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Korda sinks Paul in 's-Hertogenbosch to reach second SF of season

  • Posted: Jun 14, 2024

Sebastian Korda reached his second ATP Tour semi-final of the season on Friday at the Libema Open, where he defeated fellow American Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-2.

The 23-year-old produced a dominant display on the lawns in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, where he struck 18 winners and won 84 per cent (27/32) of his first-serve points according to ATP Infosys Stats to earn victory after 67 minutes.

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With his 18th tour-level win of the season, Korda improved his impressive Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Paul to 4-1, with this their first meeting on grass.

Korda, who also advanced to the last four on grass at the Queen’s Club in 2023, is chasing his first ATP Tour title since 2021, when he won his maiden trophy at this level in Parma. The seventh seed will play defending champion Tallon Griekspoor after the sixth-seeded Dutchman clawed past Aleksander Vukic 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) to reach the semi-finals.

Griekspoor has won his past eight matches at the ATP 250, having lifted his second tour-level trophy at the event last. Earlier this season, the No. 23 in the PIF ATP Rankings also reached the semi-finals on home soil in Rotterdam.

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Annacone on the 'big improvement' that could help Sinner cut it on the grass

  • Posted: Jun 14, 2024

Jannik Sinner enters the 2024 grass-court season atop the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time. After winning his first Grand Slam title and debuting at World No. 1 last Monday, can he add his maiden grass-court title to his incredible calendar year?

The 22-year-old owns a 12-8 record on the surface, with his best result a Wimbledon semi-final run last season. He will begin his 2024 grass campaign at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, where he reached the quarter-finals last season in his tournament main-draw debut before retiring with an adductor muscle injury.

Five years ago, Sinner first played the ATP 500 event in the 2019 qualifying draw at the age of 17. While he did not pick up a win in the play-in tournament, he gained an invaluable experience by practising with 10-time Halle champion Roger Federer at the event.

Sinner has made great strides since he last competed on grass, and there is no doubt that he has all the tools for success on the unique surface. Paul Annacone, who has coached two of the most accomplished grass-court players of all time in Pete Sampras and Federer, analysed the Italian’s game and grass-court tennis in general ahead of Sinner’s return to the lawns of Halle.

“To me, even though the grass game has evolved, generally, the most effective grass-court players are the ones that are really good at first-strike tennis,” the Tennis Channel commentator, who is currently serving as an advisor to Taylor Fritz, told ATPTour.com.

Annacone also pointed to one key Sinner stat as a harbinger of grass-court success: his 56 per cent win rate on second serves in 2023, which was good for third on the ATP Tour behind last year’s Wimbledon finalist Novak Djokovic (57.9%) and champion Carlos Alcaraz (56.3%). In the past 52 weeks, Sinner has bumped that figure up to 56.7 per cent, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“He made a big improvement on second-serve success rate,” Annacone explained. “His first-serve speeds and accuracy are up. So I think when you look at those two things, and you look at his ability to return aggressively, and also first-strike tennis, power tennis, [playing] aggressively in return games… I think that’s going to be a catalyst to drive his success on the grass.”

With the changes of surface throughout each season on the ATP Tour, each player must make a decision as to how to adapt his game to the new conditions. For some, the surface dictates the game plan more than others. But for those at the top of the game, it’s all about small adjustments, according to Annacone.

“I think everybody needs to find their own way on surfaces on how they play, and then how you plug it in on different surfaces,” he said. “The best players do that versus, ‘Oh, I’m going to play on grass, now I’m going to change my whole game around.’ “

In Annacone’s opinion, that holds doubly true for Sinner, who does not possess some of the natural advantages that someone like Alcaraz has on the lawns. 

“Even though he’s moving much, much better, he’s a tall, lanky guy,” he said of the Italian. “I actually think that’s one of the disadvantages, maybe, compared to a mover like Alcaraz who is lower to the ground. He’s much more powerful, he’ll probably move a little bit more nuanced and also subtly more balanced than Jannik will on a grass court, I think. So based on that, you really have to be good off of the first strike. So when you look at [Sinner’s] improvements in the serve, in particular, that’s a huge bonus. He’s a terrific returner. So that’s standard and that is the status quo, but I think serve is going to pay huge dividends for him on the grass this year.”

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Another part of that first-strike tennis is Sinner’s ability to finish off points at net. In that area, Annacone has seen improvements not only in the Italian’s technique, but also his positioning in the frontcourt. While one volley is often enough to win a point in the modern game, the world’s best players force you to hit multiple volleys — players like Djokovic, who beat Sinner in straight sets last year at Wimbledon. Sinner’s tolerance for those situations will be key in his bid to win his first title on the grass, says Annacone.

With just 20 tour-level grass-court matches under his belt entering Halle, Sinner is still learning to win on the surface. But winning has been a constant for him in recent months: He owns a 33-3 record this season and finished 2023 in equally scintillating form. After posting an 8-3 record across grass events in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Halle and Wimbledon last season, the time could be ripe for Sinner to make yet another breakthrough this season on the lawns of Europe.

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2024 Wimbledon prize money

  • Posted: Jun 13, 2024

The All England Club announced Thursday a record £50 million in total prize money for Wimbledon in 2024. The men’s and women’s singles champions will each receive £2.7 million, while runners-up will earn £1.4 million. First-round prize money for singles competitors is set at £60,000.

The doubles prize money will increase by 11.9 per cent from 2023, while qualifying payouts will rise by 14.9 per cent. Wimbledon’s total prize money has doubled over the past 10 years, from £25 million in 2014.

The main draw of the year’s third major will run from 1-14 July.

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Men’s & Women’s Singles Prize Money

Result  Prize Money
Champion £2,700,000
Finalist £1,400,000
SF £715,000
QF £375,000
R4 £226,000
R3 £143,000
R2 £93,000
R1 £60,000

Men’s & Women’s Doubles Prize Money (Per Pair)

Result  Prize Money
Champion £650,000
Finalist £330,000
SF £167,000
QF £84,000
R3 £42,000
R2 £25,000
R1 £15,750

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Sinner's World No. 1 celebrations continue upon Halle arrival

  • Posted: Jun 13, 2024

Fresh off becoming World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time, Jannik Sinner has arrived at the Terra Wortmann Open in Germany, where the Italian will begin his grass-court season next week.

Making his second appearance at the ATP 500 in Halle, the top seed was greeted with a cake to celebrate his rise to the pinnacle of the sport. Sinner on Monday became the 29th player to become World No. 1 since computerised rankings began in 1973.

The 22-year-old next looks to add to his standout season by claiming his maiden grass-court crown. “Of course, I want to be in the fight for the title. But the competition is very, very strong,” said the 13-time tour-level titlist.

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Already a champion at the Australian Open, in Rotterdam and Miami this year, Sinner enters Halle with a 33-3 season record. Should he claim his fourth trophy of 2024 in Halle, Sinner would become the first Italian champion in tournament history. He is aiming to become the first World No. 1 to win the grass ATP 500 since Roger Federer in 2008.

Sinner will learn his place in the Terra Wortmann Open draw on Saturday.

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Kings of Queen's Club: How Murray & more reigned on the London grass

  • Posted: Jun 13, 2024

The Cinch Championships has crowned many legends of the game as champions throughout the storied history of the ATP 500 event. But a select few superstars rise above the rest in the London tournament’s record book. 

In 2016, Andy Murray became the first player to win five titles at The Queen’s Club, breaking a tie with an elite group of players that also includes Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Boris Becker and John McEnroe. All five of those men, whose success at the London event is explored below, are former No. 1s in the PIF ATP Rankings.

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Andy Murray (Singles titles: 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015-16)
Home favourite Murray became the first British man since Henry Austin in 1938 to win the Queen’s Club singles title when he claimed his maiden trophy at the event in 2009. 

“It’s been a great week for me,” Murray said after a 7-5, 6-4 final victory against James Blake. “This is some of the best tennis I’ve ever played in my life. I was quite nervous because people were telling me no Briton had won here for quite a while, but when I had my chances I managed to take them. The only thing left for me is to win a Grand Slam.”

Murray would go on to win three Grand Slams, including two Wimbledons, but his title count at Queen’s Club rose even higher. A perfect 5-0 in finals at the event, Murray thrice came back from a set down to win the trophy, fighting back against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2011), Marin Cilic (2013) and Milos Raonic (2016).

In 2019, Murray added a doubles trophy to his haul by teaming with Feliciano Lopez to win the tandem event in a Match Tie-break. Lopez swept both the singles and doubles titles that year.

Andy Roddick (Singles titles: 2003-05, 2007)
Carrying on the legacy of great American champions at The Queen’s Club into the 21st century, Roddick followed in the footsteps of Stan Smith, Jimmy Connors, McEnroe and Pete Sampras by winning his first title at the event in 2003.

With firepower rarely seen even in today’s modern game, Roddick dominated the London event in the mid-2000s, winning four titles in five years — a stretch during which he also reached two Wimbledon finals along with a semi-final and a quarter-final.

“Over the years I’ve had a lot of success at the Queen’s Club. It has real tradition and I love the whole month in London,” Roddick said in 2011. “Queen’s has the best grass courts in the world, they play perfectly and so the [event] is a great way to prepare for Wimbledon.”

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/06/13/11/50/roddick-london-2005-trophy.jpg” style=”width: 100%;” alt=”Andy Roddick” />

Andy Roddick claims the third of his four Queen’s Club titles in 2005. Photo Credit: Ian Walton/Getty Images.

Lleyton Hewitt (Singles titles: 2000-2002, 2006)
Hewitt and Roddick owned the 2000s at the Queen’s Club. No other man claimed a singles crown from 2000-08, when the two former World No. 1s won four apiece. Hewitt’s three-peat from 2000 to 2002 was notable not just for the sustained and dominant success, but for the legendary opponents he beat in each final.

The Aussie won his first title with a 6-4, 6-4 decision against grass-court legend Pete Sampras. In 2001, he beat British icon Tim Henman in straight sets. He lost just one set that week, to none other than Sampras in a comeback semi-final win. Competing as the No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings in 2002, Hewitt again lost only one set en route to the trophy, beating Henman from a set down in the final.

Hewitt made it a perfect 3-0 against Henman on his way to the 2006 title, one round after he advanced past Rafael Nadal via retirement after the pair split sets in the quarter-finals. A straight-sets win against Blake earned the Aussie his fourth crown, two years before a quarter-final defeat to Novak Djokovic brought his Queen’s Club career to a close. Hewitt’s 2006 title was his first tour-level triumph in more than a year.

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/06/13/11/37/hewitt-london-2006-volley.jpg” style=”width: 100%;” alt=”Lleyton Hewitt” />

Lleyton Hewitt in 2006 en route to his fourth Queen’s Club crown. Photo Credit: Christopher Lee/Getty Images.

Boris Becker (Singles titles: 1985, 1987-88, 1996)
The late 1980s in West London belonged to Becker. The German arrived at the Queen’s Club in 1985 aged just 17 and was seeded 11th. With expectations low on the red-headed debutant, Becker blew through the field to win his first tour-level title and become the youngest champion in tournament history. Becker dropped just one set en route to the title before he backed up his success at Wimbledon, where he became the youngest man to win a major.

After falling in the quarter-final stage in 1986, Becker ruled at Queen’s Club again in 1987 and 1988. The German defeated Jimmy Connors in the final in 1987 and beat Stefan Edberg in the title match in 1988. Becker would go on to add a final Queen’s Club title to his CV in 1996, when he once again overcame Edberg in the final.

Having finished a four-time champion with a 35-6 record at the Queen’s Club, Becker remains one of the most dominant forces to have graced the lawns of the London event.

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/06/13/11/22/becker-london-1985-trophy-shot.jpg” style=”width: 100%;” alt=”Boris Becker” />

The 17-year-old Boris Becker lifts his maiden tour-level title on the Queen’s Club grass in 1985. Photo Credit: AllsportUK /Allsport.

John McEnroe (Singles titles: 1979-81, 1984)
From 1978-1984, the Queen’s Club lawns were McEnroe’s playground. The American lifted the singles trophy four times in the period and won the doubles with Peter Rennert in 1982.

On his debut at the event in 1978, McEnroe advanced to the title match before he went one step better in 1979, lifting the trophy. McEnroe went on to complete the Queen’s-Wimbledon double that year. Further dominance followed in 1980 and 1981, when McEnroe won 24 consecutive sets at the tournament to clinch further crowns.

He won his fourth and final title in 1984, having reached the final in 1982 and 1983. His final Queen’s Club triumph came in the middle of the most successful season of the American’s illustrious career, during which he won 13 tour-level titles.

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/06/13/11/15/mcenroe-london-1984-forehand.jpg” style=”width: 100%;” alt=”John McEnroe” />

Four-time champion John McEnroe in action during his 1984 title run at the Queen’s Club. Photo Credit: Adrian Murrell /Allsport.

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Top seed De Minaur starts strong in ‘s-Hertogenbosch

  • Posted: Jun 13, 2024

Headlining the field at an ATP Tour event appeared to suit Alex de Minaur on Thursday in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

The Australian held off Zizou Bergs for a 7-5, 6-4 opening victory at the Libema Open, where he is competing as the top seed for the first time in his tour-level career. Whatever extra pressure that may have brought, the No. 9 in the PIF ATP Rankings handled it with aplomb as he rallied from an early 1-4 deficit to notch a straight-sets win in one hour and 41 minutes.

“It feels great. Zizou is a hell of competitor and a very tricky opponent and I’m very happy I was able to sneak the win today,” said De Minaur in his on-court interview. “First win of the grass-court season, so hopefully there are many, many more.

“It’s my first match on the grass [this season]. I’ve been able to get a couple of [practice] sets here and there, but there is nothing like matches. it’s good to get the win under my belt and hopefully I can get some confidence from this.”

De Minaur won 86 per cent (32/37) of points behind his first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to extend his winning record against Belgian opponents to 7-0. He has now won his past seven opening rounds on grass, and the 25-year-old will next take on Roberto Bautista Agut or Milos Raonic in the quarter-finals

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There was double American joy earlier in the day in the Netherlands, where Tommy Paul and Sebastian Korda both won to ensure they would face off in the quarter-finals.

The second-seeded Paul pulled through a sticky start to his grass-court season to register a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 triumph against Alexei Popyrin. It was the World No. 13’s first victory in three attempts in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, where he is now into his fifth tour-level quarter-final on grass.

Korda battled past Luca Nardi 7-5, 7-5 to reach the last eight on his event debut. The seventh seed leads Paul 3-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series: Korda beat his countryman three times at ATP 250 level in 2021, before Paul prevailed in five sets at the 2022 US Open. None of their previous clashes were played on grass.

In a match that began on Wednesday evening, Aleksandar Vukic overcame fourth seed Karen Khachanov 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(4). The pair returned to court on Thursday afternoon at one-set all, and it was the Australian World No. 87 who held his nerve to complete the upset and reach his maiden ATP Tour quarter-final on grass. Vukic will next take on defending champion and home favourite Tallon Griekspoor.

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Berrettini breaks Shapovalov duck for Stuttgart QF spot; Shelton falls

  • Posted: Jun 13, 2024

Matteo Berrettini added another stylish win to his dominant record at the BOSS OPEN on Thursday afternoon.

The 2019 and 2022 champion at the grass-court ATP 250 defeated Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 6-4 with a rock-solid second-round display. It was Berrettini’s first victory in three Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings between the two players, and he is now 11-1 in Stuttgart.

“I knew that I hadn’t beaten him,” said Berrettini in his post-match interview. “[We played] two really tough matches, but they were a long time ago. I knew that I had to play my best tennis in order to beat him, and I did today.

“I know that so far in my career I’ve been pretty successful on grass. I think it’s my best surface, and I love to play especially here in Stuttgart. I’m really happy to be in the quarter-finals. Now I need to rest a little bit and wait until tomorrow to think about tomorrow.”

The 28-year-old Berrettini, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2021, is this week competing for the first time since April’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. He missed Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros but has made a strong return on the grass, a surface on which he excels.

“I put a lot of focus on my serve,” said Berrettini, who won 85 per cent (33/39) of points behind his first delivery against Shapovalov, according to Infosys ATP Stats. “Especially here, it is really important to make him feel the pressure. Also when he’s serving, so he knows that he cannot get broken, otherwise he is going to be in trouble.

“Coming in with the slice is [also] something I like to do on grass. Against a left-hander with a one-handed backhand, it’s something that today was really useful. We practised it a little yesterday and this morning, and it worked.”

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Aiming for his seventh win in as many tour-level quarter-finals on grass, Berrettini will next play qualifier James Duckworth, who earned his first Top 20 victory since 2021 by upsetting second seed Ben Shelton 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3.

Despite the American’s 21 aces, Duckworth applied pressure on the lefty’s second serve. Having won 60 per cent of his second-serve return points, the 32-year-old Australian is into his third quarter-final of the season.

Last year’s finalist Jan-Lennard Struff, also advanced to the quarter-finals on Thursday. The home favourite downed Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 7-6(0) to reach the quarter-finals for the third time in his past four appearances at the event.

Struff will take on Brandon Nakashima in the last eight, after the American overcame Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-4. Having begun the year as the World No. 134, the 22-year-old Nakashima has risen two spots to No. 68 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings as a result of his Stuttgart run so far.

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