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China's Zhang reaches first ATP Tour final, faces Cilic in Hangzhou

  • Posted: Sep 23, 2024

Zhang Zhizhen advanced to his first ATP Tour final on Monday at the Hangzhou Open, where he defeated countryman Buyunchaokete 7-6(3), 6-4 to become just the third Chinese man in history to reach a tour-level championship match.

Competing against wild card Buyunchaokete in the first all-Chinese ATP Tour semi-final, the sixth seed Zhang raised his level on serve at the crucial moments. The 27-year-old saved all four break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and fired 10 aces to earn the biggest win of his season after one hour and 40 minutes.

“It was a great match,” Zhang said. “His performance was really good. In two sets, it was one break. It was a bit lucky but I am happy with the result today.”

Zhang joins 2023 Dallas champion Wu Yibing and this week’s Chengdu finalist Shang Juncheng as the third Chinese ATP Tour finalist.

“We keep going. We try to play our best and try our best. Also for Shang, to try his best and we will see,” Zhang said.

Zhang, who had lost his two previous tour-level semi-finals in Hamburg and Halle, has dropped just one set en route to the title match in Hangzhou. Up to No. 41 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, the Chinese star will meet Marin Cilic in the final.

Earlier, Cilic reached his first ATP Tour final in two years, moving past American Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 7-6(6).

The Croatian wild card, who arrived in Hangzhou at No. 777 in the PIF ATP Rankings, saved two set points in the second set tie-break to become the second lowest-ranked finalist in ATP Tour history.

“I needed to be focused every point. I needed to find a way to find my game and battle against my opponent,” Cilic said after his one-hour, 46-minute win. “It was physical. I was 4/6 behind in the tie-break. I played a great point [at 5/6] and came back. Great spirit, great fight and great tennis.”

Cilic has reached at least one tour-level title match in 14 different seasons since 2008 and will aim to win his first ATP Tour trophy since October 2021 (St. Petersburg) when he faces Zhang.

“It is such a great pleasure to come here. I arrived quite early and have enjoyed the city, the atmosphere,” Cilic said. “It has been an incredible week so far.”

The 35-year-old Cilic is competing in his first ATP Tour event since Buenos Aires in February, after which he was sidelined with a knee injury for several months. The former World No. 3 is aiming to clinch his 21st title and 16th on hard courts.

Nakashima was playing at a career-high No. 39 in the PIF ATP Rankings following his run to the fourth round at the US Open. The former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion was trying to reach his first tour-level final of the season.

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#NextGenATP Shang surges to Chengdu final, will play Musetti

  • Posted: Sep 23, 2024

Shang Juncheng continued to show his home fans why he is a rising star for Chinese tennis on Monday at the Chengdu Open.

The #NextGenATP star eased past Yannick Hanfmann 6-4, 6-4 at the ATP 250 in his homeland to reach his maiden ATP Tour championship match. Shang used his lefty forehand to pull his opponent around the court throughout their maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash, and he broke Hanfmann’s serve once in each set en route to an 89-minute victory.

“A lot of emotions tonight,” said the 19-year-old Shang. “I played some really good tennis to get some breaks on his serve and overall I just played solid tennis. I was very calm in my head and enjoyed the crowd.”

Shang was just the second Chinese man to reach a tour-level final, after 2023 Dallas champion Wu Yibing. Zhang Zhizhen shortly thereafter became the third on that list after defeating another Chinese player, Buyunchaokete, in the semi-finals at the Hangzhou Open later on Monday.

“We’re doing a lot better on the men’s side,” said Shang, when asked about being part of the current wave of Chinese ATP Tour stars. “The women’s side, they’ve been so good in the past. I’m just glad we can make some breakthroughs… I just focus on myself to become a better player, because I know it’s a long way to go if you want to become one of the best.”

Having lost his first two ATP Tour semi-finals in Hong Kong (l. to Rublev) and Atlanta (l. to Thompson) earlier this year, Shang was proactive in his bid to avoid another last-four disappointment. He struck the ball with intent throughout the match and showed few nerves in closing out a victory in which he did not face a break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Shang has bolstered his position in third in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah on the back of his dream run on home soil. The 19-year-old is now just 68 points behind second-placed Alex Michelsen as he chases a debut appearance at the season-ending Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. He will rise above Michelsen into second if he lifts the trophy in Chengdu.

[ATP APP]

Awaiting Shang in the championship match will be top seed Lorenzo Musetti, who is bidding to take the final step into the winner’s circle for the third time in 2024.

Musetti downed qualifier Alibek Kachmazov 6-4, 6-2 to reach the championship match in Chengdu. The Italian, who has also reached tour-level finals at Queen’s Club and in Umag this year, held firm in the face of some clean baseline hitting from his opponent.

Despite the one-sided nature of the scoreline, Musetti needed one hour and 42 minutes to end the fairytale run of Kachmazov, who had not dropped a set all week in Chengdu (including qualifying) prior to the match. The Italian saved all three break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to his personal-best 37th tour-level win of the year.

“He was solid, He was really impressive from the beginning, and it was not easy to break him or to hold serve,” said Musetti in his on-court interview. “I think it was one of my best performances so far on serve and I’m really happy about it. I’m really happy to be in the final.”

Reaching his fifth ATP Tour final this week in Chengdu has also boosted Musetti’s chances of forging a late run to a Nitto ATP Finals debut in 2024. The 22-year-old remains 15th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin but is now just 855 points behind eighth-placed Alex de Minaur.

Despite semi-final defeat, the 22-year-old Kachmazov has risen 73 spots to No. 179 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and is set to rise to a career-high in the PIF ATP Rankings on Wednesday off the back of his run in Chengdu. He defeated Top 100 opponents Aleksandar Kovacevic, Taro Daniel and Nicolas Jarry in the main draw.

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Alcaraz on Laver Cup nerves: ‘I’m a good actor’

  • Posted: Sep 23, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz has developed a winning habit when competing on the biggest stages in the early years of his standout career.

The 21-year-old holds a perfect 4-0 record in major finals and earned the vital win for Team Europe against Team World in the Laver Cup on Sunday night to seal victory for Bjorn Borg’s side. The Spaniard showed little sign of nerves in his straight-sets win against Taylor Fritz in Berlin, but revealed that isn’t always the case inside his head.

“That means I’m a pretty good actor,” Alcaraz said after teammate Grigor Dimitrov felt the Spaniard showed little tension on court. “I was nervous, I’m not going to lie. After Sascha’s match, he did a really good job. It was time for me to do my job. I had to win. After that comeback, I had to win.

“I had nerves, I was a little bit nervous. I tried not to show Taylor that I was nervous, but I think I played one of my best matches so far. Tried to be as match-calm as I can and hit it as good as I can.”

Alcaraz was making his Laver Cup debut and revealed that he felt a different kind of pressure during the team event to what he is used to when he competes for trophies alone on Tour.

“It was a different feeling. Obviously having them [Team Europe] supporting me behind me, it is different,” said 15-time tour-level titlist Alcaraz. “They try to just stay there and show me good energy all the time that makes me feel really comfortable on court and trying to pull out all the nerves and play good tennis.”

[ATP APP]

Captain Borg was leading Team Europe for the seventh and final time, with Yannick Noah set to replace the Swede next year. Borg led Team Europe to Laver Cup glory in five of the seven editions he captained and is pleased with how this year’s event went.

“A good team, good spirit. We have been having a good week together,” Borg said. “If we started this Sunday in the morning, I think we had problems, but all these guys came through. It’s unbelievable. I’m so happy. I’m very happy because it’s my last year Laver Cup, and for me to have this team, it’s beautiful.”

Team Europe trailed Team World heading into the final day of action but won three of the four rubbers on Sunday to earn a 13-11 victory.

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Tokyo Draw: Fritz meets Fils, Turin hopefuls learn fates

  • Posted: Sep 23, 2024

Top seed Taylor Fritz will face #NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils in a blockbuster first-round round match at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, where several stars will aim for deep runs to boost their Nitto ATP Finals hopes.

The American is a former champion at the ATP 500 in Tokyo, lifting the trophy in 2022. The 26-year-old, who advanced to the final at the US Open earlier this month, arrives in Tokyo fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.

If Fritz overcomes Fils, he could play former Top 10 star Matteo Berrettini in the second round. The Italian, who has won three tour-level titles this year, will face a qualifier in his first match following Monday’s draw.

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Second seed Hubert Hurkacz, third seed Casper Ruud, fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and fifth seed Tommy Paul are all in Nitto ATP Finals contention and take to court in Tokyo.

Hurkacz will aim to record his first match win in Tokyo on his third attempt when he meets Marcos Giron in the first round and could play US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper in the second round. The British lefty, currently at a career-high No. 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings, starts against a qualifier.

[ATP APP]

Casper Ruud, who is sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, faces Jordan Thompson, with sixth seed Holger Rune a potential quarter-final opponent. Ruud is in the same half as Fritz. In the bottom half of the draw, Stefanos Tsitsipas begins against a qualifier and is seeded to play Paul in the last eight. Paul takes on Matteo Arnaldi in the first round.

Home favourite Kei Nishikori is a two-time Tokyo champion. The Japanese wild card plays former World No. 3 Marin Cilic in the first round. Nishikori leads the Croatian 9-6 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, with their previous meeting coming at the US Open in 2018.

Seventh seed Frances Tiafoe plays former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion Brandon Nakashima in the first round, while defending champion Ben Shelton takes on American Reilly Opelka. Japanese wild card Yoshihito Nishioka faces Felix Auger-Aliassime, and last year’s semi-finalist Shintaro Mochizuki plays Ugo Humbert.

The hard-court event starts on Wednesday.

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Alcaraz beats Fritz to win thrilling Laver Cup for Team Europe

  • Posted: Sep 22, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz delivered a pair of stunning Sunday performances in Berlin to help Team Europe complete a thrilling 13-11 comeback victory at the Laver Cup.

The No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings defeated Taylor Fritz 6-2, 7-5 in a winner-takes-all singles clash to ensure Team Europe lifted the teams event trophy for the first time since 2021. Alcaraz, who earlier on Sunday partnered Casper Ruud to a crucial doubles victory against Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, had too much firepower from the baseline for his Top-10 rival Fritz.

Along with Ruud and Alexander Zverev, the latter of whom rallied past Frances Tiafoe 6-7(5), 7-5, 10-5 to force the deciding match, Alcaraz ensured that Bjorn Borg ended his seven-year stint as Team Europe captain with his fifth Laver Cup victory. Borg also led his men to victory at the first four editions of the event.

“It’s great. Obviously we came here with a goal, to win the Laver Cup,” said Alcaraz in his on-court interview. “We are very, very happy about reaching our goal. We almost lost, but Sascha came with really good tennis and gave me the chance to win.”

The Spaniard broke Fritz’s serve twice in each set en route to a 90-minute triumph at Uber Arena. After he sent down an unreturnable serve on match point, Alcaraz’s teammates swept onto court to celebrate with him and captain Borg.

“It’s always tough to play Team World at Laver Cup,” said Borg. “You’ve seen good tennis this week and I thought that we weren’t going to win it, but the guys played great tennis and we came through. For me to spend time with these players in Team Europe, it’s a lot of fun. We have a good team spirit and we gave everything. I’m very proud of my team.”

Despite defeat, Team World can look back on a valiant effort in Berlin where, like Borg, John McEnroe was also serving as captain for the seventh and final time. Up against a European team featuring five of the Top 10 players in the PIF ATP Rankings, it at one point stood just three games from victory when Tiafoe led Zverev by a set and a break in their singles encounter.

After Zverev turned that match around, however, Alcaraz came out firing to improve to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Fritz. The foundation of his victory was his serve, and he finished the match having won 80 per cent (33/41) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Although he let slip a break lead in the second set as Fritz rallied from 2-4 to 4-4, Alcaraz earned his fourth break of the match in the 11th game with some razor-sharp returning. From there, he made no mistake in serving out to secure a famous win for Team Europe.

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Borg, McEnroe passing the torch to Agassi, Noah in new Laver Cup era

  • Posted: Sep 22, 2024

It was only fitting that Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe’s seventh and final Laver Cup as captains culminated in a nail-biting showdown, with Team Europe defeating Team World in a competition that came down to the final match — Carlos Alcaraz’s win against Taylor Fritz — on Sunday.

The intense finish mirrored the essence of their legendary rivalry on the tennis court, defined by high-stakes, dramatic twists and fierce competition.

However, their time as captains has come to an end, paving the way for a fresh duo to take the helm. Andre Agassi and Yannick Noah, both legends in their own right, will bring new energy and perspective to the tournament from 2025.

[ATP APP]

With 60 singles titles to his name according to Infosys ATP Stats, including eight major trophies, Agassi is widely regarded as one of the best players of his generation. The former World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings also won the Davis Cup on three occasions with the United States as well as a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

While Noah does not boast the same numbers as Agassi, he was a standout player on the ATP Tour for many years, reaching a career-high No. 4. His most memorable achievement came at Roland Garros in 1983 when he became the first Frenchman to win his home major in 37 years.

The 64-year-old forayed seamlessly into coaching upon retirement, captaining his country to Davis Cup glory in 1991, 1996 and 2017, making him a perfect fit for his new role with Team Europe. Noah’s infectious energy and enthusiasm is something that his new team will benefit from.

Although it is hard to match the rivalry between Borg and McEnroe that transcended their generation, Agassi and Noah did meet on two occasions in 1989, with their Lexus ATP Head2Head record level at 1-1.

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History in Hangzhou! Zhang, Buyunchaokete seal first all-Chinese SF

  • Posted: Sep 22, 2024

Zhang Zhizhen sealed Chinese history again on Sunday at the Hangzhou Open.

With his 6-3, 6-3 win against Roberto Carballes Baena, the sixth seed set the first all-Chinese tour-level semi-final in the Open Era. He will face wild card Buyunchaokete for a place in the final.

“First of all, I’m super happy that he won that match today and, really, congratulations to him,” Zhang said in his on-court interview. “It’s really not easy for us. Me and Shang [Juncheng] and Bu now, three of us, we’re stepping in the Top 100. That’s really good for the history for the China. It doesn’t matter who wins tomorrow. It will be one Chinese guy in the final anyway.”

Entering the week, Buyunchaokete had only played one ATP Tour main draw in his career, reaching the second round in Shanghai last year. But the 22-year-old stunned second seed Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals and on Sunday ousted the resurgent Mikhail Kukushkin 6-4, 6-2.

Buyunchaokete, who saved three of the four break points he faced against Kukushkin according to Infosys ATP Stats, is in the Top 100 of the PIF ATP Live Rankings for the first time at World No. 96.

“It’s a really, really, really good feeling right now,” Buyunchaokete said. “Maybe it’s the best moment for me in my career in the ATP, so I just need to enjoy and show all my best tennis [at] home here with my fans, my team and also a lot of my friends are here. So I just need to enjoy and that’s it.”

The clash between Zhang and Buyunchaokete will be just the fourth all-Chinese matchup at a tour-level event in the Open Era. The previous three were first-round encounters between wild cards. #NextGenATP star Shang Juncheng has also advanced to the semi-finals in Chengdu and last year, Wu Yibing triumphed in Dallas to become the first ATP Tour titlist from China.

“I just focus on my job. These guys are doing better than me on the Tour. They already have some semi-finals and a final on the Tour, but I feel it’s not a surprise,” Buyunchaokete said. “I feel it’s a really normal thing. I mean Triple Z and Jerry [Shang], they have a really good team and they are doing well on the Tour. It’s an amazing week for me at home here, playing a semi.”

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#NextGenATP Shang upsets Bublik for Chengdu SF spot

  • Posted: Sep 22, 2024

Can Shang Juncheng ride home support all the way to his maiden ATP Tour title at the Chengdu Open?

The #NextGenATP star notched a 6-4, 7-6(8) upset against second seed Alexander Bublik on Sunday to reach the semi-finals at the hard-court ATP 250. Shang, the 19-year-old rising star of Chinese tennis, saved a set point at 6/7 in the second-set tie-break before wrapping a one-hour, 51-minute triumph against the World No. 27.

“I guess Alex is always tricky, always a tough battle,” said Shang. “He can serve anywhere. He can put the drop shots anywhere, and overall he’s an amazing player. His past results show that he can win titles, and we’ve played tough matches against each other. I’m just super happy to be in the semis. [It is] my first time here in Chengdu, playing so well.”

Shang, who also defeated Bublik in the first round at the US Open last month, now leads the Kazakhstani 2-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. With his quarter-final victory, the home favourite consolidated his position in third in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. Shang is bidding for a debut appearance at the season-ending Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

[ATP APP]

His opponent in his third tour-level semi-final on Monday in Chengdu will be Yannick Hanfmann, who defeated fourth seed Pedro Martinez 7-6(1), 6-2 to reach his eighth ATP Tour semi-final. The German hit 26 winners to improve his Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Spain’s Martinez to 2-1.

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