From winless in 603 days to making history in China
After ending the longest losing streak for 52 years, China’s Zhang Shuai makes history at the China Open by stunning US Open semi-finalist Emma Navarro.
After ending the longest losing streak for 52 years, China’s Zhang Shuai makes history at the China Open by stunning US Open semi-finalist Emma Navarro.
Faced with one of the biggest serves on the ATP Tour, Carlos Alcaraz had little time to settle into his latest campaign at the China Open in Beijing.
However, the top seed adjusted quickly to the firepower of Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on Friday at the ATP 500, where he delivered a rock-solid performance for a 6-4, 6-4 first-round triumph. Alcaraz broke the Frenchman’s serve in the opening game of each set to overcome his fellow 21-year-old in 81 minutes.
“The plan was just to put as many returns in as I can,” said Alcaraz. “Honestly it wasn’t easy. He was serving 230 or 240 [km/h] almost every serve. Second set, 210 or 215. So, it wasn’t easy to play against him. He’s a really powerful player. Big serve, big shots from the baseline. So I had to be really focused. That was the plan. Try to not make too many mistakes and play aggressive from the baseline.”
Mission accomplished 🚀@CarlosAlcaraz moves on in Beijing.@ChinaOpen | #ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/AheCkhz4Oz
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 27, 2024
Alcaraz converted both break points he earned in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Lyon champion Mpetshi Perricard. Although the Frenchman finished the match having won 83 per cent (20/24) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats, his victory bid was undermined by lapses at the beginning of each set.
“In the first game of the match I returned pretty well and played good points from the baseline,” reflected Alcaraz. “In the first game of the second set, he did three double faults, so it helped me a lot to break the serve. After that I had to be really focused for the next games, and I’m really happy I did it.”
After securing victory in just his third tour-level match against a younger opponent, Alcaraz improved to 44-9 for the season. The Spaniard, whose qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals was confirmed earlier this week, will take on Tallon Griekspoor in the second round.
Alcaraz is seeking a deep run in Beijing in order to keep up the pressure on Jannik Sinner in the battle to finish as ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF. Alcaraz is currently third in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin but can rise above Alexander Zverev into second by reaching the semi-finals in the Chinese capital. He trails Sinner, who is also into the second round in Beijing, by 2,990 points in the Live Race.
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Jack Draper continued to make his mark against the ATP Tour’s top stars in 2024 by downing second seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-4 on Friday at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships.
Draper, at a career high of World No. 20 after reaching his maiden major semi-final at the US Open, clinched his third win in four matches against Top 10 opponents by defeating Hurkacz in Tokyo. The 22-year-old built on his momentum from New York by winning 76 per cent of his first-serve points to defeat the World No. 8 in one hour and 24 minutes.
“I was pleased with a lot of things today, I thought my attitude was really good and I got myself out of some tough situations,” Draper said in his post match interview. “I played some pretty big points on my terms and that’s something I’ve wanted to do.
“He’s probably the best server in the world right now so I’m really happy with my composure, the way I approached the game and hopefully I can carry this momentum forward.”
Look at what it means to the fans ☺️@japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/9uKde0Lmvm
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 27, 2024
Draper also saved all three of break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, as he improved his Lexus ATP Head2Head record to 2-4 against the Pole. The Briton will next face Ugo Humbert, who eased past Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 6-2.
Hurkacz’s ambitions to play in the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin suffered a setback with his loss. The 27-year-old currently sits 13th in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, 665 points off eighth place as he chases a third appearance at the prestigious season finale.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]After last year coming within touching distance of the trophy at the China Open, will 2024 be the year when Daniil Medvedev gets over the line in Beijing?
The third seed made an encouraging start to his campaign on Friday at the ATP 500 event, where he downed Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-4 to reach the second round. Medvedev stayed rock solid throughout the match to notch a 92-minute triumph and bounce back quickly from defeats to Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton last week at the Laver Cup.
Locked and loaded 🫡
2023 runner-up @DaniilMedwed outwits Gael Monfils 6-3 6-4 to reach the second round in Beijing.
@ChinaOpen | #ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/y0tjBAmUn3— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 27, 2024
Monfils’ victory bid was undermined by his inability to match Medvedev’s consistency in the Chinese capital. The Frenchman offered 46 unforced errors to just 22 from Medvedev, who converted five of 10 break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
“I think the gameplan didn’t change too much [throughout the match],” said Medvedev, who fell to Jannik Sinner in the 2023 final and will play Adrian Mannarino in this year’s second round. “In a way, we both only really like to attack. I guess me maybe a bit more than him, but I think for him it is tough to attack. He defends very well. You have to be a really good attacker, like one of the best, or you need to wait for the opportunity.
“So that’s what I tried to do. Wait for my opportunity. I think I had more chances, so I think I deserved to win.”
[ATP APP]By defeating Monfils, Medvedev hit 40 tour-level wins for the season. It is the sixth time that the 28-year-old has hit that tally in his career, and his latest victory also bolstered his Nitto ATP Finals qualification chances. Medvedev remains fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, 580 points clear of fifth-placed Taylor Fritz.
“Honestly the wins are, in a way, not important, because it depends how many tournaments you play, but it’s still good to win a lot of matches,” said Medvedev. “So I’m happy that I’ve managed to continue winning matches. I still have some tournaments to go, so I have the chance to bring the tally even higher. I try to be consistent throughout the year. Sometimes I’m more consistent, sometimes less, but that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Two other Turin hopefuls, Andrey Rublev and Lorenzo Musetti, also advanced on Friday. What initially appeared could be a routine win for Rublev against Pablo Carreno Busta ultimately turned into a dogfight, but the fourth seed prevailed 6-0, 4-6, 6-4 to improve to 5-0 in first-round matches in Beijing. Currently seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, Rublev will rise to fifth if he can lift his third ATP Tour crown of the season at the China Open.
The sixth-seeded Italian Musetti held off Zizou Bergs for a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 triumph, one which consolidated his position in 15th in the Live Race. Musetti will rise above Frances Tiafoe into 14th if he can defeat Buyunchaokete in the second round. The Chinese wild card earlier downed Chengdu champion Shang Juncheng 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4.
Top seed Sinner’s next opponent in Beijing will be Roman Safiullin, after the World No. 69 defeated wild card Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 6-4, while seventh seed Karen Khachanov and Francisco Cerundolo set a second-round meeting. Khachanov sunk Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 6-4 after Cerundolo overcame #NextGenATP Jakub Mensik 7-6(4), 6-1.
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Jack Draper progresses in Tokyo with straightforward victory over Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in Tokyo.
Andrey Rublev does not shy away from expressing his raw emotions. That was also the case off the court, recently.
As part of the ATP’s This Is Tennis campaign, Rublev shared a special message for his 12-year-old self, reflecting on his journey and what he has learned.
“What I’ve learned is success isn’t going to make you happy, only you can do that for yourself,” he shared.
It is in the self-reflection, in the vulnerability, that we learn the most… ⁰⁰This is Andrey Rublev, raw and real, sharing some truths with his younger self ♥️⁰⁰#ThisIsTennis | @AndreyRublev97 pic.twitter.com/o55xdQXYy0
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 23, 2024
The No. 6 player in the PIF ATP Rankings shared plenty of more advice with his younger self. What did Rublev say?
Watch the full video below to find out!
One of the best doubles teams of this generation, Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, announced their split on social media this week following a successful six-year partnership.
“Six years is a long time in the life of a professional tennis player,” Ram wrote on Instagram. “Joe and I had some amazing wins, some epic matches and moments, and some gut wrenching losses.”
“We played together for six years, but we made memories and friends for a lifetime… and for that I’m truly grateful.”
In their six-year partnership, the duo was one of the most successful doubles teams on the ATP Tour, winning four major trophies together. After hoisting their maiden Grand Slam title at the 2020 Australian Open, the pair found dominance at the US Open, where they won three straight titles from 2021-2023.
[ATP APP]Aside from their success in major tournaments, Ram and Salisbury also won back-to-back titles at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2022 and 2023. In October 2022, Ram, then 38 years old, made history when he became the oldest first-time World No. 1 in PIF ATP Doubles Rankings history. Salisbury also reached World No. 1 in April 2022.
“I really enjoyed our six years playing together,” Salisbury told ATPTour.com. “We had some great success, more than we anticipated or thought that we would do. We are really proud of everything we’ve done together. We have worked really hard and got the best out of each other.”
“We have loved every minute of it, even the ups and downs,” Salisbury said. “We have had a lot of tough times to come through and achieve the highs that we have had. We are proud of everything we have done and grateful to have had this amazing partnership.”
Ram is competing this week at the China Open in Beijing alongside Austin Krajicek, with whom he won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics earlier this year. Salisbury is not in action this week.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Pablo Cuevas, who earlier this week announced his retirement, could surely write a book of stories after a career that spanned more two decades. What all started with the simple fun and games of a child, eventually led to him becoming the best tennis player in the history of Uruguay, where he now plans to give something back so that others can walk in his footsteps.
As a child, at just 10 years of age, he would cross one of the biggest rivers in South America in a kayak, on his own: he would paddle four kilometres, 35 minutes, crossing from one country to another, just so he could play tennis every day. He was driven by a dream.
Cuevas would leave his school in Concordia, Argentina, but his tennis group, he reason for his daily international trip, was on the other bank of the river, in Salto, Uruguay. The son of an Argentine father and a Uruguayan mother, there was no stopping a young Cuevas from practising and having fun. His attitude certainly paid off in the long run.
“Tennis prepared me, it allowed me to travel the world, to discover myself,” the Uruguayan told ATPTour.com the day after announcing his retirement. “That was the goal I started with when I wanted to play tennis because it was what I enjoyed doing and I was able to enjoy myself a lot along the way.”
Cuevas peaked at No. 19 in the PIF ATP Rankings in 2016, won six ATP Tour titles and claimed 242 tour-level wins on the circuit, including three against members of the Top 5.
“When I was a boy, I didn’t know what it meant to be a tennis player, and I didn’t have a ranking in mind that I wanted to reach, I just wanted it to be my job,” Cuevas said. “Then it became much more, being Top 100, Top 50, winning tournaments, but it was always about much more than the numbers.”
What is your best memory?
“There isn’t a moment or a specific tournament that sticks with me above the rest,” Cuevas said. “I’d say it was more all these years, the lessons tennis gave me to apply it both on and off the court.”
When his aspirations started to take shape, Cuevas moved to Buenos Aires, where he would take his initial steps in the game, first in ITF World Tennis Tour events, then ATP Challenger Tour events, before eventually making his ATP Tour debut in 2007.
[ATP APP]The Uruguayan made his major main draw debut later that year when he advanced through qualifying at the US Open and lost in the first round of the main draw against Andy Murray. One year later he claimed the Roland Garros doubles title alongside the Peruvian Luis Horna (in the quarter-finals they beat American brothers Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, then the No. 1 team in the world).
However, when everything seemed to be going so well, in 2011, a right-knee injury stopped him in his tracks. Cuevas would have to endure crutches, the mental challenges with dealing with such an injury and a belief that he had lost everything. He even considered changing sports and attempting to become a professional golfer.
But Cuevas stuck with it, recovered, and after more than two years on the sidelines he came back and produced some of the best results of his career.
“There was a bit of everything, I was also building a family at the same time. It’s a sport that takes its toll, you lose much more than you win, but competing, knowing how to pick yourself up and turn the page is unique”, he said, with pride. His wife Clara, and his daughters, Alfonsina and Antonia, will now be able to enjoy more time with him at home.
Cuevas says he is reminded by fans of some of his best shots, which would always go viral, practically every day. His hot shots compilation video would stand up against that of any other player. The six-time ATP Tour titlist explained that it was all improvised and natural.
“It happened without trying. I never practised them and I wasn’t waiting for a moment to be able to do those kinds of shots, it was all spontaneous,” Cuevas said. “I never imagined playing magical points and I know people like it, I do like watching them though.”
Cuevas, meanwhile, is convinced that he will maintain his ties with tennis. He has already started the ball rolling.
“With Facu (Savio, his former coach and friend), we’re working with a lot of children, from the ages of eight, 10, 12, 13, to 16… and we want to create something amazing and competitive to transmit my experience and in Uruguay I think it was something that was needed,” he explained. “I continue to enjoy tennis, I’m passionate about it and it will always be a part of me.”
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Former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori, three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka and Buyunchaokete have been awarded wild cards for the Rolex Shanghai Masters, the tournament announced Wednesday.
Nishikori, 34, will be making his first appearance in Shanghai since 2018. The Japanese star has made at least the quarter-finals twice in his previous six appearances. Nishikori reached the last eight in his previous ATP Masters 1000 outing in Montreal in August.
[ATP APP]Wawrinka, former World No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, will compete in Shanghai for the 13th time. The 39-year-old has twice reached the quarter-finals.
The home favourite Buyunchaokete will be making his second appearance in Shanghai. Last week, the 22-year-old reached the semi-finals of the Hangzhou Open, before falling to eventual champion Zhang Zhizhen.
The Rolex Shanghai Masters runs from 2-13 October.
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Former two-time champion Kei Nishikori is a match winner at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships once again.
Competing in Tokyo for the first time since 2018, the Japanese star overcome Hangzhou champion Marin Cilic 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 on Thursday to reach the second round at the ATP 500 event.
Nishikori returned from injury this year and made the quarter-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal in August. The former No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings now leads Cilic 10-6 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, but did lose their biggest meeting in the US Open final 10 years ago in 2014.
“There were a couple of special moments for me. Playing here here is special for me. I haven’t played here in a long time,” Nishikori said. “Playing Cilic is [special]. We have played many great matches and I know I have had a tough time in the past two years and I have been in the same situation. I was happy to play against Marin and very happy to win.”
KEI NISHIKORI.
That’s the tweet…@japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/V2RKWicpmQ
— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 26, 2024
Nishikori, who triumphed in Tokyo in 2012 and 2014, hit cleanly in front of a capacity crowd on Coliseum to earn victory on his second match point after two hours and three minutes. The 34-year-old pumped the air following his win and embraced the roar from his home fans.
Nishikori will next play third seed Casper Ruud or Australian Jordan Thompson.
Tokyo Match Win Leaders
| Player | W/L | Titles |
| Stefan Edberg | 27-2 | 4 |
| Brad Gilbert | 25-10 | 0 |
| Kei Nishikori | 23-8 | 2 |
| David Pate | 23-12 | 1 |
| Michael Chang | 21-12 | 0 |
The 35-year-old Cilic won his 21st tour-level title and first since 2021 on Tuesday when he clinched the crown in Hangzhou. Like former Top 5 star Nishikori, Cilic has struggled with injuries in recent years, but reminded fans of what he was capable of last week in Hangzhou at the ATP 250, where he beat Zhang Zhizhen in the final.
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