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Nishikori Battles On In New York

  • Posted: Feb 17, 2018

Nishikori Battles On In New York

Feb172018

Querrey to play Mannarino for a spot in the final

Kei Nishikori did not play a match after the Rogers Cup last August. So the 28-year-old decided to build up his match toughness on the ATP Challenger Tour to begin the new campaign. And it looks like that move paid off.

The Japanese superstar battled past Moldovan Radu Albot to advance to the semi-finals of the New York Open 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 on Friday evening. Nishikori, who won the Memphis Open four years in a row (2013-2016) before the event moved to Long Island this year, is just two matches away from his claiming his first ATP World Tour title since 2016 Memphis.

“It was a very tough start. I think he was playing very good tennis,” Nishikori said. “During the second set I started getting my rhythm back and started playing a little more inside the baseline and everything started working well… [I’m] very happy to win today.”

Including his efforts on the ATP Challenger Tour, Nishikori has now won eight matches in a row, dropping his first set during that period against Albot on Friday evening. But after getting broken three times in the opening set, the World No. 27 faced just one break point in the rest of the match to move on to the final four, where he will play top seed Kevin Anderson, who eliminated #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in two hours, four minutes. 

“I really had to scrap at the end,” Anderson said. “I felt he almost had a little bit of the edge going to 4-4 [in the third set] and fortunately played a great game at 4-4… it’s nice to have served it out.”

The South African is pursuing his first title since 2015 Winston-Salem. Anderson advanced to the final at the Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune earlier this year  (l. to Simon). But he heads into the semi-finals facing a 1-5 deficit in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Nishikori.

“It seems like he’s hitting the ball pretty well,” Anderson said. “He’s played quite a few matches over the last few weeks so I’m expecting a tough match as always against one of the best players on the [ATP World] Tour.”

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Second seed Sam Querrey is showing the fans in New York just why he is at a career-best ATP Ranking of No. 12, eliminating big-serving 38-year-old Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (5), 7-6(4).

“I couldn’t have served much better,” said Querrey, who lost just six points on serve. “I don’t even know if we went to deuce, and I had good rhythm on my serve, and that’s what freed me up a little bit in the tie-breaks.”

It is Querrey’s first semi-final since winning the Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex last August. The 30-year-old owns a 17-17 record in tour-level semi-finals. But it will not be easy, as he faces fourth seed Adrian Mannarino, who eliminated first-time tour-level quarter-finalist Adrian Menendez-Maceiras 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.

The Frenchman, the current highest-ranked player without an ATP World Tour title (World No. 25), owns a 3-0 lead in the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head series. Mannarino has won seven of nine sets against the second seed, including a straight-sets victory against Querrey at the Western & Southern Open last year.

It will be the left-hander’s third semi-final since the beginning of October.

“I’m not really thinking about it right now,” Mannarino said of moving to within two matches of his first tour-level trophy. “I’m just happy to be in the semi-finals and we’ll see tomorrow what’s going to happen.”

Did You Know?
Querrey won a higher percentage of second-serve points (11/13, 85 per cent) than Karlovic won first-serve points (42/52, 81 per cent).

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Social Media Reacts To Federer’s Return To No. 1

  • Posted: Feb 17, 2018

Social Media Reacts To Federer’s Return To No. 1

Feb172018

Swiss great’s peers among the first to pay tribute

A double fault from Dutchman Robin Haase at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament was the final point that ensured Roger Federer would rewrite the history books with a return to the No. 1 ATP Ranking on Monday. And upon sealing the result in the Rotterdam quarter-finals on Friday, the tributes flowed for the 36-year-old Swiss star from current and former players, coaches, sporting greats and fans alike. Federer surpasses Andre Agassi as the oldest player to reach No. 1. The American stood at the pinnacle at age 33 on 7 September 2003 and was among the first to tip his hat to the feat.

You May Also Like: Federer To Return To No. 1, Reaches Rotterdam SFs

Having deemed his return to the top as “one of, if not the ultimate achievement in our sport”, given his age, Federer said this stint at No. 1 meant the most. Amid all the heady praise, he preferred to make fun at his own expense.

When Federer surpasses Rafael Nadal on Monday, he will break the longest time between reigns at World No.1, having last held down top spot on 4 November 2012, five years and 106 days ago. A string of retired players – many now respected coaches, including Federer’s one-time coach Paul Annacone – joined Agassi in paying tribute. ANNACONE

Sporting legends from the likes of German footballer Mesut Özil to South African golfer Gary Player were among those to honour Federer’s achievement.

There was no shortage of fans, too, paying their respects. The Swiss great’s achievement was resonating globally on social media.

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Start Spreading The News: The ATP World Tour Is Back In New York

  • Posted: Feb 17, 2018

Start Spreading The News: The ATP World Tour Is Back In New York

Feb162018

The New York Open is the first ATP World Tour event in New York since the Hamlet Cup (1990-2004)

Frank Sinatra wrote in his song ‘New York, New York’ that, “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.” And for a long time, that has been the case in the tennis world, too.

The Nitto ATP Finals were held at the ‘World’s Most Famous Arena’, Madison Square Garden, from 1977 through 1989. And the Hamlet Cup was a powerful presence on the ATP World Tour from 1990 until 2004. Five players who were victorious at that event (Edberg, Lendl, Kafelnikov, Moya and Hewitt) held the No. 1 ATP Ranking in their career and three other competitors (Korda, Norman, Haas) who also raised the trophy reached World No. 2.

But 13 years went by without an ATP World Tour event in New York, which is also the home of the US Open. That all changed this week as the inaugural New York Open — the Memphis Open was moved to Long Island in 2018 — a 250-level tournament held at NYCB Live, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, got underway.

“It’d be awesome for me personally to see it succeed,” former World No. 1 John McEnroe told ATPWorldTour.com. “It would also be nice, I think, for American tennis. I’ve been trying to do this for years, trying to get a shot in the arm for tennis… this is a nice start, hopefully.”

And while it is just that — a start — it has certainly been a fun one. The likes of Hockey Hall of Famer Clark Gillies and former NBA All-Star John Starks have been in attendance, as has McEnroe, who played an exhibition to kick off the event on Sunday evening before coming back during the week as a spectator.

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“Most people never saw him play, but I came here back in the days when Doctor J [Julius Erving] was playing for the Nets,” McEnroe said of visiting the arena to watch the 11-time NBA All-Star when he played for the New York Nets from 1973 to 1976 (McEnroe was a teenager).

The recently-renovated venue hosting the New York Open, commonly known as Nassau Coliseum, was the home of the NHL’s New York Islanders and currently houses the Long Island Nets, an NBA G League team.

“I came here occasionally, played a few exhibitions here, saw a lot of concerts here, so I have history here as well, personally,” added McEnroe, who grew up training on Long Island (in Port Washington). “But this is a venue that’s got a lot of history for Long Island and it was sort of falling by the wayside. So it was nice to see that someone stepped up and renovated it, got it up to snuff again and now to see a tennis event here, it’s an unexpected pleasant surprise.”

Another aspect of the event that has made it special has also made it unique. The New York Open is the first tournament on the ATP World Tour to utilise black courts, which have been a hit with the players.

“I love the black court, it looked really cool,” said No. 2 seed Sam Querrey. “The whole setup in there is great. It’s different, it’s unique and I know I really like it.”

Two courts are set up perpendicular to one another — a Centre Court and Grandstand, with areas in the arena from which fans can watch the action on both courts.

“I think this is different, I hope this tournament stays for a while,” said Frances Tiafoe, who advanced to his first ATP World Tour quarter-final on Thursday. “I definitely want to come back here.”

Gonzalez Lebedevs
BB&T Atlanta Open Tournament Director Eddie Gonzalez congratulates his assistant tournament director and New York Open Assistant Tournament Director Peter Lebedevs.
The courts were shipped in from Germany and assembled on-site the week before play began. According to tournament staff, 460 panels make up Centre Court. And while a winner has yet to be decided, the groundwork has been laid for a bright future on Long Island.

“It’s terrific. I think we’ve had a vision,” Assistant Tournament Director Peter Lebedevs said. “When it comes to life like it has, we’re very excited with what it’s turned out to be. It’s exactly what we wanted and more.

“We had visions of the great history that they had with that event [the Hamlet Cup] and learning from it and building because Long Island wants tennis,” Lebedevs said. “It’s a very strong tennis community. So we think we can take it to that level and more. It’s our first year, so we’ve got a little ways to go, but I think learning from them and then adding our spin on it the next couple of years, I think you’re going to see some really amazing things here from the New York Open.”

Sinatra also sang: “I want to be a part of it. New York, New York.”

In its infancy, it’s clear that players and fans alike will want to be a part of the New York Open for years to come.

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Roger Federer beats Robin Haase to become oldest world number one

  • Posted: Feb 16, 2018

Roger Federer says becoming the oldest world number one in tennis history – 14 years after he first topped the rankings – is a “dream come true”.

The 36-year-old beat Robin Haase 4-6 6-1 6-1 in the last eight of the Rotterdam Open to replace Rafael Nadal, 31, at the top of the standings.

Federer surpassed eight-time Grand Slam winner Andre Agassi, who was 33 when he was deposed in September 2003.

“This one means the most at 36 years of age, almost 37,” the Swiss said.

“When you’re older you have to work double the amount. You have to wrestle it back from someone who’s worked hard to get there.

“Reaching number one is the ultimate achievement in tennis. It’s been an amazing journey and to clinch it here, where I got my first wildcard in 1998, means so much.”

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Federer’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals in the Netherlands looked slim when he lost the first set, but he dropped just two further games to set up a tie with Italian Andreas Seppi or Russia’s Daniil Medvedev.

At the end of the match, the 20-time Grand Slam champion sat down and wiped away tears, before returning to the court to take the acclaim from the crowd and receive a trophy for his achievement.

He first became world number one in February 2004, but has not topped the rankings since October 2012 and slipped to a low of 17th in January 2017.

That was after he spent six months out recovering from an operation on a knee problem.

However, he has since won eight titles, including Wimbledon last year and two Australian Opens.

Analysis – more to come?

Six-time Grand Slam winner Stefan Edberg on BBC Radio 5 live

The way Federer plays, the way he moves on the court, he is probably the only one who was going to get to number one at this stage, this late in his career.

I doubt there is going to be somebody in the near future doing the same. He has done an extraordinary job. It is quite incredible, I don’t think he believes it himself, and I think everybody is surprised.

He can play freely now, because whatever he does now is going to be a bonus. Hopefully he can keep the momentum going, and if he keeps being healthy he is got a really good shot at Wimbledon again.

Federer in numbers

  • When the ATP rankings are updated on Monday, it will be five years and 106 days since he was last at the top – the longest gap between stints.
  • He first reached the summit 14 years and 17 days ago in February 2004 – the longest gap between first and most recent spells.
  • The Swiss is only 13 behind Jimmy Connors’ record of 109 tour-level titles

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Wozniacki through but injured Halep pulls out

  • Posted: Feb 16, 2018

World number one Caroline Wozniacki reached the Qatar Open semi-finals, but Simona Halep withdrew because of injury after winning her quarter-final.

Dane Wozniacki, the Australian Open champion, beat Germany’s Angelique Kerber 7-6 (7-4) 1-6 6-3.

World number two Halep beat American CiCi Bellis 6-0 6-4, but then revealed she had a right foot injury.

“It’s going to be dangerous if I force it,” said the Romanian, who is out until at least Indian Wells in March.

“I am surprised that I could play three matches and to win them. I felt pain every day.”

Halep said it is the same injury that affected her run to the Australian Open final in January.

“The MRI shows that I have fluid and also tendinitis at the fourth toe, so I have just to take care of it and think about my health first,” added the 26-year-old.

Halep’s withdrawal means fourth seed Garbine Muguruza, who beat Caroline Garcia 3-6 6-1 6-4, will go straight through to Sunday’s final.

Czech Petra Kvitova reached the semi-finals after Germany’s Julia Gorges retired from their quarter-final while trailing 6-4 2-1.

By reaching the semi-finals, Wozniacki became just the fourth woman in history to pass $30m (£21m) in prize money.

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'No evidence' Harrison aimed 'racial slur' at Young

  • Posted: Feb 16, 2018

American Ryan Harrison will not face action over a claim he directed a “racial slur” at compatriot Donald Young during the New York Open.

The chair umpire intervened during the pair’s first-round meeting on Monday after they argued at a change of ends.

After the match, Young, 28, tweeted: “I’m shocked and disappointed to hear you tell me how you really feel about me as a black tennis player.”

The ATP said on Friday that it could find no evidence of any wrongdoing.

“The match footage did not pick up verbal exchanges between the players,” said the ATP, which also reviewed interviews with match officials and other tournament staff.

“At this time no evidence has been found to support the allegation that Ryan Harrison used a racial slur during the match.”

Harrison, who won the match 6-3 7-6 (7-4), responded to Young’s tweet by saying any video or audio from the match would “100% clear me”.

The 25-year-old added: “The accusations are absolutely untrue. I’m extremely disappointed that someone would say this in reaction to a lost tennis match.”

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Dimitrov To Face Goffin In Rotterdam SFs

  • Posted: Feb 16, 2018

Dimitrov To Face Goffin In Rotterdam SFs

Feb162018

Goffin through to Rotterdam semi-finals for second straight year

Grigor Dimitrov was solid on serve on Friday as he booked his place in the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament semi-finals where he will meet his good friend and hitting partner David Goffin. It will be the first time the pair has met since the title match at the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals, which Dimitrov won for the biggest trophy of his career.

Dimitrov booked his place with a victory over 20-year-old Russian Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-4 in 77 minutes on Friday. The World No. 5 lost just eight of his first-service points (37/45) and hit 12 aces. He broke Rublev’s serve for a 3-1 lead in the first set and at 3-3 in the second set.

Earlier in the day, fourth seed and last year’s runner-up Goffin reached an ATP World Tour semi-final for the second straight week (also Open Sud de France in Montpellier) when sixth seed Tomas Berdych, the 2014 champion, pulled out ahead of their quarter-final due to illness. The Czech has been under the weather since Tuesday.

Goffin beat Dimitrov in last year’s quarter-finals at the Rotterdam Ahoy, venue of the ATP World Tour 500 tournament.

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Marach, Pavic 

Marach/Pavic Still Perfect In 2018
Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic remain unbeaten in 2018, extending their winning streak to 16 matches with a place in the Rotterdam doubles semi-finals. The second-seeded Austrian-Croatian pair swept past Damir Dzumhur and Filip Krajinovic 6-1, 6-1 in 44 minutes to set up a meeting against fourth seeds and 2015 champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau.

Marach and Pavic has won three straight titles at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha (d. Murray/Soares), the ASB Classic in Auckland (d. Mirnyi/Oswald) and the Australian Open (d. Cabal/Farah).

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Wozniacki complains about opponent's 'disturbing' grunting

  • Posted: Feb 16, 2018

World number one Caroline Wozniacki has complained about Monica Niculescu’s “disturbing” grunting after beating her in the third round at the Qatar Open.

The Australian Open champion won 7-5 6-1 but accused the Romanian of making too much noise and spoke to the umpire.

Wozniacki, 27, continued her criticism off-court, calling Niculescu “a player that tries to get into your head”.

The WTA has said umpires can act on grunting if it is deemed to affect an opponent through a ‘deliberate act’.

“I just tried to let him [the umpire] know to pay attention to her grunting because she’ll hit the ball and two seconds later when the ball is on my side and I’m right about to hit, she’ll start grunting and make a noise, and she’ll change the grunt according to what she feels like,” Wozniacki claimed.

“It’s disturbing. It’s in the rules that they’re not supposed to do that so I was just making sure the umpire was paying attention to that. And she stopped doing that after.”

Wozniacki moved back to the top of the women’s rankings after winning her first grand slam title in Melbourne in January.

But Niculescu, who beat Maria Sharapova in the first round in Qatar, has defended her game.

She told Romanian TV channel Digi Sport: “That was very bad from her, I have never heard a number one talk like that. I am really disappointed by what she said and I think she gives herself too much importance. I didn’t want to get in her head. This is how I play.”

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