Tennis News

Zverev begins grass season in Halle with three-set win

Alexander Zverev navigated through a tricky opening-round test Tuesday at the Terra Wortmann Open, where the second-seeded German defeated countryman Oscar Otte 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4.

Aiming to go one step further than his two finalist appearances in Halle (2016, 2017), Zverev stayed patient to outlast Otte in baseline exchanges and capitalised in pressure moments with first-strike tennis to advance.

“A week ago, I was playing on clay still basically. He made it very tough for me, no rhythm at all,” Zverev said in his on-court interview. “That’s how grass-court tennis is sometimes and I’m just happy with the win. He did make it extremely difficult for me, so credit to him. I’m obviously happy that I won and hopefully it’s going to be a level above in the next match.”

The qualifier Otte routinely presented challenges to Zverev, often serve-and-volleying and absorbing the World No. 4’s firepower with off-pace slice. But the Roland Garros finalist stuck with his heavy hitting, crushing 54 winners to his 40 unforced errors, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to win in two hours, 17 minutes under the OWL Arena roof.

Zverev improved to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Otte, who has troubled the 22-time tour-level titlist in both of their meetings. Otte led Zverev two-sets-to-love in the first round of Roland Garros in 2021 before the two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion roared back to win and later reach the semi-finals.

The Rome champion, who is 35-10 on the season, next looks to extend his perfect 3-0 record against Italian Lorenzo Sonego.

Otte, No. 474 in the PIF ATP Rankings, was competing in his first tour-level event since Wimbledon last year. The 30-year-old revealed on Instagram in August 2023 that a knee injury suffered at the grass-court major required him to undergo surgery.

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Murray earns victory in 1000th match, advances at Queen's Club

Andy Murray earned victory in his 1000th tour-level match on Tuesday when he overcame Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 at the cinch Championships.

The Scot is a record five-time champion at the Queen’s Club and he played with confidence against Popyrin to snap a four-match losing streak on Tour. Backed by a vocal crowd in London, Murray used his backhand slice to keep the ball low and hit through his forehand to dictate in the key moments.

“I didn’t realise, but my mum told me before the match that this was my 1000th match on the Tour,” Murray said in his on-court interview. “A lot of matches and a lot of wear and tear in the body and it is not easy but I managed to push through.”

With his one-hour, 51-minute win, Murray set a second-round clash with Australian Jordan Thompson. The former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings has often produced his best level on grass, also winning Wimbledon twice (2013, 2016).

Murray holds a 32-9 record at the ATP 500 grass-court event, having won his first match at the tournament in 2005.

“During the match it is difficult but great reward at the end for the hard work and effort I put into the match,” Murray said. “I have not got too many wins this year, it has been a difficult season but did well to come through in the end. Held quite a few tight service games and managed to serve it out well.”

Active players to compete in 1,000 ATP Tour-level matches

In other action, Jack Draper, fresh off his maiden ATP Tour title in Stuttgart, continued his red-hot form by cruising past Mariano Navone 6-3, 6-2. At a career-high No. 31, Draper is competing as the British No. 1 for the first time this week.

That role seemed to fit the lefty well Tuesday, when he dropped just three points behind his first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to advance after 54 minutes. The 22-year-old next clashes against top speed Carlos Alcaraz, who is 2-0 against Draper.

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard earned a statement win when he upset sixth seed Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(3). French qualifier Mpetshi Perricard, who won his maiden tour-level title in Lyon last month, fired 16 aces to earn his first grass-court tour-level win. The 20-year-old is up eight spots to No. 59 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. Shelton is now 19-13 on the season, having lost his past three matches.

Mpetshi Perricard will next play Billy Harris after the British wild card defeated Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to earn just his second tour-level win.

Fifth-seeded American Tommy Paul eliminated Sebastian Baez 6-4, 6-4, while Brandon Nakashima advanced after Daniel Evans retired with the score at 4-6, 6-3.

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Musetti shocks second seed De Minaur at Queen's – Best shots

Watch the best of the action as Italian Lorenzo Musetti stuns second seed Alex de Minaur 1-6 6-4 6-2 on day two at Queen’s.

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Wozniacki loses on grass-court return in Birmingham

Caroline Wozniacki’s first match on a grass court in five years ends in defeat by Elise Mertens at the Birmingham Classic.

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Rublev, Rune, Chinese stars Zhang & Wu to headline inaugural Hangzhou Open

Andrey Rublev, Holger Rune, Zhang Zhizhen and local favourite Wu Yibing will headline the first edition of the Hangzhou Open, the tournament announced Tuesday at a press conference. The Chinese ATP 250 will run from 18-24 September.

Rublev, No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings, is a 16-time tour-level champion, including title runs this year in Hong Kong and at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid.

“I’m looking forward to coming back to China and playing in the Hangzhou Open in September,” Rublev said. “I’m excited to come to the beautiful city of Hangzhou and play in the stadium, which I know hosted the Asian Games last year.”

Zhang, 27, is China’s highest-ranked male player in history, currently World No. 42. One year ago he triumphed at the Asian Games, which was held at the Hangzhou Olympics Tennis Centre, the home of this event.

“It was an excellent experience to play at the Hangzhou Olympics Tennis Center in last year’s Asian Games. It has nice facilities and there is a great atmosphere there,” Zhang said. “I’m very happy and looking forward to going back and playing at the venue again this year in the ATP event in September.”

Wu won the Dallas Open in 2023 to become China’s first ATP Tour titlist. He will try to add more glory to his resumé in front of his home crowd. The 24-year-old is from Hangzhou.

“I’m so happy that my hometown will be hosting an ATP Tour 250 event for the first time and I’m looking forward to coming back to Hangzhou and playing in the Hangzhou Open for the first time,” Wu said. “I know all the players will enjoy the beautiful city of Hangzhou and hopefully I can do well in front of my hometown fans. Make sure you all come out to watch me play.”

Rune competed in the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time last year and has climbed as high as No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

The state-of-the-art Hangzhou Olympics Tennis Centre features an 8,000-seat centre court with a retractrable roof. Two additional show courts have a seating capacity of 2,000. The city has a population of nearly 13 million.

Alison Lee, ATP Executive Vice President, International Region said: “There are many reasons to be excited about this tournament’s future: the beautiful city, the bustling commercial hub, a brand-new world-class tennis venue at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre, and an extremely experienced and well-respected management group staging the event at the highest level.”

The Hangzhou Open was officially announced in May as the ATP Tour’s newest Chinese event, following the relocation of the Zhuhai 250 tournament.

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Navone's grass-court conundrum

Mariano Navone’s introduction to grass 12 months ago was brief and eye-opening.

After winning an ATP Challenger Tour title on clay in Poznan on the Saturday, the 23-year-old travelled to west London 24 hours later to make his debut on the surface at Wimbledon qualifying. He won just three games against Ricardas Berankis, with the match lasting 60 minutes.

“Last year was my first time ever on grass. I came to the club and I thought, ‘Wow, this is a strange feeling’,” Navone told ATPTour.com. “It was crazy because I won a Challenger on clay and then the next day on Sunday I trained indoors on hard. Then when I played on grass on Monday I thought, ‘What is this? What is going on?’ Because it felt totally different than a clay court or a hard court. It was my first time and it was a different experience, a challenge!”

Twelve months on and Navone is set to compete on the surface for a second time when he plays Jack Draper in the cinch Championships. It will be his maiden tour-level grass-court match. The six-time ATP Challenger Tour champion is hoping he can find his groove on the surface this week, using last year’s experience as a learning curve.

“I didn’t have time to prepare last year. This year it’s different because I finished Roland Garros and then went home for a little bit and played on fast hard courts. I have prepared more, hitting on grass since Thursday. But it is the first time on the ATP Tour playing on grass because I am now playing more events as I am No. 29.

“I have expectations ahead of my first match but I’m nervous. I have to improve, to get a feel for grass and moving on grass. I hope for a good tournament, but I know it’s my first time, so it’s different when you have experience. I think my backhand works well on grass. It is better because I hit the ball fast. I can control the ball easier on this surface and I like to change quickly and hit down the line. My return is very important on grass. It is good on clay, so hopefully I can adjust quickly.”

Navone grew up competing on clay in Buenos Aires and has played the majority of his matches on the surface. This year, the 23-year-old has competed 36 times at all levels, with only one of his clashes coming off clay (Australian Open qualifying).

It is a surface the Argentine has flourished on, with Navone reaching tour-level finals in Rio de Janeiro and Bucharest earlier this year. Up to No. 29 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Navone revealed he is now receiving more attention from fans when at home. The 23-year-old has enjoyed this new aspect of his life.

“When I came back after [Roland Garros] people recognised me in the streets and in the bars people wanted to take some photos with me,” Navone said. “I went to a restaurant and people recognised me. I enjoy returning love to the people and children.

“Most importantly the children because they are little. One time I was this little guy. When I was a kid I saw Nalbandian. I was like ‘Wow, what a superstar’. When I saw David Ferrer this year in Rio at the ceremony, he hugged me and I spoke some words with him and that was crazy. He was my idol so it is really cool.”

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Harris' big turnaround to 'tip-top shape'

Lloyd Harris is reaping the rewards of toiling through trials for two years.

The South African, who underwent major right wrist surgery in June 2022, last week climbed inside the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time in 21 months.

Harris triumphed at the Lexus Surbiton Trophy, where he won his maiden grass-court crown and became just the fourth player to win a trio of ATP Challenger Tour titles this season. But before his resurgence, the 27-year-old was enduring a turbulent period.

“The last two, three months have been a big turnaround for me,” Harris told the ATP Challenger Tour media team last week. “It’s been a tough start to the year. A tough last year dealing with a lot of injuries, came back from a big surgery. It’s been a difficult road. But all in all, in the last few months I’ve felt like I’ve stepped up and improved and changed my mentality completely.”

From surgery to success 🏆

Lloyd Harris lifts his third Challenger trophy of the year and returns to the Top 100, just two years after undergoing wrist surgery ⬇️#ATPChallenger | @TennisSA pic.twitter.com/1QDxuruKxX

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) June 12, 2024

Harris was enjoying the tennis of his life in 2021, the year he beat Rafael Nadal in Washington D.C., reached the US Open quarter-finals and later hit a career-high No. 31. Things quickly changed the following season, when Harris tore his triangular fibrocartilage complex, a major contributor in wrist stability. The pain was extensive, leaving Harris with a no-brainer decision: surgery.

“It was just too difficult for me to enjoy my time on court. I couldn’t have fun out there anymore, couldn’t give it my 100 per cent,” said Harris, who did not play again in 2022 after Roland Garros. “I spent a lot of time talking to the team, to doctors and a lot of thinking just by myself… In the end, ultimately I couldn’t keep playing with that much pain.”

Seeded second at this week’s Lexus Ilkley Trophy, Harris has found some of his best level the past two months, highlighted by his biggest career title at the ATP Challenger Tour 125 event in Surbiton. Following his final victory against Swiss Leandro Riedi, Harris’ big grin and loud roar of ‘Come on!’ revealed what being crowned champion meant to the Cape Town native.

“I think when you are dealing with physical issues and pains and aches in your body and not feeling healthy when you’re playing, mentally it gets to you,” Harris said. “But right now I’m feeling mentally and physically in tip-top shape, so I’m super pleased with that.”

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/06/11/19/31/harris-surbitonch-2024.jpg” style=”width:100%” alt=”Lloyd Harris wins his first grass-court title and sixth ATP Challenger Tour crown in Surbiton.” />
^{Lloyd Harris wins his first grass-court title and sixth ATP Challenger Tour crown in Surbiton. Credit: Tom Dulat/Getty Images for LTA}

Just 12 months ago, Harris was teetering around the Top 300 of the PIF ATP Rankings, competing on both the ATP Tour and the ATP Challenger Tour. This season, shortly before his current streak of winning 17 of his past 19 Challenger-level matches, Harris was again navigating through a difficult stretch. He suffered six consecutive first-round losses at the ATP Challenger Tour level spanning from January to March.

But Harris did not let himself become overwhelmed with the lack of results.

“I think what kept me going was just the fact that the wheel will turn. Eventually things do come right. Sometimes it feels like it’s endless, two, three months struggling. Pain, no pain, struggling with tennis. But eventually I do feel like you find the rhythm. If you put the hard work in, do all the correct stuff, if you really are dedicated to it, there’s always that turning point. It’s just that dedication to keep going.”

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Fonseca after climbing 500 spots in six months: ‘Tennis is about steps’

How far can Joao Fonseca’s upward trajectory take him in 2024?

At just 17 years old, the #NextGenATP Brazilian has announced himself on the ATP Tour with a series of impressive performances across the past six months. He has reached two tour-level quarter-finals, including one on home soil in Rio de Janeiro, and climbed a remarkable 513 spots in the PIF ATP Rankings since 1 January. His rise has been so rapid that Fonseca has barely had time to calibrate it against any expectations he may have had for his first few months as a pro.

“I was really not thinking about it,” the Brazilian told ATPTour.com on Monday in Halle, when asked if he had set himself a ranking target at the start of the year. “After Rio, where I made the quarters, I jumped from 600 to 300. So it was a really big jump.”

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/02/21/21/58/fonseca-rio-2024-wednesday.jpg” style=”width: 100%;” alt=”Joao Fonseca claims his first tour-level win Wednesday in Rio.” />

_{^{Fonseca during his quarter-final run in February in Rio de Janeiro. Photo Credit: Rio Open.}}

Fonseca has excelled whenever offered the chance to compete at the top level. As a wild card, he reached the quarter-finals in Rio and Bucharest and the second round on his ATP Masters 1000 debut in Madrid. The Brazilian is eager to take advantage of another wild card opportunity this week at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, but that does not mean he will be feeling extra stress once he steps on court.

“I think when we have this kind of opportunity, you don’t have any pressure,” said Fonseca, who will play his maiden tour-level match on grass against James Duckworth at the German ATP 500. “You just need to enjoy, and this is what I did in Rio. I was like No. 600 and I was playing guys from the Top 100.

“I just play tennis, play for fun. I was in Rio with all my family watching, and here it will be the same. I will just enjoy. Obviously, I want to win as many matches as I can but it’s just to enjoy, appreciate this place and enjoy the opportunity that I have.”

Now at a career-high No. 217 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Fonseca remains determined to take everything in his stride. The 17-year-old, whose tennis idol is Roger Federer and who grew up only 10 minutes from the site of the Rio Open presented by Claro, is well aware of the need to be patient as he tries to fulfil his undoubted potential.

“I’d say tennis is about steps, so it’s important to play tournaments on the Challenger Tour to get a bit more experience,” said Fonseca, who is 11-8 at that level so far this year. “Obviously, I wanted to go as fast as I could to the ATP Tour, but it’s step by step. After Rio and after Bucharest, I made a real big jump. It’s really nice and I’ve seen my expectations go faster than I could imagine. Now, step by step, I am trying to enter the ATP Tour. That is where I want to be.”

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The highlights of Fonseca’s junior career came only late last year, when he won the 2023 US Open boys’ singles title to become the No. 1-ranked junior in the world. Nine months later, the Brazilian is preparing to compete in his sixth tour-level event while occupying sixth place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. If he can qualify for the season-ending Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, he would be the first Brazilian to do so in event history.

“I think everything started after the US Open, where I won the junior title,” reflected Fonseca. “It gave me more confidence to start this year, and to start on the pro tour, finishing my junior career by becoming No. 1. I started playing more Challengers, and it was different for me. I was just playing tennis, because I didn’t have enough maturity to play those kinds of experienced players that already played a lot of Challengers.

“It was different for me. I’m very happy the way that I managed to evolve, not just in my technique and physically, but also my maturity. So I think I did really well this couple of months, and I hope to still get a lot of progress during this this year.”

While his biggest successes so far have come on clay, Fonseca notched his first two ATP Challenger Tour wins on grass across the past two weeks in Surbiton and Nottingham, respectively. He is a relative novice on the surface, but views playing on it as another beneficial challenge on his path to the top.

“I played on grass in 2022 and 2023, both in juniors,” recalled Fonseca. “I think it’s very different to play the grass with pros to with juniors. It’s such a different level, but last year I did good on grass. I won a tournament and made the quarters of junior Wimbledon.

“This year, I think it’s very important for me, for my game, to play this season on grass. It helps me to play more aggressively and go to the net. You need to give more importance to your serve, because your serve is your best weapon on a grass court. Those types of things, these little things, are very important for my process.”

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Wimbledon champion Vondrousova begins grass-court campaign with win

Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova begins her grass-court campaign with victory over Rebeka Masarova at the Berlin Open.

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Norrie out of Queen's as Raonic breaks aces record

Cameron Norrie is unable to turn his fortunes around on the British grass as he loses to huge-serving Milos Raonic at Queen’s.

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