At this rate, it won’t be long before Felix Auger-Aliassime’s highly-anticipated Top 100 debut becomes a reality. On Saturday, the Canadian teen inched closer to the century mark with his fourth ATP Challenger Tour title, prevailing on the hard courts of Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Auger-Aliassime was on the attack from the first ball to last, dropping just two sets to lift the trophy as a qualifier. He won eight matches in eight days, capped by a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Kamil Majchrzak in the championship. The Montreal native provided plenty of fireworks throughout the week, edging Alexey Vatutin in a deciding tie-break in the second round, followed by an upset win over home favourite and two-time champion Denis Istomin.

“It feels really good,” said Auger-Aliassime. “I forgot to sign in the tournament, so I had to play qualies. I told myself that I knew I had the level and I’ve won these tournaments before. It’s just about taking it one match at a time. I believed in myself and as the tournament was going on, I played better and better and got more confidence. Overall, it was a great week in Tashkent.”

Sealed with a second serve ace. Felix Auger-Aliassime is the champion in Tashkent!

Fourth #ATPChallenger title for @felixtennis, claiming 8⃣ wins in 8⃣ days as a qualifier pic.twitter.com/hGzfMN3tCw

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 13, 2018

With the victory, Auger-Aliassime rises 19 spots to a projected career-high of No. 109 in the ATP Rankings. On the precipice of dethroning countryman Denis Shapovalov as the ATP Star of Tomorrow – awarded to the youngest player in the year-end Top 100 – the Canadian will look to make further progress at next week’s European Open in Antwerp. He will play his ninth match in nine days in Sunday’s qualifying opener at the ATP World Tour 250 event.

Moreover, Auger-Aliassime joins elite company with his victory, adding his name to a superstar cast of players who have captured at least four titles at the age of 18 and under. The 18-year-old accompanies Richard Gasquet (7), Tomas Berdych (5), Hyeon Chung (4), Mario Ancic (4) and Guillermo Coria (4) in the exclusive club.

Most Challenger Titles – Age 18 & Under

“I handled myself well on court,” Auger-Aliassime added. “There’s no words to explain my week in Tashkent, but I just played great matches from the first day in the main draw. I had a couple good matches in qualies and it got me ready. As the tournament was going on, I was feeling much better to play my best level in the final.

“[In the final] I think I served really well. From the first game to the last, I had high-percentage and precise serves. I was also pretty good from the baseline and I imposed my game. I had a good tempo and was being pretty aggressive until the end, so it paid off.”

Teens With Multiple Titles In The Same Season (since 2014)

A glance at the drawsheet for the 2018 Santo Domingo Open will show many things. It reveals that Santiago Giraldo stunned top seed Pablo Cuevas in the first round, earning his first win over the Uruguayan in 12 years. It shows that Dominican wild card Jose Hernandez-Fernandez enjoyed a magical run to the quarter-finals on home soil.

It also unveils the dominant campaigns of Christian Garin and Federico Delbonis en route to a championship clash, dropping one combined set. Dig a little deeper and you’ll discover that the 22-year-old Garin saved two match points to set a final rematch with Delbonis, having prevailed in Campinas, Brazil, one week ago.

But what the drawsheet does not show is what transpired off the court at the $125,000 ATP Challenger Tour event. Persisent, torrential rain from the outer bands of Hurricane Michael led to scheduling chaos. Oppressive heat and humidity forced even the most well-conditioned of athletes to fall to their knees and declare ‘no más’.

What may appear to be a normal tournament was anything but. Professional tennis always requires unwavering mental focus and physical durability, but this was a test of endurance and fortitude like players had never seen in their entire careers. To say that Garin and Delbonis deserved to stand on the final stage and battle for the trophy is an understatement.

“You have to be fresh mentally, because the weather is heavy here and nothing has come easy,” Delbonis told ATPWorldTour.com. “The courts and the balls have been a little slower than usual. With all the matches, you have to treat them equally. You have to be fresh in your head and in the tough moments stay clear with your thoughts. This was one of the keys this week.”

The week of chaos began on Tuesday, when moisture from Hurricane Michael whipped across the Caribbean islands, drenching the Dominican Republic. A total of 11 first-round singles matches were on the schedule, but after less than an hour of play, the skies closed. Steady drizzle transformed into heavy rain with claps of thunder and lightning strikes.

Dawn turned to dusk in the blink of an eye and the possibility of play being canceled for the day was suddenly very real. But, with a Saturday final looming and more rain in the forecast for Wednesday, losing a day was not an option. After a seven-hour delay, the rain finally halted at 6pm and players were back on court by 7 o’clock. Play was supposed to be winding down for the day, but it was just getting started.

It was a surreal experience for all involved, as the hours ticked by. Players shuttled to the site from their hotels as midnight crept closer, with warmups and pre-match meals going on at 11pm. Santo Domingo was in darkness, with the Club La Bocha a bright exception. Floodlights illuminated the three match courts, with four matches scheduled on each.

Midnight was long gone when the last group of players stepped on the court. At 2am, there were three matches simultaneously being contested. And incredibly, the draining day did not discourage fans from flooding into the club. Estadio 1 provided the moment of the day at 3am, as local hero Jose Hernandez-Fernandez survived a three-set battle with Thiago Monteiro. The 28-year-old was exhausted, but the crowd was packed with the Dominican faithful, who provided the energy to push their native son across the finish line. The biggest late-night party in the city was happening at a tennis club and everyone was invited. Fans were dancing in the stands and screaming with joy. 

But for the bleary-eyed players, it was an exhausting experience and one that tested their mettle and fortitude to the extreme. At 3:24am, Gastao Elias defeated Marcelo Arevalo to conclude the day. It is unknown if it is a Challenger record, but it improbably tied the ATP World Tour mark for latest finish ever. Benjamin Becker and Jiri Novak also concluded their match in Tokyo 2006 at the exact same time. To the minute.

“The truth is that on Tuesday, it was an exhausting day,” Delbonis added. “To spend more than two hours in the club and not know if we’re going to play. And then if we did play, who knew what the conditions would be after all the rain. And with possible court changes and time changes, playing so late at night, it was tough on all the players.”

And the drama was not finished. Play was completely washed out on Wednesday as the rain refused to dissipate. The first round was in the books, but the loss of a full day wreaked havoc on the schedule for the remainder of the week. In addition, only two doubles matches had been completed to that point. 

As the sun rose on Thursday, with scattered clouds in the sky, it was a welcome sight for players, umpires, tournament officials and the legion of fans that flocked to La Bocha for the biggest professional tournament in all of the Caribbean and Central America. Baseball rules in the Dominican Republic, but tennis is steadily growing in popularity and the Santo Domingo Open is the crown jewel on the calendar. Having world-class players in such an intimate setting, giving fans the opportunity to witness high-level tennis, is massive for the game’s development.

But holding an outdoor tournament in a tropical location during hurricane season has its inherent problems. On Thursday, the full impact was felt as they scrambled to catch up under clear skies. A grand total of 21 matches – 12 singles and nine doubles – were contested over 14 hours. Play got underway at 10am and concluded at midnight, with second round and quarter-final singles completed first, followed by first round and quarter-final doubles.

Top seeds Leander Paes and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela finished their doubles opener at 10pm and were right back on court 15 minutes later to book a spot in the semis. The Indo-Mex duo put a bow on Manic Thursday just before the stroke of midnight and were given a roaring ovation by the Dominican faithful that remained throughout the day. Chants of ‘Pa-es! Pa-es!’ and ‘Rey-es Var-ela!’ echoed across the grounds.

21 matches
14 hours
1 long day@micky_rv & @Leander bring Thursday in Santo Domingo to a close in front of the ?? faithful pic.twitter.com/QJpIctPQcC

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 12, 2018

After a 3:24am finish on Tuesday, complete rainout on Wednesday and 21-match slate on Thursday, it was a true test of survival. The oppressive humidity left behind by the storms made the tournament a battle of nerves and physical and mental conditioning. There are occasions when tennis transcends the forehands and backhands on the court and becomes a test of managing the unexpected external factors. This was undoubtedly one of those times.

Garin, Delbonis, Carlos Berlocq and Pedja Krstin all survived the mid-week carnage to reach Friday’s semi-finals. 

“It’s important to stay calm and relaxed. We’ve had heat and humidity, a lot of rain and long days,” Delbonis continued. “And then on Thursday, I had two tough matches, but even with the tough conditions, I was able to finish quickly. That was important. And I had time to rest and recover before my semi-final. Every match is different, so I had to focus all my energy.”

On Saturday, Delbonis will look to avenge his defeat from a week ago in the Campinas final. But Garin, who enters on a nine-match win streak, is on the precipice of a Top 100 breakthrough and will be keen to lift his second straight trophy. 

“It’s important to take the initiative,” Delbonis exclaimed. “In the other match, I couldn’t do that. He was playing on another level. But this is different now. I have a new opportunity.”

Regardless of the outcome, both players will hold their heads high after the week that was in Santo Domingo. It is one that neither will ever forget.

Can anyone stop Novak Djokovic?

That task falls to Borna Coric on Sunday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where the 21-year-old Croatian will compete in his maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final. And if the two-time ATP World Tour champion hopes to lift his biggest trophy yet, he will have to solve what is arguably tennis’ toughest riddle at the moment.

Djokovic, who is 10-0 in finals in China, has won 17 straight matches and 24 consecutive sets leading into the championship clash. The No. 2 seed is pursuing his fourth trophy in Shanghai and his 32nd Masters 1000 crown, which would move him within one of Rafael Nadal for the most at the elite level.

View FedEx ATP Head2Head for the following match-up at the Rolex Shanghai Masters and vote for the players you think will win!
Djokovic v Coric

But that’s not the only reason that it’s an important match for Djokovic. He is making a run at finishing atop the year-end ATP Rankings for the fifth time in his career. Djokovic was outside the Top 20 as recently as July, but the Serbian will climb to No. 2 on Monday, and he can move within 215 points of World No. 1 Rafael Nadal if he triumphs against Coric.

“It’s important, and I am grateful that I have this achievement. I’m proud of it. Obviously I worked hard for it, and my ultimate goal is to get to No. 1 by the end of the year. I’m in a good way,” Djokovic said of moving up to No. 2, which he guaranteed by defeating Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals. “But being No. 2 after this tournament is also a great achievement, considering the first four, five months of the year and considering I had the surgery [after the Australian Open], and where I was about four months ago and where I am today is quite an extreme opposite. I’m just cherishing that achievement and every moment spent on the court.”

Djokovic knows that while this is uncharted territory for Coric, beating the Croatian will not be easy. Coric upset top seed Roger Federer on Saturday in straight sets after also winning against the Swiss earlier this year to capture his maiden ATP World Tour 500-level title at the Gerry Weber Open.

“He’s a hard worker. He’s one of the hardest-working guys on the Tour,” Djokovic said. “He puts a lot of effort in practice. He’s one of the leaders of the new generation. He’s played some great tennis so far this week.”

And while Coric has enjoyed the best season of his young career — he will soar to a career-best No. 13 regardless of Sunday’s result — such a big breakthrough was even a surprise to him. Coric simply took the court against Federer with the mindset that he had nothing to lose.

“It happened much earlier than what I expected, to be honest,” Coric said of reaching a Masters 1000 final. “I’m also as surprised as you, probably.”

It will also be a different type of match for Coric, as Federer and Djokovic play different styles. The 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier did well to keep Federer from finding an offensive rhythm in the semi-finals, taking it to Federer at every opportunity. Djokovic on the other hand is arguably the best neutralising defender in the world, known for his elastic sliding around the court and all-around game.

“He plays more similar to me. Actually, I play more similar to him. When I was a kid, I was looking up to him and I was always trying to play like him,” Coric said of Djokovic. “I need to change a couple of things, but I just need to go out there and just need to enjoy. That’s the most important [thing]. I just need to try to play like today and we will see what’s going to happen.”

Coric owns a 2-2 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Federer, Nadal and former World No. 1 Andy Murray. But Djokovic has won the pair’s previous two matches without dropping a set. One thing working especially well for the Serbian this week has been his serve. Djokovic has won all 37 of his service games in the tournament, facing just three break points, and he will try to continue that in the final.

“I love the way I have played so far this week,” Djokovic said. “I’m ready for whatever challenge is across the net.”

That will be Coric, who is not just an opponent, but a friend. The No. 13 seed grew up idolising Djokovic, before befriended him on the ATP World Tour. Now, Coric has an opportunity to spring a massive upset against his friend to add an even greater achievement to his resumé.

“We are really close friends. I was looking up to him since I was really, really young,” Coric said. “We are friends now, but tomorrow on the court we are going to try to win.”

Novak Djokovic passed another milestone in his illustrious career on Saturday, defeating World No. 5 Alexander Zverev in his 1,000th tour-level match to advance to the Rolex Shanghai Masters final.

“Big milestone, 1,000 matches,” Djokovic told his fans in a video on his Instagram. “Thank you guys very much for being there with me. Obviously it’s a great milestone. I’m very proud of it. It almost looks unreal, really, to play 1,000 matches throughout my professional career. I’m very grateful. I’m blessed to play the sport that I really love. I have a great team around me. I owe a great gratitude to my family, all the people that were close to me throughout my entire career and supported me on the way to achieve this great milestone.”

Only 12 players have completed 1,000 tour-level matches on record in the Open Era according to the FedEx ATP Performance Zone. And compared to his two greatest rivals — Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer — Djokovic has won a higher rate of matches than when those stars eclipsed the 1,000-match mark. The Serbian’s 827-173 record (82.7 per cent) barely squeaks by Nadal (822-178) and Federer (814-186).

Number Of Wins Through 1,000 Tour-Level Matches

It’s certainly not Djokovic’s first milestone. On 4 July 2011, the Serbian climbed to the top of the ATP Rankings for the first time. Earlier this year, Djokovic completed the Career Golden Masters, triumphing in Cincinnati to earn the only ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title he was missing. But that doesn’t mean this achievement loses significance for the 31-year-old, who dreamt of such moments long before playing his first match.

“I wouldn’t be so dedicated to this sport if I didn’t believe that I can achieve great heights. But you always have to kind of pinch yourself, particularly at this stage of my career, and be grateful, because at the end of the day, I did have an awesome career so far that has blessed me with a lot of great achievements,” Djokovic told the media after beating Zverev. “I always try to remind myself, and I have a lot of people around me that are very close to me in my life that also try to remind me, that I have to appreciate every milestone, every success, every win. Also losses, because you learn more from losses. It’s quite a journey and quite a trajectory I’ve had in my career.”

But more than anything, Djokovic is happy to be in another Masters 1000 final. The No. 2 seed will have a chance to lift his 32nd trophy at the elite level on Sunday when he faces Borna Coric in Shanghai after defeating Zverev with the loss of just three games.

“It was a great way to celebrate the milestone. It was a lot of numbers, symbolic 1000th match, one hour exactly of play today,” Djokovic said. “When it comes to the match, I thought I did everything I intended to do very well.”