Tennis News

Down the T: Sharky's rapid fire with Ben Shelton

Who is the one person Ben Shelton would never reach out to in an emergency?

Hint: It’s the same person who he thinks is the biggest trash talker.

“Frances Tiafoe would not answer the phone. He’s not answering,” Shelton joked about one of his best friends on tour.

Who is someone outside Top 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings that Shelton hates to play? And the big question: Who does Shelton think is the greatest player of all time?

Watch social media influencer Sharky put the 21-year-old American on the spot in the latest Down the T interview. Find out Shelton’s answers in the full video below.

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Alcaraz meets table tennis stars in China

Carlos Alcaraz, who won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics earlier this year, crossed paths with fellow athletes and Paris Olympics medalists on Friday in Beijing. He met table tennis singles and team silver medalist Truls Moregardh of Sweden, French team bronze medalists Alexis Lebrun and Felix Lebrun, and Simon Gauzy.

The players were in attendance for Alcaraz’s opening match against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The Spaniard, making a second appearance at the China Open, met the players after his straight-sets win against the Frenchman. The table tennis stars are in China for an event that runs through 6 October.

The Lebrun brothers are friends with Eduoard Roger-Vasselin, who is competing in doubles with Santiago Gonzalez at the China Open. The countrymen watched the conclusion of the Alcaraz-Mpetshi Perricard match together.

“I have always enjoyed watching tennis and my brother (Alexis) and I try to play tennis when we are back home in Montpellier,” said Felix, No. 5 in the World Table Tennis rankings.

“It was great to go to the China Open and see the best tennis players and also meet the different players like Alcaraz and (Daniil) Medvedev. Carlos is so fast and very dynamic on the court. He’s very good to watch and he is a nice guy as well. When we met him we talked a little bit about the Olympics and a little bit about his match, but it was a pleasure to meet him and it was great to watch him play.”

“My experience at the China Open was fantastic, great players, great people, great arena, fantastic tennis matches, super high quality and activities for the fans to come and watch,” Moregardh said. “There are so many different foods to eat and I really enjoyed my stay at the China Open.”

Co-tournament director Lars Graff also expressed his pride in having the medalists at the tournament.

“They really enjoyed coming to the China Open and I enjoyed going to WTT to see how they conduct a world-class table tennis tournament,” he said.

Second seed Alcaraz will play Tallon Griekspoor in his bid for a quarter-final spot. He leads the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series 3-0.

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Medvedev solves Mannarino riddle in Beijing

A year ago, Daniil Medvedev made the final in Beijing. Will this be the edition when he breaks through and lifts the trophy at the China Open?

The third seed improved his chances by defeating familiar foe Adrian Mannarino 7-6(6), 6-2 in the second round on Saturday to book his quarter-final spot. He is now three wins from claiming his first tour-level title of 2024.

“It’s not easy to play, so I am happy that [in] the tie-break, [I] managed to save a set point,” Medvedev said. “Two good serves, then return in the court, which was not enough. But tough match, tough battle, happy to win.”

75th tour-level quarter-final 🔓@DaniilMedwed rallies past Mannarino 7-6(6) 6-2! @ChinaOpen | #ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/jBrghyqVwF

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 28, 2024

The No. 5 player in the PIF ATP Rankings had to dig deep against the Frenchman, who has always been a tough opponent for him. Down a set point at 5/6 in the first-set tie-break, Medvedev escaped when his opponent missed a return. He then looked more comfortable as the match progressed.

After exchanging service breaks early on in the second set, he took the lead by hitting a blistering forehand down the line to break Mannarino’s serve again. There was no looking back for him as he made quick work of the Frenchman from there, winning four games in a row to seal the match in one hour, 41 minutes. He leveled the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 4-4.

Medvedev fired eight aces and won 80 per cent of his first-serve points. He finished having converted four out of six break points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

With the win, Medvedev advanced to his 75th tour-level quarter-final and eighth of the season. The 20-time tour-level titlist will next take on rising Italian Flavio Cobolli, who eliminated qualifier Pavel Kotov 6-4, 6-2.

“Titles are more important obviously than finals. But even then 75 quarter-finals are great,” Medvedev said. “When I made my first quarter-final [it] was [in] Moscow and I was pretty happy. And now it’s 75. I am still happy, but not the same way. But if you want to win the tournament you need to be in the quarter-finals.”

Medvedev is fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin. The 28-year-old aims to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the sixth consecutive year.

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Murray & Peers save MP to advance to Beijing QFs

Qualifiers Jamie Murray and John Peers saved a match point against Brazilians Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo to win 7-6(7), 3-6, 12-10 Saturday and advance to the quarter-finals of the China Open in Beijing.

Murray and Peers, who reached the 2015 Wimbledon final, faced match point at 9/10 in the match tie-break, having squandered one of their own at 9/8. The duo recovered to win the next three points and seal the match in one hour, 53 minutes. They won 79 per cent of first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to victory.

Murray and Peers next face Francisco Cerundolo and Nicolas Jarry, who upset second seeds and Australian Open champions Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden 7-5, 7-6(4). Flavio Cobolli and Lorenzo Musetti also shocked Neal Skupski and Michael Venus 6-2, 6-7(4), 10-7, with the Italians converting five of the nine break points they earned to down the fourth seeds.

Draper/Machac Reach Tokyo QFs

Jack Draper and Tomas Machac matched their last eight singles runs in Tokyo by reaching the quarter-finals in the doubles. The pair rallied to upset third seeds and recent Chengdu Open champions, Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul,  5-7, 6-2, 10-8 on Saturday at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships.

Draper and Machac won 84 per cent of their first-serve points to down the French duo, who sit 13th in the PIF ATP Doubles Race. Machac earlier caused another upset in his singles, overcoming Tommy Paul to advance to the last eight, where he faces #NextGenATP star Alex Michelsen.

Draper and Machac meet Ariel Behar and Robert Galloway next, who shocked top seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 6-7(4), 6-4, 10-7. Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool advanced to the quarter-finals via walkover after Ben Shelton and Jordan Thompson withdrew due to Thompson suffering a back injury.

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Sinner seals QF spot with another Beijing comeback

Jannik Sinner’s steely resilience has been on full display so far this week at the China Open.

The No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Saturday notched his second consecutive comeback win at this year’s edition of the ATP 500 in Beijing. Sinner rallied past Roman Safiullin 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 to maintain his record of having reached at least the quarter-finals at every tour-level event he has played in 2024.

After coming from a set down to oust Nicolas Jarry in the opening round, Sinner again found himself in trouble in the Chinese capital after the free-hitting Safiullin broke serve twice en route to the opening set. Yet the top seed responded emphatically to seal a two-hour, 22-minute triumph on the Capital Group Diamond Court.

Comeback complete ✔️@janniksin advances into the quarter-finals at #ChinaOpen ⚡️@ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/9tQ7bGQv5c

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 28, 2024

Sinner’s raw power and consistency from the baseline gradually wore down his opponent, and the Italian won seven straight games from 2-2 in the second set to take control of the second-round encounter. Sinner finished the match having converted four of 13 break points he earned against Safiullin, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

With his 57th tour-level triumph of 2024, Sinner tied Alexander Zverev for the most victories this season. The next challenge for the Italian in Beijing will be a last-eight meeting with Jiri Lehecka, who earlier overcame Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Saturday’s victory was another small step towards becoming ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF for Sinner. He is the runaway leader in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, in which his current advantage over second-placed Zverev stands at 2,985 points.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Two-time champ Nishikori topples Thompson in Tokyo, faces Rune next

Kei Nishikori’s bid for a hat-trick of titles at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships is building momentum.

The home favourite on Saturday breezed past Jordan Thompson 6-2, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals at his home ATP 500 for the sixth time in 11 main-draw appearances. Nishikori broke his opponent’s serve five times in a commanding 83-minute performance inside Ariake Coliseum, where he previously lifted the trophy in 2012 and 2014.

Witnessing a Nishikori masterclass ✨@keinishikori reaches his first ATP 500 quarter-final since 2021!

@japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/pP3CvzlqQA

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 28, 2024

“I think I played a little bit too good,” joked Nishikori after the match. “I surprised myself, maybe my team is also a little bit surprised. I played really well. Very solid, very focused. This is how I wanted to play. Play aggressive with not many mistakes. It was almost perfect today.”

Nishikori was razor sharp on return throughout his second-round victory, particularly when facing second serves. The Japanese star won 67 per cent (14/21) of points against Thompson’s second delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to reaching his first ATP 500 quarter-final since Washington 2021.

With his seventh tour-level victory of his injury-disrupted 2024, the former No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings Nishikori improved to 3-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against the Australian.

“For sure this was the best match so far this year,” said Nishikori. “Jordan is not an easy player to play against. He is very solid and has a good serve. Not easy to play against, but I really handled it well today.”

Awaiting Nishikori in the last eight will be sixth seed Holger Rune, who ended the hopes of another Japanese star, Yoshihito Nishioka. Rune eased to a 6-2, 6-4 triumph in just 67 minutes to reach the quarter-finals on his Tokyo debut.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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#NextGenATP Michelsen advances to Tokyo QFs

Will #NextGenATP star Alex Michelsen add a maiden title to his breakthrough season on the ATP Tour?

The 20-year-old advanced past Christopher O’Connell 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday to reach the quarter-finals at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo.

The qualifier, who rallied to upset fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the opening round, struck 23 winners to dismantle O’Connell in one hour and 19 minutes. The No. 49 player in the PIF ATP Rankings also saved all three break points he faced to progress to his second ATP 500 quarter-final of the season (Washington).

“The quality of these matches was good, getting my rhythm here. I feel like I’ve been attacking really well, coming to the net a lot, especially today,” Michelsen said in his post-match interview, “I felt like I served really well and won a lot of points on that and that’s what I’ve been working on, so I’m super happy with that.

“I’m only going to play a couple more tournaments this year. I’m feeling really good to be honest, [I’m] going to finish the year strong.”

Tenacity 💯

Alex Michelsen is in his 8th ATP QF following a 6-1 6-4 win over O’Connell in Tokyo!@japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/zr3ZPfPvgJ

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 28, 2024

Michelsen’s success this season has been underlined by reaching the final in both Newport and Winston-Salem, placing him second in the PIF ATP Live Race to Jeddah. The American will next face Tomas Machac, who rallied to overcome fifth seed Tommy Paul 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head encounter.

The Czech clawed back from 0-3 down in the deciding set to close out the match in two hours, 35 minutes. He hit 33 winners, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to surge to a sixth ATP Tour quarter-final of the season.

“You never know, but in these conditions against this kind of player, it’s tough to believe when you’re losing in the first set and in the beginning of the second set,” Machac said after the match. “I just started to play much better in the second set than the first set, it was unbelievable from my side.

“I just tried to fight for every ball and I just tried to hope for victory.”

Paul, who was the highest ranked player left in the draw, suffered a blow to his Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes. The American currently sits 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, 520 points shy of eighth place.

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Wada appeals against Sinner doping exoneration

World number one Jannik Sinner was cleared of wrongdoing after twice testing positive for a banned substance in March.

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What is the Beijing tennis schedule?

It will be a jam-packed Saturday at the China Open in Beijing, where No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Jannik Sinner headlines the order of play.

The Italian faces lucky loser Roman Safiullin in their third Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. Sinner leads their series 2-0.

Other ATP stars to watch include third seed Daniil Medvedev, who takes on Adrian Mannarino. Rising Italian Flavio Cobolli plays Pavel Kotov.

ORDER OF PLAY – SATURDAY 28 SEPTEMBER 2024

CAPITAL GROUP DIAMOND start 11 a.m.
WTA – [3] Jasmine Paolini (ITA) vs Clara Tauson (DEN)
WTA – [1] Aryna Sabalenka vs [Q] Mananchaya Sawangkaew (THA)
ATP – [1] Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs [LL] Roman Safiullin

Not Before 7 p.m.
WTA – [LL] Kamilla Rakhimova vs [5] Qinwen Zheng (CHN)

Not Before 8:30 p.m.
ATP – Adrian Mannarino (FRA) vs [3] Daniil Medvedev

LOTUS start 11 a.m.
ATP – Flavio Cobolli (ITA) vs [Q] Pavel Kotov
ATP – Jiri Lehecka (CZE) vs [Q] Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP)

Not Before 2:30 PM
WTA – [30] Yue Yuan (CHN) vs Karolina Muchova (CZE)
WTA – [18] Madison Keys (USA) vs [Q] Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP)
WTA – Viktorija Golubic (SUI) vs [16] Donna Vekic (CRO)

MOON start 11 a.m.
WTA – [11] Liudmila Samsonova vs Cristina Bucsa (ESP)
WTA – [WC] Sijia Wei (CHN) vs [13] Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA)

Not Before 2:30 p.m.
WTA – Ashlyn Krueger (USA) vs [29] Lulu Sun (NZL)
WTA – [17] Mirra Andreeva vs Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU)

BRAD DREWETT start 11 a.m.
WTA – Elisabetta Cocciaretto (ITA) vs [24] Elise Mertens (BEL)
WTA – Jacqueline Cristian (ROU) vs [7] Barbora Krejcikova (CZE)
WTA – [25] Dayana Yastremska (UKR) vs Nadia Podoroska (ARG)
WTA – Lyudmyla Kichenok (UKR) / Marta Kostyuk (UKR) vs [2] Katerina Siniakova (CZE) / Taylor Townsend (USA)

COURT 3 start 11 a.m.
WTA – [9] Daria Kasatkina vs [LL] Jana Fett (CRO)
WTA – Camila Osorio (COL) vs [34] Amanda Anisimova (USA)

After Suitable Rest
WTA – [OSE] Elisabetta Cocciaretto (ITA) / Liudmila Samsonova vs [OSE] Anastasia Potapova / Yulia Putintseva (KAZ)
WTA – Ulrikke Eikeri (NOR) / Fang-Hsien Wu (TPE) vs [7] Hao-Ching Chan (TPE) / Veronika Kudermetova

COURT 5 start 11 a.m.
ATP – Rafael Matos (BRA) / Marcelo Melo (BRA) vs [Q] Jamie Murray (GBR) / John Peers (AUS)
ATP – Francisco Cerundolo (ARG) / Nicolas Jarry (CHI) vs [2] Rohan Bopanna (IND) / Ivan Dodig (CRO)
after suitable rest – ATP – [4] Neal Skupski (GBR) / Michael Venus (NZL) vs Flavio Cobolli (ITA) / Lorenzo Musetti (ITA)
ATP – Austin Krajicek (USA) / Rajeev Ram (USA) vs Wesley Koolhof (NED) / Nikola Mektic (CRO)

COURT 4 start 11 a.m.
WTA – Moyuka Uchijima (JPN) vs [31] Magda Linette (POL)

Not Before 1 p.m.
WTA – Hanyu Guo (CHN) / Xinyu Jiang (CHN) vs Leylah Fernandez (CAN) / Aldila Sutjiadi (INA)
WTA – Asia Muhammad (USA) / Jessica Pegula (USA) vs Tereza Mihalikova (SVK) / Olivia Nicholls (GBR)
WTA MATCH

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What is the Tokyo tennis schedule?

The action at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships continues on Saturday with second-round singles match and exciting doubles matchups.

Among the stars who will be in action include former No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings and home hero Kei Nishikori, who takes on in-form Australian Jordan Thompson, and sixth seed Holger Rune, who plays Japanese lefty Yoshihito Nishioka.

Ben Shelton will return to court in doubles alongside Thompson against Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool.

ORDER OF PLAY – SATURDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 2024

COLOSSEUM – start 11 a.m.
[5] Tommy Paul (USA) vs Tomas Machac (CZE)
[Q] Christopher O’Connell (AUS) vs [Q] Alex Michelsen (USA)
Jordan Thompson (AUS) vs [WC] Kei Nishikori (JPN)

Not Before 6:00 PM
[WC] Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) vs [6] Holger Rune (DEN)

Followed By
After suitable rest – Ben Shelton (USA) / Jordan Thompson (AUS) vs Julian Cash (GBR) / Lloyd Glasspool (GBR)

KINOSHITA GROUP ARENA – start 11 a.m.
[3] Sadio Doumbia (FRA) / Fabien Reboul (FRA) vs Sander Gille (BEL) / Joran Vliegen (BEL)
Rinky Hijikata (AUS) / Alexei Popyrin (AUS) vs [2] Hugo Nys (MON) / Jan Zielinski (POL) 03
[1] Nathaniel Lammons (USA) / Jackson Withrow (USA) vs Ariel Behar (URU) / Robert Galloway (USA)

Followed By
After suitable rest – [3] Sadio Doumbia (FRA) / Fabien Reboul (FRA) or Sander Gille (BEL) / Joran Vliegen (BEL) vs Jack Draper (GBR) / Tomas Machac (CZE)

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