When Bob Bryan underwent right hip surgery last August, his hope was to make it back to the ATP Tour for one more match. Forty-nine matches later this season, he and Mike Bryan reached 1,100 tour-level doubles wins as a team by defeating Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin on Monday at the Western & Southern Open.

“It’s a staggering number when you look at it. We thought we’d be stuck on whatever number we were at last year. I was just trying to get back out there to play one more match,” said Bob. “The bar has been set a little bit lower, but as we’re winning and getting more confidence, our goals are getting loftier.”

A low bar for the Bryans still yields a season that most players would dream of. They picked up their 39th ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami (d. Koolhof/Tsitsipas) and prevailed in Delray Beach (d. Skupski/Skupski), in addition to finishing runner-up in Atlanta (l. to Inglot/Krajicek). They’re in second place in the ATP Doubles Team Rankings and are strong contenders to make their 16th team appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, held at The O2 in London from 10-17 November.

Bob reached 1,100 tour-level doubles wins last week with their second-round victory at the Coupe Rogers, joining Mike as the only players to accomplish the feat. Having already shattered every doubles record in the book, they are now running their own race.

“Sometimes when you can see those records and you’re just a couple of steps away, you push a little harder when you see the finish line,” said Bob. “That was a fun time in our careers. We had a blast setting those goals, knocking them down and celebrating those milestones. We’d love to win another Grand Slam trophy, but we’re just trying to enjoy this last chapter and have fun.”

The Bryan brothers are making their 21st main draw appearance as a team in Cincinnati and have plenty to show for it, winning five times and finishing runner-up on three other occasions. But out of the dozens of matches they’ve played over the years at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, a first-round clash from from 2002 is one of the matches that stands out most.

“We played a night match against Luke Jensen and Murphy Jensen and it was a battle with our idols. They were chest bumping, we were chest bumping,” said Mike. “The crowds have always been really good to us here. We have the ‘Bryan Bunch’ and they’ve never missed a match. They wear the green shirts, they’re in full effect, they’ve been supporting us for 25 years.”

“Winning our first title here in 2003 was a really special moment,” added Bob. “When you win this tournament, you don’t have to pay your ATP membership dues anymore! It’s one of those weird, quirky rules in the system, so our dues have been covered since then.”

Although the Bryans acknowledge that they’re closer to the end of their careers than the beginning, they still have plenty of great tennis left in them. As long as they’re still capable of being the last team standing at the world’s biggest events, they see no reason to slow down.

“If we enter a tournament and feel like we have no chance to win it, then we’ll put our racquets down. But we still feel like we’re in the mix,” said Mike. “The doubles game is so deep and it seems like there are new winners every week. We’ve lost a few tight ones this year where we felt like we could have gone on to hold some big trophies up, so we’re feeling positive about things and really appreciating playing together.”

Guido Pella’s career-best year on the ATP Tour got even better on Monday at the Western & Southern Open. The Argentine defeated #NextGenATP Norwegian Casper Ruud 7-5, 7-6(4) for his 100th tour-level win.

“I knew that I was pretty close to 100 wins, but I didn’t count, so this is a big surprise for me,” said Pella. “To win more than 30 matches this year is something I didn’t expect, so I’m very happy.”

Pella’s victory marked his 32nd of the season. The 29-year-old started the year at No. 58 in the ATP Rankings, but currently sits at No. 22 on the back of results that include his first ATP Tour title in Sao Paulo (d. Garin) and first Grand Slam quarter-final at Wimbledon.

His third-round Wimbledon win over Kevin Anderson was the fourth Top 10 victory of his career and second at SW19, having taken out Marin Cilic the previous year. In a career filled with highlights, his high-profile victories over the world’s best players are what stand out most to him.

“Beating Janko Tipsarevic was my first big moment because that was my first Top 10 win, but beating Anderson and Cilic was also very special,” said Pella. “I love to play in full stadiums against great players. But I know when I play someone like Anderson or Cilic, the fans are there to watch them and not me, and I can feel that.

“When I started to play good and win a set or two, they started to cheer for me and that was an unbelievable feeling. I play a lot of matches on the outside courts, so being in a stadium is a totally different atmosphere.”

It’s an atmosphere which Pella has become far more familiar with. The Argentine has reached at least the quarter-finals in eight ATP Tour events this year and picked up 57 of his 100 tour-level wins in the past two seasons.

With minimal ATP Rankings points to defend for the rest of 2019, Pella has put himself in a strong position to crack the Top 20 and continue to climb.

“I think my mind has been in the right place for the past two seasons. That’s why I’ve won so many matches,” said Pella. “I like to be in this position, so I want to keep improving my game and my mind.”

Nineteen-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime, the youngest player in the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings, has gotten a lot of the attention in recent months as he has ascended into the world’s Top 30. But the second-youngest player in the Top 100 got the better of him at the Western & Southern Open on Monday.

Fellow #NextGenATP star Miomir Kecmanovic ousted the Canadian 6-3, 6-3 to reach the second round in Cincinnati. One year ago this week, the Serbian qualifier was World No. 200. Now, the teenager is on the verge of cracking the Top 50 for the first time.

“It definitely means a lot. It’s a big win for me. I needed this mentally just to know that I can be here and play with these guys, so I think it’s going to help for the upcoming matches,” Kecmanovic said. “I felt pretty good on the court and played solid, so hopefully I can keep it up.”

The World No. 58 rode service dominance to victory, as the Turkish Airlines Open Antalya finalist did not face a break point in his one-hour, four-minute triumph. The two-time ATP Challenger Tour titlist lost only three first-serve points (26/29), and he broke on three of his four opportunities.

Entering the season, Kecmanovic had never won a main draw match at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament, but this was his fifth victory at this level in 2019. All 17 of his tour-level wins have come this season.

Kecmanovic will next challenge reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev. The Serbian, who made the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open in March at Indian Wells, is pursuing his first win against a Top 10 opponent.

The first American man in action in Cincinnati fell short, as Frenchman Lucas Pouille beat qualifier Denis Kudla 6-3, 7-6(6) in one hour and 39 minutes. Pouille withstood 10 aces and broke serve four times to set second-round clash with No. 10 seed Fabio Fognini or #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

Did You Know?
This was the first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting between Kecmanovic and Auger-Aliassime. However, they played at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Lyon, France last year, with Felix winning in straight sets. At the time, both #NextGenATP stars were ranked outside the Top 150.

There’s very little that’s conventional about the doubles partnership between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios. When Kyrgios first asked the #NextGenATP Greek to team up, he even tried to sweeten the pot by offering to defect from Australia.

“He asked by saying he wanted to play the ATP Cup for Greece,” laughed Tsitsipas. “He said he has a [Greek] passport, but I knew he was being sarcastic because he’s sarcastic 95 per cent of the time. He wanted to play doubles with me at Queen’s Club and I couldn’t, but we played at the Citi Open and now here in Cincinnati, so he’s become our official agent.”

Although they lost their debut outing in Washington in a Match Tie-break to Wimbledon champions Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, the early signs were encouraging enough to team up this week at the Western & Southern Open. Fittingly, they will play Cabal/Farah once again in the first round.

Both players admit to being polar opposites. Kyrgios is gregarious and outgoing, while Tsitsipas is a self-described introvert. But like many partnerships, opposites attract.

“It’s the joy of being with a person who thinks different and reacts differently,” said Tsitsipas. “I would charactertise him as someone who likes to amuse. I’m very serious and concentrated when I play, but he just has the style of speaking all the time. It’s good sometimes to have a change.”

Their bromance extended well beyond their initial foray on the doubles court. Both players heaped praise on each other in press conferences and on social media. When Tsitsipas needed to change shoes during their semi-final singles match in Washington, Kyrgios provided one of the funniest moments of the week by personally delivering them.

Special Delivery! ?

?: @TennisTV | @NickKyrgios | #CO19 pic.twitter.com/JAoURCS25D

— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) August 4, 2019

They’ve also been able to learn from each other. While the normally serious Tsitsipas was able to laugh during his “shoegate” moment with Kyrgios, the Aussie experienced during their warm-up why Tsitsipas has climbed to a career-high No. 5 in the ATP Rankings.

“I thought we were just going to have a 25-minute hit-out, roll the arm over, banter a little bit. Before I know it, we’re an hour in, playing singles games. I’m dripping,” said Kyrgios in Washington. “That shows how hard he works. He’s out there every day, super professional, putting in the hours. It’s obvious why he’s good. You can see how polished his game is when he’s playing.”

Tsitsipas acknowledged that Kyrgios’ boisterous on-court behavior can be polarizing to some fans, but made it clear he’s now firmly in the Aussie’s corner. If their growing friendship is any indication, Cincinnati won’t be be the last time they team up.

“He’s entertaining people,” said Tsitsipas. “Some people love him, some people hate him. I believe we need people like him in the game, otherwise everything becomes too serious. He’s fun.”

Taylor Fritz has powered his way to a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 25 by winning just 27 more points than he has lost this season. Tiny margins are producing career-defining results for the 21-year-old American.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of Fritz’s impressive run up the ATP Rankings the past four months, from No. 65 on 15 April to No. 25, shows that the young American is benefitting from a busy tournament schedule.

He has played 32 tournaments in the past 52 weeks and forged an impressive 26-20 record in 2019. He won his first ATP Tour title in Eastbourne in June and also enjoyed runner-up honours in Atlanta and Los Cabos.

Fritz has won 36 matches in the past 52 weeks, which is good for 12th best on Tour. Since the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in April, Fritz has lost in the opening round just three times and racked up four wins against Top 25 opponents.

In 2019, including last week’s first-round loss at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, Fritz has won amazingly just 27 points more points than he has lost.

Taylor Fritz: Points Won In 2019 Season
Points Won = 3423
Points Lost = 3396
Total Points Played = 6819
Win Percentage = 50.2%

It’s the serving side of the equation that has been driving the ambitious American up the rankings the most.

Taylor Fritz: 2019 Tour Ranking / Serve Metrics
No. 8 = Aces (422)
No. 10 = First-Serve Points Won (76.78%)
No. 12 = Service Games Won (84.96%)
No. 36 = Second-Serve Points Won (51.64%)
No. 38 = Break Points Saved (61.90%)

He has been particularly efficient serving in the important moments in a match, holding serve 18 out of 19 times (95%) when serving for the set this season. There are six point scores in his service games in 2019 that, when he reaches them, he goes onto hold more than 90 per cent of the time.

Taylor Fritz: 2019 Season Holding Serve From:
40/0 = 99.4% (155/156)
40/15 = 98.1% (211/215)
30/0 = 97.4% (228/234)
30/15 = 92.3% (228/247)
15/0 = 92.0% (322/350)
40/30 = 92.0% (174/189)

Fritz’s climb up the rankings also shows no sign of slowing down the remainder of this season, as he has only 22 per cent (340/1580) of his points to defend until the end of the year.

Taylor Fritz : Points To Defend in 2019
US Open = 90
Shanghai = 70
Basel = 90
Chengdu = 90
TOTAL = 340

Fritz is one of nine Americans in the Top 100, and one of three 21-year-olds from the U.S., along with Frances Tiafoe (No. 42) and Reilly Opelka (No. 43), inside the Top 50. The current North American hard-court swing provides all of them a chance to shine right in their own backyard.

No. 8 Daniil Medvedev, +1
The 23-year-old rises to a new career-high of No. 8 the ATP Rankings after reaching his first ATP Masters 1000 final at the Coupes Rogers (l. to Nadal) and becomes the new Russian No. 1 – moving past Karen Khachanov, who has dropped one spot to No. 9. Now 5-5 against Top 10 opponents in 2019, the Russian beat Dominic Thiem and Khachanov in Montreal. Over the past two weeks, Medvedev has won eight of 10 matches, including a runner-up finish on 4 August at the Citi Open (l. to Kyrgios). He first broke into the Top 10 on 15 July. Read More & Watch Montreal Final Highlights

No. 11 Roberto Bautista Agut, +2
The Spaniard, who reached his first Grand Slam championship semi-final at The Championships, Wimbledon (l. to Djokovic) last month, is also up to a career-high No. 11 after he advanced to the fourth ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final (l. to Monfils) of his career. Bautista Agut was at No. 25 on 18 March this year.

No. 15 Gael Monfils, +5
Former World No. 6 Gael Monfils reached his first Masters 1000 semi-final for four years (2016 Toronto) to return to No. 15 in the ATP Rankings for the first time since 1 July. The Frenchman, who lifted his eighth ATP Tour title at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament at Rotterdam (d. Wawrinka) in February, has featured in the Top 20 since 4 March.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 5 Kei Nishikori, +1
No. 6 Alexander Zverev, +1
No. 10 Fabio Fognini, +1
No. 32 Cristian Garin, +4
No. 40 Hubert Hurkacz, +8
No. 44 Daniel Evans, +9
No. 56 Richard Gasquet, +10
No. 59 Adrian Mannarino, +10
No. 79 Steve Johnson, +14
No. 88 Bernard Tomic, +7

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer headline the Western & Southern Open, featuring nine of the Top 10 in the ATP Rankings. Here’s 10 things to watch in Cincinnati.

1. Reunited: Three of the Big Four: Djokovic, Federer and Andy Murray will compete together in the singles draw at the Western & Southern Open, which was held in 1899. Murray, the 2008 and 2011 winner, received a wild card to join defending champion Djokovic and seven-time former titlist Federer at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati.

2. Roger That: Federer is 45-5 since starting his career 1-4 in Cincinnati. The Swiss star’s seven Cincinnati titles are a tournament record. Federer is looking for his first ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati title since 2015, when he beat Djokovic in the final; Djokovic reversed that result in last year’s championship match.

3. Complete Set: Djokovic’s win over Federer in last year’s final allowed the Serb to collect the one ATP Masters 1000 title he had been missing, and become the first singles player to win all nine of the events in the series. Djokovic had been 0-5 in Cincinnati finals before his victory last season. 

4. More Murray: Following a first-round singles loss at the Australian Open, Murray underwent his second hip surgery on 28 January. The Brit missed five months of play but returned to doubles action at London/Queen’s Club, where he promptly won the title partnering Feliciano Lopez. After four more doubles events, two-time Cincinnati champion Murray is back in singles action.

5. Former Champs: Two other previous winners of the Western & Southern Open are in the field: Marin Cilic, who defeated Murray in the 2016 final, and Grigor Dimitrov, who beat Nick Kyrgios in the 2017 final. These are the only ATP Masters 1000 titles to date for both former World No. 3s.

6. Americans in Cincy: Andy Roddick was the last homegrown champion in Cincinnati, triumphing over Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero in the 2006 final. Since then, James Blake (2007), Mardy Fish (2010) and John Isner (2013) have all finished runner-up at the Masters 1000 tournament. Isner, who finished runner-up to Rafael Nadal, has a 15-11 record at the event, including a 2017 semi-final run (l. to Dimitrov).

7. Move Towards Milan: The #NextGenATP is in full force at Cincinnati, headed by 20-year-old No. 5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime, who turned 19 on Thursday. The Cincinnati main draw includes other top contenders in the Race to the Next Gen ATP Finals at Milan, such as 20-year-olds Alex de Minaur and Denis Shapovalov and 21-year-old Frances Tiafoe.

8. Winning Thiem: No. 4 seed Dominic Thiem added his name to the list of ATP Masters 1000 titlists when he captured the Indian Wells trophy in March. No. 10 seed Fabio Fognini also became a first-time ATP Masters 1000 champion this season after triumphing at Monte-Carlo in April.

9. Wild Ones: Two of 2019’s 13 first-time ATP Tour singles champions received wild cards alongside Murray this week: Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Londero, who claimed his first title on home soil at Cordoba, and Reilly Opelka, who triumphed in his home country at the New York Open. Sam Querrey received a wild card as well; Querrey reached his third Wimbledon quarter-final in July.

10. Double Up: Cincinnati features another stellar 2019 doubles draw, headlined by No. 1 seeds and Wimbledon champions Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah taking on Kyrgios and Tsitsipas in the first round – a rematch of their first-round clash at Washington, won by the Colombians. Murray and Lopez are also together in the field, as are five-time champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan.

A LOOK BACK
Schwaben Open (Augsburg, Germany): It’s safe to say that Yannick Hanfmann loves to play at home in Germany. The 27-year-old powered to his fifth ATP Challenger Tour title and fourth on home soil on Sunday, triumphing in Augsburg. Hanfmann prevailed in dramatic fashion, saving three championship points to overcome Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.

It was another memorable week for the former University of Southern California standout. Hanfmann improved to 4-0 in finals in Germany, adding to victories in Ismaning in 2017, Braunschweig last year and Ludwigshafen last month. Most importantly, he rises nearly 50 spots in the ATP Rankings to No. 187. One year after cracking the Top 100, he is on the rise once again following an elbow injury.

“It was really close today,” Hanfmann told Tennis TourTalk. “Emil is a great player with a bright future ahead. I am looking forward to many more matches to come. Maybe I stayed more calm, but the match could have gone either way. I am really happy. I really enjoy playing in front of my home crowd. It can give you some extra boost in the decisive moments.”

For Ruusuvuori, it was another impressive week on the Challenger circuit. The 20-year-old is making a splash in his first full season on tour, reaching his second Challenger final. Two months ago, he lifted his first trophy in Fergana, Uzbekistan.

Match Points Saved In 2019 Finals

Yokkaichi Challenger (Yokkaichi, Japan): Hanfmann wasn’t the only one to benefit from the home crowd support this week. Yuichi Sugita has been a man on a mission this summer and he would once again lift a Challenger trophy. The Japanese celebrated his second title in three weeks, prevailing at the inaugural tournament in Yokkaichi.

Packed crowds proved to be the norm throughout the week in the Japanese city, as the public flocked to the Yokkaichi Tennis Center in droves. They were treated with a trio of home hopes in the semis, with Sugita defeating Aussie James Duckworth in a dramatic 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(1) final.

It’s amazing what a little momentum can do for a player’s confidence and Sugita has experienced that first-hand in recent weeks. After slipping outside the Top 270 just last month, the former World No. 36 has rediscovered his mojo in a hurry. The champion in Binghamton and runner-up in Chengdu, Sugita would rise to No. 133 in the ATP Rankings with his victory in Yokkaichi. Three finals and two titles in less than a month has the Japanese star soaring once again.

What a finish!

Yuichi Sugita survives James Duckworth in a deciding tie-break to take the crown in Yokkaichi, his second ? in three weeks.#ATPChallenger title No. 11 for the ?? pic.twitter.com/UUJDgu7e7B

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) August 11, 2019

Nordic Naturals Challenger (Aptos, California, USA): Since reaching his sixth ATP Tour final a year ago in Winston-Salem, Steve Johnson has endured a rough run of form. The American suffered a nine-match losing streak and fell from inside the Top 30 to No. 93 in the ATP Rankings. In search of rhythm and confidence, Johnson returned to the ATP Challenger Tour this week in sunny Aptos. It did not take long for him to find his form.

The California native prevailed in his backyard, streaking to the title without dropping a set all week. He ousted Dominik Koepfer 6-4, 7-6(4) in one hour and 39 minutes on Sunday for his first trophy of the year. It is not uncommon for top players to take a similar path as they look to rediscover their rhythm at the Challenger level. This year alone has seen Johnson, Kyle Edmund and Lucas Pouille all win titles on the circuit. The American will rise to No. 79 in the ATP Rankings and hopes to continue making progress next week in Vancouver.

Internazionali di Tennis Manerbio (Manerbio, Italy): Four tournaments this week, four home-grown champions. Italy’s Federico Gaio prevailed in Manerbio on Sunday, clinching the title 6-3, 6-1 over top seed Paolo Lorenzi. Gaio rallied from a set down on three occasions during the week, before lifting his third Challenger crown in efficient fashion. It was his first title since 2016.

A LOOK AHEAD
The 2018 Tournament of the Year in Vancouver, Canada, is back. The Odlum Brown VanOpen returns for a 14th edition, with Ricardas Berankis as its top seed and Steve Johnson, Brayden Schnur, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Vasek Pospisil and Hyeon Chung also in action. Last year, it joined the NECKARCUP in Heilbronn, Germany and the Puerto Vallarta Open in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico as the three top tournaments on the Challenger circuit, as voted by the players.

Meanwhile, in Cordenons, Italy, reigning champion Paolo Lorenzi is the top seed, with Andrej Martin seeded second. In Meerbusch, Germany, Pedro Sousa and Jay Clarke lead the charge, while home hope Aljaz Bedene is the top dog in Portoroz, Slovenia. Sergiy Stakhovsky (2017 champ) is seeded fourth in the Slovenian coastal city, while defending champ Constant Lestienne is sixth.