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Shenzhen Semi-Finals Interrupted By Rain

  • Posted: Oct 04, 2015

Heavy rain at the Shenzhen Open forced competitors back to the locker room on Sunday.

Top seed Tomas Berdych was leading last year’s runner-up Tommy Robredo, the third seed, 6-1, 3-3, deuce, when rain stopped played after 56 minutes of action. Berdych is looking for a spot in his fourth ATP World Tour final of the year. It is their 11th FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting, with the Czech leading 6-4. Runner-up earlier this year in Bastad, third seed Robredo is seeking a 24th ATP World Tour final. 

On Court 1, fourth seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez leads second seed Marin Cilic had a 1-6, 7-5, 1-0, deuce against second seed Marin Cilic after two hours of play. Cilic is attempting to reach his first title match since the 2014 Kremlin Cup in Moscow (d. Bautista Agut). It is their fourth encounter and second of the year, with Garcia-Lopez improving to 2-1 with a straight-sets victory in Rome. The Spaniard is bidding to reach a ninth ATP World Tour final, while Cilic is eyeing his 23rd.

Both semi-finals were carried over from Saturday due to a typhoon in the region.

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Nishikori Goes For Tokyo Hat-Trick

  • Posted: Oct 03, 2015

Kei Nishikori, who defeated Milos Raonic last year to win the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2014, will open against young gun Borna Coric in Tokyo. The 25 year old from Shimane is looking to cement his place at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Nishikori currently has 3770 Emirates ATP Race To London points, good for sixth overall.

The 18 year old Coric is in the midst of a breakout season. The Croat is currently No. 38, and was ranked as high as No. 33 in July of this year. The players have never faced each other at tour-level, and Coric’s last win over a Top-10 player came in February against Andy Murray (Dubai QF).

In the top half, No. 1 seed Stan Wawrinka begins his Tokyo campaign against veteran Radek Stepanek. Stepanek, who has battled injury in the past year, has only managed to take part in 11 tour-level matches in 2015 (8-3). This would be an opportune moment for Wawrinka to get a second win over the Czech in six meetings, as he is trying to add to his 5505 Emirates ATP Race To London points (4th) heading into the final months of the season.

An intriguing first-round matchup is the one pitting eighth seed Grigor Dimitrov and unseeded Benoit Paire. A comparison of the players’ Emirates ATP Rankings and year-to-date records favours the 24 year-old Bulgarian (19th, 27-17), but Paire (32nd, 19-14) won their first FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup in the first round of the 2012 US Open, then pushed Dimitrov to three sets in Stockholm 2013 before succumbing.

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Nadal, Djokovic Set The Stage In Beijing

  • Posted: Oct 03, 2015

Novak Djokovic will head into the China Open with confidence, having won the title an unprecedented five times (2009, 2010, 2012-14) and having already booked his place at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The Serb is 24-0 at the tournament, beating Marin Cilic in 2009, David Ferrer in 2010, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2012, Rafael Nadal in 2013 and Tomas Berdych, this year’s No.2 seed, for last year’s title.

The top seed opens against a qualifier, and could face big-serving John Isner or young gun Dominic Thiem in the quarter-finals. The sixth-seeded American and the Austrian are set to duel in a blockbuster first-round encounter.

On the opposite side of the draw, Rafael Nadal, the 2005 champion (d. Coria) and 2013 runner-up (l. to Djokovic), will face Chinese wild card Di Wu in the first round. The World No. 7, seeded third in Beijing, is 45-15 on the year, and is chasing his 54th tour-level title.

Second seed Tomas Berdych will take on Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas in his opening match. Berdych is fifth in the Emirates ATP Race To London with 3850 points. Berdych, Nadal (7th, 3715 points) and David Ferrer (8th, 3005 points) are well-positioned to secure one of the four remaining spots at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Milos Raonic (who plays Viktor Troicki in the first round) and Isner are on the outside looking in, but could make up ground with deep runs in Beijing.

Ivo Karlovic could break countryman Goran Ivanisevic’s all-time ace record during the China Open. The 6’11” Karlovic is 35 aces back and will open against Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

Wild cards looking to make a dent in the draw include China’s Di Wu and Ze Zhang, as well as Chinese Taipei’s Yen-Hsun Lu.

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Kyrgios, Lopez, Ferrer Reach KL Semis

  • Posted: Oct 02, 2015

Seventh seed Nick Kyrgios won the clutch points as he edged third seed Ivo Karlovic 7-6(4), 7-6(2) on Friday to reach the semi-finals of the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur.

Both players won 75 per cent of their service points and saved the three break points they created between them, but it was Kyrgios who won the decisive points in the tie-breaks to seal victory in 85 minutes.

“It feels really good to be in the semi-finals,” said Kyrgios. “I knew today was going to be tough. I thought he served really well, but I thought I also served really well and looked after my serve. It was a fun match as well; it was really good. I thought I stayed composed and today was a really good performance.”

Thirteen aces from Karlovic sees him close the gap to 35 on Goran Ivanisevic’s all-time record of 10,237 (stats kept since 1991). The 36-year-old Croat was contesting his ninth ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season and is the oldest player in the Top 20 since 37-year-old Jimmy Connors in February 1990.

The 20-year-old Kyrgios, whose mother is Malaysian, is bidding to reach his second final of the season after finishing runner-up to Richard Gasquet in his first ATP World Tour final in Estoril in April.

The Australian goes on to face second seed Feliciano Lopez, who battled past eighth seed Vasek Pospisil 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-2 in two hours. The Spaniard won 73 per cent of his service points and broke Pospisil four times as he beat the Canadian for the second time.

“I think I played a great match,” said Lopez. “I think I improved my game from my first match yesterday. Even though I lost the first set, I was getting better and better as the match went on. I’m very happy.”

The 34-year-old Lopez is looking to reach his second ATP World Tour final of the year (l. to Estrella Burgos in Quito) and has a 1-0 lead over Kyrgios in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, beating the Canberra native in Rome earlier this year.

“Against Nick it’s going to be tough,” said Lopez. “He is an aggressive player. I have to be aware of that and try to be aggressive on the court and put some pressure on him. Hopefully I will have my chances. It’s an exciting match to play against one of the young guns on the tour.”

Top seed David Ferrer reached the semi-finals of this ATP World Tour 250 hard court tournament for the third time as he defeated Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 6-4 in 70 minutes. The Spaniard broke serve once in each set and won 71 per cent of his service points to notch his 42nd win of the season.

Currently eighth in the Emirates ATP Race To London, Ferrer is looking to step up his bid to claim one of the four remaining places at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The 33-year-old Ferrer is hoping to make his seventh appearance at the season finale, to be held at The O2 in London from 15-22 November.

Ferrer is attempting to win his fourth ATP World Tour title of the season this week, adding to victories in Doha, Rio de Janeiro and Acapulco, and goes on to face Benjamin Becker in the semi-finals.

“He’s had a very good week, winning against two of the top players — Chardy and Dimitrov,” said Ferrer of his semi-final opponent. “It’s going to be tough for sure. I will have to play consistent.”

The 34-year-old Becker is having his best week of the season, having come into Kuala Lumpur only having won back-to-back matches twice in 2015. He is now through to the semi-finals after upsetting fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 7-6(3). 

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Ferrer Downs Stepanek in Kuala Lumpur

  • Posted: Oct 01, 2015

In his opening match, top seed David Ferrer bested Radek Stepanek 7-5, 6-3 on Thursday to move into the quarter-finals of the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur. Ferrer, who received a first-round bye, went 5-for-8 on break chances and closed out the win in 93 minutes.

The World No. 8 improved to 41-10 on the season with the win, and is well-positioned to book his seventh trip to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. With 3,005 Emirates ATP Race To London points, Ferrer is 710 points behind No. 7 Rafael Nadal and 650 points ahead of No. 9 Richard Gasquet, neither of whom are playing this week.

In the quarter-finals, the 33 year old will face Mikhail Kukushkin. The Spaniard holds a 5-0 lead in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

“This first match wasn’t easy,” said Ferrer. “I was feeling the jet lag a little bit, but it was the same for Radek. Now I will try to improve my game for tomorrow. Every match is different, and Kukushkin is a good player. He is having a very good year.”

Eighth seed Vasek Pospisil reached his third tour-level quarter-final of the season as he battled past Marcos Baghdatis 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3.

The Canadian struck 11 aces and won one point more than Baghdatis as he claimed his 20th win of the season in two hours and 28 minutes. Baghdatis was bidding to reach the Kuala Lumpur final for the second time this week, having finished runner-up in 2011 (l. to Tipsarevic).

“I didn’t really have a strategy,” said Pospisil, who struggled with cramp towards the end of the match. “I was just trying to stand on the court, be able to play the points and try to win. When I saw the ball I just tried to hit it hard and keep the points short. I played well, but I was just trying to get through my service games somehow. I was fortunate for sure to have won that.”

The 25-year-old Pospisil, who reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at Wimbledon earlier this year (l. to Murray), goes on to face second seed Feliciano Lopez.

The Spaniard survived a late fightback from qualifier Mischa Zverev to prevail 6-3, 7-6(4) in 90 minutes. Lopez was broken as he served for the match at 5-4 in the second set, but regrouped to win the subsequent tie-break.

Lopez leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Pospisil 1-0, having beaten the Canadian in their one previous meeting at the 2011 US Open. The left-hander has a 28-21 match record on the season, and is playing his first tournament since reaching the US Open quarter-finals (l. to Djokovic). 

Grigor Dimitrov rallied to defeat Joao Sousa 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and seven minutes to advance to the quarter-finals. The No. 4 seed was down 2-4 in the final set before sweeping the next four games to set up a meeting with Benjamin Becker. With the win, Dimitrov improved his 2015 tour-level record to 28-17 and evened the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head series at 1-1.

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Cilic Overcomes Millman Challenge In Shenzhen

  • Posted: Oct 01, 2015

Marin Cilic, seeded second, needed nearly two hours to defeat John Millman 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 and advance to the quarter-finals of the Shenzhen Open on Thursday. The 2014 US Open champion improved to 24-14 in 2015 and remains in contention for a first ATP World Tour title since winning in Moscow a year ago (d. Bautista Agut).

Cilic controlled the first set, sweeping all 13 first-serve points and breaking his Australian opponent twice in as many opportunities. Millman improved his first serve percentage from 57 per cent to 67 per cent in the second set and converted on his lone break point to push the match to a decider. 

“I was generally happy with my performance in the first set,” said Cilic. “In the first game of the second set, he hit good returns. Then he served really well after that. It was not easy to get back in the match. The conditions are really humid, so you have to be prepared. It’s more demanding physically, but I served well and that helped me get some free points at critical moments.”

The Croat, No. 14 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, struck six of his 12 total aces in the final set, and converted on his first match point to take the pair’s initial FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting.

Next up for Cilic is Korean Hyeon Chung, who needed just 56 minutes to down Aljaz Bedene, 6-2, 6-0 to reach his first ATP World Tour quarter-final. The 19 year old went 6-for-8 on break points and earned his 10th tour-level win of the season (10-9). Currently World No. 58, Chung is aiming to reach No. 35 and become the highest-ranked male player in history from South Korea.

Cilic leads the rivalry 1-0, having defeated Chung 7-6(2), 6-3 in Washington two months ago.

In what has been the best season of his career, fifth seed Adrian Mannarino reached his sixth ATP World Tour quarter-final as he defeated Chinese wild card Yan Bai 7-5, 7-6(7).

The 27-year-old Frenchman reached a career-high No. 27 in the Emirates ATP Rankings in July, in a year that has seen him reach his first ATP World Tour finals in Auckland (l. to Vesely) and Bogota (l. to Tomic).

Mannarino notched his 27th win of 2015 as he edged the No. 266-ranked Bai in one hour and 50 minutes. The left-hander converted three of his seven break points as he denied Bai a place in his first ATP World Tour quarter-final.

Mannarino goes on to face fourth seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who dismissed Lukas Rosol 6-4, 6-3 in 76 minutes. The Spaniard, who improved to a 27-19 match record on the season, is chasing his third ATP World Tour title of the season this week to add to triumphs in Zagreb (d. Seppi) and Bucharest (d. Vesely).

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Inglot/Lindstedt On Point In Shenzhen

Inglot/Lindstedt On Point In Shenzhen

  • Posted: Sep 30, 2015

Dominic Inglot and Robert Lindstedt advanced to the semi-finals of the Shenzhen Open by downing James Duckworth and John Millman 6-4, 6-3 on Wednesday. The top seeds won 20 of 22 first-serve points in the 63-minute match and have yet to drop a set this week. Inglot and Lindstedt are looking to double their ATP World Tour title haul, having won their first team title in Winston-Salem in August.

Elsewhere, wild card Mao-Xin Gong of China gave the locals plenty to cheer about on Wedesday, teaming up with New Zealander Michael Venus to defeat Adrian Mannarino and Lukas Rosol 6-1, 6-7(4), 12-10. Gong and Venus saved all four break points faced in the 64-minute match. They will take on fourth seeds Julian Knowle and Oliver Marach in the quarter-finals. The Austrians had defeated Ricardas Berankis and Denis Istomin 6-4, 7-5 in their opening match.

Seeded Teams Survive In Kuala Lumpur

The second and third-seeded teams were in action on Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur, and both needed Match Tie-breaks to advance to the quarter-finals.

No. 2 seeds Treat Huey and Henri Kontinen, who took home the St. Petersburg title last weekend, overcame Marcus Daniell and Marcelo Demoliner 4-6, 6-2, 10-6 in 71 minutes. Huey and Kontinen dropped serve in the first game of the match to concede the opening set, but went 2-for-2 on break points in the second set to force a Match Tie-break. Their quarter-final foes will be Santiago Gonzalez and Philipp Petzschner.

Third seeds Eric Butorac and Scott Lipsky also mounted a successful rally, winning 6-7(7), 6-1, 11-9 against Aliaksandr Bury and Andreas Siljestrom. The Americans went down a set and a break, but roared back with three breaks to secure the second set. In the Match Tie-break, Butorac and Lipsky won the next two points from 9/9 to set up a quarter-final meeting with Frantisek Cermak and Radek Stepanek, who battled past Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop 6-4, 3-6, 12-10.

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Players Cook Up Fun In Kuala Lumpur

Players Cook Up Fun In Kuala Lumpur

  • Posted: Sep 30, 2015

Malaysian Open (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

Feliciano Lopez and Vasek Pospisil tried out traditional Malaysian cooking at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Kuala Lumpur. The duo cooked up a delicious dish with chicken and rice called “Nasi Goreng Durian”.

“It was fun,” said Lopez. “I really enjoyed it, but I think I have to improve my abilities in the kitchen.”

“It’s my second time cooking, but I’m not a very good chef,” added Pospisil. “I’ve had some nice local dishes [in Kuala Lumpur]. It’s one of the reasons I like coming back here; the food is delicious.”

Lopez, along with David Ferrer, also brought cheer to children at the KPJ Damansara Specialist Hospital. The Spaniards participated in a friendly match of mini tennis with hospital staff after bringing gifts to kids in the children’s ward. Read & Watch

Fifth seed Viktor Troicki and seventh seed Nick Kyrgios visited Kuala Lumpur’s Skyrides Festivals Park, where a helium balloon theme park is one of the various attractions. The pair also took a boat ride on the scenic Putrajaya Lake. Read & Watch

Grigor Dimitrov and Ferrer tried their hands at musical instruments at the Malaysia Tourist Centre.

Shenzhen Open (Shenzhen, China)

Marin Cilic toured the Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy and had a great time doing tennis drills with around 50 kids.

Tuesday night, Berdych, Cilic, Robredo, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Robert Lindstedt were among those to attend the player party on the 40th floor of the Shangri-la. The guests enjoyed great views, a band and delicious food, and left their handprints (literally) in a piece of artwork.

Berdych, Robredo, Cilic and Garcia-Lopez also participated in autograph sessions with local Shenzhen fans at the tournament.

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Players Enjoy Welcome Cocktail Party In Kuala Lumpur

Players Enjoy Welcome Cocktail Party In Kuala Lumpur

  • Posted: Sep 30, 2015

ATP World Tour stars, including Jeremy Chardy and Benjamin Becker, enjoy a cocktail welcome reception at the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur.

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Berdych Sets Vesely Clash In Shenzhen

Berdych Sets Vesely Clash In Shenzhen

  • Posted: Sep 30, 2015

Top seed Tomas Berdych enjoyed a winning start on his Shenzhen Open debut, dismissing Austin Krajicek 7-5, 6-3 on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals.

The Czech is looking to bounce back from a second-round exit last week in St. Petersburg (l. to Bolelli) and boost his bid to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals with a strong showing in Shenzhen. Berdych is attempting to secure his place at the season finale in London for the sixth year in a row.

Berdych set a quarter-final clash with countryman Jiri Vesely as he fired 11 aces and converted three of his nine break points to beat Krajicek in one hour and 33 minutes. The 30-year-old Berdych, who is looking to win his first ATP World Tour title of the season this week, will face Vesely for the first time at tour level.

Sixth seed Vesely ended the campaign of Chinese teenager Zhizhen Zhang with a 6-2, 6-3 victory. The Czech, who is 543 places higher in the Emirates ATP Rankings than Zhang, lost just 10 points on serve as he claimed victory in 62 minutes. Vesely will contest his first ATP World Tour quarter-final since April, when he went on to finish runner-up in Bucharest (l. to Garcia-Lopez).

Third seed Tommy Robredo also opened his campaign with a 7-5, 6-3 victory, beating Japanese qualifier Hiroki Moriya in 73 minutes.

The Spaniard finished runner-up in heart-wrenching style last year in Shenzhen, squandering five match points against Andy Murray in the title match. Robredo is coming off a quarter-final showing in St. Petersburg (l. to Raonic) and improved to a 23-18 match record on the season.

Robredo goes on to face Simone Bolelli, who reached his seventh ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season as he beat eighth seed Victor Estrella Burgos. The Italian was leading 6-4, 4-0 when Estrella Burgos retired from their match due to an upper back injury.

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