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Pan Pacific Open: Johanna Konta knocked out by Donna Vekic

  • Posted: Sep 20, 2018

British number one Johanna Konta was knocked out in the Pan Pacific Open last-16 in a straight-set defeat by Croatia’s Donna Vekic.

World number 43 Konta lost 6-3 7-5 in one hour 22 minutes in Tokyo.

Having lost the opening set, Konta, 27, was 4-1 up and had a chance to serve for the second before the 22-year-old fought back.

Vekic, who beat Sloane Stephens in the opening round, faces French second seed Caroline Garcia in the quarter-finals.

Garcia, the world number four, beat Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 2-6 7-5 to reach the last eight.

Vekic earned an early break and held on to edge a tight first set from Konta, but the Briton looked to be in control of the second.

Konta was two breaks up at one point and holding a 4-1 lead, and then had the chance to serve for the set before Vekic recovered to take a 6-5 advantage.

The Briton, who racked up 38 unforced errors in the match, then lost a second successive service game to love as world number 45 Vekic progressed.

“I played really well towards the end of the match and I am really happy to win this in two sets,” said Vekic.

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Monfils Hits 'Fake & Bake' Hot Shot In Challenger Return

  • Posted: Sep 20, 2018

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This week, Gael Monfils is back on the ATP Challenger Tour for the first time since 2013, competing at the $150,000 event in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It looks like he’s brought his trademark flair for the dramatic with him.

Nearly 2,000 fans were on their feet at the Kaohsiung OEC Open as Monfils faked out Akira Santillan en route to a first-round victory. The Frenchman put on a show deep in the second set. With a set point to force a decider, he turned his back to Santillan and covered his face with his left hand, before prompty firing a forehand pass on the dead run.

Monfils is kicking off his Asian swing early in his return from a wrist injury suffered at the US Open. The World No. 42, who is scheduled to compete at ATP World Tour stops in Chengdu, Beijing and Shanghai in the coming weeks, leads a strong field in Kaohsiung.  

“I’m happy to be here,” said Monfils. “The wrist injury from the US Open is fine, but I just have to get on the court and try my best to win more matches. I’m in the right position right now to finish the year strong.

“There were many people watching today and the atmosphere is quite good. It’s also a great venue. I need a little time to adapt, but overall it’s been great. It’s just great to be in Taiwan. I also love the food here. We don’t have good Asian food in France, so it is nice to try some authentic food here.”

In search of match play and confidence after struggling for consistency thus far in 2018, Monfils will face 2012 champ Go Soeda in the second round. Fellow former Top 10 player Ernests Gulbis and #NextGenATP stars Duckhee Lee, Jurij Rodionov and Soon-woo Kwon are other top contenders.

Monfils is bidding to become the fifth player to win ATP World Tour and ATP Challenger Tour crowns this year, having opened his campaign with a title at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. The 32-year-old is making his first Challenger appearance since 2013, when he prevailed on home soil in Bordeaux.

ATP Challenger Tour 

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Wawrinka Fights Back Into St. Petersburg QF

  • Posted: Sep 19, 2018

Wawrinka Fights Back Into St. Petersburg QF

Sep192018

Swiss to next face defending champion Dzumhur or Pella

Former World No. 3 and 2016 finalist Stan Wawrinka returned to the quarter-finals of the St. Petersburg Open on Wednesday, beating Russian Karen Khachanov 7-6(10), 7-6(1).

The fourth-seeded home favourite served for the opening set at 6-5 but was broken to 15 when Wawrinka smashed a crosscourt backhand winner. The 33-year-old Swiss then had three set points from 6/3 in the tie-break, but Khachanov erased them all and later had two set points of his own.

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At last, however, Wawrinka sealed the 22-point tie-break on his fifth set point. There was little drama in the second set, as Wawrinka clinched the tie-break and the second-round match on his first opportunity.

The Swiss wild card, No. 88 in the ATP Rankings, will next meet defending champion Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina or Argentina’s Guido Pella.

Seventh seed Denis Shapovalov bided his time before upsetting the rhythm of Spanish qualifier Adrian Menendez-Maceiras 7-6(3), 6-2. The #NextGenATP Canadian won five of the first six points in the tie-break as well as five of the first six games in the second set on his debut at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament. Overall, he lost two of his first service points (31/33) and struck 10 aces in the 83-minute victory and now plays Italy’s Matteo Berrettini.

Shapovalov

Elsewhere, fifth seed Roberto Bautista Agut, a semi-finalist in each of the past three years, was equally impressive on serve in beating qualifier Luca Vanni of Italy 7-5, 6-2 in 81 minutes. He awaits 2004 champion Mikhail Youzhny, who won his 499th match of his 20-season pro career on Wednesday. The Russian wild card beat Mirza Basic of Bosnia and Herzegovina 7-6(6), 6-4. Youzhny will retire after this week’s tournament.

Read More: ‘Colonel’ Youzhny Set For Final Salute In St. Petersburg | Coaches’ Corner: Sobkin’s Systematic Approach & Life With Youzhny

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Nishikori Wins On Metz Debut, Through To QF

  • Posted: Sep 19, 2018

Top seed Kei Nishikori got his debut at the Moselle Open off to a winning start on Wednesday by knocking out defending champion Peter Gojowczyk of Germany 7-6(4), 6-3 in one hour and 34 minutes.

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In his first tournament since reaching the US Open semi-finals, Nishikori broke serve in the second and fourth games of the second set en route to his 29th match win of the season. Gojowczyk struck eight aces and won 79 per cent of his first-service points. Nishikori now plays fifth-seeded Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili or French wild card Ugo Humbert in the quarter-finals.

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Last year’s finalist Benoit Paire overcame wild card Quentin Halys 7-6(4), 6-2 in 80 minutes for a place in the second round, and Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics got the better of sixth seed Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-2 in 85 minutes.

Two-time champion Gilles Simon (2010, 2013) needed only 73 minutes to beat Czech Jiri Vesely 7-5, 6-3. Simon hit nine aces and won 90 per cent of his first-serve points (35/39). He will next meet Serbian Filip Krajinovic, the 2017 Rolex Paris Masters finalist. Fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet, the fourth seed, saved six of seven break points and breezed past French qualifier Constant Lestienne 6-4, 6-2.

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