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Western & Southern Open – Cincinnati, U.S.A.

Rafael Nadal, Milos Raonic, Dominic Thiem, Juan Martin del Potro, Alexander Zverev, Stefan Kozlov and Tommy Paul were among the stars to meet fans at autograph sessions.

ATP World Tour Uncovered took #NextGenATP Americans Jared Donaldson and Kozlov for a morning of fun at Kings Island. The duo brought along some friends and went on three rides before heading back to site for practice. Both had been a little nervous before the roller coasters, but they loved it.

Sam Querrey gave up two hours of his day off to visit the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. The American joined WTA player Nicole Gibbs for an appearance at Seacrest Studios. The duo were joined by hospital patients for a fun-filled hour of Dad Jokes, Head’s Up and Nerf Basketball, which was played over the hospital radio and television stations.

Rafael Nadal extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head series dominance to 15-0 against Richard Gasquet to start his Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Wednesday. The top-seeded Spaniard saved his only break point faced and converted just the right amount of break points – two – against the Frenchman to advance 6-3, 6-4.

Nadal improved to 21-10 at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament and looked prime to fight for his second Cincinnati title this week (also 2013, d. Isner). After Gasquet erased a match point at 30/40, 3-5 in the second set, Nadal served out the match to love.

“I think I played a solid match. I think Richard has a great backhand, and his best shot probably goes against my best shot, too. That probably can make the difference,” Nadal said when asked about his undefeated FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Gasquet.

Regardless of what happens this week, Nadal will return to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday because of Roger Federer’s withdrawal from Cincinnati (back injury). The Spaniard will be No. 1 for the first time since 6 July 2014. It will mark the fourth different time in his career that the 31 year old has ascended to the top Emirates ATP Ranking.

Nadal will next face countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who toppled Nadal’s Wimbledon conqueror 16^th seed Gilles Muller 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

“I work every day to play better. It’s obvious that was an important start for me, a good one. Now I have another opportunity tomorrow to go on court and play another match. I hope to be ready to play well tomorrow. I think I can do it, because I have been practising well,” Nadal said.

Adrian Mannarino also knocked off a seeded player to reach the third round. The Frenchman beat 15^th seed Sam Querrey 6-2, 7-6(4). Mannarino is coming off his first Masters 1000 quarter-final last week at the Coupe Rogers (l. to Shapovalov). He will next play third seed Dominic Thiem.

Fourth seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan began their campaign for a sixth Western & Southern Open crown on Wednesday in Cincinnati as they defeated Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez 6-2, 6-3.

The American twins improved to a 39-14 record at this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament as they dismissed their Spanish opponents in 53 minutes. They last won the title in 2014 (d. Pospisil/Sock), having won their first crown in 2003 (d. Arthurs/Hanley).

Third seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares also advanced with victory over a Spanish pairing, beating Pablo Carreno Busta and Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-3 in 61 minutes. The British/Brazilian duo are looking for their fourth title of the season, to add to trophies in Acapulco, Stuttgart and The Queen’s Club.

Second seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo are through to the quarter-finals after beating Diego Schwartzman and Mischa Zverev 7-5, 6-2. Kubot and Melo currently lead the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London halfway through what has been a stellar season, highlighted by winning the Wimbledon title (d. Marach/Pavic). They are chasing their third Masters 1000 crown of the year, following victories in Miami and Madrid.

Seventh seeds and last week’s Montreal finalists Rohan Bopanna and Ivan Dodig will open their Cincinnati campaign against Juan Sebastian Cabal and Fabio Fognini, after the Colombian/Italian duo defeated American wild cards Jack Sock and Jackson Withrow 7-6(5), 6-4.  

It’s only mid-August, but it has already been quite the U.S. summer for Alexander Zverev, whose 10-match win streak was snapped at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Wednesday against #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe.

The #NextGenATP German has captured two ATP World Tour titles, including the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., his first hard-court crown, and the Coupe Rogers, his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title.

So while Zverev was hoping to a third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown this week, he accepted the loss in context.

“It’s been great. I won back-to-back weeks, two big events. Visiting Montreal was very, very special, as well. It’s been a positive summer so far,” said Zverev, who handed Roger Federer his first loss in a final this year (5-1 record). “I beat a lot of Top 10 players and have beaten a lot of great players, a lot of tough matches.”

The match could be one tennis fans see dozens of times during the coming years. Zverev, 20, has quickly ascended the Emirates ATP Rankings, reaching a career-high No. 7. Tiafoe, 19, is No. 87 but has reached No. 60. The American celebrated his first win against Zverev during the third FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting.

“He’s good. He keeps improving. I played him three times now, two times in Grand Slams, which I won. He plays very well. Hopefully there’s going to be a lot of tough and fun matches against him,” Zverev said.

The 6’6” German will next compete at Tiafoe’s home Grand Slam, the US Open, where many will be watching to see if he can replicate his hard-court success in Flushing Meadows.

“I think Roger and Rafa are the strongest ones and a few guys coming after that. I think I am involved in that group. I am in that small group of players. Obviously the two favourites are Roger and Rafa,” Zverev said.

“So I feel very confident the way I was playing in the last two weeks. I feel very confident how I am playing right now. And I think going into the US Open, I feel the best I have ever felt maybe going into a Slam. That gives me a lot of confidence, and hopefully I can show that on court, as well.”

Only three players have won all four ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments on North American soil. Michael Chang was the first, with titles at each stop – Canada (1990), Indian Wells (1992, ’96-97), Miami (1992) and Cincinnati (1993-94) – by the age of 21. The American was alone in the exclusive club before Andre Agassi and Roger Federer completed their sets, respectively in 2001 and 2005. 

One of Chang’s most memorable runs came at the Rogers Cup in 1990, the year the Masters 1000 series was introduced. The 18 year old posted back-to-back wins over Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras before prevailing against another American, Jay Berger, in a third-set tie-break to clinch his first Masters 1000 crown.

Now 45, Chang shares his Masters 1000 memories and looks back on that week in Toronto.

What are your first memories of the Masters 1000s?
My first memories, we didn’t call it Masters 1000s back then. I think just being really excited to play. Just knowing that every match was tough from the get-go. The draws were always intriguing because you’ve got the best 56 players, or 64 players… People were excited to watch these great matches and I think especially for me and playing in tournaments like Indian Wells, where I’ve got a lot of family and friends coming to watch, it’s just exciting to come out and play my best tennis. 

Do you think the BNP Paribas Open being your home tournament led to your success there?
Yeah, it was definitely a part of it. I grew up playing in southern California, so I’m very familiar with the conditions here and the courts… I just feel very comfortable. And obviously great crowd support too, that’s always part of it. Having the crowd behind you and supporting you definitely helps you out. 

You first played in that tournament when you were 15. Do you remember that well?
I do; I was an amateur. I had just turned 15 and Charlie Pasarell, the Tournament Director, was kind enough to give me a wild card to play in the qualies. I won two matches, and lost in the third round. But it was a great experience. I came back the next year and played the main draw, so I have a lot of fond memories. And obviously having won a few times also brings back great memories. 

You’re one of the few players who has won all four North American Masters 1000 tournaments. How were you able to accomplish this, particularly at such a young age?
For me, just playing in the United States and Canada not being very far. This is a surface that I grew up on, so it’s the surface I’m most familiar with. There aren’t a whole lot of tournaments that I didn’t do well at here in North America. The only exception from that list is the US Open in which I got to the final. It’s been great; it’s been a lot of fun to play these events. When you feel very comfortable and feel very much at home, the tennis comes pretty easily. 

Is there a particular match that stands out in your memory, or title run?
I have a lot of great memories. The Canadian Open (Rogers Cup) in Toronto is one tournament that does stand out quite a bit, in 1990, beating Pete in the quarters and cramping against Andre there and beating him 7-5 in the third set, and then having a really tough match with Jay Berger and winning that one 7-6 in the third. That was a great tournament for me, a tournament that I still remember in many instances. It’s great to be a part of tough matches. Some you win, and some you lose. And you hope you win a few more than you lose, but the experiences have all been great. 

Is there a certain player that you would consider the toughest competitor in Masters 1000 history?
It’s hard to say because the depth of men’s tennis was so great back then. There weren’t just four or five guys that could win some of these championships. You would have like 10-12 guys that, if their game was on during that week, they were very dangerous to play. I can’t say that it was one guy, there were just so many tough guys to play against. 

What makes the Masters 1000s special?
There’s just so many reasons why the Masters 1000 series tournaments are so special. For one, it’s really like a miniature grand slam. It’s not as big of a draw, but you’ve got all the top players. The venues are tremendous, whether it’s on hard, whether it’s on clay, whether it’s indoor. The intensity of each of the matches is so tough. To be able to come out and to win one of these events is certainly not easy. All the guys realise that they need to be playing their best tennis in order to do well. 

How much do you think has changed since you were a player?
Definitely events have changed. Some draws have changed a little bit. The venues have improved tremendously… When I won [the BNP Paribas Open] back in the day the venue was great, but nothing compared to what it is now. They’ve done such a tremendous job, always improving the events, making it better and better for not only the players, but the media, for the sponsors, for all the fans. It’s great for the sport of tennis.

American wild card Frances Tiafoe recorded the biggest win of his career – and only his second Top 50 victory – on Wednesday to stop in-form fellow #NextGenATP player Alexander Zverev at the Western & Southern Open.

The World No. 87 ended the 10-match winning streak of Zverev, currently at a career-high No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on mid-afternoon in Cincinnati.

Zverev had previously won 28 of his past 29 best-of-three-set matches when winning the first set, but in clutch situations – Wednesday – it was 19-year-old Tiafoe who found a way to complete just his fifth tour-level victory of 2017. Tiafoe played with power and invention to capitalise on Zverev’s fatigue and open up a 3-0 lead in the second set, before growing in confidence for a third-round clash against compatriot John Isner.

Tiafoe is hoping to join Zverev as a qualifier at the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held in Milan from 7-11 November, by moving up from his current position of No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan for a spot at the eight-player 21-and-under event.

Zverev, a winner of five ATP World Tour titles this year, came into the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament on the back of two straight hard-court crowns at the Citi Open (d. Anderson) and last week’s Coupe Rogers (d. Federer). The 20-year-old German is now 47-14 on the season (21-7 on hard courts).

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Two other #NextGenATP players, Russian Karen Khachanov and American Jared Donaldson, also booked their spots in the third round.

Khachanov reached the third round of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament for the first time in beating lucky loser Thomas Fabbiano 6-2, 6-2 in 72 minutes. The Russian No. 1 now meets Japan’s Yuichi Sugita, who defeated qualifier Joao Sousa 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-1.

Donaldson withstood 12 aces and the serve-volley game of Indian lucky loser Ramkumar Ramanathan 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in just under two hours for a meeting against Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili, a 6-3, 6-3 victor over lucky loser Christian Harrison.