'You're on my blacklist' – Tiafoe launches tirade at umpire
Watch American Frances Tiafoe’s furious outburst at an umpire following a 5-7 7-5 7-6 (7-5) defeat by Roman Safiullin at the Shanghai Masters.
Watch American Frances Tiafoe’s furious outburst at an umpire following a 5-7 7-5 7-6 (7-5) defeat by Roman Safiullin at the Shanghai Masters.
David Goffin credits his resurgent form at the Rolex Shanghai Masters to the desire to prove to his three-week-old daughter, Emma, that the level of tennis that propelled him to No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings was still in reach.
Goffin produced a vintage performance on Wednesday to upset second seed Alexander Zverev, prevailing 6-4, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals of an ATP Masters 1000 for the first time since 2021. The 33-year-old Belgian, who is currently World No. 66, became the fourth-lowest ranked quarter-finalist in Shanghai tournament history.
An incredible moment for @David__Goffin as he stuns No. 2 seed Zverev 6-4 7-5.@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/nZU2LJq2e1
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 9, 2024
Having largely competed on the ATP Challenger Tour over the past two years, Goffin has recently begun to resurrect the form that drove him to the final of the Nitto ATP Finals in 2017.
“I wanted to show my daughter that I can be a good tennis player,” said Goffin, who will face Taylor Fritz for a spot in the last four. “We tried to find a few more years to show her that I can still play tennis, and that’s the case for the moment. Even if she doesn’t realise yet, hopefully she will come and watch a little bit.
“Sometimes you have doubts about your fitness and your head. If you’re not 100 per cent there, mentally, it’s tough to compete with those guys – the level is so high. I have put a lot of hard work in [over] the past few months and there is no [surprise] the tennis came back and I am really happy to be back again in the quarter-finals of an ATP Masters 1000.”
[ATP APP]Goffin, who was hampered by injuries following the 2021 US Open, has shown glimpses of his best tennis over the past few months. After making the semi-finals at the Winston-Salem Open, Goffin produced a strong run to the third round at Flushing Meadows.
This week in Shanghai, Goffin ousted 15th seed Lorenzo Musetti in a thrilling battle before denying Zverev in his quest for a second title in 2024.
“I have built confidence from the beginning of the tournament. Match after match, I was playing better and I just came on the court and tried to play my best tennis,” added Goffin. “[I tried] to stick to the plan that I had with my coach and it worked. Even though he came back with some good rallies, I just tried to stay positive because I was on the right way to winning the match. It paid off in the end with a really good service game to finish, so I am really happy with the win.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Erika Andreeva defeats higher-ranked younger sister Mirra in the first professional meeting between the two siblings to reach the last 16 at the Wuhan Open.
Live electronic line calling will be used at Wimbledon from 2025, the tournament announced on Wednesday.
The officiating technology will be in place for all main draw and qualifying match courts, covering the ‘out’ and ‘fault’ calls that have previously been made by line judges.
The decision to adopt live ELC was made following the successful completion of extensive testing during this year’s Championships.
[ATP APP]“The decision to introduce live electronic line calling at The Championships was made following a significant period of consideration and consultation,” said Sally Bolton, Chief Executive of the All England Club.
“Having reviewed the results of the testing undertaken at The Championships this year, we consider the technology to be sufficiently robust and the time is right to take this important step in seeking maximum accuracy in our officiating. For the players, it will offer them the same conditions they have played under at a number of other events on tour.”
The grass-court major also announced a provisional schedule for the final weekend. The men’s doubles finals will commence at 1 p.m. Saturday, followed by the women’s singles final at 4 p.m. On Sunday, the men’s singles final will take place at 4 p.m., an hour later than previous years’ championship matches.
The schedule for the singles semi-finals will not change and the mixed doubles final will continue to be provisionally scheduled for the third match on the second Thursday. Wimbledon 2025 runs from 30 June-13 July.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Jamie Murray and John Peers headlined three teams who survived a Match Tie-break Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
The wild cards upset defending champions Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-7(6), 6-4, 10-6 to reach their third consecutive quarter-final. Murray and Peers reached the last eight in Hangzhou and the semi-finals in Beijing.
Up next for Murray and Peers is Adam Pavlasek and Jean-Julien Rojer, the Czech-Dutch duo who rallied past Luciano Darderi and Alejandro Tabilo 3-6, 6-3, 10-4.
[ATP APP]Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow earned a hard-fought victory, escaping Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 6-7(4), 6-4, 10-5. Lammons and Withrow are striving to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, where last year they were alternates. They are currently ninth in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Race To Turin,
Fourth seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori guaranteed their qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals by reaching the quarter-finals. The Italians downed home hopes Aoran Wang and Yi Zhou 6-2, 6-4.
Ariel Behar and Robert Galloway were 7-6(5), 6-3 winners against Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]#NextGenATP star Jakub Mensik is quickly becoming a Top 10 menace. Will Novak Djokovic be the next player he stuns?
The 19-year-old from Czechia ousted No. 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 on Wednesday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters to earn his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Djokovic.
“[I am] more than excited. Exciting is really a small word [for how I feel]. But yeah, obviously a dream come true,” Mensik said. “Because of him, I started to play tennis. When I was young and starting to play tennis, he was already on the top. So I was like, ‘Wow, he’s really good’.
“He [won] a lot of Grand Slams. And right now, when I’m 19 and he’s still playing, I have this chance to play against him. Of course, when I started to play, there was one wish — to play against him. So I’m really happy that it came true, and that I can play with him. We’ll see which level I am on Friday.”
Remember the name 🌟#NextGenATP star @mensik_jakub_ records his fourth consecutive Top 10 victory to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/g5Dvbktirt
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 9, 2024
Mensik will enter the match with confidence knowing he has won four consecutive matches against Top 10 opponents, including two in Shanghai (he is 4-2 overall). With his victory against Dimitrov, the teen became the second player this year (also Fabian Maroszan in Miami) to advance to a quarter-final by claiming multiple Top 10 wins.
The fourth-placed player in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah also eliminated World No. 6 Andrey Rublev in the second round en route to his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final. He is the youngest quarter-finalist in tournament history.
[ATP APP]Mensik led by a service break in the deciding set and unsuccessfully served for the match at 5-3. However, he bounced back quickly in the next game and hit a blistering backhand return winner to break for the third time in the match according to Infosys ATP Stats and seal his victory after two hours and three minutes.
“[It was a] very difficult match on the mental side because [there] were a lot of ups and downs. Grigor plays really well and always you have to keep fighting for every point,” Mensik said. “It’s always tough to stay focused. So yeah, I’m really happy that I won, but it cost me a lot of energy.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori made history on Wednesday when they reached the Rolex Shanghai Masters quarter-finals to guarantee their qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals.
In the first three editions of the season finale held in Turin (2021-23), no Italian player competed in the doubles field. This year, there will be an all-Italian team in Bolelli and Vavassori. They will join countryman Jannik Sinner, who was the first singles qualifier for the year-end championships, at Inalpi Arena from 10-17 November.
In their first full season as a team, Bolelli and Vavassori have proven one of the most consistent duos on the ATP Tour. They have won three titles so far in 2024, lifting trophies in Buenos Aires, Halle and Beijing.
[ATP APP]The Italians also performed well at the majors, reaching the final at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. They also advanced to the semi-finals in Indian Wells and Rio de Janeiro.
This will be Bolelli’s second appearance in the Nitto ATP Finals, having played with Fabio Fognini in 2015 in London. Vavassori will compete in the prestigious event for the first time.
The Italians are the third doubles team to qualify, joining Marcelo Arevalo/Mate Pavic and Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Novak Djokovic moves a step closer to a landmark 100th ATP title at the Shanghai Masters, but there is a shock defeat for Alexander Zverev.
Novak Djokovic finished with a flourish against Roman Safiullin on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the Rolex Shanghai Masters for a 10th time.
The record four-time champion was forced to dig deep in a 6-3, 6-2 win, remaining firmly alive in his quest for a 100th tour-level title. If Djokovic lifts the trophy in Shanghai, he would become the third man to achieve this feat in the Open Era (Connors, Federer).
“Both last night’s match and tonight have been, maybe, some of the best matches I have played in a while, so I am just enjoying myself on the court,” said Djokovic, who improved to 35-8 on the season. “When you play well and feel good, there is obviously a lot of joy in striking a tennis ball on the court.
“These sensations I have on the tennis court are some of the reasons why I keep on playing and keep on competing because I really believe that I can play at a very high level. Now, it’s a matter of keeping that consistency and also having a good time off the court.”
Novak 🫶 Shanghai@DjokerNole defeats Safiullin 6-3 6-2 to reach his 10th #RolexShanghaiMasters quarter-final.@SH_RolexMasters pic.twitter.com/jwkzo8QE9A
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 9, 2024
Djokovic, who improved to 3-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, showed resilience to save 100 per cent (3/3) of the break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
After extending his lead in tournament wins (37), Djokovic will face #NextGenATP star Jakub Mensik, who held his nerve to defeat Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. The 19-year-old Czech, who clinched his fourth consecutive win against a Top 10 player, is the youngest quarter-finalist in Shanghai tournament history.
Safiullin withstood an electric start from Djokovic, landing an inside-out forehand winner crisp on the line to save break point in the second game. However, he was unable to replicate this form to convert the two break chances he had in the fifth game, with the Serb serving his way out of trouble with ease.
[ATP APP]Djokovic, who has won a record 40 ATP Masters 1000 titles, remained in control to capitalise on an error-strewn eighth game from Safiullin and storm into the lead. The second set was more straightforward for Djokovic as he proved clinical to break twice and cruise across the finish line.
Since his gruelling opener with #NextGenATP Alex Michelsen, which ended 7-6(3), 7-6(9), Djokovic has spent just two hours and 16 minutes on court. This is in stark contrast to Mensik, who has played four consecutive three-set matches to reach this stage.
Djokovic is currently eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. A strong run in Shanghai will bolster his chances of securing a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals in a bid to extend his record of seven titles.
Following Djokovic and Safiullin’s clash on centre court, David Goffin delivered a vintage performance to upset second seed Alexander Zverev. The Belgian former No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings held on to claim a 6-4, 7-5 win against the German in one hour and 57 minutes.
It is the first time Goffin has reached this stage of an ATP Masters 1000 since the 2021 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. The 33-year-old will face seventh seed Taylor Fritz for a spot in the final four in Shanghai.
Fritz cruised past Holger Rune 6-1, 6-2 in just 55 minutes to secure his spot in the last eight, edging 2-1 in front in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The American, who occupies fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, is now 785 points ahead of ninth-placed Alex de Minaur and in strong contention to secure his spot at the Nitto ATP Finals.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Wimbledon will remove line judges and bring in an electronic line calling system from 2025.