Kei Nishikori made a successful comeback to ATP Tour action on Tuesday with a tight straight-sets win at the Atlanta Open.

The former World No. 4 won his first tour-level match since October 2021 when he defeated Australian Jordan Thompson 7-6(5), 7-6(5) to reach the second round. He will next play sixth seed Ben Shelton or qualifier Shang Juncheng.

“Not [an] easy first round against Jordan. He’s very steady from the baseline. He doesn’t miss much and I have to be aggressive all the time,” Nishikori said in his on-court interview. “But I’m quite happy the way I played today. There were some moments that I should have stepped up a little more. But with these tough condition I’m happy to win in two sets.”

The 33-year-old returned on the ATP Challenger Tour last month and immediately won a title in Puerto Rico. In the first tour-level match of his comeback, Nishikori moved well in sweltering Atlanta conditions and saved all four break points he faced to claw through a gruelling baseline duel after two hours and 25 minutes.

“I played good, actually. I played a couple of Challengers before here and I didn’t play [for] almost two years,” Nishikori said. “It was a pretty good level, I think. And yeah, I just keep playing my best and hope I can stay later this week.”

Much has changed for Christopher Eubanks since he played his hometown event 12 months ago.

This time last year the former Georgia Tech standout attracted little attention as he raced from the Indianapolis Challenger to take his place in the qualifying draw, where he lost in the first round to Briton Jack Draper in a tight three setter.

Fast forward to 2023 and Eubanks returns to Atlantic Station as the headline act after his fairytale run to the Wimbledon quarter-finals that moved him more than 100 places higher to No. 32 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

“I remember that match against Jack because I got in the really, really late from Indianapolis and the whole day was just kind of a blur,” Eubanks said.

Far from the anonymity of the qualifying rounds, Eubanks on Tuesday leads off a marquee night session that also features countryman Ben Shelton, who made his pro debut at Atlantic Station last year. Eubanks will face 22-year-old American Andres Martin. (Interestingly, the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets followed through on an earlier plan to practise together at the weekend before the draw was made.)

Eubanks said that he was excited for the opportunity to play in front of home fans with his new-found profile.

“My entire life of tennis has kind of been centered around the city of Atlanta,” he said. “From the very first time I picked up a ball to my first junior tournament to the very first match I played in college. So there’s a lot of a lot of memories there.

“It’s always exciting playing in Atlanta, because I’ve always played well. I’ve had some of my best moments here as a professional and as a college player, even in juniors. I think the conditions suit my game well, so I’m just excited to get out there and play tomorrow.”

Eubanks returned to Atlanta immediately after his quarter-final loss to Daniil Medvedev at Wimbledon. He took four days off before heading back to the gym. He resumed practising last Wednesday. One thing Eubanks feels has been lost in the Wimbledon hype was his first ATP Tour title in Mallorca in the week before the major.

“After a few days of rest I was very eager to jump back into my routine and all of the things that I felt like contributed to my success, like being in the gym, taking care of the body,” he said. “So I just kind of tried my best to just dive back into that and use that as my primary focus and not so much the other stuff.

“It’s hard to say if the run has been life-changing, but I definitely think it’s been career-changing. Wimbledon definitely elevated me but Mallorca did a good job of doing that as well. So I think it’s a combination of the two. I think Mallorca kind of gets overlooked a little bit, obviously, because of the glitz and glam of Wimbledon. But I think Mallorca started me off on a good foot, and Wimbledon just allowed me to just carry on that momentum.”

Wu Yibing’s rapid rise has been one of the notable stories on the ATP Tour in the past year. In a span of 13 months, the Chinese star climbed from No. 1,738 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings to a career-high No. 54 in April.

The 23-year-old’s journey has been filled with hard work and memorable moments. Wu revealed in ATP Uncovered one fun story involving his discovery of a new cheat meal.

“When I first came back from Covid, I broke my ankle and then my first tournament I came back, I’m playing [an ITF World Tennis Tour event] in the States,” Wu said. “On the way to the tournament, me and my coach saw this burger place, Five Guys, it’s very popular in the States. Me and my coach said, ‘Let’s eat this if you win the tournament!’ I actually won it, so we celebrated with Five Guys. I got a hot dog and a burger.”

Wu also reflected on his childhood and explained why tennis won out over another sport.

Away from tennis, Wu likes to stay loose. Watch the full video above to find out what his dream day off would entail, which English Premier League club he supports and the basketball player he considers his idol.

Reigning champion Lorenzo Musetti made a winning start to his title defence at the Hamburg European Open on Tuesday when he cruised past Swedish qualifier Elias Ymer 6-4, 6-1.

Competing under the roof at the ATP 500 clay-court event, Musetti combined guile with power to outfox Ymer. The 21-year-old Italian won 76 per cent (23/34) of his first-serve points and broke Ymer’s serve five times to triumph after one hour and 16 minutes.

“It took a little bit to get the momentum going. It was not easy because the opponent was playing well, pretty aggressive from the beginning,” Musetti said. “In the end I think I found the right balance, the right rhythm. I have good memories from last year and I am really feeling good here.”

Musetti is chasing his third tour-level trophy and first of the season, having also won in Naples in October 2022. The third seed, who defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the title match in Germany last year, will face Thiago Seyboth Wild or Jozef Kovalik in the second round.

Musetti now holds a 15-10 record on clay this season. The World No. 18’s deepest runs this year were semi-final appearances at the ATP 500 event in Barcelona in April and at the ATP 250 in Bastad last week.

Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis recovered from a first-set blowout and a dire position in the final-set tie-break to stun Frenchman Gael Monfils to reach the second round of the Atlanta Open Monday night.

After a series of loose forehand errors in the deciding-set tie-break, the World No. 86 gathered his composure after a warning for racquet abuse and rallied from 0/4 and 3/5 to close out a 6-1- 3-6, 7-6(5) victory on his first match point.

“At 0/4 I thought it was pretty much over… From there it’s one point at a time,” Kokkinakis said. “In a tie-break you can go down quickly and can come back quickly. I got a point on his serve and then two on mine and all of a sudden he’s feeling the pressure.

“It was pretty stressful, especially in the first set, which wasn’t much fun He posed a lot of challenges and he is one of the quickest players on tour. I can’t get a ball by him most of the time.”

Monfils was playing his first match since withdrawing from his second-round match with Holger Rune at Roland Garros due to a left wrist tear.

Kokkinakis’ victory was the 27-year-old’s first tour-level match win since he reached the third round of Roland Garros. He next faces fellow Aussie and second seed Alex de Minaur.

“Demon and I are good mates. We share Davis Cup together, we train a little bit together,” Kokkinakis said. “He’s a hell of a player and he’s leading the way for us Aussies. He’s the defending champion here in Atlanta so he obviously likes the conditions.

“I know it won’t be easy. I practised with him the other day and he gave me a spanking. It should be a fun match.”

Kokkinakis, who improved to 12-9 on the season, put 76 per cent of first serves into play and won 76 per cent of those points.

Eighth-seeded American J. J. Wolf raced through his opener with Chinese Taipei qualifier Jason Jung 6-2. 6-1 to claim his first career win in Atlanta.

Wolf, who won 81 per cent of first-serve points and saved the lone break point he faced, will next play the winner of 18-year-old Newport finalist Alex Michelsen and serve/volley specialist Maxime Cressy.

Sydney’s World No. 82 Aleksandar Vukic earlier in the day defeated NCAA champion and former University of Georgia Bulldog Ethan Quinn 7-6(5), 6-3.

South African qualifier Lloyd Harris rallied from a set down to beat Australian Jams Duckworth 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 after firing 18 aces. The former World No. 31, who is now outside the Top 200 after missing the final six months of the 2022 season following wrist surgery, recently pushed Christopher Eubanks to a third-set tie-break in the semi-finals of Mallorca.

On Sunday, Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud battled for the Bastad trophy. One day later, they stood next to each other in Hamburg with big smiles on their faces and, perhaps most importantly of all, a dog.

So is the way of the Tour that in a day, players can turn from opponents to friends, ready to tackle a new tournament. Rublev, Ruud and the latter’s Shih Tzu, Bajas, are now focussed on the Hamburg European Open, an ATP 500.

“It was really great week,” Rublev told ATP Media of his effort in Bastad. “When I saw the draw, I was thinking no way. First of all, no way, what a tough draw. Second, no way, what a tough draw and this is only [an ATP] 250?

“And then the third was like no way, most likely I’m not going to win the title. And then now looking back, [knowing] that I was thinking this and now to know that I won the title, is a really great feeling.”

Watch Bastad Final Highlights:

It was Rublev’s second ATP Tour title of 2023, having also triumphed in Monte-Carlo. This week, Ruud will try to join his friend by winning his second title of the season. A victory in Hamburg would mark the Norwegian’s first above the ATP 250 level.

“I’m sitting here with 10 titles and all of them being 250s, I wouldn’t say it bothers me. But of course, I want to try to seek a bigger title as well, I’m not going to hide that, of course,” Ruud told ATP Media. “That’s why we’re working hard for, to reach, obviously, big finals, but also trying to win them. That’s kind of where you’re mostly remembered, winning the finals other than losing them. But yeah, I hope it’s just a matter of time, I’m going to continue to work hard.”

Rublev has emerged victorious in Hamburg before, in 2020. That year, they met in the semi-finals. This edition, they could meet in the final.

“It’s great to be back. I’ve been here a couple of times before and always enjoyed. It’s a bit colder this year than what it typically is. And I think Andrey and I, we brought the rain from Sweden all the way here today,” Ruud said. “So hopefully the rest of the week is going to clear up and be a good week for everyone.”

Top seed Ruud will begin his tournament against Sebastian Baez, and second seed Rublev will open against Bernabe Zapata Miralles.

Things are happening fast for California teen Alex Michelsen.

Three weeks ago, he was No. 250 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Two weeks ago, he won the Chicago Challenger, taking out former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals. Last week, he advanced to the Newport final in his second ATP Tour event, a run that saw the 18-year-old surge to World No. 140.

And he’s not about to stop there.

“If you told me two weeks ago that I would move from 250 to 140 I don’t think I would have thought it could happen,” Michelsen told ATPTour.com Monday at the Atlanta Open, where he has a special exempt entry into the main draw. “I would have been pretty happy, but it comes down to all the hard work I’ve been doing. That’s why it’s happening.”

Becoming acquainted with Georgia has been on the cards for a while: Michelsen had already committed to play for the University of Georgia Bulldogs. But competing in the main draw of the Atlanta Open would have seemed a long shot until the past couple of weeks.

Now, Atlanta could play a pivotal role in his decision whether to go to college or to turn pro. A second consecutive deep run at an ATP 250 would only strengthen the thinking that he’s ready for the Tour.

“To be honest, I’m not 100 per cent sure [what I’m going to do]. But the decision will need to be made sooner rather than later,” he said. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to my parents because they want to do that when I get home. So for right now I’m just waiting and focussing on my tennis.

“Looking ahead to the summer now that I’m 140, I’ll definitely have some opportunities to get some wild cards. It should be a fantastic time leading up to the US Open.”

Last week in Newport Michelsen took out defending champion Maxime Cressy, World No. 59 countryman Mackenzie McDonald and four-time tournament champion John Isner. It’s little wonder that Michelsen says that grass is his favourite surface.

“Newport showed that I can hang with the level of a great player like Mackenzie McDonald and with John, who is the best server to ever play the game. Being able to hang with them and beat them was was pretty cool,” he said.

“I’ve always liked my time on grass and especially after Newport that’s my favourite surface.
But the focus is now on hard court and hopefully we can make another run. I’ve won nine out of my last 10 matches so hopefully we can keep that good record up.”

Isner, who played four years at the University of Georgia and has never regretted his decision to delay turning pro, feels that Michelsen is further along in his development at 18 and may be ready for the Tour, if that is the path he chooses.

“He’s got a very good game and seems to be a very confident player,” Isner said. “He strikes me as a guy who every time he laces up the shoes he’s going to go out there and compete and believe that he can win, which will serve him well in the long run.

“He’s had a lot of success and he’s got a lot of momentum right now. It’s totally up to him and I don’t think there is a wrong decision, whichever way he goes. I won’t try to sway him one way or the other.”

Michelsen will meet Cressy in the first round for the second consecutive week when they play third match on Grandstand Tuesday.

John Isner has been a towering presence at the Atlanta Open during his career, both literally and figuratively.

The 38-year-old has played in all 12 editions of the event, capturing six titles from nine finals. Now deep into his storied career, the former University of Georgia Bulldog has returned to Atlantic Station, possibly for the last time, hoping to write another chapter in his love story with the ATP 250.

“When I first turned pro, the tournament wasn’t even on the calendar, but when it was announced I always thought that it was going to be a great opportunity for me and a tournament that I would never miss,” Isner told ATPTour.com Monday.

“And I was spot on. I’ve done amazing here and I’ve never missed the tournament. I think they’ve had 12 editions and I’ve made the finals nine times, winning six titles. I can’t really ask for much more success than that. The tournament has been a big springboard to success for me during my favourite time of the year.

“I’m definitely very proud of what I have achieved at the tournament. I get that it’s not Wimbledon or the French Open, but not many people can say they’ve won the same tournament six times. The field has always been loaded with very, very good players.

“I also spent four years going to college a bit more than an hour from here, so I have deep ties to the state and the amazing university. Even though I don’t live in Georgia it certainly feels like a little piece of home here for me.”

Isner has won 37 of 43 matches played at the Atlanta Open, often willing his giant frame to victory through the brutal heat and humidity. Look up the word ‘hang dog’ (or is that ‘hang dawg’?) in the dictionary and you’ll likely find a picture of a sweat-soaked Isner deep in a third set at Atlantic Station. And there is no shortage of memories over the years.

“When I beat Kevin [Anderson] in three tie-breaks [in 2013], that was a good one. I lost a couple heartbreakers to Mardy Fish [on debut in the 2010 final and in 2011]. I played Andy Roddick in the [2012] semi-finals here and remember the atmosphere was amazing.

“A couple years ago I won and beat this 19-year-old kid Brandon Nakashima. That was just another good moment. Obviously, it gets hot. It’s humid. Physically, sometimes you’re not feeling your best. But I’ve found a way to persevere over the years.”

After a difficult season that has yielded a 7-10 match record, Isner has fallen outside the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, but he did rise 23 spots to No. 103 after reaching the Newport semi-finals last week. The 16-time ATP Tour titlist is weighing whether to continue playing after the US Open. A deep run in Atlanta and during the balance of the US swing may determine his future.

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^{John and Maddie Isner with Hunter Grace (4), Hobbs (3), Mack (1 1/2) and Chapel (2 months) at Wimbledon.}

A father of four, family is his top priority these days, although being just 13 match wins shy of joining an elite club of players with 500 match wins is something that will factor into his decision-making process.

“[That milestone] was definitely on my mind at the beginning of the year, and then the year happened; I haven’t had many wins,” Isner said. “I maybe turned a corner last week [in Newport], but my body physically this year hasn’t allowed me to train the way I want to train and because of that my results have been subpar to the standards that I’ve held myself to for the longest time now.

“I’m a bit short of 500 wins, but it is something I would like to accomplish. I know very well that it might not happen this year. So we’ll see. A lot of it depends on my body and whether it would be up to playing another year. While I would like to accomplish the goal, I’m not going to lose sleep over it if it doesn’t happen.

“I’m in a situation that not many players are in, where tennis is not my priority right now. Of course I want to do well, but family always comes first. I’m fortunate enough that they get to travel with me to tournaments as well. They went to Australia and they went to London and I think they’ll come to Cincinnati.

“They’ll certainly come to New York if I decide that it could be my last tournament. Being able to work, play tennis and travel with your family to these amazing, amazing cities is very fun. And it’s a very appealing prospect to try to do it again because I just enjoy my time with them so much.”

Isner opens his Atlanta campaign Tuesday against 29-year-old German Dominik Koepfer.

Alafia Ayeni may not be a household name on the ATP Tour, but that is not stopping him from making an impact by giving back to the sport.

The 23-year-old, who is competing at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour event in Astana, Kazakhstan, started his own brand Team 3x, designed to inspire and empower minorities in sports to overcome structural barriers and social stigmas. The former University of Kentucky star Ayeni launched Team 3x in 2022.

“Growing up, I think one of the biggest barriers to entry for this sport is the financial aspect of it, buying equipment, buying shoes, strings, those are all very high costs,” Ayeni told ATPTour.com recently at the NCAA championships in Lake Nona, Florida. “And for someone, even a middle class family, it’s very difficult to make it because of those things.”

Originally from San Diego, California, Ayeni played four seasons at Cornell University before transferring to the University of Kentucky, where he went 18-9 in dual-season singles and earned ITA All-American honours this year. Thanks to the ATP/ITA Accelerator Programme, Ayeni’s hard work is rewarded with up to eight qualifying spots at select ATP Challenger Tour events in the next year.

World No. 427 Ayeni is inspired to use his platform to provide opportunities to minority children. His father, Anthony, hails from Nigeria but moved to the United States at age 17 and now works as a lawyer. Alafia’s mother, Pamela, is a software engineer, which he said helped spark his interest in game design and coding.

Ayeni is a self starter. While he was at Cornell University in New York, he taught himself to play piano. When he began Team 3x, he launched a clothing line with profits being used to assist juniors in his stomping grounds of southern California. The goal is to ignite aspiring athletes’ careers by helping them travel to national junior tournaments.

“I think that the sport has been a little bit stigmatised within the minority community, especially the African-American community,” Ayeni said. “Growing up, playing tennis, even in high school, you tell people you play tennis and they’re kind of really surprised. They don’t view it as a viable option to get to college or to make a living. Whereas they view basketball, football, or track as very viable options. I think that’s a cultural stigma. That’s something that my company is working to overturn.”

The first merchandise release consisted of 68 sweatshirts. Why an arbitrary number like 68? The late Arthur Ashe won his first major in 1968, when he became the only African-American man to triumph at the US Open.

Just one year into Team 3x, Ayeni quickly found support on and off the court while spending his graduate season in Lexington, Kentucky.

“The University of Kentucky has helped me out a lot,” Ayeni said. “Having an entire university at your back will really help you gain reach, you can connect with the right people, and it really helps your brand grow.”

Under the tutelage of head coach Cedric Kauffmann at Kentucky, Ayeni helped the Wildcats claim their first SEC title since 1992. Ayeni is one of 21 players to benefit from the all-new ATP/ITA Accelerator Programme, which aims to increase the development pathway for top players in the American Collegiate system.

“I think he had a big growth year,” Kaufmann said. “He’s a lot more stable mentally, physically also, feels really good. He’s just a very tough player, very aggressive player. He comes to the net; not a lot of players come to the net anymore that much. He has the power and athletic ability to play some very good points at the big moments.”

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Though the American is not using an Accelerator spot at this week’s President’s Cup in Astana, fans will continue to see Ayeni on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“This accelerator program is going to help a lot with a lot of the internationals in terms of competing and taller status and raising the level of college tennis for years to come,” Ayeni said.

The seventh seed Ayeni will meet qualifier Evgeny Philippov in the Astana Challenger opening round Tuesday. Fans can stream all ATP Challenger Tour matches live and on demand for free at Challenger TV.