In the lone completed singles match on a rainy Wednesday at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad, Jaume Munar defeated Alexander Ritschard to advance to his second tour-level quarter-final of the 2022 season.

The Spaniard earned the 6-3, 6-3 victory by saving all seven break points against him in Roy Emerson Arena and claiming three breaks of his own in the one-hour, 21-minute contest.

“Here with altitude and the fastest court maybe we’re playing on Tour, it’s difficult,” the 25-year-old said in his on-court interview. “I think the key to success in this match was to handle the pressure. I think I played a couple of good points [to save the break chances] and on my break points I did well.”

Munar is into his first quarter-final in Gstaad after losing to Robert Bautista Agut in the second round in each of his previous two appearances (2018-19).

“I’m super happy,” he said of the achievement. “It’s one of my favourite weeks during the year. I enjoy it a lot here in Gstaad. I love the place very much.”

The Spaniard improved his record to 9-2 in his past 11 clay-court matches, including ATP Challenger Tour events; he won a Challenger title in Perugia and reached the semi-finals in Forli in June. The World No. 63 is up to No. 59 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings behind his two victories this week.

Now through to his first ATP Tour quarter-final since January in Melbourne, Munar could face top seed Casper Ruud next. The Norwegian’s opening matchup against Jiri Lehecka was postponed until Thursday due to heavy rain in Gstaad.

Dominic Thiem’s matchup with Federico Delbonis was also among the rained-out matches, setting up a busy Thursday slate that also includes second seed Matteo Berrettini’s opener against Richard Gasquet.

Third seed Roberto Bautista Agut was nearly knocked out before the downpour, but the Spaniard saved a match point against Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas to extend his stay in Gstaad by at least one day.

After losing the first set in a tie-break, four consecutive breaks of serve in the second set left Bautista Agut serving to stay in the match at 4-5. He erased a match point in that game to level, then saw a break chance go begging in the ensuing game as Varillas edged back in front before the match was suspended with him leading 7-6(3), 6-5.

Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos made a winning start to their Hamburg European Open campaign Wednesday, overcoming Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 5-7, 6-2, 10-4.

The top seeds, who are making their debut together at the ATP 500 event, won 83 per cent (33/40) of their first-serve points to reach the quarter-finals in one hour and 35 minutes.

The Spanish-Argentine pair has now won their past five matches, after capturing their first title of the season in Halle last month. Granollers and Zeballos will next play Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev.

Third seeds Tim Puetz and Michael Venus also advanced, defeating Aslan Karatsev and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and 32 minutes. The German-New Zealand tandem, who triumphed in Dubai in February, will next face Daniel Altmaier and Jan-Lennard Struff after the Germans defeated Sander Arends and David Pel 6-4, 7-6(4).

Ymer Brothers Taste Success In Gstaad
Elias Ymer and Mikael Ymer recorded their first win of the season as a team at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad, downing 2021 champions Marc-Andrea Huesler and Dominic Stricker 6-4, 7-6(5) to reach the quarter-finals.

The Swedish brothers, who are joining forces for the first time since 2019, broke twice to advance after 81 minutes.

Robin Haase and Philipp Oswald booked their spot in the last eight with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski, while Lorenzo Sonego and Andrea Vavassori defeated Vit Kopriva and Pavel Kotov 6-3, 6-3. Oswald won the title at the ATP 250 clay-court event in Geneva in 2017 alongside Austrian Oliver Marach.

Come to Tampere, Finland, in summer and three things immediately stand out.

First, the line between day and night is a blur across the entire country. With the Tampere Open held in the 60th parallel north, players are competing twice as far away from the equator as from the North Pole. At this latitude, the sun is visible until midnight every day in July, illuminating the night sky with a stunning golden-orange hue. It provides a unique backdrop for a professional tennis tournament.

Second, the idyllic landscape that surrounds the city creates a cosy and relaxing atmosphere for players and fans alike. Pine trees fill the countryside as far as the eye can see, permeating the environment with some of the cleanest air in the world. Finland is also known as the ‘Country of a Thousand Lakes’ and the city of Tampere is embedded within a winding network of bodies of water.

Finally, and most importantly, it is the people that make any trip to Tampere special. Finland is famous for being the ‘Happiest Country in the World’, a moniker which they take very seriously at the Tampere Open. Enter the tournament site and you’re promptly greeted with a ‘Moi’ or ‘Huomenta’ (good morning), as you proceed to sit down for a meal in the cafe, enjoy the day in the VIP area or settle in for a match on Center Court. The hospitality is unmatched in Tampere.

It’s no wonder players have been returning to the tournament for 40 years. This week, the longest-running event on the ATP Challenger Tour became the first to celebrate four decades of professional tennis. The Tampere Open was honoured by the ATP on Tuesday, with a special ceremony in front of the Finnish faithful on Center Court.

“Overall, the tournament has had a big impact in building the tennis culture in Finland,” said Finnish legend and two-time Tampere Open (2001-02) champion Jarkko Nieminen. “I have a huge respect for the tournament after these 40 years. It can’t be an easy task. Tampere Open has always been there and I think it’s well-organised and has a good atmosphere.

“In 2001, it was my breakthrough year and the first time I won in Tampere. Even though I had some success before, it’s always special to win the first title at home. I had the similar success the following year and I wanted to come back, even though I was playing the bigger tournaments. And to beat an incredibly young and talented Richard Gasquet in the final was a nice experience.”

Times change and several factors result in the ebb and flow of tournaments’ longevity over the years. To withstand this precise test of time and remain a symbol of durability deserves to be applauded. Led by tournament director and former World No. 48 Veli Paloheimo, a native of Tampere, the tournament has become a beacon on the Challenger Tour and a summer staple in Finland for these 40 years.

“Of course we’re proud of it,” said Paloheimo. “This is the biggest tournament in Finland, so it is nice that we have this here for so long in Tampere. It is a full effort with a few hundred volunteers every year. Coming together as a community is what makes this so special for everyone.”

“I joined the ATP when Tampere was only 10 years old,” added former Challenger director Joanna Langhorne. “It has been a pleasure and an education to share three decades of excellent cooperation with them. I wish them all the very best for this 40th anniversary event and am grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside the tournament and the team for so many years.”

This moment would not be possible without the hard work and commitment of all the tournament staff, volunteers and sponsors. And the players for whom have been provided opportunities to take the next step in their careers, acknowledge the tournament’s dedication and commitment to the sport and the Tour.

The ATP Challenger Tour is the springboard to success for the stars of tomorrow and this tournament has been precisely that in the decorated careers of Carlos Moya, Robin Soderling, David Ferrer, Richard Gasquet and David Goffin. All competed in Tampere, before rising to the Top 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

“Many congrats to Tampere on their 40-year anniversary, “said 2018 champion Tallon Griekspoor. “It’s a very special place to me, where I won my first Challenger title and came back one year later and reached the final. It’s always an amazing time there and feels like home. Maybe I come back one day and I just wish the tournament all the best for their 40th year.”

From the ATP to the Tampere Open, here’s to another 40 years as part of the Challenger family.

Andrey Rublev continued his love affair with the Hamburg European Open Wednesday, moving past lucky loser Ricardas Berankis 6-3, 6-4 to reach the second round.

The second seed hit through the Lithuanian with his precise and powerful groundstrokes, while he stepped up his intensity in the key moments to shrug off a second-set Berankis comeback and advance after 73 minutes.

Rublev now holds a 10-2 record at the ATP 500 clay-court event, having advanced to the final in 2019, before he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas to lift the trophy in his previous appearance in 2020.

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“I am happy with my performance. Ricardas is a really tough player. He hits the ball really hard and plays fast, so I had to bring intensity from the first game,” Rublev said in his on-court interview. “I am really happy with how I was serving today and I hit some great shots from the baseline.

“The game he broke me in the second set he played really well. He returned really aggressively and I don’t think I made one first serve. But then I kept [my] focus and broke him straight away again.”

With his 32nd tour-level win of the year, the 24-year-old has improved to 3-0 in his ATP Head2Head series against Berankis and will next face Bastad champion Francisco Cerundolo.

Rublev is aiming to win his fourth tour-level title of the season this week in northern Germany. The World No. 8 clinched crowns in Marseille, Dubai and Belgrade earlier this year and arrives in Hamburg off the back of a run to the semi-finals on clay in Bastad.

Earlier, Croatian Borna Coric eliminated Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor 6-3, 6-4 to earn consecutive tour-levels wins for the first time since March 2021. The 25-year-old, who overcame Laslo Djere in the first round, will play reigning champion Pablo Carreno Busta or Slovakian Alex Molcan in the quarter-finals.

“I am very happy. I played a great match yesterday and today I was performing well,” Coric said in his on-court interview. “I was serving great and my forehand was working well, so I am very pleased to be here in the quarters.”

Coric missed the majority of last year due to a shoulder injury, but has shown signs of promise recently, winning an ATP Challenger Tour title in Parma last month.

“I need to be able to play each week at the level I played at today,” Coric added after reaching his first tour-level quarter-final since March 2021. “I haven’t been able to do that for the past 16 months and it has been very tough. But the last two months I have been playing better. I also feel much better on court.”

After a dream run to the title in 2021, Pablo Carreno Busta did not take long to find his groove once again on Tuesday at the Hamburg European Open.

The defending champion eased to a 6-2, 6-1 first-round win against #NextGenATP Italian Luca Nardi in northern Germany. Carreno Busta, whose triumph in Hamburg a year ago was his first at the ATP 500 level, converted five from seven break points against his 18-year-old opponent to set a second-round meeting with Alex Molcan.

Carreno Busta now holds a 10-3 record in Hamburg, where he also reached the semi-finals in 2019. The World No. 23 arrived in Germany off the back of a strong run last week in Bastad, where he reached the semi-finals before falling to eventual champion Francisco Cerundolo.

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A trio of seeded players suffered early exits on Tuesday in Hamburg. Emil Ruusuvuori upset third seed Diego Schwartzman with an impressive 7-5, 6-4 victory on tournament debut. The win brought the Finn level at 1-1 in his ATP Head2Head series with Schwartzman, after the Argentine prevailed in the pair’s first meeting in Indian Wells in March. Ruusuvuori’s second-round opponent in Germany will be #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who defeated Dusan Lajovic 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-3 on Monday.

The other seeded players to fall were Nikoloz Basilashvili and Holger Rune. Aslan Karatsev downed sixth seed Basilashvili 6-4, 6-0 in the pair’s maiden tour-level meeting, while Tallon Griekspoor took out eighth seed Rune 7-6(8), 7-5.

Also on Tuesday, Fabio Fognini held off a fierce challenge from Aljaz Bedene to notch his 400th tour-level win.

Fognini claimed the only break of the first set to move ahead at the ATP 500 event in northern Germany, but he was made to dig deep after Bedene responded strongly to force a decider. Fognini saved five break points in the opening game of the deciding set before prevailing in a tie-break to seal his 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5) victory.

The win improved Fognini’s lead in his ATP Head2Head series with Bedene to 10-1. The 35-year-old Italian is a nine-time tour-level titlist but is chasing his first crown since claiming his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in 2019.

Fognini, the 2013 champion in Hamburg, is now 14-13 for 2022. That record includes runs to the semi-finals on the clay in Rio de Janeiro and Belgrade. His second-round opponent in Germany will be seventh seed Karen Khachanov.

The Fabulous One looks out from his enigmatic photo on the ATP Tour website with a slightly raised eyebrow and a Mona Lisa half-smile. It’s the perfect image for a guy, who like a jalapeno-laced martini, is somehow simultaneously fiery and irresistibly cool.

On Tuesday in the Hamburg European Open, Fabio Fognini won a typically taut, fraught first-round match over Aljaz Bedene, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5). And while the flamboyant Italian has earned a reputation for the sheer style of his performance art, this one underlined the undeniable substance. It was the 400th tour-level match win of his career.

Coming up in juniors, did he ever imagine this possibility?

“Well, no, no,” he said afterward. “I’m 35 and, looking back, I have to say this is a great milestone achievement for me. For sure, I am happy.”

Fognini, that swashbuckling pirate of the high seas, is only the 14th active player to win 400 matches in his career and the first Italian man in the Open Era with 400 tour-level wins. Adriano Panatta is next with 392 wins, followed by Andreas Seppi with 386 wins, second-most among active Italians.

Fognini celebrates his 400th win in Hamburg. Photo Credit: Hamburg European Open/Alexander Scheuber

There is currently some breathtaking young talent coming out of Italy. Matteo Berrettini, a Wimbledon finalist a year ago, has already been to the Top 10. Jannik Sinner — at the impressionable age of 20 — is there right now. Lorenzo Musetti, also 20, and Lorenzo Sonego are formidable talents as well. Based on this year’s points, remarkably, eight of the 17 top-ranked players aged under 21 are from Italy. It seems more than a coincidence that the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin ends in Fognini’s homeland. 

They all owe a debt to the example carved out by Fognini.

Three years ago in Monte Carlo, at the age of 32, Fognini defeated Rafael Nadal on his way to the title. He became the first Italian ATP Masters 1000 champion ever and, eventually, the oldest male player to crack the Top 10 for the first time. He was also the first Italian man among the Top 10 since Corrado Barazzutti.

Fognini has always gotten up for the big matches. He’s beaten Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, no fewer than three times. At Rome in 2017, he upset World No. 1 Andy Murray. He was a quarter-finalist at Roland Garros in 2011 and reached the fourth round in majors – including four at the Australian Open – seven times. He’s also won nine singles titles.

Some context: Fognini’s first ATP Tour victory came in 2006 at Amersfoot, over Juan-Pablo Guzman. No. 100 came against Edouard Roger-Vasselin at the 2012 US Open. The 200th was a second-round win over Grigor Dimitrov in Rome 2015.  His 300th career victory happened in Rome 2018 against Gael Monfils.

The win over Bedene, Fognini said, reminded him of another Hamburg achievement. In 2013, he won the title there amid a 13-match win streak that included the title in Stuttgart and a final in Umag.

“We are in Hamburg, so I have to say something about this beautiful tournament,” Fognini said. “A long time ago, I made a really good memory, playing really good tennis. This, too, is one of the best.”

His game is flashy and fast – sharp angles and extraordinary defense – but he makes it all look so utterly effortless. He is not blessed with massive weapons but his hands, particularly at net, are magnificent. In 2015, when Fognini focused briefly on doubles with countryman Simone Bolelli, they won the Australian Open, reached three ATP Masters 1000 finals and qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals.

Clay, where his record is 228-164 (.582), is by far the best surface for his unique talents. His relatively late career success continues. Fognini is 14-13 for the year and reached semi-finals in Belgrade and Rio de Janeiro, where he lost, respectively, to Andrey Rublev and Carlos Alcaraz.

After Bedene drew even by winning the second set, Fognini opened the third set with some vintage Fognini. In the process of saving five break points, he cracked his racquet in frustration, then managed to prevail in a 14-minute game. The tie-break ended with the familiar flourish of a crosscourt forehand winner.

Fognini, son of Fulvio Fognini and brother to Fulvia, was born into a family that placed special emphasis on the letter F. He continued the trend when he married 2015 US Open champion Flavia Pennetta. Their three children are, not surprisingly, named Federico, Farah and Flaminia.

He sees a time, probably in the not-too-distant future, when he’ll be spending more time with them.

“With COVID-19 and injuries, this has been the tougher period of my career,” he acknowledged. “Because after all the victories, the bad matches, the good matches, the trophies that I won, I’m more at the end of my career than before.

“My biggest dream is now to try and enjoy as before, running without pain, fighting to the end — and then decide when it’s time for the family. I know it’s going to be difficult, but let’s see. Let’s see.”

Playing at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad for the first time since his 2015 title run, Dominic Thiem won a dramatic opening match on Tuesday against seventh seed and 2021 Gstaad finalist Hugo Gaston.

The Austrian picked up his third tour-level victory of the season with a 1-6, 6-1, 7-6(7) win in Roy Emerson Arena, using a big serve to erase a match point in the tie-break as he claimed the final three points of the contest.

“It’s always really challenging. That tie-break in the third set was very, very tough,” said Thiem, who hit a dipping return on his second match point to thwart his opponent’s serve-and-volley attempt.

“The first two sets were very one-sided, the first for Hugo and the second for me. Then the third set, no breaks so the tie-break had to decide it. Tie-breaks in deciding sets are always somehow 50/50. It was so close… Really happy that I got the win.”

One week after earning his first match wins since his right-wrist injury in Bastad, Thiem made a slow start in the mountains of Gstaad before finding traction with his ground game in set two.

“I had some troubles to get used to the conditions,” Theim said, referencing the Gstaad altitude. “Also he played well. [He was a] finalist last year so he gave me a lot of troubles. When I made that first break in the second set, from then on I loosened up a little bit. I started to play better and better and it paid off at the end.”

Thiem advances to face Federico Delbonis, who was a 6-4, 7-5 winner against Mikael Ymer on Tuesday.

Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann upset sixth seed Cristian Garin 6-3, 6-4 after winning a pair of three-setters to qualify for the main draw. The 32-year-old earned his first tour-level win since he reached the Santiago quarter-finals in February, while Garin was competing for the first time since his Wimbledon quarter-final run.

Richard Gasquet was also victorious on Tuesday, earning a 7-5, 6-4 result against Roberto Carballes Baena to set up a second-round meeting with second seed Matteo Berrettini.

Carlos Alcaraz endured a rocky start to his Hamburg European Open debut on Tuesday afternoon, but the #NextGenATP Spaniard dug deep to complete a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(3) first-round win against German wild card Nicola Kuhn.

Alcaraz rallied impressively after he dropped the opening set to the World No. 259 Kuhn, whose aggressive tactics paid off in the early stages in northern Germany. The Spaniard combined consistency with some trademark moments of brilliance to level the match before holding his nerve in the deciding-set tie-break to improve his record on clay in 2022 to 21-2.

Prior to the tournament, Alcaraz had spoken of how he was using the extra pressure of playing as a top seed at an ATP Tour event for the first time as a source of motivation. Those words were put to the test immediately in Hamburg, where the 22-year-old Kuhn pushed Alcaraz the distance despite suffering some physical struggles in the final set.

“It was tough. I mean, the first round in every tournament is tough,” said Alcaraz, who was playing his first match since his run to the fourth round at Wimbledon. “I came from the grass, and the difference was too much. I’m really happy to be [through to] the second round. I’m sure that I will be better in the next round, but I’m really happy with the win.”

After triumphing in Rio de Janeiro in February and Barcelona in April, Alcaraz is chasing a clean sweep of this season’s clay-court ATP 500 events in Hamburg, while the 19-year-old has also lifted ATP Masters 1000 titles in Miami and Madrid in a stellar 2022 season. Despite struggling to find his best level against Kuhn, the Spaniard was pleased with how he had reacted after a lacklustre first-set showing.

“I knew that I wasn’t playing well, so I knew I was going to have my chances to get better in the second set,” said Alcaraz. “Try not to miss as much as I did in the first set. I’m really happy with the change that I put in in the second set.”

Alcaraz’s next assignment in Hamburg, where he is the top seed, is a second-round meeting with Sebastian Baez or Filip Krajinovic.