but he wanted to make a point.

“That was funny,” Tsitsipas said. “I didn’t know whether I have to laugh or keep a serious face. It was hilarious.”

Instead of breaking back, Paire lost the next game and the three after that to see his run come to an end in Washington, D.C. But all is well that ends well, as there were no hard feelings between the competitors. After match point, the two men embraced at the net, sharing a smile with one another. Paire told the reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion with a smile, “It’s okay. It was not against you.”

“We’re good friends,” Tsitsipas said. “We live in the same region, the south of France. We both practise there. He gets to come to the academy [where I train] pretty often. So I know him pretty well. He’s different on court when he plays than what he’s off court. There was nothing. He even told me there was nothing between me and him with the shoelace thing.”

The Top 8 seeds have a bye at the Coupe Rogers, Canada’s ATP Masters 1000 tournament. But Friday’s draw ceremony revealed plenty of tantalising first-round matches in Montreal, where four-time champion Rafael Nadal will look to retain his title.

Nick Kyrgios vs. Kyle Edmund
These 24-year-olds have only played one another once before, but that match provides plenty of reason to believe that this could be one of, if not the best match of the opening round in Canada. At last year’s Fever-Tree Championships, Kyrgios defeated Edmund 7-6 (3), 6-7 (5), 6-3.

Kyrgios struck 32 aces in that match, saving the only break point he faced. Once the competitors get into rallies, it should prove to be a battle of who can get a solid strike on a forehand first, as both players have the ability to control points off that wing, and even crush winners with one blow.

The winner will not have it any easier in the second round, with eighth seed Daniil Medvedev waiting in the wings.

Stan Wawrinka vs. Grigor Dimitrov
These former World No. 3s have played nine times in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry, with eight of those matches coming at either a Grand Slam or a Masters 1000 tournament. And although Wawrinka has won three in a row, with each of those victories coming since Wimbledon last year, this still promises to be an entertaining affair.

Wawrinka, who leads the series 5-4, will look to hit through the Bulgarian with his powerful groundstrokes, using heavy shots from deep in the court to bide his time until he can unleash even bigger strokes. On the other hand, Dimitrov will attempt to use his variety to keep the rallies on his terms, keeping the Swiss from gaining rhythm and allowing him to take control.

Denis Shapovalov vs. Pierre-Hugues Herbert
Nobody will soon forget Shapovalov’s magical run to the Montreal semi-finals two years ago, when he defeated Juan Martin del Potro and Nadal en route to the last four. That wasn’t an easy task for the #NextGenATP Canadian, nor will his opener this year.

Both Shapovalov and Herbert like to control play, and they are at their best when they use their serve to immediately put an opponent on defence before aggressively finishing the point. Earlier this year in Montpellier, Herbert defeated Shapovalov 7-5, 7-6(4), while the Canadian defeated the Frenchman at an ATP Challenger Tour event two years ago in Canberra.

The key will be for both players to return deep in the court to try to get to neutral in rallies as often as possible. Expect the Montreal crowd to be a factor as well, as the Canadians emphatically cheer on their home favourite.

Milos Raonic vs. Taylor Fritz
This will be a battle of experience against youth, a former World No. 3 against a player in great form, and a clash between two big hitters who will look to punish any ball that sits up for them. Raonic advanced to the 2013 final in Montreal, and he will look to get off to a good start against one of the hottest players on the ATP Tour.

Fritz has advanced to at least the semi-finals at three of his past four events, and he can reach his third final during that span in Los Cabos on Friday evening. He is trying to win a main draw match at a hard-court Masters 1000 tournament for the first time year.

Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Vasek Pospisil
There will be no shortness of electricity in the Montreal crowd for this one, the only all-Canadian match in the first round. And not only are Auger-Aliassime and Pospisil familiar foes, but they are also doubles partners next week.

Auger-Aliassime leads Pospisil 2-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, with wins at last year’s BNP Paribas Open and Wimbledon this season. But the pressure will be on Felix, a #NextGenATP star, who is ranked nearly 200 spots higher than his elder countryman. The 29-year-old Pospisil is a dangerous opponent, though, armed with a big serve and overall aggressive game. The former World No. 25 has also enjoyed success in Montreal, making the last four here in 2013.

Stefanos Tsitsipas put in a performance worthy of his top seed status on Friday at the Citi Open, winning eight consecutive games to reach the semi-finals over No. 10 seed Benoit Paire of France 7-5, 6-0.

“I’m glad that I played well today,” said Tsitsipas. “I think I closed out the second set very professionally, very aggressively. I think that’s good for me psychologically. I didn’t give him much pace to play with and that played a big part overall.”

Paire has been in top form this season, winning titles in Marrakech (d. Andjuar) and Lyon (d. Auger-Aliassime). The 30-year-old hung tough with the #NextGenATP Greek in the opening set and matched his power from the baseline, but the top seed raised his level when it mattered most. At 5-5, Tsitsipas won eight consecutive points to grab the early advantage.

With Tsitsipas serving in the second set at 2-0, 40/40, his shoe laces broke and he went to his chair for a shoe change. The mid-game delay rattled Paire and he voiced his displeasure to the chair umpire.

#Shoegate2019 ?

What’s your stance on the unusual situation? pic.twitter.com/Bg1mAikUCm

— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) August 3, 2019

“I’ve been struggling with it. One of few players that has been struggling with it,” said Tsitsipas. “I’m not doing it on purpose. It always happens in crucial moments like this when I’m really trying hard, giving everything out on the court, trying to get every single ball back. It’s very irritating for me to keep playing with a shoe that’s not tight. It can fall off at any moment during the rally.”

When play resumed, Tsitsipas won 15 of the next 20 points to advance in 75 minutes and even his FedEx ATP Head2Head with Paire at 1-1. Tsitsipas hasn’t dropped a set this week in booking his seventh tour-level semi-final of the season.

Tsitsipas will now see Nick Kyrgios across the net after teaming up with him this week in doubles. The Aussie produced a red-hot performance to defeat Slovakian lucky loser Norbert Gombos 6-3, 6-3.

“I’m super happy that all the work I’ve been doing off the court is translating on the court. Four days in a row and four matches at my highest level. I’m pretty happy about it,” said Kyrgios. “I love playing night matches. The crowd gets into it, so I’m just trying to give them some fun tennis and also give them some wins as well.”

Kyrgios fired 26 winners to just 10 unforced errors, with 15 of those winners coming in the second set. The 24-year-old hammered 19 aces and only lost eight points on serve (37/45) to advance in 57 minutes. Kyrgios is through to his first ATP Tour semi-final since taking the title in Acapulco this March (d. Zverev) and will look to score his first Top 10 win since that event. 

Watch Hot Shot: Kyrgios Pulls Off Houdini Act

“He’s an amazing player and I have the utmost respect for him,” said Kyrgios. “He goes about it differently than me. We’ve gotten to know each other this week and we’re literally the polar opposites! It’s going to be a lot of fun, so I’m excited for it.”

The Aussie’s entertainment value even went beyond the flashy shotmaking he displayed on Stadium Court. After firing an ace on match point, he ran to a fan in the front row and received a congratulatory hug and kiss.

Sealed with a kiss ??@NickKyrgios defeats Norbert Gombos 6-3, 6-3.

?: @TennisTV | #CO19 pic.twitter.com/H7w2DHQRZj

— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) August 3, 2019

“You never know what to expect from him,” said Tsitsipas. “I think his serve is the biggest weapon in his game. In the rally, he sometimes goes for crazy shots. He’s unpredictable. He just seems very relaxed when he plays. I’m going to have to be careful of his shot selection, trying to execute and not play his game, [but] play my game.”

Andy Murray and Jamie Murray saw their much anticipated return as a doubles team end in quarter-final action on Friday at the Citi Open. The brothers couldn’t convert against third seeds Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus, who triumphed 6-7(3), 7-6(6), 10-7.

“I’m just disappointed that we lost the match,” said Andy. “I think both of us had been serving extremely well up until the [Match Tie-break]. I would have liked to serve a little bit better in those big moments.”

There were no service breaks in the match, but Klaasen/Venus saved a match point on their serve at 5/6 in the second-set tie-break before levelling the score. The third seeds also trailed 5/7 in the Match Tie-break, but won five consecutive points to advance in one hour and 53 minutes. 

“We played a lot of good tennis. It’s good fun to play with Andy again, see him out there competing, fired up to play and playing really well,” said Jamie. “I guess it was a positive week. Disappointing to lose the way we did, but that happens in doubles sometimes.”

Klaasen/Venus have been in top form this season, taking the title in Halle (d. Kubot/Melo) and finishing runner-up in Rome (l. to Cabal/Farah) and Auckland (l. to McLachlan/Struff). They also reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon and have won 10 of their past 11 matches. Next up for Klaasen/Venus are second seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo, with Melo riding high after picking up his 500th tour-level doubles win on Tuesday.

The Murray brothers split up next week at the Coupe Rogers, with Andy partnering Feliciano Lopez and Jamie teaming up with full-time partner Neal Skupski. Murray/Lopez, who won a title this June at Queen’s Club in their first tournament together (d. Ram/Salisbury), face second seeds Kubot/Melo in the opening round, while Murray/Skupski start their week against Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury. The Murrays could potentially meet in the quarter-finals.

Jean-Julien Rojer picked up his 400th tour-level victory, partnering Horia Tecau past four-time Washington champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 7-6(5), 4-6, 10-8. Rojer has won 28 tour-level doubles titles, including two Grand Slams with Tecau at 2015 Wimbledon (d. J. Murray/Peers) and 2017 US Open (d. Lopez/Lopez). The 2014 Washington champions (d. Groth/Paes) will meet Alex de Minaur and John Peers in the semi-finals.

Rafael Nadal is a four-time champion at the Coupe Rogers, the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 tournament. But if the top seed hopes to add a fifth trophy from this event to his collection, he’ll need to battle past a slew of scrappy baseliners in the early rounds.

Nadal will face #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur or a qualifier in the second round. If it is De Minaur, the 20-year-old will take plenty of confidence into his third match against the legendary lefty, having captured his second ATP Tour title last week at the BB&T Atlanta Open.

Nadal has defeated De Minaur by identical 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 scorelines in each of their two previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, which came at 2018 Wimbledon and this year’s Australian Open. But De Minaur is one of the quickest players on the ATP Tour, putting plenty of balls back into the court and typically forcing opponents to rip the match from his hands.

Watch Highlights Of The 2018 Toronto Final:

The Aussie also showed his serving prowess in Atlanta, dropping just seven first-serve points in the entire tournament. De Minaur became just the third player (since stats started being kept in 1991) to win a tournament without facing a break point (Haas 2007 Memphis, Isner 2017 Newport), and he lost fewer first-serve points than both of those players.

The first seeded opponent Nadal could face is 2017 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up David Goffin. The Belgian, seeded 15th, was one of just two players to take a set from Nadal at Roland Garros this year, and he defeated the Spaniard at The O2 in 2017. Nadal leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 4-1.

Fabio Fognini stunned Nadal in this year’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters semi-finals en route to his first ATP Masters 1000 title. And the seventh seed could try to spring the upset again should he face Nadal in the Montreal quarter-finals.

Nadal has won 11 of their 15 FedEx ATP Head2Head clashes, but Fognini has consistently risen to the occasion on the sport’s biggest stages against the Spaniard, beating him on hard courts at the 2015 US Open.

The top seed is also the defending champion, but the last time the tournament was held in Montreal, Alexander Zverev captured his second Masters 1000 crown and his first on hard courts.

The reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion, who is the third seed, will play Brit Cameron Norrie or Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in the second round. The first seeded opponent he could face is No. 13 seed Nikoloz Basilashvili, who upset the German en route to his second consecutive Hamburg title last week.

Second-seeded Dominic Thiem claimed his maiden title at this level earlier this year on the hard courts of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, and he will look to add another Masters 1000 crown to his resume in Montreal. He will open against 2017 Montreal semi-finalist Denis Shapovalov or Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

Shapovalov captured the attention of tennis fans everywhere during his magical run that year, beating the likes of Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro en route to the last four. His fellow #NextGenATP Canadian star, Felix Auger-Aliassime, will play countryman Vasek Pospisil in the first round. Auger-Aliassime beat Pospisil in the first round at Indian Wells last year for his first Masters 1000 victory, and also defeated him in the first round at Wimbledon this season.

Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who made the championship match at this event last year when it was held in Toronto, is on Nadal’s half of the draw and he will face a tough test in the second round. He will battle former World No. 3 Milos Raonic, the 2013 Montreal finalist, or American Taylor Fritz, who has made at least the semi-finals in three of his past four tournaments, including his first ATP Tour title in Eastbourne.

Aussie Nick Kyrgios faces a tricky draw, as he will have to battle past Citi Open quarter-finalist Kyle Edmund in the first round. If Kyrgios advances, he will have to play eighth seed Daniil Medvedev, with Thiem also lurking in their quarter.

Daniil Medvedev is competing for the first time as a Top 10 player in the ATP Rankings this week at the Citi Open, and the Russian is showing why he was able to achieve that milestone.

The third seed continued his strong run in Washington, D.C., eliminating sixth seed Marin Cilic 6-4, 7-6(7) after one hour and 34 minutes.

“I try to do everything as I did before to become [a member of] the Top 10. I’m still going up. I try to do all [things] the same: hard work, just try to win,” Medvedev said. “I always said my first goal is to win every match I play. This doesn’t change. After, for sure you have some pressure because you want to stay in the Top 10, you want to go up in the Top 10. It’s getting harder and harder to gain even one spot, which is normal. But if I play good, if I manage to win matches, I’m going to be higher.”

Medvedev was dominant on serve, striking 19 aces to Cilic’s four. The 23-year-old did not face a break point in the match, winning 80 per cent of his service points in his first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting against the Croat, who ousted #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime on Thursday.

“I served really great. That was one of the keys,” Medvedev said. “It was a really tight match. I managed to do what I had to do: hold my serve and win the tie-break. I’m really happy with my level of play.”

The Russian was cool under pressure in the second-set tie-break, saving a set point en route to his straight-sets triumph. At 6/7, Medvedev hit a booming ace out wide, before showing great finesse with a perfect drop shot at 7/7 to earn his second match point. Neither player dropped a set point in the tie-break until that moment, when Cilic missed a forehand long.

World No. 10 Medvedev, who won his first ATP 500 title last year in Tokyo, is now just two victories from claiming his second crown at this level and his fifth triumph on the ATP Tour. In the next round, he will face lucky loser Peter Gojowczyk.

Entering the week, the German had not made a quarter-final at any level in 2019. And it appeared that would not change at the Citi Open, where he lost in the final round of qualifying against Donald Young.

But on Friday, the 30-year-old advanced to the semi-finals in Washington, D.C. thanks to a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory against No. 13 seed Kyle Edmund. The German is into the last four of an ATP 500 tournament for the first time.

“I was surprised that I [got to] play here in Washington, D.C. Now I’m in the semis. Sometimes it’s like this,” Gojowczyk said. “To be a lucky loser and to be relaxed even in the first match and second, to be relaxed on the court, to hit the ball hardest what you can, don’t think about it, that’s maybe the key.”

Gojowczyk gained entry into the main draw after Bernard Tomic withdrew due to a finger injury. In the first round, he needed a final-set tie-break to battle past Andrey Rublev. And ever since, he has been on a tear against seeded opponents, ousting 12th seed Alex de Minaur, eighth seed Milos Raonic and now Edmund.

The World No. 122 faced break point as he tried to serve out the match at 5-3 in the decider, but he was able to blast a first serve down the T, forcing an error from the Brit. Soon thereafter, following an Edmund backhand error on match point, Gojowczyk leaned over as he pumped his fist, letting loose a massive celebratory roar.

Gojowczyk is now just two wins away from claiming his first ATP Tour title.

Did You Know?
Gojowczyk is the first lucky loser to reach the semi-finals of an ATP 500 tournament since Italian Andreas Seppi accomplished the feat last year in Rotterdam.

From Juan Martin del Potro’s rapid recovery from knee surgery to Kei Nishikori showing his preparations for the North American hard-court swing, the world’s best players have been busy on and off the court. ATPTour.com looks at the best player social media posts from the past week.

Del Potro shared the good news that he’s walking again! The Argentine underwent surgery last month to repair a fractured right kneecap.

The road to recovery continues for Delpo ?

?: @delpotrojuan (Instagram) pic.twitter.com/nme8q7Br49

— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) July 31, 2019

Nishikori returns to action next week at the Coupe Rogers. Based on the video he posted of his hitting session with Michael Mmoh, the Japanese star is in top form.

Practice with @MichaelMmoh! pic.twitter.com/WkdgES3dUU

— Kei Nishikori (@keinishikori) August 1, 2019

Stefanos Tsitsipas clearly enjoyed his time on the doubles court with Nick Kyrgios at the Citi Open. The pair will team up again later this month at the Western & Southern Open.

Exist on your terms. @citiopen | #co19 pic.twitter.com/p2p52RMldH

— Stefanos Tsitsipas (@StefTsitsipas) July 30, 2019

Stan Wawrinka and Borna Coric have already arrived in Montreal and wasted no time getting down to business.

Great to be back on the court in Montreal, first practice with @borna_coric ✅????? ! #montreal #practice #hardwork #trusttheprocess pic.twitter.com/9P0Tt37sOJ

— Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) August 1, 2019

Karen Khachanov let his fans know that he’s far from discouraged after an early exit this week in Washington.

Always working!???? https://t.co/iTj8CRkCuM

— Karen Khachanov (@karenkhachanov) August 1, 2019

Daniil Medvedev hasn’t just been enjoying himself on the court this week in Washington. The Russian also attended Citi Taste of Tennis and sampled some of the world-class food.

Really fun to be part of @TasteofTennis last night. Nice to help a good cause pic.twitter.com/NBBkeOI7K1

— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) July 30, 2019

Fabio Fognini took time out to celebrate his grandmother’s 88th birthday.

TANTI AUGURI NONNA INES ??8️⃣8️⃣ ❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/KXU0xwQyrG

— Fabio Fognini (@fabiofogna) July 27, 2019

Thanasi Kokkinakis got his adrenaline fix off the court in Los Cabos by jet skiing before his first match at the Abierto de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex.

?☀️ @AbiertoLosCabos pic.twitter.com/XwhzEgj1lZ

— Thanasi Kokkinakis (@TKokkinakis) July 28, 2019

Champions of Canada’s ATP Masters 1000 tournament have been nearly untouchable on serve of late, especially when they’ve earned a lead. Only nine times in the past four years has the eventual champion dropped serve after leading 15/0.

It’s the first point – and it’s still just one point – but it certainly sets the stage for a possible break of serve if the server falls behind 0/15. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the past four Canadian Masters champions reveals a striking trend that has certainly played a part in capturing the coveted title.

The past four champions:
2018 – Rafael Nadal
2017 – Alexander Zverev
2016 – Novak Djokovic
2015 – Andy Murray

The following breakdown clearly illustrates how important winning the opening point of their service games proved to be in holding serve.

Past Four Champions (Combined Data)
Holding Serve from 15/0 = 94% (136/145)
Holding Serve from 0/15 = 74% (54/73)

The perfect illustration for this dynamic is last year’s Rogers Cup champion Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard lost serve 10 times en route to the title, but only one of the 10 was after he forged a 15/0 lead when serving. Nine of the 10 breaks of serve originated from a 0/15 scoreline.

Past Four Champions / Holding Serve From 15/0

Both Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who won in 2016, lost serve only one time for the tournament after leading 15/0 on serve. But both players combined to be broken 14 times after trailing 0/15 to begin their service games.

Past Four Champions / Holding Serve From 0/15

Clearly bucking the trend is 2017 champion Alexander Zverev, who held 100 per cent (15/15) of the time after falling behind 0/15. Andy Murray, 2015 champion, lost serve nine times when he won the title, with six of the nine breaks of serve coming after trailing 0/15.

There is an obvious statistical explanation for the break of serve when trailing 0/15 versus leading 15/0, but there are also mental and emotional dynamics in play. When the server falls behind 0/15, it’s common for them to play a little tighter, or not quite as bold strategically to avoid errors and fall even further behind.

Correspondingly, the returner can play with more freedom and aggression to build on their initial lead. The returner smells blood, and accordingly ups the ante with his offence when a break of serve is more likely.

One point goes a long way to setting the weather for the entire game.

One of the golden rules in sport is to never take your eyes off the ball.

But, during a remarkable rally at the Citi Open on Thursday, Frances Tiafoe believed he had done enough to win the first point in a crucial game against Daniil Medvedev. He was wrong.

The exchange, which was featured as Play of the Day on ABC’s breakfast programme, Good Morning America, saw home favourite Tiafoe bring Medvedev to the net with a drop shot before flicking a backhand volley past his opponent and turning his back on the court. But, with impressive speed, Medvedev changed direction to track down the ball and chip it into the vacant space for a winner.

Despite his lapse in concentration with Medvedev serving for the match, Tiafoe did manage to eventually break serve and reach 5-5. But Medvedev responded quickly to claim the win two games later, setting a quarter-final clash against Marin Cilic.