Longer Masters events are a drag – Tsitsipas
Extending ATP Masters 1,000 events over two weeks has been a “backwards move”, says two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Extending ATP Masters 1,000 events over two weeks has been a “backwards move”, says two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Arrived and ready to go, former Nitto ATP Finals champion Daniil Medvedev ramped up his preparations for the prestigious year-end event on Thursday when he hit on centre court at the Inalpi Arena.
The No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings looked in relaxed mood in Turin, where he practised with Norwegian 18-year-old Nicolai Budkov Kjaer in front of a crowd of Italian youngsters.
Medvedev triumphed at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2020 and is making his sixth consecutive appearance at the event. The 28-year-old arrives in Turin holding a 45-19 record on the season.
Also on Thursday, Italian star Jannik Sinner continued to adjust to the conditions when he hit with American sparring partner Andres Martin. After a period of play, Sinner and Martin shared thoughts at the net, with the Italian offering advice to the American.
Jannik Sinner hits on Thursday in Turin. Photo Credit: Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour
The World No. 1 fell short to Novak Djokovic in last year’s championship-match clash in Turin, but will be eager to go one further this time around. Medvedev, Sinner and the rest of the field will learn their paths to the title when the draw takes place at approximately 12:45 p.m. CET on Thursday. Click here to watch the draw for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 10-17 November.
BBC Sport looks at how the WTA Finals, which are being held in Saudi Arabia for the first time, are unfolding – and what the reaction has been.
Payback was sweet for Cameron Norrie on Wednesday at the Moselle Open.
The Briton overcame #NextGenATP home favourite Luca Van Assche 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to book his quarter-final spot at the indoor hard-court ATP 250. Seeking to avenge a three-set loss to Van Assche on the ATP Challenger Tour last month, Norrie delivered an emphatic third-set display to seal a one-hour, 52-minute victory in Metz.
“Luca and I played a couple of weeks ago in Roanne in a Challenger and he got me last time, so it was nice to face him again and have the chance to get revenge,” said Norrie. “I have a lot of respect for him. He’s so tough to play and I had to really serve well and come up with some really good stuff, especially in the third set, to get a break. Then I managed to hold my nerve and serve it out, but a lot of credit to Luca to come out and compete the way he did.”
Lightning fast reactions ⚡️⚡️@cam_norrie pulls through a tight encounter against Van Assche 6-3 3-6 6-1 to make the final 8 in Metz!@MoselleOpen | #MoselleOpen pic.twitter.com/hmfFQ7gE6v
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 6, 2024
Norrie converted three of six break points he earned against Van Assche, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The former No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings, who is this week competing as the World No. 57 after an injury-disrupted 2024, will next take on Zizou Bergs, who eased past Hugo Gaston 6-4, 7-5.
“I’m just trying to play point for point, and really just enjoy competing in the last week of the year for me,” said Norrie, who will contest his first ATP Tour quarter-final since April in Barcelona. “It’s a good week so far. I just want to take it match by match and stick around in Metz another day. I want to keep going and I’m definitely going to have to keep improving my level to have any chance of going further at the tournament.”
Despite Van Assche’s loss, there was plenty for the home fans to cheer on Wednesday in Metz. Quentin Halys kicked off the day by prevailing 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in an all-French clash against Pierre-Hugues Herbert, while Benjamin Bonzi later upset second seed Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4.
Bonzi won 85 per cent (33/39) of points behind his first serve in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with World No. 7 Ruud. It was the biggest win of the 28-year-old’s career, and he will next take on Halys in his first tour-level quarter-final since February 2023.
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Fans will be able to watch live as the elite eight players at the Nitto ATP Finals are placed into their four-man groups in Turin on Thursday. A live stream of the draw will be available on nittoatpfinals.com at approximately 12:45 p.m. CET/6:45 a.m. ET.
Top seed Jannik Sinner heads the Ilie Nastase group and could find himself matching up with archrival Carlos Alcaraz, who comes into the tournament as World No. 3. New World No. 2 and two-time tournament champion Alexander Zverev heads the John Newcombe group, where he could face 2020 champion Daniil Medvedev.
Alcaraz and Medvedev will be randomly drawn into either the Nastase or Newcombe groups. World No. 6 Taylor Fritz and No. 7 Casper Ruud will also find themselves in opposing groups, as will No. 8 Alex de Minaur and No. 9 Andrey Rublev. (World No. 6 Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the event due to injury.)
The doubles field will be split into the Mike Bryan Group and the Bob Bryan Group.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Britain’s Cameron Norrie beats Luca van Assche at the Moselle Open to reach his first ATP Tour quarter-final since April.
Zheng Qinwen crushes Jasmine Paolini to secure a place in the WTA Finals last four on her tournament debut.
Denis Shapovalov is rounding off his comeback season in style with an impressive run at the Belgrade Open.
The 25-year-old produced a near-flawless performance on Wednesday to defeat fifth seed Nuno Borges 6-2, 6-4 and advance to his 40th tour-level quarter-final. Shapovalov, who came through qualifying, was clinical on serve throughout the match, during which he won 91 per cent (31/34) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
“It was a fast-paced match today, I started really well out the gates,” said Shapovalov, who broke Borges’ serve in the opening game. “I kept the momentum going. I’ve been playing well all week, so I am very happy with another win.
“It’s one of the best wins of the season for me, so I’ll enjoy it a little bit and then I’ll start thinking about the quarter-finals.”
SUPER DENIS 🌟@denis_shapo is into his 4⃣0⃣th tour-level QF 🫡#BelgradeOpen pic.twitter.com/sgXP1d9Rl7
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 6, 2024
Shapovalov’s 2023 season was cut short by a knee injury, but the Canadian has made a steady return to action throughout this year. With his 64-minute win, the former No. 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings is into his third tour-level quarter-final of 2024 (Washington, Basel).
Shapovalov will next face Christopher O’Connell for a spot in the last four after the Australian fired past Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-1.
Earlier, Francisco Cerundolo served up some revenge by ousting Roman Safiullin and levelling the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 1-1. The third seed, who fell to Safiullin in the first round of Wimbledon in July, dialled in for a 6-4, 6-4 win.
“I knew it was going to be a super tough match, but I think I played pretty well,” said Cerundolo, who improved to 34-30 on the season. “I’m super happy because he is a tough player. If you don’t serve well, his return will come fast and then it’s difficult.”
Cerundolo fired six aces and saved each of the two break points he faced en route to a one-hour, 31-minute triumph. In his 22nd tour-level quarter-final, Cerundolo will face Serbian wild card Hamad Medjedovic.
[ATP APP]Elsewhere, Laslo Djere was forced to dig deep to notch back-to-back wins on the ATP Tour for the first time since October last year. The Serbian wild card saved two set points in the second set, but held his nerve to outlast lucky loser Duje Ajdukovic 6-1, 7-6(8) to secure his spot in the last eight.
“In the first set, I played my best tennis of the year,” said Djere. “In the second set, it was a battle. I really wanted to win and I am happy that I pushed through it.”
The 29-year-old will next face Fabian Marozsan, who moved past home hope Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 7-5 to reach his fifth tour-level quarter-final.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Preparations for the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals are in full swing. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner took to the Inalpi Arena’s centre court for a practice session with second-time qualifier Taylor Fritz on Wednesday.
The pair, who went head to head in this year’s US Open final, were the first to hit on the court as anticipation builds around the fourth edition of the season finale in Turin.
<img alt=”Taylor Fritz ” style=”width: 100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/11/06/11/35/fritz-nitto-atp-finals-2024-wednesday-practice.jpg?w=100%25″ />
Taylor Fritz prepares for his second appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals. (Credit: Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour)
Sinner fell short to Novak Djokovic in last year’s championship-match clash in Turin, but will be eager to go one further this time around. The Italian clinched his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, and did not look back in an emphatic year.
Fritz made the semi-finals on his debut appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2022. Now, after another stellar season, during which he reached his maiden major final, the American is back on the hunt in Turin.
DRAW CEREMONY
The draw is set to take place on Thursday 7 November at approximately 12:45 p.m. CET, following the pre-tournament press conference.
In recognition of the first No.1s in the PIF ATP Rankings, and the most successful doubles team in history, the singles groups for this year’s Nitto ATP Finals will be the Ilie Nastase Group and the John Newcombe Group, while the doubles groups will be the Bob Bryan Group and the Mike Bryan Group.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Alex Michelsen had little time for sentiment on Tuesday at the Moselle Open.
The #NextGenATP star rallied from the brink of defeat to secure a thrilling comeback victory over Richard Gasquet, ending the Frenchman’s fairytale final run in Metz. Michelsen saved two match points in the deciding-set tie-break before sealing a 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 7-6(8) triumph.
“I wasn’t really thinking, I was just playing,” said Michelsen, who is second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. “I felt super calm in the pressure moments and I think that was why I came through. I was down two match points and I found two winners.”
[ATP APP]In an absorbing battle, it was Michelsen who held his nerve, striking 65 winners en route to his seventh quarter-final of 2024. The 20-year-old will next face either Buyunchaokete or qualifier Jesper de Jong for a place in the last four.
“He’s been doing it for 20 years and he is still that good,” Michelsen added of Gasquet, who is retiring at the conclusion of Roland Garros 2025. “He’s an incredible player. I knew it was going to be a tough battle. All the credit to him for competing as hard as he could.”
Gasquet, who made the first of his 33 ATP Tour finals in Metz, was bidding to become the oldest quarter-finalist in tournament history. The 38-year-old had the match on his racket at 6/4 in the final set tie-break, but Michelsen produced some inspired tennis to cross the line.
Earlier, it seemed as if the news that Andrey Rublev had qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals might just have been his tonic.
The top seed at the indoor ATP 250 dialled in for a hard-fought 7-6(3), 7-5 win over Lorenzo Sonego, the 2022 champion. In a battle dominated by the server, Rublev found the only break of the match to seal a one-hour, 52-minute victory.
Rublev has since withdrawn from the main draw citing abdominal pain, meaning that the winner of the clash between Jan-Lennard Struff and Corentin Moutet will advance to the semi-finals.
“It was a tough match, he is playing really well, he beat me the last two times,” said Rublev, who levelled the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 2-2. “With the way he serves, and how he plays with the forehand, it’s really tough to play against him. The first set could have gone either way, but as soon as I had a chance, I was able to take it.”
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