Adrian Mannarino is back in the winners’ circle.

The Frenchman ended the dream run of #NextGenATP American Alex Michelsen 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday to win the Infosys Hall of Fame Open. It is the lefty’s first title of the season.

“It was a pleasure to play here this week in Newport another time,” Mannarino said during the trophy ceremony. “I’ve been doing well this year [in Newport]. The past nine years I wasn’t doing great here, but it was always a pleasure to be back and I always enjoy it.”

Early in his career, Mannarino struggled in ATP Tour finals, losing the first six he played. But the 35-year-old has won two of his past three championship clashes and is now a three-time tour-level champion. He had not made it past the quarter-finals in Newport before this week.

“I’m just fighting on court, trying to do my best and it’s always some really close matches and you never know what to expect,” Mannarino said. “I’m feeling pretty lucky that I got through all the way this week.”

👑 Victorious in Newport 👑@AdrianMannarino claims his third ATP Tour title after defeating Michelsen 6-2, 6-4!@TennisHalloFame | #InfosysHallofFameOpen pic.twitter.com/6a331RT94d

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 23, 2023

Eighteen-year-old Michelsen showed no fear of the big stage throughout his second ATP Tour event, at which he upset two former Newport champions, Maxime Cressy and John Isner. But Mannarino smartly prevented the teen from finding any rhythm, especially in longer rallies. 

Michelsen won 31 per cent of his return points against Isner, one of the best servers in history. But he managed to claim just 27 per cent of his return points against Mannarino, who used his lefty slice to keep the ball out of the American’s strike zone.

After a one-sided first set, Michelsen battled hard and immediately broke to take the lead in the second set. But Mannarino was too steady throughout and ultimately lifted the trophy after one hour and 22 minutes.

“I’d like to congratulate Alex for a great couple of weeks,” Mannarino said. “He’s playing really well and he has such a bright future ahead of him.”

Michelsen, who did not own a tour-level win entering the tournament, nearly became the youngest ATP Tour titlist this season and the fourth teen to claim a crown. Last week he earned his first ATP Challenger Tour trophy in Chicago.

“You’re one of the best grass-court players on tour. I think I saw you final Mallorca and you’re a really good player, all the best in the future,” Michelsen said to Mannarino during the trophy ceremony. “I want to thank all the sponsors. This week was probably the best week of my life tennis-wise and you guys all made it happen, so it was pretty cool, thank you.”

One year ago this week, Michelsen was tied for No. 1,081 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Despite the loss, he will climb to World No. 139 on Monday.

“I got a tonne of points, I was here on my own trying to figure it out, so I think I did pretty well,” Michelsen said. “It was a very good week, a very positive week. Not too many negatives for sure.”

Did You Know?
Mannarino also reached a grass-court final earlier this year in Mallorca. Two of his three ATP Tour titles have come on the surface, having earned his first title four years ago in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

Marin Cilic is excited for his return to action this week at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag, his first tournament since suffering a right knee injury in the first week of the season.

“It feels fantastic. Really positive feelings after more than six months of being away from the Tour,” Cilic said. “And to be back here in Umag is always special.”

Cilic, who suffered his injury in Pune and later underwent surgery, is returning to where he made his ATP Tour debut in 2005 as a 16-year-old.

The Croatian last week dropped from the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time since October 2007, but will now have an opportunity to begin his journey back. Cilic has long enjoyed competing at home, earning an 11-5 record in Umag, where he lifted the trophy in 2012.

“This is the tournament where I started my ATP career back in 2005 and it’s sort of now [come back full circle] to make this… comeback very positive,” Cilic said. “To do it again here is definitely a special feeling.”

Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow continued their push for a place at the Nitto ATP Finals on Sunday when they clinched the Infosys Hall of Fame Open doubles title.

The top seeds battled past two-time defending champion William Blumberg and his partner, Max Purcell, 6-3, 5-7, 10-5 for the Newport trophy. The home favourites saved 12 of the 13 break points they faced to triumph after one hour and 34 minutes.

Lammons and Withrow were clutch under pressure throughout the week, winning all four of their matches in a Match Tie-break. In the championship clash Match Tie-break, they landed seven of their eight first serves and won all seven of those points.

The Americans are now ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings and just 68 points behind eighth place. Lammons and Withrow are trying to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.

Blumberg won his home tournament with Jack Sock in 2021 and Steve Johnson in 2022, but fell just short of a third consecutive crown in Rhode Island. Blumberg and 2022 Wimbledon doubles champion Purcell (w/ Matthew Ebden) were competing together for the first time.

Dominic Stricker and Stan Wawrinka won the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad on Sunday when they upset top seeds Marcelo Demoliner and Matwe Middelkoop 7-6(8), 6-2 for the title.

Entering the week, Stricker and Wawrinka had only played one tour-level match together, which resulted in a Davis Cup loss earlier this year.

But the Swiss stars combined for a dream week on home soil in Gstaad, earning four wins en route to lifting the trophy. In the final, they did not face a break point and won 89 per cent of their first-serve points to emerge victorious after one hour and 24 minutes.

It marks Wawrinka’s first doubles title in more than a decade, dating back to Chennai in 2013. The Swiss also captured glory at the Beijing Olympics alongside Roger Federer in 2008.

Stricker began the week without a tour-level doubles victory in 2023. But the lefty leaves Gstaad with his first ATP Tour crown.

Did You Know?
Stricker and Wawrinka were teammates at this year’s United Cup. Wawrinka was the playing captain.

Andrey Rublev captured his second tour-level title of the season on Sunday when he overcame top seed Casper Ruud 7-6(3), 6-0 in the Nordea Open final.

The second seed, who dropped just one set en route to the title, played with explosive power against Ruud, striking the ball cleanly off both wings throughout the one-hour, 33-minute clash. The 25-year-old won 80 per cent (36/45) of his first-serve points, raising his arms in delight after sealing victory on his first match point.

“It is always great to win a title,” Rublev said. “At the end of the day, we have to lose almost every week, so this is one of two titles this year. It is a special feeling and the final was played in tough conditions, but I was lucky to have them.

“Casper hits with spin a lot, to play high and with this weather the ball did not really jump high and I think it helped me a bit. On top of that I played really well today.”

With his 18th tour-level clay-court win of the season, Rublev improved to 5-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Ruud. Rublev has now won all four of the pair’s meetings on clay courts.

The 25-year-old Rublev is up three spots to fourth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin following his title run. He is aiming to make his fourth appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals at the end of the season.

Earlier this year Rublev clinched the biggest trophy of his career when he triumphed at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo. He has now won 14 tour-level crowns.

Ruud was chasing his 11th tour-level trophy and second in Bastad, having won the title in 2021.

Competing together for just the second time, Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov clinched their first tour-level doubles title as a team on Sunday at the Nordea Open.

The Ecuadorian-Kazakhstani team produced a dominant performance to overcome Rafael Matos and Francisco Cabral 6-2, 6-2 in 76 minutes at the ATP 250 clay-court event in Bastad.

“It is amazing. We are pleased with the performance,” Nedovyesov said. “We didn’t start well but at the end of the day we won 6-2, 6-2, so I am really happy with the performance and looking forward to the next event.”

Escobar and Nedovyesov, who did not drop a set en route to the title, won 77 per cent (20/26) of their first-serve points and broke Cabral and Matos’ serves five times.

“We just formed this team and are feeling very good together. I think it was just a matter of time we won matches in a row,” Escobar said.

Earlier this season, Escobar and Nedovyesov reached the final at ‘s-Hertogenbosch in their first tour-level event as a team, before they lifted the trophy at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Ilkley. Sunday’s victory was Nedovyesov’s first tour-level triumph, while Escobar has now won four titles.

Pedro Cachin captured his first ATP Tour title on Sunday when he overcame Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas 3-6, 6-0, 7-5 at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad.

The Argentine combined power with guile throughout the two-hour, 23-minute final, forcing Ramos-Vinolas deep with his explosive groundstrokes before using the drop shot to great effect.

Competing in his first tour-level final, the 28-year-old recovered from squandering a break advantage in the third set, raising his level again deep in the decider to become the fifth first-time champion on the ATP Tour this year.

“In the beginning of the match I was a little nervous and made a few mistakes. It was the first time I had played against a lefty in the tournament but I stayed there,” Cachin said. “I tried to be positive, more aggressive and go to the net. In a final it is difficult to play like this the whole match. I am very, very happy.”

With his victory, Cachin has climbed 41 spots to No. 49 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. The Argentine’s previous career-high was No. 54 last November. He arrived at the event holding a 9-18 on the year, and had only previously made one tour-level quarter-final, at Cordoba in 2019.

Cachin, who was making his debut in Gstaad, did not drop a set en route to the final. He defeated Taro Daniel, Roberto Bautista Agut, Jaume Munar and Hamad Medjedovic before overcoming Ramos-Vinolas in their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

The 35-year-old Spaniard Ramos Vinolas, who received a medical timeout in the second set for blisters, was aiming to win his fifth tour-level title.

At just his second attempt, Alex Michelsen is an ATP Tour finalist.

The 18-year-old delivered a confident and commanding display Saturday to see off John Isner 7-6(6), 6-4 at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in Newport, where he will take on Adrian Mannarino in the championship match.

Michelsen was No. 1,081 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings this week last year, but the #NextGenATP American is now up to No. 139 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his run in Rhode Island, where he downed defending champion Maxime Cressy, James Duckworth and Mackenzie McDonald prior to defeating record four-time Newport titlist Isner.

“I think I’m going to need a month [to process this],” said Michelsen, who did not have an ATP Tour main-draw win before this week. “It’s going to need a little bit for sure. It doesn’t feel like I’m in the final, but that’s probably a good thing. That’s why I’m playing so loose.”

Having also qualified in Mallorca for his ATP Tour debut in June (when he fell 5-7 in the third set to eventual champion Christopher Eubanks), Michelsen on Saturday proved once again that he is ready to compete against more experienced opponents. He held his nerve like a seasoned pro in a first-set tie-break shootout with the big-serving Isner, before riding that momentum to an early — and ultimately decisive — break in the opening game of the second set.

The way Michelsen raised his game at key moments was crucial to his semi-final victory at the grass-court ATP 250. He saved all three break points he faced in his one-hour, 42-minute triumph, and fired back-to-back aces to seal his win before dropping his racquet and raising his arms in the air to salute a delighted home crowd.

“I knew he was going to serve two or three aces a game consistently, so I just focused on my serve to get to a breaker,” said Michelsen after Isner sent down 20 aces in defeat. “I got a little fortunate to win that first-set breaker and then I think I caught him sleeping a little bit [early in the second set], and then just held my serve.”

Mannarino earlier booked his spot in his first Newport final with a 6-4, 6-3 triumph against his fellow Frenchman Ugo Humbert. The second seed was rock-solid from the baseline and aggressive on return throughout, converting four of 14 break points to secure a one-hour, 46-minute win.

“I was feeling really good on the court today,” said Mannarino after the match. “Especially the [past] couple of matches gave me a lot of confidence, so when the big moments arrived during the match I was just pretty confident in my game. It worked pretty well. My serve was really efficient today, and my return as well.

“There are some days like that, where everything is rolling your way, and that was one of those days.”

Sunday’s final will be Mannarino’s second on grass of the 2023 ATP Tour season. The 35-year-old also reached the championship match in Mallorca in June before falling to Christopher Eubanks. He is 2-10 in tour-level finals across his career, having lifted titles in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 2019 and in Winston-Salem in 2022.

Taylor Fritz is in a stacked top quarter of the draw at the Atlanta Open, where the top seed will try to rejuvenate his 2023 ATP Tour season.

The World No. 9 Fritz takes on Dallas champion Wu Yibing or Corentin Moutet in his opening match at the hard-court ATP 250. Should the 25-year-old pass that test, his quarter-final opponent could be his #NextGenATP countryman Ben Shelton or Japan’s Kei Nishikori, playing his first tour-level event since October 2021.

Fritz went 3-4 across the recent grass season but has already lifted a title on North American hard courts this year, at the Delray Beach Open in July.

Nishikori, who underwent hip surgery in 2022, has racked up an 8-2 record on the ATP Challenger Tour since returning to competitive action in June. The 12-time tour-level titlist’s first opponent in Atlanta will be Australia’s Jordan Thompson.

Like Fritz, defending champion Alex de Minaur will have little time to find his feet in Georgia. The two-time Atlanta titlist meets the winner of a hard-hitting first-round showdown between Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis and wild card Gael Monfils. It will be a second Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between the pair, after Monfils triumphed in straight sets in Kokkinakis’ hometown of Adelaide in 2022.

Fresh from his breakout run to the Wimbledon quarter-finals, Atlanta native Christopher Eubanks faces American wild card Andres Martin as he looks to continue his red-hot form. Eubanks is seeded to meet fourth seed Yoshihito Nishioka in the quarter-finals, with second seed De Minaur a potential semi-final opponent.

Daniel Evans is the third seed at Atlantic Station. The Briton’s opening opponent will be German Dominik Koepfer or record six-time champion John Isner. The 38-year-old Isner, who is competing in the Newport semi-finals on Saturday, holds a 37-6 record in Atlanta. He is joined in the second quarter of the draw by his fellow Americans Maxime Cressy and Alex Michelsen, who play each other, and eighth seed J.J. Wolf.

Ruud Meets Baez In Hamburg Opener
Casper Ruud’s clay-court prowess will be put to the test immediately at the third and final ATP 500 on the surface this season, the Hamburg European Open. The top-seeded Norwegian takes on two-time tour-level clay titlist Sebastian Baez in Germany, where fourth seed and home favourite Alexander Zverev is a potential semi-final opponent.

Andrey Rublev will chase a fast start against Bernabe Zapata Miralles in Hamburg, where fifth seed Francisco Cerundolo is a potential quarter-final opponent for the second seed. Also in the bottom half of the draw is defending champion Lorenzo Musetti, who outlasted Carlos Alcaraz at the Rothenbaum Tennis Center to win his maiden ATP Tour crown a year ago. The Italian begins his title defence against a qualifier.

Lehecka Could Face Thiem Early In Umag
Playing as a top seed at an ATP Tour event for the first time, Jiri Lehecka could face former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem in his opening match at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag. A maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between the two will be set if Thiem can defeat a qualifier in his opening match at the clay-court ATP 250.

Home favourite and 2012 champion Marin Cilic, playing only his second tournament of the year after undergoing knee surgery, is a potential quarter-final opponent for Lehecka and Thiem. In the bottom half of the draw, 2006 champion Stan Wawrinka opens against a qualifier and is seeded to meet second seed Lorenzo Sonego in the semi-finals.