Tennis News

Cerundolo sinks home hope Shevchenko for Almaty SF spot

Francisco Cerundolo served up some swift revenge on Friday at the Almaty Open.

The fourth-seeded Argentine downed home favourite Alexander Shevchenko 6-2, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals at the Kazakhstani ATP 250. Cerundolo, who fell to an opening-round defeat to Shevchenko in Shanghai just 13 days ago, converted three of six break points he earned to set a last-four meeting with Gabriel Diallo.

“I’m super happy. I knew it was going to be a really tough match,” said Cerundolo in his on-court interview. “We played last week in Shanghai and he beat me in a really close match. I knew he was playing super good, I told him that at the net. I knew what I had to do and I think I did it really well. I served well, and I’m really happy to get to another semi-final, and my first on hard courts this year.”

Cerundolo won 92 per cent (24/26) of points behind his first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to his 65-minute triumph against Shevchenko. The 26-year-old, who won his third ATP Tour title in Umag in July, will now prepare for just his second tour-level semi-final on hard courts following his breakout run at the 2022 Miami Open presented by Itau.

His next test in Kazakhstan is a maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Diallo, who earlier upset second seed Alejandro Tabilo 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. The 23-year-old Canadian Diallo, who has risen 19 spots to No. 99 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings as a result of his run in Almaty so far, will be competing in his first ATP Tour quarter-final.

“I haven’t watched [Diallo] a lot,” said Cerundolo. “We warmed up today together, but I don’t think I’ve seen many of his matches. I’m going to watch a little bit of him [on video] and learn how he plays. I think it’s going to be a tough match. He’s huge, he serves really well, hits the ball really well. Here in these conditions, he’s going to be super tough.”

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Nadal 'emotionally ready' for Davis Cup farewell

Rafael Nadal says he feels emotionally prepared for ending his career at next month’s Davis Cup Finals but the Spaniard will only contest the singles if he is “ready to win”.

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'I will be back' – Collins postpones retirement

World number nine Danielle Collins says she will “be back” next year after previously announcing she would retire at the end of the season.

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Meet Beibit Zhukayev: What the Kazakhstani learned from Federer, Nadal & Djokovic

Almaty’s staging of a first ATP tournament has proven to be a historic occasion for one of its residents, too.

Beibit Zhukayev contests his maiden ATP Tour quarter-final on Friday at the Almaty Open, with his parents expected to be in attendance again. 

“I’m really happy that I got through to my first ATP quarter-final, especially playing at home,” said the 24-year-old wild card, who advanced to the last eight when the surging Tomas Machac retired due to illness after four games Thursday. “It’s an incredible feeling. I’m very proud of myself.”

Zhukayev resides close to the mountains, about a 20-to-25-minute drive from the tournament venue without traffic, the No. 213 player in the PIF ATP Rankings said.

When traffic strikes Kazakhstan’s most populous city, the commute stretches to an hour.

He has mixed sleeping in his own bed with heading to the official tournament hotel, depending on the circumstances.

Zhukayev won’t need to head to Almaty Arena too early on Friday since his quarter-final against Karen Khachanov features in the night session slot of 7 p.m.

A victory over the third seed would send Zhukayev’s PIF ATP Live Rabking past his career high of No. 171 set in May and get him closer to his “first goal” of breaking the Top 100.

“Slowly, step by step, I’m improving this year,” said Zhukayev. “I’m happy in what form I am in right now here. So I hope I will improve more and more by the end of the year.”

The end of 2023 gave Zhukayev much reason for optimism. He collected his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Charlottesville last November to help secure a first Top 200 finish in the year-end PIF ATP Rankings.

But illness and injuries scuppered the progress of the big server, who told the ATP last year that he started to play tennis aged eight while on holiday in Turkey.

“This year was not easy,” he said. “I made a good preseason, but then I got sick. I had some virus in my body and I lost my form that I built in the preseason.”

He still made the trip to Australia, but wasn’t 100 per cent. He missed about another month with illness thereafter, but felt his form improved on grass.

To that end, Zhukayev got closer to reaching the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament than ever before when he landed in the third and final round of Wimbledon qualifying.

However, a lower back injury halted his progress during the North American hard-court swing.

With his back feeling better, Zhukayev qualified for the Rolex Shanghai Masters for the second consecutive year — his first ATP win came in Shanghai last season prior to losing to Khachanov despite 20 aces — ahead of Almaty.

“In China, I started feeling better,” said Zhukayev. “My lower back got better. And, yeah, Shanghai was not bad.”

The ATP Masters 1000 ended with Jannik Sinner beating Novak Djokovic. Djokovic, along with fellow “Big Three” members Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, were Zhukayev’s tennis idols.

“When I was growing up I always was watching Federer,” said Zhukayev. “I like how he played. And Nadal [I liked] for his athleticism and his character. He was always fighting ‘til the end. And Djokovic as well.

“He was the last one in that company but at the end he is the greatest now, the greatest tennis player ever.”

Djokovic also has ties to Kazakhstan, claiming the title in Astana in 2022 before the event’s relocation to Almaty.

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Wawrinka rolls back years with Stockholm win; Rublev marches on

Stan Wawrinka produced a vintage performance Thursday at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open to become the oldest quarter-finalist in Stockholm tournament history.

The 39-year-old dug deep to prevail 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and record back-to-back tour-level wins for the first time since reaching the third round of the 2023 US Open. Wawrinka twice trailed by a break in the deciding set, but found some gutsy tennis to advance in two hours, 12 minutes.

“I’m super happy to get through this match, it was a tough opponent today, but the level was good and it was great to win two matches here,” said Wawrinka. “It’s an amazing atmosphere, a full house. Thank you everybody for making so much noise.”

STAN THE MAN 👏

A great week continues for @stanwawrinka as he rallies past Davidovich Fokina 6-4 3-6 7-5 to reach his 112th tour-level quarter-final!@EuroTennisOpen | #EuropeanOpen pic.twitter.com/qy9mFjAXt0

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 17, 2024

Wawrinka, the former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, capitalised on a lacklustre seventh game from the Spaniard before closing out the first set with ease. Davidovich Fokina then raised his level in a near-flawless second set, during which he won 89 per cent (16/18) of points behind his first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

However, the 25-year-old was unable to close out the match in a deciding set full of momentum shifts. Wawrinka eventually took advantage of an untimely double fault from his opponent to set up the sole match point needed.

Wawrinka will face top seed Andrey Rublev, who got underway with an emphatic 6-4, 6-1 win over Alexandre Muller. Rublev did not blink throughout the contest, during which he struck 17 winners and saved all three of the break points he faced.

Rublev is currently eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, leading ninth-placed Alex de Minaur by just 275 points in what is turning out to be an absorbing battle for qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals.

Earlier, Miomir Kecmanovic held his nerve in a thrilling contest with Nicolas Jarry that went down to the wire. The Serbian clinched the hard-fought contest 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(2).

Third seed Grigor Dimitrov closed the day with a 7-6(1), 6-3 victory against Quentin Halys to record his 18th match win — most among active players — at the Stockholm ATP 250. The Bulgarian, who won his first tour-level in Stockholm in 2013, will meet Swiss Dominic Stricker in the quarter-finals.

Dimitrov, tenth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, is aiming to make a late-season push and qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time since he won the season finale in 2017.

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Tsitsipas hangs on in Antwerp

Stefanos Tsitsipas was forced to resort to defence mode Thursday in order to secure a thrilling opening-round win at the European Open.

The second seed was on the brink of defeat, but showcased his resilience to defeat Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-5. Tsitsipas fended off three break points in the 11th game of the decider before finding a crucial break of his own to seal victory in two hours, 26 minutes.

“It was exhausting out here having to stay in the match,” said Tsitsipas, who improved to 40-19 on the season. “The comeback was crazy. When he was up in the score, I managed to stay in the points and defend well.

“It was all psychological at the end, I managed my nerves pretty well. I don’t usually like to build my game around defensive shots, but I had to fight, I had to do anything within my artillery to make it work.” 

Tsitsipas set up a quarter-final clash with fifth seed Jiri Lehecka, who earlier eased past Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 6-3 in one hour, 13 minutes. The Czech was imperious on serve throughout the contest, during which he won 91 per cent (30/33) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Elsewhere, Marcos Giron produced a gutsy showing to edge past Arthur Rinderkncech 7-6(6), 7-6(4) and reach his personal-best sixth quarter-final of the season. The eighth seed was forced to dig deep but found some gutsy tennis when necessary to advance in Antwerp.

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'What am I doing here?': Federer joins Alcaraz for Shanghai practice

Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz never competed against one another on the ATP Tour, but now fans can see the next best thing. Last week at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, Federer joined the Spaniard for a special practice session that bridged the gap between two generations of greatness.

“What am I doing here?” Federer joked to the cameras as he made his grand entrance.

From the privacy of the practice courts, the 43-year-old showed he’s still got game as he confidently traded baseline strokes with his 21-year-old sparring partner. The ATP Masters 1000 tournament’s cameras documented the star-studded session, capturing footage as the players ripped forehands and backhands in a light workout.

While a Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between the pair remains a pipe dream, they did joke about playing a practice set while they wrapped up. Federer and Alcaraz also sat next to one another in the stands to watch the Shanghai singles final, with Jannik Sinner — who last week clinched ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours — beating Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 6-3.

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Medvedev withdraws from Vienna

Daniil Medvedev has withdrawn from the upcoming Erste Bank Open.

The World No. 5, who won the tournament in 2022 and reached last year’s final, has cited shoulder issues ahead of the 2024 edition, which will take place from the 21-27 October.

Alexander Zverev, already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, will headline the field in the Austrian capital. Alex de Minaur, Grigor Dimitrov, and Tommy Paul are set to compete at the ATP 500, all vying to make a late push to qualify for Turin.

Medvedev will be replaced by #NextGenATP Alex Michelsen in the main draw.

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Tiafoe survives thriller in Almaty; Khachanov fires past Virtanen

Frances Tiafoe dug deep to produce a thrilling comeback win Thursday and advance to the last eight at the Almaty Open.

The top seed rallied from a set down against qualifier Daniel Evans to triumph 6-7(10), 7-6(4), 6-3. Advancing to his 42nd tour-level quarter-final, Tiafoe improved to 6-3 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“I just kept going, my serve was a big part of it, I served a lot of aces today,” said Tiafoe, who slammed down 21 aces in the contest. “I started coming into the net and taking more risks, instead of being patient in the rallies.

“That was tough, I knew it was going to be a battle, so I was well prepared. I’m just happy to come out with the win.”

Top seed had to fight 💪@FTiafoe | @ktf_kz | #AlmatyOpen pic.twitter.com/U88JfYM2cp

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 17, 2024

In a first-set tie-break full of pendulum swings, Evans saved two set points before converting the fourth of his own with a trademark backhand winner past Tiafoe. The 26-year-old stood firm and seized his moment in the second-set tie-break before surging to a 4-0 lead in the decider.

Evans rattled off three consecutive games to spark hopes of a comeback, but Tiafoe held his nerve to close out the contest in two hours, 39 minutes.

Tiafoe will next face Aleksandar Vukic, who produced a steely performance to upset eighth seed Adrian Mannarino 7-6(4), 6-3 and reach his eighth tour-level quarter-final. The Australian’s serve was particularly clinical in the second set, during which he saved all three of the break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Elsewhere, Karen Khachanov claimed a 7-6(2), 7-6(3) win against Otto Virtanen to book his spot in the last eight. After trailing 2-5 in the second set, Virtanen clawed his way back to force a tie-break, but it was the third seed who pounced to seal victory in straight sets.

Khachanov, the former No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings, showcased his experience in a battle of two big hitters. He won 88 per cent (37/42) of points behind his first delivery and struck 21 winners in the one-hour and 36-minute contest.

The 28-year-old set up a clash with Kazakh wild card Beibit Zhukayev, who advanced to his maiden tour-level quarter-final after Tomas Machac was forced to retire in the fifth game.

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Tabilo relishes mixing it with the best

Alejandro Tabilo features in the draw at this week’s Almaty Open but it isn’t the first time the Chilean has found himself in Kazakhstan.

Tabilo distinctly remembers competing in back-to-back third-tier indoor tournaments in Aktobe in February 2019, just after he held no ranking due to a change in the ranking structure at those levels.

He reached the final of the first one — barely missing out on a clash with a teenaged Jannik Sinner — and won the second after starting with a victory against Tomas Machac.

“Those tournaments gave me my ATP Ranking back and just opened up the doors again to go up,” said Tabilo, who subsequently achieved semi-finals and quarter-finals of ATP Challenger Tour events on clay in Kazakhstan later in 2019.

Tabilo enjoyed his time to such an extent that he made an early decision this year to compete in Kazakhstan’s most populated city.

“I told my team from the beginning that I wanted to play here, since all the years I played here, it’s been so nice,” he said. “This tournament has been incredible. Everything is very well organized. The people are so helpful. Very happy to be back.”

The world No. 23 is indeed back and as the second seed behind Laver Cup teammate Frances Tiafoe.
The left-hander earned an opening bye before defeating Germany’s Maximilian Marterer 6-2 6-4 on Wednesday without facing a break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Tabilo isn’t fazed by playing in Almaty’s higher altitude, given he trains in similar conditions in Santiago.
But wins have been hard to come by of late for the 27-year-old, following three tour-level finals and a spot in the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome all before Wimbledon in July.

Tabilo entered Almaty having lost nine of 10 matches, including the Laver Cup. The last one at the Shanghai Masters particularly stung.

He led 2023 Australian Open semifinalist Tommy Paul by a set and 5-1 and held five match points.
“At the beginning, it was very tough to swallow but considering how I played, I think we were able to kind of take the best parts and try and learn from that,” said Tabilo. “I feel like it’s out of my system. Just happy with how I played, knowing that I can be at that level. It makes me much more motivated and makes me want to stay at this level more.”

Tabilo admitted to feeling a “lot looser” at the start of 2024, when he was the No. 85 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
“Now, it’s constant playing with all the Top 20s, which is a lot tougher and they show that level,” said Tabilo.
“Once you let up a bit, they come at you with everything. I’ve been trying to learn and adapt to that situation, but I feel like every match, every opportunity I get to play with them, I’m dealing with it better.
“Just trying to finish strong and prepare for next year.”

Tabilo was born and raised in Toronto but being four years older than Friday’s opponent Gabriel Diallo, he never hit with the 6ft 8in Montrealer, who is making his maiden appearance in an ATP quarter-final.
“First time playing with him and being on court with him actually,” said Tabilo.

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