Google Play App Download

Tennis News

From around the world

Home hope Humbert upsets Alcaraz to reach Paris QFs

  • Posted: Oct 31, 2024

An inspired Ugo Humbert rode a raucous atmosphere and inspired shotmaking to a stunning third-round upset of Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The home favourite prevailed 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 in a richly entertaining encounter to book a quarter-final spot at his home ATP Masters 1000. Humbert won the first five games of the match in a blistering start on Court Central, before his resolve was tested as Alcaraz grew into the occasion. Yet the Spaniard could not deny Humbert at the tail end of a tense deciding set, when the home favourite rediscovered his shotmaking touch in time to clinch his win.

“I’m just super proud of myself that I did it,” said Humbert. “It was a crazy match, a crazy atmosphere. Maybe my last in Bercy [before the tournament moves to a new venue from next year], so I tried to do everything tonight. It was a really big match.”

Humbert’s two-hour, 17-minute win was the joint-biggest of his career by PIF ATP Ranking, equalling his victory against then-No. 2 Daniil Medvedev at the 2022 ATP Cup. The lefty, who is chasing his third ATP Tour title of the season this week after his victories in Marseille and Dubai, is the first Frenchman to earn a Top 3 win at Paris-Bercy since 2010, when Gael Monfils defeated No. 2 Roger Federer and Michael Llodra ousted No. 3 Novak Djokovic.

“I went for every shot,” said Humbert, when asked about his first-set performance in what he later described as the biggest win of his career. “That’s why I think I had less energy in the second set and in the third it was a mountain that was with me from the beginning of the third set to the end. I trusted myself in big moments and I made some big shots.”

[ATP APP]

Humbert had left Alcaraz and perhaps even his home fans stunned after a high-quality opening 26 minutes in which he dominated the second seed to race to the first set. The No. 18 in the PIF ATP Rankings struck the ball cleanly off both wings, and his constant aggressive hitting did not afford Alcaraz the time on his groundstrokes that the Spaniard so often exploits.

Alcaraz found a way to up the pressure on Humbert in the second set, however, particularly whenever the Frenchman became passive in rallies. The five-time Masters 1000 titlist clinched the second set after earning its only break in the sixth game. Both players then produced some crowd-pleasing winners throughout the deciding set, but it was Humbert who responded to an ecstatic night-session crowd by snatching victory with a decisive break in the 12th game.

The Frenchman finished the match having outhit Alcaraz by 25 winners to 23. He converted three of six break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to his fourth Masters 1000 quarter-final. It was Humbert’s first victory against the Spaniard in three Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings between the two.

Awaiting Humbert in the quarter-finals will be Jordan Thompson. The Australian earlier downed Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 7-6(5) to reach the last eight at a Masters 1000 for the first time.

Following his Paris exit, Alcaraz will next be in action in Turin, where the Spaniard will bid for his maiden title at the Nitto ATP Finals. The prestigious season finale takes place from 10-17 November at the city’s Inalpi Arena.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link

De Minaur moves inside Turin cut after downing Draper in Paris

  • Posted: Oct 31, 2024

Alex de Minaur’s late charge to qualify for his maiden appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals is picking up serious pace at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The ninth seed rallied to defeat Jack Draper 5-7, 6-2, 6-3, snapping the Briton’s red-hot seven-match winning streak. With the triumph, De Minaur climbed inside the qualification spots in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, passing Andrey Rublev to eighth.

De Minaur now trails sixth-placed Novak Djokovic by 165 points, with fellow Turin hopefuls Grigor Dimitrov (10th) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (11th) still alive in Paris.

Draper’s intensity was palpable from the onset, but De Minaur bounced back in a near-flawless second set, during which he won 92 per cent (12/13) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

The 25-year-old maintained the momentum in the early stages of the final set, racing to a 2-0 lead. Despite relinquishing the break, De Minaur dialled back in to clinch victory in a gruelling two-hour, five-minute battle.

After equalling his personal-best 47th win of the season, De Minaur will next face lucky loser Arthur Cazaux or Holger Rune for a spot in the semi-finals.

More to follow…

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link

Zverev passes Fils test in Paris epic

  • Posted: Oct 31, 2024

Alexander Zverev ended the run of French star Arthur Fils in front of an electric crowd at the Rolex Paris Masters on Thursday afternoon.

Backed by raucous home support on Court Central, Fils produced an intense performance and troubled the German with his dynamic game in an epic clash. However, with the pressure on, the 20-year-old ran out of steam in the decider, with World No. 3 Zverev earning a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 third-round victory in the French capital.

“I am happy I hung in there today. It was a great match,” Zverev said after improving to 3-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Fils. “He is a great player and has improved a lot this year. I am looking forward to the next few battles we are going to have.”

Zverev fired 16 aces and crucially saved three break points when serving for the match at 5-3. The German, who gained the decisive break of the third set in the fourth game, raised his arms aloft after sealing victory, silencing Fils and the French crowd in the process.

“The atmosphere here is a lot louder than at Roland Garros. It is crazy,” Zverev said. “It feels the court is smaller and the crowd is on top of you. It is like an indoor atmosphere as well. It is something we don’t get a lot on Tour but I love it. I love to play in Paris. It is one of my favourite cities in the world to play because of the crowd. They are very energetic and very loud.”

Into his 31st ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final and sixth in 2024, Zverev will look to continue his run when he meets Nitto ATP Finals hopeful Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last eight. Tsitsipas, who is 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, leads Zverev 10-5 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Zverev is 63-20 on the season, highlighted by his title at the Masters 1000 event in Rome. The 27-year-old, who reached the final in Paris in 2020, will finish his season next month at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 10-17 November.

The 20-year-old Fils was competing in the third round at a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time. The dynamic Frenchman, who is first in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, earned wins against Marin Cilic and Jan-Lennard Struff earlier this week. However, the Hamburg and Tokyo champion was unable to find a way past Zverev, who held firm when serving out to seal victory after two hours and eight minutes.

In other action, Karen Khachanov moved past Alexei Popyrin 7-6(5), 6-4. Khachanov has fond memories in Paris, having lifted his only Masters 1000 trophy at the hard-court event in 2018. The World No. 21 will next meet Grigor Dimitrov or Arthur Rinderknech.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link

Tsitsipas digs deep to reach Paris QFs, stays alive in Turin race

  • Posted: Oct 31, 2024

Could Stefanos Tsitsipas’ hard-fought win on Thursday at the Rolex Paris Masters prove pivotal in his quest to qualify for his sixth consecutive Nitto ATP Finals?

The 10th seed dug deep for a 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-2 triumph against Francisco Cerundolo to advance to his fourth quarter-final in Paris. With the victory, Tsitsipas climbed to 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, but he will need a run to the final to stay in contention.

The former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings crossed the line with conviction to progress in two hours, 21 minutes. It was Tsitsipas’ second Lexus ATP Head2Head win over Cerundolo in as many weeks after he defeated the Argentine in their first-round clash in Basel.

Cerundolo, who recorded his 100th tour-level win on Tuesday, failed to convert all three of the break points he created in the opening set, according to Infosys ATP Stats. However, he produced a steely tie-break to move in front.

Tsitsipas shifted to a more aggressive approach at the beginning of the second set, and was rewarded in the third game when he secured his first break. From there, the World No. 11 further raised his level to surge to victory.

In the last eight at the indoor ATP Masters 1000, Tsitsipas will face either third seed Alexander Zverev or #NextGenATP star Arthur Fils.

Earlier, Jordan Thompson edged past wild card Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 7-6(5) to reach his maiden quarter-final at an ATP Masters 1000. With his two-hour, 20-minute triumph, the Australian is up to a career-high of No. 26 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

“It’s what we’ve been working towards, these big results at big tournaments,” said Thompson. “It got a little bit squeaky at the end there, but I did well to turn it around. I found some of my best points and managed to sneak out of the tie-break.”

Thompson saved two set points in the 12th game of the second set and rattled off four consecutive points from 3/5 in the tie-break to seal victory. The 30-year-old will face either home hope Ugo Humbert or World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz for a spot in the last four.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link

Frenchmen Doumbia/Reboul advance on day of upsets in Paris

  • Posted: Oct 31, 2024

On a day of doubles upsets at the Rolex Paris Masters, top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos and second seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic both fell in the second round.

In early action on Thursday, Frenchmen Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul moved past Arevalo and Pavic 7-6(5), 7-6(3) to reach the quarter-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

Competing on home soil, Doumbia and Reboul saved the one break point they faced and won 87 per cent (45/42) of their first-serve points according to Infosys ATP Stats to advance in front of a jubilant crowd after one hour and 43 minutes.

The Frenchmen are chasing their fourth tour-level title of the season and will next play Lloyd Glasspool and Adam Pavlasek after the British-Czech team downed fifth seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-4, 6-4.

[ATP APP]

Neal Skupski and Michael Venus then shocked Granollers and Zeballos 6-4, 7-6(6). Skupski and Venus arrived in Paris off the back of a final run in Vienna and will take on Ariel Behar and Robert Galloway in the last eight. Behar and Galloway defeated Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski 4-6, 7-6(2), 10-5.

Despite their early exits, Granollers and Zeballos and Arevalo and Pavic will next head to Turin to compete at the Nitto ATP Finals. The doubles field for the prestigious year-end event (held from 10-17 November) was set on Monday.

In other action, eighth seeds Harri Helivoaara and Henry Patten beat Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig 6-3, 6-7(5), 10-8. The Finn-British team, who won Wimbledon this year, will play Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson in the quarters after the Australians defeated Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-7(6), 7-6(5), 10-8.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link

My Influences: Wong on first meeting with 15-year-old Alcaraz

  • Posted: Oct 31, 2024

Coleman Wong made history earlier this season when he became the first player from Hong Kong since 1972 to win an ATP main draw match. The 20-year-old advanced to the second round at the ATP 250 in Hangzhou, gaining precious points in his quest to compete at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

Currently ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, Wong will aim to finish the season strong and follow in the footsteps of previous champions who have competed at the 20-and-under event.

As part of our Next Gen Influences series, Wong caught up with ATPTour.com to talk about his first meeting with Carlos Alcaraz, his admiration for Jannik Sinner and his Jeddah goals.

[ATP APP]

Which former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion did you enjoy watching most when growing up?
I enjoyed watching Carlos Alcaraz the most. I like watching Alcaraz play because of his game and his footwork. That [is how] I want to be in the future.

Who out of the former champions is your biggest idol and do you remember your first encounter with them?
I think it would be Carlos because I remember playing him at the junior Davis Cup when we were young. It was the first ever clay match of my life and I was facing Carlos, [who won]. It was quite an experience.

Which former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion do you most identify with?
I identify most with Jannik Sinner because of his timing his footwork and decision making. 

Read More
My Influences: Shang on Alcaraz experience & parents’ support
My Influences: How Sinner helped Fonseca make this critical decision…
My Influences: Gaubas opens up on ‘amazing’ Alcaraz experience
My Influences: Tien trusting the process & bouncing off Michelsen
My Influences: Quinn on ‘grounded’ Sinner & Paul’s mentorship

Who have been your biggest other influences in your life?
I would say my sister and my cousin have been big influences. They always try to help me with things and they always be there for me no matter what.

What have you learned this past year on Tour?
I learned that everyone on Tour has their specialties and I’m really proud to be one of the players on Tour.

What sort of attributes do you look for when bringing people into your team?
I would obviously look for people who can help me. I think it is most important that we get along well because we need to travel a lot of weeks together in a year.

Most of the current Top 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings played at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. How inspiring is that to see?
I really hope that I can make it to Next Gen Finals because it’s my goal and seeing most of the players that played Next Gen Finals before make it to the Top 20 or Top 10 means a lot to me. I really want to be one of them.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link

Home favourites Fils/Mpetshi Perricard clinch opening win in Paris

  • Posted: Oct 30, 2024

Arthur Fils and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard transferred some of their recent singles form to the doubles court on Wednesday at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The wild card duo downed Jamie Murray and John Peers 7-5, 7-6(6) in a tight first-round clash at the indoor ATP Masters 1000 event. Fils, who has won 10 of his past 12 singles matches, and last week’s Basel champion Mpetshi Perricard hit 11 aces, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to victory in their ATP Tour team debut.

The 79-minute win was Fils’ second victory of the day in Paris, where he earlier claimed a singles triumph against Jan-Lennard Struff. Mpetshi Perricard fell in the singles to Karen Khachanov, but picked himself up to claim just the second tour-level doubles match win of his career. Awaiting Fils and Mpetshi Perricard in the second round will be sixth seeds Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic.

[ATP APP]

Also on Wednesday, Neal Skupski and Michael Venus bounced back from the disappointment of Vienna championship-match defeat with a 6-1, 6-0 victory against Jean-Julien Rojer and Joe Salisbury. Their next assignment in Paris is an encounter with the second-placed pair in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.

Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin were also first-round winners in the French capital. The Mexican-French duo overcame Argentines Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-2, 5-7, 10-5. Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin now lead the two teams’ Lexus ATP Head2Head series 2-0.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Source link