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Rubin Healthy, Back On Track In Stockton

  • Posted: Oct 08, 2016

Rubin Healthy, Back On Track In Stockton

#NextGen star makes deep run in $100,000 Challenger

Some players discuss an injury layoff as a blessing in disguise, a chance to spend time at home with friends and family while working to become stronger than ever. #NextGen star Noah Rubin doesn’t quite have those same views.

“It was a pain,” he laughed. “I hurt my ankle training in Florida, flew to Florida for the grass-court season thinking it would be okay and then it wasn’t. Two-and-a-half months later, I played a Challenger and couldn’t really move, so I had to take another few weeks off. I’ve played a couple of tournaments now, so this is basically my start back and trying to get my [Emirates] ATP Ranking up to where it was.”

After a largely frustrating summer, Rubin is healthy again and showing the form that has seen him jump nearly 150 spots this year in the Emirates ATP Rankings to his current standing of No. 192. Competing at this week’s $100,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Stockton, California, the 20-year-old American showed his ankle has fully healed by weathering three consecutive three-set matches to reach his first Challenger semi-final since Maui in January.

“This is probably my first tournament back where I’m feeling myself and my game again. If I continue this and keep focused, I can break into the Top 100,” said Rubin. “That said, the thought of the Top 100 probably ruined my game for a couple of months, so I’m trying not to think about it too much or have any specific goals. I’m just trying to enjoy myself.”

Rubin made headlines at the end of last year by winning his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Charlottesville, Virginia, earning him the USTA Pro Circuit wild card into the Australian Open. Arriving in Melbourne ranked No. 328, he took full advantage of the opportunity with a straight-sets win over No. 17 seed Benoit Paire.

Although Rubin acknowledged that his ankle injury came at a bad time since he was on a run of form, he refused to feel sorry for himself.

“There are people with way worse luck than me, people who have surgery after surgery and can’t seem to get healthy,” said Rubin. “This was luckily just a sprained ankle, so hopefully it doesn’t come back if I do everything to stay healthy.”

The American will compete in four more Challengers after Stockton before wrapping up his season. He’s making the most of a long stretch on the road by staying with host families that USTA Pro Circuit tournaments often offer to players as a way to truly experience the communities they’re in.

“I’m staying with a local family and they’ve treated me incredibly well. I couldn’t ask for anybody better, so it makes the tournament a lot easier and more fun,” said Rubin. “They’ve come to all my matches, so it’s really nice to have that support.”

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Shanghai 2016

  • Posted: Oct 08, 2016

Shanghai 2016

The content of this article took place at Shanghai Rolex Masters

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Kyrgios Beats Monfils In Tokyo 2016 SF Highlights

  • Posted: Oct 08, 2016

Kyrgios Beats Monfils In Tokyo 2016 SF Highlights

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Andy Murray beats David Ferrer to reach China Open final

  • Posted: Oct 08, 2016

World number two Andy Murray cruised into the final of the China Open after a 6-2 6-3 victory over Spain’s David Ferrer in Beijing.

Murray, 29, secured victory over fifth seed Ferrer in one hour, 30 minutes.

The British number one seed was dominant throughout and will face Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov in Sunday’s final.

Earlier, British number one Johanna Konta reached the women’s final and broke into the world top 10.

Murray has reached nine finals in 2016, but it is the first time he has made it through to the China Open final.

The Scot was a break down in the opening set before coming back to win the next five games.

Ferrer had lost his previous six encounters with Murray and there was no coming back after the Scot went 4-2 up.

The double Olympic champion then took a 3-1 lead in the second set, and despite losing his serve he came back to clinch a place in the final.

Dimitrov took the other final spot after his semi-final opponent, Milos Raonic, was forced to withdraw with an ankle injury.

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Konta into world top 10 after reaching China Open final

  • Posted: Oct 08, 2016

British number one Johanna Konta moved into the world top 10 after reaching the final of the China Open by beating Madison Keys 7-6 (7-1) 4-6 6-4.

The 25-year-old took the first set after a tie-break before American eighth seed Keys fought back in a semi-final lasting two hours, 35 minutes.

The 11th seed will now face Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina or Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska in the final.

The last British woman to make the world’s top 10 was Jo Durie in 1984.

“It’s really special, I feel very blessed to be coming back for the final,” said Konta after a hard-earned victory in Beijing on Saturday.

Britain also has a finalist in the men’s event, after world number two Andy Murray beat Spain’s David Ferrer in straight sets.

Konta was ranked 146th in the world as recently as June 2015.

She is only the fourth British woman to make the top 10 since the WTA rankings began in 1975 – after Durie, Virginia Wade and Sue Barker.

Konta led 4-2 in the first set before losing three games in a row. She rallied to take the opening set on a tie-break before unravelling in the second as Keys took the tie into a third set.

Keys broke in the first game but Konta immediately responded before going on to secure a place in Sunday’s final.

Analysis – Konta belongs there

Former British number one Jo Durie speaking to BBC Radio 5 live

It really is a terrific accomplishment. To get into the top 10 you need to be consistent week after week on the tour.

It will give Konta better seeding at Grand Slams and other players will be very wary of her. She has been proving she can beat those in the top 10, that she belongs there and she is a player to watch out for.

You have a greater aura and take it onto the court. The only thing, which can sometimes be a negative, is the lower-ranked players are now gunning for you and seem to play their best against you.

It has all happened in last 15 months for Jo Konta. She has gone from 150 to the top 10. It is amazing. Next year she goes straight into the Australian Open where she got to the semi-final. She is very good at keeping in the moment, focussing on herself and it is literally point by point with her.

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Murray And Dimitrov Bring It In Beijing 2016 QFs

  • Posted: Oct 07, 2016

Murray And Dimitrov Bring It In Beijing 2016 QFs

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Raonic Pleased With Efficiency To Reach Beijing 2016 SFs

  • Posted: Oct 07, 2016

Raonic Pleased With Efficiency To Reach Beijing 2016 SFs

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Dimitrov Proud Of Nadal Win In Beijing 2016 QFs

  • Posted: Oct 07, 2016

Dimitrov Proud Of Nadal Win In Beijing 2016 QFs

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Djokovic, Top 10 Know Not All Points Are Created Equal

  • Posted: Oct 07, 2016

Djokovic, Top 10 Know Not All Points Are Created Equal

Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers examines how the best players find ways to win a crucial amount of points

The Top 100 players in the world average losing more points than they win.

It seems counterintuitive that the best in our sport are not more successful, but the reality of tennis is that you can win a match even by winning fewer points than your opponent. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the Top 100 players in the world from the 2015 season reveals just how close the margins are at the elite level of our game.

The data set of 670,005 points delivers a fresh perspective on what it takes to “make it” on tour and reach the promised land of the Top 100. All points are not created equal, with some meaning a lot more to the outcome of a match than others. Winning the right points is more important to a player’s career than winning more points.

In the 2015 season, Novak Djokovic finished No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. He went 82-6 and won 11 titles, including seven ATP World Tour Masters 1000s and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. It was a sublime season, and Djokovic won 55.8 per cent of his points.

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It’s sobering to contemplate that if the best player in the world, putting together one of the best seasons of all time, can only tip the scales from 50-50 to 56-44. It therefore stands to reason how close the margins really are for all who follow in his footsteps.

Cutting up the Top 100 into groups of 10 delivers a clear perspective of where the dividing line is for players to win more points than they lose. Players in the ranking groups of 1-10, 11-20, 21-30 and 31-40 all win more points than they lose. Players in the six remaining groups in the Top 100 all lose more points than they win.

Top 100: Groups of 10 Average Points Won Percentage

 Ranking Spots   Average Points Won Percentage  Percentage-Point Drop From Higher-Ranked Group
 1-10  53.3%  – 
 11-20   51.1%  2.3
 21-30   51%  .1
 31-40   50.6%  .4
 41-50   49.7%  .9
 51-60  49.6%  .1
 61-70   48.9%  .7
 71-80   48.9%   0
 81-90   48.5%  .4
 91-100   47.8%  .7
 Top 100 Average   49.9%  –
 Top 50 Average   51.1%  –
 Bottom 50 Average   48.7%  –

The analysis also uncovers just how hard it is to break into the Top 10, as players in that group win more than 53 per cent of their points, compared to about 51 per cent for players in the next group, 11-20. It is also interesting to note that the percentage-point gap is extremely small between 11-20 and 21-30.

The Top 50 win 51.1 per cent of their points, while the bottom 50 are at 48.7 per cent – a 2.4 percentage point drop, which is almost identical to the difference between the Top 10 and 11-20.

Tennis is a game of small margins played over great distances. A break point won in Shanghai or Stockholm can mean a lot more than a 15/0 point lost in Sydney or St. Petersburg.

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