Roger Federer looks to continue to improve on his stunning 2017 by moving one step closer to a third grand slam, a feat he achieved…
| US Open |
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| Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 28 Aug-10 Sept |
| BBC coverage: Live radio and text commentary on selected matches every day. |
Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares reached the US Open men’s doubles quarter-finals with victory over Robert Lindstedt and Jordan Thompson.
The defending champions beat the Swedish-Australian pair 6-3 6-4 in one hour and 13 minutes.
Briton Murray and Brazilian Soares have yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows this year.
The fourth seeds will play Dutchman Jean-Julien Rojer and Romanian Horia Tecau in the next round.
Asked how it felt to return as defending champions, Murray said: “Its awesome, I’ve been walking around with a strut, shoulders back, and enjoying it.
“It’s not like you win Grand Slams every day – fortunately we had a great run last year and at the Australian Open. We’re having a great fortnight so far and taking it match by match.”
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| US Open |
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| Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 28 Aug-10 Sept |
| BBC coverage: Live radio and text commentary on selected matches every day. |
Russian teenager Andrey Rublev knocked out Belgian ninth seed David Goffin to set up a US Open quarter-final with Rafael Nadal.
Rublev, 19, won 7-5 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 to become the youngest man to reach the last eight at Flushing Meadows since Andy Roddick in 2001.
Nadal, 31, saw off Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-2 6-4 6-1 in just one hour and 41 minutes in New York.
The Spaniard returns to the last eight for the first time in four years.
He will face one of the sport’s rising stars in Rublev, who only broke into the top 100 in June and the top 50 in July.
The Russian, now ranked 53rd after peaking at 49th last month, had beaten seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov in the second round.
He saw off Goffin in two hours and five minutes, with the Belgian hampered by a knee injury.
“I’m a little bit lucky to be in the quarter-final but of course I’m enjoying it, and I will try to do my best in the next match,” said Rublev.
“Rafa is the real champion and I’m just going to try to enjoy it – this is the quarter-final and I have nothing to lose.”
Nadal has practised with Rublev in Majorca, describing him as a “great guy”, but he did not accept that the teenager would be free of pressure when they meet.
“Of course he’s young, but at the same time, he’s in the quarter-finals,” said Nadal.
“He has a chance to be in the semi-finals for the first time of his career, and I have been there a couple of times.
“So of course he has things to lose. And of course I have things to lose and things to win.
“But I tell you one thing, this sport is about victory. This is not about defeats. At the end of your career, nobody remember your defeats, your losses. People remember the victories.
“For everybody it’s everything to win, you know. And that’s it.”
Dolgopolov, ranked 64th, had won two of his previous three matches against Nadal, but rarely threatened in New York.
The Spaniard fired 11 forehand winners off his dominant side, while Dolgopolov made 39 errors as his game grew increasingly wayward.
A double-fault and a forehand error gave up the first break of serve in game three, and Nadal came through the only testing moment by saving two break points in game six.
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A brilliant backhand cross-court winner gave the Spaniard a double break, and soon after the set, before Dolgopolov’s hopes effectively ended midway though the second set.
Two errors gave up the crucial break at 4-4 and Nadal rolled through nine of the last 10 games to complete a comfortable afternoon’s work.
Looking ahead to the quarter-final, and an opponent who was four years old when the Spaniard turned professional, Nadal said: “Of course, it’s better to be 19 than 31.
“I always wanted to be young. Even when I was eight years old, I was not very happy when it was my birthday to be nine. Still the same – I am 31, and I am not happy when my birthday going to be 32.
“I am happy being young, no? I don’t want to get older.”
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| Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 28 Aug-10 Sept |
| BBC coverage: Live radio and text commentary on selected matches every day |
The only Grand Slam champions left in the women’s draw will meet when Venus Williams plays Petra Kvitova in the US Open quarter-finals on day nine.
American ninth seed Williams and Czech 13th seed Kvitova open the night session at 00:00 BST on Wednesday.
Williams is the only former US Open winner in the last eight and looking for her first major win in nine years.
“I’ll take any advantage I can get, let’s face it,” said the 37-year-old, who was champion in 2000 and 2001.
“But at the end of the day when I go out there and someone’s across the net from me, they’re playing well. They’re not going to give you any matches.”
The pair will be followed onto Arthur Ashe Stadium by American 17th seed Sam Querrey and 28th seed Kevin Anderson of South Africa.
Williams has reached the finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, and is in contention to win a third US Open 20 years after making the final on her debut.
The seven-time major champion has overcome injuries and illness in recent years, while Kvitova faces a Grand Slam quarter-final nine months after suffering a knife attack.
The Czech, 27, required surgery on her playing hand and only returned to the sport in May.
“What she’s gone through is unimaginable, unreasonable. The world we live in is just shocking,” added Williams.
“So for her, I think to be playing well is such a blessing. To be able to come out here and do what she needs to do, to clear her head, it’s such a beautiful thing to see.”
Kvitova, who leads their head-to-head record 4-1, said: “We always had tough battles but I will try my best.
“She’s a big server of course. She has something special which the other players doesn’t have.”
Spanish 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busta and Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman, the 29th seed, open play on Ashe at 17:00 on Tuesday.
Unseeded American Sloane Stephens then takes on Latvian 16th seed Anastasia Sevastova, who overcame Maria Sharapova to reach the last eight.
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Henri Kontinen and John Peers will return to defend their title this November at The O2 after becoming the second team to qualify for the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals. They clinched their place in the elite eight-team field by reaching the US Open quarter-finals Monday with victory over Juan Sebastian Cabal and Leonardo Mayer.
The Finnish-Australian duo kicked off their 2017 campaign with the Australian Open crown (d. Bryans) and last month won the ATP World Tour 500 title at the Citi Open, where they defeated Emirates ATP Doubles Race to London leaders Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo. Kubot and Melo had become the first team to qualify for the season-ending tournament following their triumph at Wimbledon.
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Kontinen and Peers made an impressive finish to 2016, capping their debut season on a 10-match winning streak. After claiming their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Paris Masters, they went undefeated en route to the season finale title (d. Klaasen/Ram).
The 27-year-old Kontinen, who ascended to the No. 1 Emirates ATP Doubles Ranking in April, will be making his second appearance at The O2. Peers, 29, will be making his third; he first qualified in 2015 with Jamie Murray.
| US Open |
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| Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 28 Aug-10 Sept |
| BBC coverage: Live radio and text commentary on selected matches every day |
Karolina Pliskova cruised into the quarter-finals of the US Open with a straight-sets win over American Jennifer Brady.
The Czech world number one, 25, had to save match point before beating China’s Shaui Zhang in the third round.
But she needed only 46 minutes to win 6-1 6-0 on Arthur Ashe Stadium against the world number 91, who was competing in the last 16 for the first time.
Pliskova will now face Coco Vandeweghe or Lucie Safarova in the next round.
However, she needs to reach the final at Flushing Meadows to have a chance at retaining her world number one ranking.
She has had a mixed tournament so far but was efficient against Brady, hitting 23 winners to the American’s six, and dominating with her first serve.
Brady won only 22 points, compared to Pliskova’s 55, and struggled for rhythm as she played on Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first time.
“I think she was a little bit nervous, it was her first time on Ashe, and that’s normal,” Pliskova said.
“I wanted to take advantage from that. Hopefully I’ll be on here for the next match as well.”
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Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are still on collision course for a blockbuster semi final meeting with the pair still…
Revisit the week that was on the ATP Challenger Tour as we applaud the achievements of those on the rise and look ahead to who’s in action in the week to come
A LOOK BACK
Challenger de Quito (Quito, Ecuador): Chilean Nicolas Jarry collected his second ATP Challenger Tour title of the season, his second on South American soil after earlier winning the title in Medellin, Colombia. The 21-year-old #NextGen ATP player disposed of fifth seed Gerald Melzer 6-3, 6-2 to claim the title, having earlier fought back from a set and a break down to oust top seed Victor Estrella Burgos in the semi-finals. Photographer Jorge Anhalzer’s framed scenic photograph depicting Quito and Ecuardor from the sky was a trophy with a difference for the champion. It improved his record to 13-2 in Challengers since qualifying for his first Wimbledon in July and continues a meteoric rise up the Emirates ATP Rankings. He was outside the Top 200 in early June and is projected to climb to a career-high spot in the Top 120.
#ChallengerUIO @NicoJarry festeja el título con los niños pic.twitter.com/sztRO9zJsi
— Challenger de Quito (@Challenger_UIO) September 3, 2017
Torneo Citta di Como (Como, Italy): Pedro Sousa certainly wasn’t taking the easy route to his third straight ATP Challenger Tour final. The Portuguese World No. 127 rallied from a set down in three of his five matches in Como, including a 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 triumph over home hope and top seed Marco Cecchinato in the final. The win marked his third title of the season having also won in Francavilla, Italy and Liberec, Czech Republic. His third final in a row takes him to a 10-match winning streak and a 14-1 match record since mid-July. Sousa is fast closing on a Top 100 debut.
Hot Shot for the title! Pedro Sousa claims his third #ATPChallenger ? of 2017 with a 16 62 64 win over Cecchinato in Como. Win streak ➡️ 10 pic.twitter.com/yB4Jk7znVD
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 3, 2017
A LOOK AHEAD
Five Challenger events will take place this week, headed by the $150,000 Aon Open Challenger in Genova, Italy. The clay-court event, held since 2003, last year saw Jerzy Janowicz defeat defending champion Nicolas Almagro for the title. The honour roll of prior champions features a host of top ATP World Tour players – Albert Ramos Vinolas, Dustin Brown, Albert Montanes, Martin Klizan and Fabio Fognini. German World No. 49 Jan-Lennard Struff heads the field with two further players in the Top 60 entered – Czech Jiri Vesely and Argentine Argentine Delbonis. #NextGenATP home hope Matteo Berrettini will join former Top 20 compatriot Andreas Seppi in the draw.
Former World No. 9 Almagro will play on home soil this week as top seed at the $75,000 Copa Sevilla in Spain. Defending champion and #NextGenATP Norwegian Casper Ruud is seeded third. Spaniard Robert Carbelles Baena will look to continue his hot streak as the No. 2 seed. The 24 year old claimed his second Challenger title in four week in late August, prevailing in Manerbio, Italy. #NextGenATP Spaniard and Boys’ Singles champion at Wimbledon, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, is also entered and will look for inspiration to current World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, who picked up his first ATP points at the Copa Sevilla as a 15 year old.
Dominican veteran Victor Estrella Burgos will look to claim his eighth Challenger title when he starts as top seed at the $50,000 Milo Open in Bogota, Colombia this week. The 37 year old leads the seedings ahead of former World No. 28 and home hope Santiago Giraldo and #NextGenATP Austrian Sebastian Ofner. Sunday’s Challenger de Quito champion Nicolas Jarry is seeded fourth.
Another Challenger champion from Sunday, Pedro Sousa, will look to go back-to-back when he begins the $50,000 Tean International Challenger at Alphen, in the Netherlands. The Portuguese is seeded second behind Argentine former World No. 37 Carlos Berlocq for the claycourt event, which has been held since 1996.
Swiss World No. 94 Henri Laaksonen and Japan’s former World No. 47 Go Soeda are the top two seeds for the $50,000 International Challenger Zhangjiagang, in China. #NextGenATP South Korean Duckhee Lee will also contest the inaugural hard-court tournament.
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Thiem to face del Potro in blockbuster R4 Monday
Former champions Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro are back at work on Labor Day in fourth-round matches at the 2017 US Open on Monday.
Nadal returns to Arthur Ashe Stadium against unseeded Alexandr Dolgopolov. The No. 1 seed is bidding for his seventh US Open quarter-final appearance and first since winning the 2013 title. Dolgopolov is 1-8 against players ranked No. 1, posting his lone win over Nadal in a final-set tie-break at 2014 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells. Though he lost his first five matches and 10 sets against Nadal, Dolgopolov has beaten the Spaniard in two of their past three meetings, adding a grass-court win at 2015 London/Queen’s Club.
After improving to 17-0 against Mikhail Youzhny and 13-0 against Feliciano Lopez, Federer takes an 11-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head advantage into his meeting with Philipp Kohlschreiber. Federer’s win over Lopez lifted his record in Arthur Ashe Stadium night matches to 31-1. Kohlschreiber entered the US Open without a hard-court match since March 26 at ATP Masters 1000 Miami. He received the No. 33 seed and moved to the top half of the draw after No. 2 seed Andy Murray withdrew. Kohlschreiber has not dropped a set, holding in 37 of 38 service games and saving 16 of 17 break points against three players ranked outside the Top 100. The German is 1-34 against Top 3 opponents (d. No. 2 Nadal in 2012 Halle QF) and 1-8 in fourth-round matches at Grand Slams (d. Baker at 2012 Wimbledon).
Andrey Rublev, 19, hopes to become the youngest US Open quarter-finalist since Andy Roddick in 2001 when he faces No. 9 seed David Goffin on Louis Armstrong Stadium. The Russian teenager is 12-4 in his last 16 tour-level matches, breaking into the Top 100 on June 26 after reaching his first quarter-final at Halle and cracking the Top 50 on July 24 after winning his first title at Umag. Like Rublev, Goffin is seeking his first US Open quarter-final.
Del Potro meets World No. 8 Dominic Thiem on Grandstand in a rematch of the 2016 US Open fourth round. The 2009 champion advanced last year when Thiem retired in the second set with a right knee injury. Del Potro is 0-6 versus Top 8 opponents this season after going 5-4 against them in 2016. Thiem, who celebrated his 24th birthday on Sunday, is one of two men’s players to reach the fourth round at all four Grand Slam events in 2017 (also Nadal).
| US Open 2017 |
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| Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 28 Aug-10 Sept |
| BBC coverage: Live radio and text commentary on selected matches every day. |
Petra Kvitova powered past Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza in Sunday’s US Open night session to reach the quarter-finals.
The Czech 13th seed fought back from 1-4 down in the first set to win 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.
It is Kvitova’s best effort at a Grand Slam since she reached the last eight in New York two years ago.
The 27-year-old returned to action in May following a knife attack at her home last December.
She required extensive surgery on her left hand and confirmed only last week that it still did not feel completely back to normal.
However, the evidence of Monday night is that Kvitova is once again capable of the irresistible attacking tennis which brought her Wimbledon titles in 2011 and 2014.
“Sometimes I just really feel that the touch is there – the strength, the aggressive kind of game plan,” said Kvitova.
“It’s there, which I really, really appreciate. It took me a while to find it. Luckily I found it in a Grand Slam, which is nice.”
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She goes on to face Venus Williams in the last eight on Tuesday.
“It will be a great match for me to step on Arthur Ashe Stadium again – probably – and play there,” said Kvitova.
“Venus has something special which the other players doesn’t have.”
The defeat is a blow to Muguruza’s hopes of becoming world number one, although she remains in pole position as things stand.
Czech Karolina Pliskova must reach the final to hang on to the number one spot, and Ukraine’s fourth seed Elina Svitolina needs to reach the semi-finals to stay in contention.
Both women play their fourth-round matches on Monday.
“We’ll see – I’ll keep an eye now on the scores,” said Muguruza.
Muguruza, 23, was widely viewed as the title favourite and next number one in waiting, until she ran into the blistering shot-making of Kvitova.
Both women finished with 18 more errors than winners, but Kvitova’s attacking intent was rewarded with 24 winners to seven.
Muguruza eased into an early 4-1 lead and had three break points for 5-1, but Kvitova held firm and clenched her fist after a forehand winner kept her in touch.
Kvitova would get the chance to serve for the set six games later but played a poor game, and fell 2-0 behind in the tie-break.
From that moment on, the Czech was in command, moving 5-3 clear after Muguruza steered a volley long and converting her first set point with a smash.
An early break for the Spaniard in the second set was quickly handed back, and Muguruza’s forehand would begin to falter – she ended with 16 errors on that side.
Four straight games put Kvitova on the brink of victory and she got across the line in dramatic circumstances, saving three break points before Muguruza finally succumbed.
“Even though I was winning 4-1, I think she was playing great,” said Muguruza.
“I felt like she was superior today. You know, great for her. She played very good.”
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