Boulter loses to Tsurenko in Wuhan Open first round
British number one Katie Boulter loses in straight sets to Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko in the Wuhan Open first round.
British number one Katie Boulter loses in straight sets to Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko in the Wuhan Open first round.
Stefanos Tsitsipas will rekindle his rivalry with Daniil Medvedev after beating Alexandre Muller on Tuesday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters. The Greek’s 6-3, 7-5 win set up a 14th Lexus ATP Head2Head matchup with Medvedev, their first meeting in nearly a year.
In a match delayed two days by rain, Tsitsipas was in command against Muller until he lost serve in his attempt to close out the match at 5-3 in set two. But he regrouped to break at love in the final game, finding the range on his forehand to bring up match points and then ripping the shot of the match — a wicked, running forehand pass — to seal the deal.
Hear him roar 🦁@steftsitsipas navigates Muller 6-3 7-5 to set up a Round of 16 clash with Daniil Medvedev.@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/rdhiFTKhOf
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 8, 2024
The 10th seed picked up his 200th hard-court win by beating Kei Nishikori in his opener and saved the first six break points he faced in Shanghai — three against Nishikori and three against Muller — before a net cord sent a groundstroke long to hand Muller a lifeline. After firing 14 aces against Nishikori, Tsitsipas managed seven against Muller according to Infosys ATP Stats. He expertly backed up his serve against the Frenchman, winning more than 70 per cent of points on both his first and second deliveries.
Through to the last 16 at an ATP Masters 1000 for the fourth time this year, the reigning Monte-Carlo champion will next face fifth seed Medvedev for a place in the Shanghai quarter-finals. Medvedev won his first five meetings against Tsitsipas before the Greek answered back with a group-stage win en route to the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals title. Medvedev leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head 9-4, including wins in both of their 2023 meetings, in the Rome and Vienna semi-finals.
In an all-French matchup, Gael Monfils upset 16th seed Ugo Humbert 7-6(7), 2-6, 6-1. The 38-year-old is the second-oldest player to reach the last 16 in Shanghai history, behind only Roger Federer (also 38) in 2019. Humbert was playing in his third straight match against a countryman after losing to Arthur Fils in the Tokyo final and beating Arthur Cazaux to open his Shanghai campaign.
Monfils will next meet third seed Carlos Alcaraz, whom he beat in three sets in Cincinnati in August.
A pair of Czechs also advanced in Tuesday’s early action: #NextGenATP star Jakub Mensik beat Alexander Shevchenko 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-2, while 30th seed Tomas Machac defeated Australian qualifier Aleksandar Vukic 6-4, 6-2. The 19-year-old Mensik sits comfortably in fourth place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah and could rise ahead of Shang Juncheng and Alex Michelsen into second place with a deep run this week.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Flavio Cobolli has enjoyed one of the biggest rises of any player during the 2024 season and on Tuesday, he will get to test just how far he has come.
The Italian, who is at a career-high No. 30 in the PIF ATP Rankings, will face 99-time tour-level titlist Novak Djokovic in the third round of the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Before the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about the 22-year-old Cobolli.
Flavio dreamt of facing Novak
While Cobolli has a great relationship with fellow Italians like Fabio Fognini, he idolised Djokovic.
“He’s my idol since when I started to play tennis. I grew up with his videos, his matches and now I’m still going to bed, to sleep with his shots [in my mind],” Cobolli said after defeating Stan Wawrinka Monday in the Shanghai second round. “It’s a great thing to play against him and I want to enjoy every point I will do on this court.”
The Italian will try to secure the first Top 10 win of his career. He will arrive on court with an 0-7 record against the elite group.
He has broken through in 2024
Last year, Cobolli stepped onto the big stage when he competed in the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. But in 2024, he has taken his game to a whole new level.
Entering the year, Cobolli had never climbed higher than World No. 95 and owned just six tour-level wins. This season alone has has earned 34 tour-level victories, won at least one match at all four majors and advanced to his first ATP Tour final in Washington.
“I was shaking, shaking for all the time. I can’t describe the emotion because it’s my first time everywhere,” Cobolli said after defeating Ben Shelton to reach the final. “Every tournament is my first time. Every match is my first time. I can prove I can learn from every match.”
Flavio’s father was a professional and is now his coach
Stefano Cobolli, Flavio’s father, climbed to No. 236 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Ironically, he owns a win against Wawrinka, whom his son defeated Monday in Shanghai.
Stefano is now Flavio’s coach. However, their professional partnership only began when Flavio was 17.
“He always told me, ‘You have to improve alone. You have to make your life alone, and then I will help you later’,” Cobolli recalled. “‘I’d like to make this work so I can help you later, when you are ready.”
[ATP APP]His close friend is a star football player
Cobolli is a huge AS Roma fan. One of his best friends, Edoardo Bove, played for the team. The Italians met when they were seven, played football together and have been close ever since.
Bove is currently competing for Fiorentina, on loan from Roma.
“We keep in touch every day. We have a big relationship. Also, when I’m home, we go to make dinner with our girlfriends, so we have a good relationship also with his family. When I win a match, his father is the first to write to me,” Cobolli said. “We started with tennis, because he was a tennis player also. And then we met in Trigoria, the place where Roma practises.”
Cobolli likes tattoos and has many
The Italian has several tattoos — some visible while he competes, and some not. One of his most meaningful tattoos is a quote from his idol, football legend and until last month AS Roma manager Daniele De Rossi. It reads: “Sei tu l unica mia sposa sei tu I unico mio amor”.
In English, that means: “You are my only wife, you are my only love”. That is a saying De Rossi would put on his captain’s armband when he was a player.
— Flavio Cobolli (@cobollifla) February 6, 2024
Other tattoos include the saying “going for the win” in Italian, others in Chinese meaning “brave” and “passion”, the wolf of Roma and the symbol of Florence. He also has mountains and what he calls a “grumpy face”.
Coblli added: “I like to make tattoos, because I like [having] my body painted, and so there is no reason about that. I just like it. I wake up and I go.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Nishesh Basavareddy will not soon forget Sunday at the ATP Challenger Tour 75 event in Tiburon, California, where the 19-year-old claimed his maiden trophy at that level in his home state.
#NextGenATP Basavareddy is the second American teen to triumph on the ATP Challenger Tour this season, alongside fellow California native Learner Tien, who won in Bloomfield Hills and Las Vegas.
Basavareddy, who fell to Tien in the Bloomfield Hills final, lost in his three previous title match appearances on the Challenger Tour, but he had no trouble in Tiburon. He raced past Eliot Spizzirri 6-1, 6-1 in just 61 minutes. The World No. 193 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings was aggressive on return, dropping just four second-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
[ATP APP]“I think that is definitely a big asset in my game and probably one of the biggest strengths in my game,” Basavareddy told commentator Mike Cation. “I think that can go a long way because a lot of these guys serve big and if you can neutralise the serves and almost get ahead in the point, I feel like I’m just as good as all these guys from the baseline.
“Especially second-serve points, my coach always says, ‘Second-serve return points and second-serve points won kind of decide who is winning matches all the time because everyone can defend their first serve really well and win points there’. If you can defend your second serve and attack other guys’ second serve, you can win a lot of matches. I think that’s been a big focus for me.”
This season marks the first time that multiple American teenagers have lifted a Challenger trophy in the same year since 2017, when Frances Tiafoe, Michael Mmoh and Stefan Kozlov achieved the feat. It is just the fifth time in the past 30 years.
Welcome to the club, Nishesh Basavareddy ✊
The 19-year-old cruises past Spizzirri 6-1, 6-1 in Tiburon to claim his first career Challenger title!#ATPChallenger | @usta pic.twitter.com/6VxzWGdXN6
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 6, 2024
Basavareddy, who finished No. 12 in the ITA singles rankings this past May competing for Stanford University, is the 20th different Challenger champion of 2024 with college tennis experience.
Up five places to tenth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, Basavareddy is aiming for maiden qualification to the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals, which runs from 18-22 December. Basavareddy is the third American in the Top 10, alongside second-placed Alex Michelsen and seventh-placed Tien.
Buenos Aires
In other Challenger action, Francisco Comesana celebrated his 24th birthday in style, saving two championship points to triumph at the Challenger de Buenos Aires. An-all Argentine final featured the top two seeds, Federico Coria and Comesana, respectively. Comesana trailed 4/6 in the second-set tie-break before rallying to a 1-6, 7-6(7), 6-4 victory.
<img alt=”Francisco Comesana delights home fans in Sunday’s all-Argentine final.” style=”width:100%” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/10/07/14/52/comesana-buenosairesch-2024.jpg” />
Birthday boy Francisco Comesana delights home fans in Sunday’s all-Argentine final. Credit: Challenger de Buenos Aires
“Since I knew that the final was going to be on my birthday, I was looking forward to it, because I had never experienced anything like this before,” the six-time Challenger champion said in Spanish. “All the matches of the tournament were difficult and luckily, I was able to give myself this gift after a lot of suffering.”
Mouilleron le Captif
Frenchman Lucas Pouille continued his resurgent year by winning the Open de Vendee on home soil. The 30-year-old, who is No. 101 in the PIF ATP Rankings, is aiming to return to the Top 100 for the first time since June 2021. Pouille raced past top seed Quentin Halys 6-4, 6-4 in the final to lift his second Challenger title this season. The former World No. 10 has competed in four finals at that level in 2024.
<img alt=”Lucas Pouille celebrates winning his third Challenger title.” style=”width:100%” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/10/07/15/03/pouille-mouilleronlecaptifch-2024.jpg” />
Lucas Pouille celebrates winning his third Challenger title. Credit: Un Oeil Averty
Braga
Elmer Moller secured his first Challenger title at the Braga Open in Portugal, where he advanced through qualifying en route to his biggest career trophy. The 21-year-old Dane beat Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4, 7-6(4) in the final. Moller, No. 171 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, did not drop a set all week.
<img alt=”Elmer Moller in action at the Braga Open.” style=”width:100%” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/10/07/14/58/moller-bragach-2024.jpg” />
Elmer Moller in action at the Braga Open. Credit: Eduardo Oliveira/movesoundclick
“I didn’t come with high expectations, but to give my best and it turned out to be an incredible week,” Moller said. “I’m very happy.”
Villena
Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak won his third trophy of the year and seventh overall at the Villena Open. The 28-year-old downed American Nicolas Moreno De Alboran 6-4, 6-2 in the title match. Majchrzak also won Kigali-1 and Bratislava-1 this year. Following his Villena title run, Majchrzak is up 33 places to No. 113 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
<img alt=”Kamil Majchrzak triumphs at the Villena Challenger.” style=”width:100%” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/10/07/15/09/majchrzak-villenach-2024.jpg” />
Kamil Majchrzak triumphs at the Villena Challenger. Credit: Villena Open
A long wait for his opening match at the Rolex Shanghai Masters proved to be worth it for Holger Rune.
The Dane delivered a resilient performance to down Matteo Berrettini 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a high-quality encounter on Monday at the ATP Masters 1000. After Rune received a bye in the opening round, his second-round clash with Berrettini was originally scheduled for Saturday. Although persistent rain ultimately kept the players waiting two days longer, they did not disappoint when they finally stepped onto Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena.
Rune withstood 16 aces from Berrettini, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to a comeback victory featuring plenty of cat-and-mouse exchanges. The 12th seed stayed patient on return to notch late breaks of serve in both the second and third sets and claim his maiden Shanghai win at the second attempt.
Coming up clutch 💪@holgerrune2003 outlasts Berrettini 4-6 6-4 6-3 to advance in Shanghai.@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/h9g3ZHlBbT
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 7, 2024
“I think [the match] was pretty good,” said Rune, who now leads Berrettini 3-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. “It felt like he didn’t do many things wrong in the first set. I made a few errors, but then he was just on me. He didn’t allow me to make many mistakes. I think the same happened in the second and third sets, just the other way around. Every time he got slightly central or short, I was there to punish his shots.
“It was a good match, honestly. I think the tennis was very high quality. We were hitting a lot of winners, good serves, good movement, so I’m very happy to start my tournament like this.”
[ATP APP]Now 13-7 at Masters 1000 events in 2024, Rune will meet 33rd seed Jiri Lehecka for a spot in the fourth round in Shanghai. The 21-year-old seeks a deep run this week to help kick-start a late charge towards Nitto ATP Finals qualification: Rune is up one spot to 15th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin after defeating Berrettini, and he could rise as high as eighth by lifting the title in China.
“I think I’ve been consistent in many tournaments, but haven’t really gone all the way,” said Rune, whose best result this year was a final run in Brisbane. “It’s just a process. Keep working, keep trying to do the right things. From my side there was a big change from the first set to the last two sets. I was hitting the ball better. I was moving more up to the ball, playing more on my terms, aggressively coming forward.
“I’m happy with the way I started this tournament. I think that’s the way for me to play and I’m going to keep going like this.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
It may have taken 48 hours, but Taylor Fritz ensured his big plans for the final stretch of the 2024 season remain on course with a hard-earned opening victory Monday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
The American kept his cool in the face of a free-spirited performance from Terence Atmane to secure a 7-6(4), 7-6(5) triumph at the Chinese ATP Masters 1000. After rain forced the second-round clash to be suspended with Fritz leading 4-3 on serve on Saturday afternoon, the seventh seed on Monday completed a two-hour, three-minute victory under the roof inside Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena.
The US Open finalist Fritz remains fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and is in a strong position to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, where he made his debut in 2022. Yet the American was determined to take things one step at a time after passing a tough test from Atmane in the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash.
“I don’t want to speak too soon, but I think I’m in a good position,” said Fritz. “I’m not thinking so much about the goal of reaching the finals right now, because I’m fifth in the race. If the goal is that and I get panicky, it would be like, ‘Let’s just not slip four spots’. My goal right now is to finish the year in the Top 5, keep my place. I think that’s just a better mindset to have, both to qualify for the finals and play good tennis for the rest of the year.”
Firing on all cylinders 🔥@Taylor_Fritz97 keeps his perfect Shanghai opening round record intact, defeating Atmane 7-6(4) 7-6(5).@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/Aejpiu9R4L
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 7, 2024
Against Atmane, Fritz crucially saved the only two break points of the opening set from 15/40 in the ninth game, and after clinching the first-set tie-break he established a 4-2 lead in the second set. Yet the Frenchman continued to push Fritz, and he was only defeated once the American again found something extra late on to clinch the second set in a tie-break.
“I think his ability to basically hit a winner from anywhere on the court made it very tough,” said Fritz. “Because sometimes I almost felt like if I wanted to be the aggressor in the rally, I had to go on when I maybe didn’t want to go on. Then sometimes I had to take just a more defensive, solid approach to the points, let him pull the trigger and if he makes it, he makes it.
“That uncertainty of what if he does make it is always uncomfortable. He was playing really well, serving well on big points, so it’s great to get through that in two sets.”
Fritz’s next assignment in Shanghai will be a third-round clash on Tuesday against Yosuke Watanuki. The 26-year-old Fritz is now 5-0 in opening rounds at the Chinese Masters 1000, but is yet to reach the fourth round across his five appearances.
[ATP APP]Another Top 10 star and Turin hopeful, Grigor Dimitrov, also completed victory Monday in a rain-affected second-round clash. The Bulgarian led Zizou Bergs 6-3, 2-4 when their meeting was suspended on Saturday, and upon resumption he battled to a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 triumph.
Dimitrov converted five of seven break points he earned against Bergs, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion is 10th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin as he chases a spot at the prestigious season finale, and he will hope to build on his good start in Shanghai when he takes on Alexei Popyrin in the third round.
Another member of the chasing pack in the Live Race, the 14th-placed Frances Tiafoe, made a solid start to his Shanghai campaign. The 13th seed prevailed 6-2, 6-4 against #NextGenATP home favourite Zhou Yi. It was a first win in Shanghai since 2017 for Tiafoe, who will next play Roman Safiullin. The World No. 61 Safiullin upset 23rd seed Alexander Bublik 6-4, 6-2 in a match moved to an indoor court because of the rain.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
Play has been affected by rain for the third consecutive day at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
The Monday schedule at the ATP Masters 1000 event has been reduced to 13 singles matches, with no play yet possible on outdoor courts. However, three matches have been completed inside Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, which is fitted with a retractable roof.
[ATP APP]Taylor Fritz kicked off the day by completing a 7-6(4), 7-6(5) second-round victory, one which began on Saturday before a two-day rain delay, against Terence Atmane. The No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings was followed onto court by his fellow Top 10 star Grigor Dimitrov, who overcame Zizou Bergs 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
Frances Tiafoe then defeated home wild card Yi Zhou 6-2, 6-4 to round out the afternoon session on the Stadium Court. The two Lexus ATP Head2Head matchups scheduled for Monday’s night session are 12th seed Holger Rune’s clash with Matteo Berrettini, and Flavio Cobolli against Stan Wawrinka.
After two days of inclement weather, tournament organisers moved four matches to indoor courts to help relieve pressure on the schedule. Roman Safiullin resumed his second-round meeting with Alexander Bublik at 2-1 in the first set, and he went on to down the 23rd seed 6-4, 6-2. Tallon Griekspoor was also a winner indoors: The Dutchman eased past 26th seed Jordan Thompson 6-3, 6-2.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
Little over a year ago, Jacob Fearnley was unranked in the professional tennis world. Now he is among the top 100 after one of the fastest climbs in ATP history.
Tommy Paul earned one of the best comeback wins of the season on Sunday in Shanghai.
Nineteenth seed Alejandro Tabilo led the 11th seed 7-6(2), 5-1 and earned five match points on his serve at 5-2, but was unable to close out the match. Paul took full advantage, rallying for a 6-7(2), 7-6(6), 6-2 victory in two hours and 43 minutes for a place in the Round of 16 at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
Paul SURVIVES 💪@TommyPaul1 came from a set down and saved 5 match points to defeat Tabilo 6-7 7-6 6-2 😤@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/gwQrJxqJhz
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 6, 2024
Tabilo has enjoyed the best season of his career and looked ready to continue it with an impressive victory against Paul. But the Chilean made an error on three of his match points and Paul hit an overhead winner on another. On the lefty’s final match point, he put pressure on Paul by closing the net, but the American hit a perfect crosscourt backhand passing shot to escape.
Paul won 12 of the match’s final 15 games and converted four of his 13 break points according to Infosys ATP Stats to earn a showdown against in-form 30th seed Tomas Machac or qualifier Aleksandar Vukic.
With his victory, the 27-year-old Paul climbed past Grigor Dimitrov into 10th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, within 425 points of eighth-placed Novak Djokovic. Paul is trying to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.
[ATP APP]Did You Know?
Paul now leads Tabilo 2-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series and both of their meetings have come this year. The American was also victorious 6-3, 6-4 on grass at Queen’s Club.
American fourth seed Coco Gauff beats Karolina Muchova 6-1 6-3 in the China Open final to claim her eighth WTA title.