Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara continued their productive summer on the European clay as the British-Finnish pairing cruised to the semi-finals at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag on Thursday.

The third seeds broke the serve of wild card pairing Mili Poljicak and Nino Serdarusic twice in each set to clinch a 6-3, 6-3 victory that extended their winning streak to six after they clinched a maiden ATP Tour title in Hamburg last week. Glasspool and Heliovaara will bid to keep that run going at the ATP 250 clay-court event in Croatia in a semi-final showdown against second seeds Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez.

Top seeds Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini also advanced on Thursday but were made to work hard before they prevailed 7-6, 6-7(6), 10-7 against Antonio Sancic and Franko Skugor. Bolelli and Fognini’s semi-final opponents will be Gstaad champions Tomislav Brkic and Francisco Cabral, who saw off Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow, 6-4, 7-5.

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Kubler/Peers Win All-Aussie Clash
At the Atlanta Open, Jason Kubler and John Peers upset Wimbledon champions Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell 4-6, 7-6(0), 10-6 to book a semi-final spot at the ATP 250 hard-court event.

Fourth seeds Ebden and Purcell saved all five break points they faced in the quarter-final encounter, but Kubler and Peers held their nerve in the second-set tie-break and then the Match Tie-break to secure a one-hour, 40-minute victory.

Haase/Oswald Ease Through In Kitzbühel
Robin Haase and Philipp Oswald’s good form on the Alpine clay continued at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel, where the Dutch-Austrian pairing triumphed 6-4, 6-3 against Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul on Thursday to book a spot in the semi-finals.

Haase and Oswald reached the final in Gstaad last week, and the unseeded duo will now face Pedro Martinez and Lorenzo Sonego as they chase back-to-back Tour finals. Martinez and Sonego defeated home favourites Neil Oberleitner and Jurij Rodionov, 6-4, 3-6, 11-9.

Jenson Brooksby won a battle of Northern Californians on Thursday at the Atlanta Open, downing Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the his second quarter-final of the season.

The 21-year-old from Sacramento is back at home on the American hard courts as he looks to repeat his February run to the Dallas final.

“I’ve trained on [hard courts] my whole life, so just the reps on it makes [confidence] a guarantee for now,” Brooksby said of his comfort level on the surface. “I’m really excited to have the hard-court season right now coming up and see what I can do.”

“We’re good friends… I knew it would definitely be a good match out there, a good battle, and it was,” he said post-match. “I thought my focus again today was pretty good, so I’m just looking forward to keeping it up.”

Brooksby improved to 6-3 against Americans at tour-level after winning his first ATP Head2Head meeting with McDonald. Up one place to No. 42 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, the Atlanta sixth seed could move as high as No. 32 by winning his first tour-level title this week — a mark which would be a new career-high.

He awaits the winner of second seed John Isner’s evening matchup against University of Florida star Ben Shelton.

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Alex de Minaur opened the Atlanta evening session with a 6-4, 6-4 win against James Duckworth. The third seed was victorious in the all-Aussie matchup behind three breaks of serve as he began his campaign at the ATP 250 event.

Competing for the first time since his heartbreaking fifth-set tie-break loss to Cristian Garin in the Wimbledon fourth round, De Minaur will next face Adrian Mannarino.

The Frenchman earned a 7-5, 6-3 win against American wild card and Georgia Tech standout Andres Martin in the first match of the day on the stadium court. A lucky loser, Mannarino has not dropped a set in the main draw.

The pressure of playing as defending champion appears to suit Carlos Alcaraz.

A year ago, the #NextGenATP Spaniard lifted his maiden ATP Tour title at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag. On Thursday, Alcaraz raced past Norbert Gombos 6-2, 6-3 on his return to the clay-court ATP 250 event in Croatia.

Despite the straightforward scoreline, however, Alcaraz was tested on his own serve by the World No. 117 Gombos. The Spaniard was forced to fend off seven break points in his win and converted four of his own 12 opportunities to reach his eighth quarter-final of the year.

“It was a really tough match,” said Alcaraz afterwards. “It wasn’t as easy as the result seems. Norbert played a really good game and the first round of every tournament is never easy, so I had to get used to the conditons. It was tough for me, but at the end I found a way to play better and get the win.”

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Since defeating Richard Gasquet for the title in Umag last year, Alcaraz has added four further tour-level titles to his tally, including ATP Masters 1000 crowns at the Miami Open presented by Itau and the Mutua Madrid Open, and risen to a career-high No. 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Despite tasting defeat in an ATP Tour final for the first time on Sunday, when he fell to Lorenzo Musetti in a thrilling three-set championship match at the Hamburg European Open, Alcaraz bounced back in style against Gombos. The top seed showcased his typical variety to move his opponent around the court, striking cleanly from deep and using his drop shot to good effect en route to a clinical one-hour, 38-minute victory.

The win improved Alcaraz’s record on clay in 2022 to 25-3. His quarter-final challenger in Umag will be Facundo Bagnis, who earlier eased to a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 win against Corentin Moutet.

“I played against him [Bagnis] in Challengers, I remember we played tough matches,” said Alcaraz. “I know him so well, and he’s a great player on clay, so it’s going to be a really tough match, but I’m going to try to show my best.”

There was no such joy for Hamburg champion Musetti on Thursday. Marco Cecchinato upset the 20-year-old 6-4, 6-3 in an all-Italian battle to improve his record in Umag to 8-4.

The former World No. 16 Cecchinato lifted the trophy in Croatia in 2018 and he has settled nicely on the clay in Croatia again this year after coming through qualifying. Cecchinato converted all four of his break points in a clinical display to snap Musetti’s six-match winning streak.

That win booked Cecchinato a quarter-final clash with another Italian qualifier, Franco Agamenone. The 29-year-old backed up his maiden Tour win against Laslo Djere in the first round in Umag with a 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 triumph against fourth seed Sebastian Baez.

Despite a stern test on Thursday, Roberto Bautista Agut’s momentum is building at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel.

The Spaniard was under pressure early from #NextGenATP Czech Jiri Lehecka in the pair’s quarter-final clash at the ATP 250 event in Austria, but the third seed dug deep to prevail 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in an absorbing two-hour, 56-minute encounter and reach the semi-finals for the first time.

Both players enjoyed success in their return games, with Bautista Agut converting six from 13 break points and Lehecka five from nine. Bautista Agut took his chance in the 12th game of the deciding set, however, converting his third match point of the game on the Lehecka serve to complete a hard-earned win.

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Bautista Agut will next face fifth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas in Kitzbühel, after the Spaniard earlier defeated countryman Pedro Martinez 6-4, 6-2.

Ramos-Vinolas broke Martinez’s serve four times in a comfortable one-hour, 49-minute win to make it back-to-back ATP Tour semi-finals following his run in Gstaad last week. The 34-year-old is chasing his second title of 2022 in Kitzbühel, where he reached the final in 2019.

Not even rain was able to stop Yannick Hanfmann from securing one of the biggest wins of his career on Thursday.

The German stunned former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. It is the 30-year-old’s fourth ATP Tour semi-final and his second at the Austrian ATP 250.

Rain suspended play at 5-4 in the third set with Thiem ready to serve to stay in the match. When the players returned, Hanfmann took advantage of some loose errors from the 17-time tour-level titlist to triumph after two hours and 28 minutes.

Kitzbühel has proven the most successful tournament of Hanfmann’s career. In 2020 he reached the final at the tournament as a qualifier before losing to Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.

Second seeds Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez used a pair of late-set charges to secure a quarter-final victory on Wednesday at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag. The Brazilian-Spanish pairing earned a 6-4, 7-5 result against Nicolas Barrientos and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela behind breaks of serve in the penultimate game of each set.

The pair was broken just once in the match, at 4-3 in the opening set, but an instant response restored the break advantage. They did not face a break point in the second set.

Matos and Vega Hernandez saved a match point in their opening-round victory against Albano Olivetti and Fernando Romboli but avoided any such drama in the quarter-finals. The lone team through to the semi-finals in Umag, they await the winner of the matchup pitting third seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara against Mili Poljicak and Nino Serdarusic.

In second-round action, Tomislav Brkic and Francisco Cabral upset fourth seeds Andrey Golubev and Maximo Gonzalez 6-4, 7-6(3), while the Croatian team of Antonio Sancic and Franko Skugor downed Slovakians Alex Molcan and Igor Zelenay 4-6, 7-6(4), 10-3.

Krawietz/Mies March On In Kitzbühel
Two-time Roland Garros champions Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies earned a 6-4, 6-1 victory against Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski to reach the semi-finals at the Generali Open. Champions in Barcelona and Munich this season, the Germans are seeking a third title of 2022.

The third seeds will take on top seeds Tim Puetz and Michael Venus for a place in the final.

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Kyrgios/Kokkinakis Advance To Atlanta Semi-finals
Reigning Australian Open champions Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios closed out the Wednesday evening session at the Atlanta Open with a 6-4, 7-6(3) quarter-final victory against Gonzalo Escobar and Hunter Reese. The second seeds saved the only break point they faced in the contest while winning 87 per cent of their first-serve points on the stadium court.

Top seeds Austin Krajicek and Ivan Dodig fell victim to a first-round upset, as Andres Molteni and Santiago Gonzalez scored a 6-3, 7-6(1) win at the ATP 250 event.

When ATP Tour titlists celebrate their championships, they often pose for a series of photos with their team, family and friends. On Sunday, Casper Ruud added global music icon Shania Twain to his list.

Twain, a country music legend, started a flurry of discussion on social media Monday when she posted a photo of herself on court with Ruud following the Norwegian’s triumph in the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad final.

“Spent my Sunday watching Casper Ruud win his second Swiss Open Gstaad,” Twain wrote on Twitter. “Congratulations my friend, what a result!”

Spent my Sunday watching Casper Ruud win his second @SwissOpenGstaad! Congratulations my friend, what a result! 🌞🎾 pic.twitter.com/lQhHuGax4g

— Shania Twain 💎💎💎 (@ShaniaTwain) July 25, 2022

Last year, Twain attended the ATP 250 for the semi-finals and the final, which Ruud won. The Norwegian’s family met the singer through mutual friends, so she returned for another visit to the tournament this edition. Fittingly, Ruud again lifted the trophy.

“I really appreciated that she came back this year and supported me in the final,” Ruud said. “It was nice to see her again.”

#NextGenATP American Brandon Nakashima won the match of the day on Wednesday at the Atlanta Open, saving three set points in the first-set tie-break en route to a 7-6(8), 6-4 victory against John Millman.

Playing in his first event since pushing Nick Kyrgios to a fifth set in the Wimbledon fourth round, the returning Atlanta finalist advanced to his third quarter-final of the 2022 season.

“A lot of long rallies out there and court conditions were tough as always here in Atlanta, but luckily I was able to squeeze that first set out,” said the 20-year-old. “Then I was lucky to get an early break in the second set and ride that out until the end.”

Nakashima led the tie-break 3/0 before falling behind 4/6, but escaped to take command of the match. The eighth seed scored the lone break of the contest midway through set two as he improved his Atlanta record to 6-1.

“I think the court speed definitely suits my game a lot,” he said of the Atlanta setup. “I like the faster conditions, and with the heat it seems to be ideal for my game.”

Fourth seed Frances Tiafoe awaits in the quarter-finals after his 7-5, 6-4 win against Taro Daniel on Wednesday. Tiafoe owns a 3-0 ATP Head2Head record against his countryman, including wins this season at the ATP Masters 1000s in Indian Wells and Miami.

“He’s definitely had my number… but every match with him is super close and we’re good friends off the court,” Nakashima said of the matchup. “Either way, if I play against him, I know it’s going to be a good battle.”

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He will face the winner of the evening session matchup between lucky loser Steve Johnson and Ilya Ivashka, with Johnson seeking to complete an American sweep of Wednesday’s four singles matches. 

Jannik Sinner needed six match points to break the stubborn resistance of Jaume Munar on Wednesday at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag, with the drama peaking as the Italian battled through six deuces to serve out a 6-4, 6-4 victory.

Playing for the first time since his Wimbledon quarter-final defeat against Novak Djokovic, Sinner continued his high level of play to down Munar in the pair’s first ATP Head2Head meeting. He is through to the quarter-finals at the clay-court ATP 250, where he will face Roberto Carballes Baena.

“It was very tough at the end, but I’m happy that I am into the next round,” Sinner said post-match, before addressing the many Italians in the Umag crowd. “It’s never easy when you come back after some time that you don’t play a match. I knew it would be tough… In the beginning I was tight, also in the end a little bit. But it’s part of the progress and hopefully in the next round I can play better.”

Both players hit top gear for stretches in the nearly two-hour contest, but Sinner was always in control as he never trailed in either set. With both players making just more than 50 per cent of first serves, the match included many lengthy rallies, providing ample opportunity for both men to showcase their shotmaking abilities.

After an opening trade of breaks as both players settled in, Sinner won a hard-fought first set courtesy of a loose service game from Munar at 4-4. While the Italian kept the pressure on in the rallies with his athleticism, including a contorting forehand pass midway through the set, Munar stayed level for much of the proceedings with aggressive baseline hitting and several net approaches.

Sinner fought off more aggressive hitting in the second set, showcasing his movement and defensive skills to secure two early breaks either side of his second dropped service game of the match. He saved two break points as he served out the victory and repeatedly attacked the net in the pressure moments. Sinner was clutch under pressure throughout, saving six of the eight break points against him.

The #NextGenATP Italian will face Carballes Baena in the quarter-finals after the Spaniard earned a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 win against fifth seed Alex Molcan.

Another Spaniard also battled back from behind for an upset win, as Bernabe Zapata Miralles knocked out third seed Holger Rune 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, saving eight of 10 break points in the contest. With the win, Zapata Miralles levelled his clay-court record at 7-7 on the season, while Rune fell to 0-7 since reaching the Roland Garros quarter-finals.

Italy’s Giulio Zeppieri, a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 winner against Daniel Elahi Galan on Wednesday, will face Zapata Miralles in the quarter-finals. The 20-year-old is one of eight #NextGenATP Italians in the Top 20 in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan. Zeppieri is up 20 places to No. 148 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings and is poised to enter the Top 150 for the first time.

Dominic Thiem is quietly working his way back into form.

The Austrian was tested on Wednesday, but battled past countryman Sebastian Ofner 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the Generali Open in Kitzbühel. The former World No. 3 has now advanced to at least the last eight in three consecutive weeks.

“It was an unbelievable atmosphere once again. Great afternoon to play tennis again and really happy to get the win. Obviously it was very different conditions to yesterday. It’s not easy to make the change and as well against [Ofner], we know each other very well, practising together a lot of times,” Thiem said in his on-court interview. “It was a great, great fight at the end and happy to be through.”

Before arriving in Bastad less than three weeks ago, Thiem had not won a tour-level match in 2022 as he struggled to discover his best level after returning from a wrist injury in March. But the 28-year-old has now won seven of his past nine matches. 

Ofner put plenty of pressure on his countryman, leading by a break twice in the decider. He also earned two break points when Thiem served for the match, but it was the 17-time tour-level titlist who was more consistent when it mattered most to triumph after one hour and 58 minutes. The 2019 Kitzbühel champion will next play Yannick Hanfmann, who eliminated Ivan Gakhov 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4.

“I don’t think there was too much difference in shotmaking. I think there were some small details in the score. In the third set he was up a break twice and I was able to make the rebreak straight away twice again. If he holds his serve and he goes away in the third set, probably it’s going to be a different outcome. But these were the key moments when twice I was able to straight [away] rebreak.”

Three seeded Spaniards also advanced to the quarter-finals. Third seed Roberto Bautista Agut, fifth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas and seventh seed Pedro Martinez all moved on in straight sets.

Bautista Agut ousted Austrian wild card Jurij Rodionov 6-1, 6-4 to set a clash against #NextGenATP Czech Jiri Lehecka, who clawed past Portugal’s Joao Sousa 7-6(6), 1-6, 6-3.

Ramos-Vinolas eliminated Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas 6-3, 6-4 to advance to a showdown with Martinez, who defeated Argentine Federico Coria 6-4, 6-3.

Did You Know?
Thiem fell to No. 352 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on 13 June. After defeating Ofner, he is up to No. 167 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.