Novak Djokovic defeated #NextGenATP wild card Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-3 on Monday evening at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in his first match of the season.

The match proved more straightforward than his previous meeting with Musetti, which came in the fourth round at Roland Garros last year. In that encounter, a dramatic match in Paris, the Italian was forced to retire in the fifth set after holding a two-sets-to-love lead. 

“All in all, it’s a straight-sets win, so of course I have to be satisfied with my tennis, especially after not playing for two-and-a-half, three months,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “Of course, there were moments when I played great, there were moments when I made a couple of unforced errors in a row uncharacteristically. But it’s normal to expect that [in my] first match after a while.

“I’m glad that I managed to finish out the job tonight in straight sets against a very talented player from Italy who possesses a lot of quality. Of course, he didn’t have much to lose and in windy conditions [it was] a bit tricky to play. But all in all, a very, very pleasant experience for me tonight.”

It was not a flawless performance from Djokovic, but he brought his best in the crucial moments, saving all seven break points he faced to extend his match record in Dubai to 42-6.

The first set hinged on the fourth and fifth games, Djokovic converting his second break point for 3-1 and then recovering from 0/40 to reinforce the break as his speed around court kept Musetti at bay.

The second set was not without its difficult moments for the top seed either, Musetti’s return game presenting a real threat as Djokovic fended off four break points to hold for 4-2.

“I was fortunate to find the right serves on those break points I faced in the sixth game of the second set,” Djokovic said. “That gave me huge relief obviously for the rest of the match.”

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It was nonetheless an accomplished first outing of 2022 for the 37-time ATP Masters 1000 winner, who struck 13 winners including five aces to seal victory in 74 minutes. 

Djokovic needs to perform strongly this week to give himself the best possible chance of retaining his No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings, which is under threat from Daniil Medvedev (View World No. 1 Scenarios Here). Djokovic’s second-round opponent will be Russian Karen Khachanov or Australian Alex de Minaur.

Andy Murray has returned to winning ways in Dubai.

The former World No. 1 was made to work hard for victory on his first appearance at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships since his title run in 2017, coming through a tough first-round clash with qualifier Christopher O’Connell on Monday.

A wayward Murray fell behind in his first meeting with the World No. 158 but kept his composure to run out a 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-5 winner in two hours and 51 minutes.

A cagey first set looked to be going the Australian’s way when forehand errors from the Scot helped him break for 5-4, but the Scot reacted immediately for a break of his own. The Australian stayed solid to take the tie-break 7/4, however, Murray growing frustrated with another unforced error on set point.

O’Connell has enjoyed his time in the Middle East, also qualifying for the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha last week, and Murray was forced to up his level to get himself back into the match. He did so immediately, breaking in the first game of the second set and levelling the match with a second break.

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A deciding set of small margins saw Murray save four break points under pressure when serving at 4-4, and the World No. 89 saved his best for the end as a superbly controlled backhand winner brought up three match points on the O’Connell serve. The Brit converted the second to seal victory, with both players having hit 31 winners in an engrossing encounter.

Murray will look to secure his 700th career win in the second round in Dubai, where his opponent will be either World No. 43 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or fourth seed Jannik Sinner.

Carlos Alcaraz made history on Monday when he cracked the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings for the first time at World No. 20. No active player — including Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer — broke into the elite group at a younger age than Alcaraz, who is 18 years, nine months and 16 days old.  

“It’s really good to be in the Top 20,” said Alcaraz, who accomplished the feat by becoming the youngest ATP 500 titlist in category history (since 2009) on Sunday at the Rio Open presented by Claro. “That was a goal for me at the end of the year, so to be able to do that at the beginning is amazing.”

Eleven active players have broken into the Top 20 as a teenager. The only other active player who did it aged 18 was Nadal, who was 18 years, 10 months and one day old when he reached No. 17 on 4 April 2005.

Youngest Active Players To Crack The Top 20

Alcaraz is the youngest player to break into the Top 20 since Andrei Medvedev, who was 18 years, five months and one day old when he cracked the Top 20 on 1 February 1993.

It has been a rapid rise for Alcaraz, who was No. 406 in the ATP Rankings when he made his ATP Tour main draw debut in Rio de Janeiro two years ago. 

There is nobody younger than Alcaraz in the Top 250. Holger Rune, the World No. 88, is six days older than the Spaniard. Italian Luca Nardi, an 18-year-old who is three months and one day younger than Alcaraz, is at a career-high World No. 283.

– Research assistance provided by Joshua Rey

No. 20 Carlos Alcaraz, +9 (Career High)
#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz has jumped nine spots and climbed into the Top 20 in the ATP Rankings for the first time. The 18-year-old made history at the Rio Open presented by Claro, becoming the youngest ATP 500 champion since the category was created in 2009. The Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals titlist, who defeated Diego Schwartzman in the final, is the youngest active player to have reached the Top 20. Read Rio de Janeiro Final Report & Watch Highlights.

View Latest ATP Rankings

No. 12 Cameron Norrie, +1
The Brit has risen one place following his run to the title at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com. The 26-year-old overcame American Reilly Opelka in the championship match to capture his third tour-level crown. Norrie dropped just one set in Delray Beach and now holds a positive 6-5 record on the season. Read Delray Beach Final Report & Watch Highlights.

No. 19 Nikoloz Basilashvili, +3
The 29-year-old has returned to the Top 20 after he advanced to the final at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. The Georgian, who lifted the trophy at the ATP 250 event in 2021, lost to Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in the championship match. Read Doha Final Report & Watch Highlights.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 13 Diego Schwartzman, +1
No. 15 Roberto Bautista Agut, +1
No. 16 Taylor Fritz, +1 (Career High)
No. 18 Reilly Opelka, +2 (Career High)
No. 53 Arthur Rinderknech, +8
No. 63 Miomir Kecmanovic, +7
No. 76 Francisco Cerundolo, +24 (Career High)
No. 80 John Millman, +11

Italians Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini claimed their fourth tour-level doubles title together on Sunday evening when they defeated third seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 7-5, 6-7(2), 10-6 to win the Rio Open presented by Claro.

The countrymen did double duty on Sunday, winning their semi-final against Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 7-6(4), 6-2 earlier in the day. Fognini also played two singles matches Saturday, reaching the semi-finals before falling against eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.

“Fabio is amazing, he was playing singles all week with a lot of delays because of rain, but did not give up on the doubles and here we are with the title,” Bolelli said.

The last time the pair had triumphed was at the 2015 Australian Open. Bolelli is a nine-time tour-level doubles titlist and Fognini has lifted six tour-level doubles trophies.

The Italians won 64 per cent of their second-serve points compared to 50 per cent for their opponents. Bolelli and Fognini saved four of the six break points they faced.

Murray and Soares were pursuing their first title of the season. Soares, a Brazilian, was trying to earn glory in Rio de Janeiro for the first time.

“Sorry for Bruno, I know how much it means for a Brazilian to win in Rio,” Fognini said. “I love playing here, the fans carried me all week, all the way to this title.”

Carlos Alcaraz earned his first ATP Tour match win as a 16-year-old at the Rio Open presented by Claro two years ago. At the same tournament on Sunday, the 18-year-old Spaniard made more history.

The seventh-seeded Alcaraz defeated third-seeded Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 6-2 to become the youngest ATP 500 champion since the category was created in 2009. It is the second tour-level title of the teen’s career following his breakthrough in Umag last year.

“I can’t believe it, honestly. It has been a great week for me playing a great level,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. “First tournament on clay since a long time, so I’m really happy with the performance during the whole week. It’s an amazing feeling right now.”

When Alcaraz stunned countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas in Rio de Janeiro two years ago, he was No. 406 in the ATP Rankings. With his big win Sunday, the teen is projected to climb into the Top 20 for the first time.

After Schwartzman missed a final forehand return one hour and 27 minutes into the final, Alcaraz fell to his knees in celebration. The reigning Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion overwhelmed World No. 14 Schwartzman with his power and fearless play, winning 12 of the final 16 games on Quadra Guga Kuerten.

Alcaraz converted five of his six break points in the match. Overall, he won 55 per cent of his return points to put constant pressure on his veteran opponent.

The pivotal moment came at 4-4 in the opener. Schwartzman, who played more than five-and-a-half hours of tennis Saturday due to rain earlier in the week, battled hard to maintain contact with the seventh seed. But Alcaraz hit a stunning backhand passing shot from well behind the baseline to earn the deciding break of the set. From there, he seemed in control of the match.

The Spaniard immediately broke in the second set, but Schwartzman refused to go down without a fight, striking back in the next game. Alcaraz was determined as the rain began to fall in the Rio night, breaking again with a rocket-like forehand that the Argentine was unable to handle.

Like he did two years ago against Ramos-Vinolas, Alcaraz showed maturity beyond his years. Instead of letting the pressure of the moment get to him, he used his power, drop shots and trips to the net to finish the job.

“I think this is my game. It’s a lot of variety. It’s the key [to how] I won the match,” Alcaraz said. “I know how Diego plays and this was really important for me.”

It was an impressive week from Alcaraz, who lost his first set of the tournament on Tuesday against Jaume Munar by a lopsided 6-2 margin. But after that, the Spaniard played sensational tennis to shine on the South American clay.

Due to rain, he had to face two tough Italians — top seed Matteo Berrettini and former Top 10 star Fabio Fognini — on Saturday. But Alcaraz defeated Berrettini in three sets and Fognini in straight sets to reach the final. Once there, Alcaraz brought his best to take down the third seed.

Schwartzman, who lifted the Rio de Janeiro trophy in 2018, was pursuing his fifth ATP Tour title. The Argentine also reached the final in Buenos Aires last week.

“I think the South American clay season gives me a lot of confidence, points and rhythm,” Schwartzman said. “After Australia, I went back home not feeling very well. Physically I finished not in the best way in the first tournaments of the year. But then I made the semi-finals and two finals in South America, losing against I think the best opponents every tournament.”

When it came to the moments that mattered most, Cameron Norrie’s return game came to the party in the final of the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com.

The World No. 13 stayed patient to win tie-breaks in both sets against the big-serving of Reilly Opelka and capture a third ATP Tour title with a 7-6(1), 7-6(4) victory on Sunday.

Norrie opened 2022 with four straight losses but found his feet with a quarter-final run in Rotterdam before performing strongly this week to reach the final in Delray Beach. The 2021 BNP Paribas Open champion only dropped one set on his way to the title as he moved to a positive 6-5 match record for the season with his win over World No. 20 Opelka.

“I thought I played a very clean match,” said Norrie after the win. “I didn’t face a break point so that was great. I was happy with the way I played and obviously with the result.

“The tie-breaks I played extremely aggressively, the second one especially, I managed to put a couple of balls away and I was reading the play great. [I’m] super happy to get the win and beat a guy like Reilly, who is confident and playing well and won [the Dallas title] last week.”

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Norrie came out confidently and regularly found a way to make inroads on the Opelka serve, but the World No. 13 was still unable to convert any of the four break point opportunities he carved out in an engrossing first set.

The Brit persevered and eventually got his reward. Opelka had won six out of six tie-breaks during his title run in Dallas and another four this week in Delray Beach, but Norrie’s returning excelled under pressure and he took it 7/1 to seal the first set.

These guys came to PLAY today ⚡⚡@DelrayBeachOpen pic.twitter.com/XT3dbaB3Lc

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 20, 2022

Opelka then received treatment for a sore elbow but that didn’t seem to hinder his biggest weapon, the American ending the match with 25 aces to bring his tournament total to 81. He limited his opponent to just one break point in the second set but was unable to conjure one of his own against Norrie’s serve in the match.

The second-set tie-break was a tenser affair than the first, Norrie staying calm behind a backhand volley to secure the first mini-break of the tie-break and bring up match point at 6/4. Opelka then fired a forehand long to make Norrie the first British winner at Delray Beach after one hour, 52 minutes.

Opelka was positive about his performance despite Sunday’s defeat. “It was a nice two weeks,” said the American after the match. “I played a lot of matches here, a lot of long three-set matches, so my body is definitely feeling it.”

He also felt all-round improvements were responsible for his rise to a career-high ATP Ranking of 19. “Just going through everything [helps],” said Opelka. “Gaining more experience, more knowledge, getting stronger and fitter. It’s hard to pick one thing, there are so many little details that make a big difference. I think it’s just overall growth.”

With the win, Norrie takes a 2-1 lead over Opelka in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series. The World No. 13 attributes the form that has brought him to the brink of the Top 10 to a change of mind set. “I’m able to dictate the play from the beginning of the point,” he said after the match. “I’m definitely more aggressive than I was when I [first] came on tour.

“I had a tendency to be too passive in the bigger moments and I’ve changed that a little bit. I’ve been the one being the protagonist, the one executing the short balls and moving the other guy.”

Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer completed a perfect fortnight in the United States as they claimed victory at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com on Sunday.

The top-seeded pairing held their nerve to defeat Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 6-2, 6-7(5), 10-4 and extend their winning streak to seven matches and earn consecutive ATP Tour titles.

Arevalo and Rojer partnered up for the first time at Delray Beach in 2021, losing out in the first round on that occasion. They did not play together again until the Melbourne Summer Set in January this year, but the newly cemented partnership has enjoyed immediate success and picked up its first title together at the Dallas Open without dropping a set.

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The top seeds looked on course for another comfortable victory in Delray Beach after dominating the first set and establishing a 4-2 lead in the second. One of Arevalo and Rojer’s few disappointments this year was a first-round loss to Nedovyesov and Qureshi in Sydney, however, and the Kazakh-Pakistani pairing proved a tricky prospect again.

The third seeds broke back and went on to force a Match Tie-break, but the El Salvadorian-Dutch pairing reasserted their control and sealed victory in one hour, 50 minutes. Arevalo and Rojer ended the match having won 75 per cent (33/44) of points behind their first serves, restricting their opponents to just two break points.

The Delray Beach title is the 31st of Dutchman Rojer’s career, while his partner Arevalo now has four.

If Novak Djokovic relinquishes the No. 1 ATP Ranking to Daniil Medvedev on 28 February, the Serbian will be happy for his rival.

“It’s in his hands. He deserves to be No. 1,” Djokovic said Sunday before his season debut at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. “Eventually it’s going to happen. If it happens this week, I’ll be the first one to congratulate him.”

The World No. 1 will begin his 361st week atop men’s tennis’ mountain on Monday. If Medvedev lifts the Acapulco trophy, he will ascend to No. 1 the week of 28 February (Learn all scenarios here). 

For his part, Djokovic is solely focussing on what he can control in Dubai, where he owns a 41-6 record.

“The only scenario that I have in my head is to win every match that I play here,” Djokovic said.

The 34-year-old first played the tournament in 2007 and has never failed to reach the quarter-finals. Djokovic is a five-time Dubai titlist, most recently triumphing in 2020, when he earned consecutive Top 10 wins against Gael Monfils and Stefanos Tsitsipas to emerge victorious.

“It’s great to be here. I’ve had some wonderful results in this tournament. It’s been a while since I played for the first time in [the] Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships,” Djokovic said. “[I have] many wonderful memories on and off the court.”

It is a star-studded ATP 500, with all eight seeds inside the world’s Top 20. Marseille champion Andrey Rublev is the second seed and Rotterdam winner Felix Auger-Aliassime is seeded third.

There are also plenty of tough unseeded players in the draw, including former World No. 1 Andy Murray, former World No. 3 Marin Cilic and former World No. 8 Karen Khachanov, who could potentially play Djokovic in the second round if they both make it that far.

“It’s always a very solid, very hard draw and field. Every match you get to play is really on a Grand Slam, ATP Masters 1000 level. It is a 500 category, but it feels that it’s stronger than that definitely with the field of players,” Djokovic said. “I’m excited. I haven’t played a match since Davis Cup in Spain last December. Can’t wait to start an official match tomorrow night.”

^{Photo Credit: Francois Nel/Getty Images}
On Monday evening, Djokovic will play 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals competitor Lorenzo Musetti. It will be the Serbian’s first match of the season.

“Of course, [my] first match is going to be very important to kind of start off the campaign in this year’s tournament in a positive way,” Djokovic said. “I have a young, very talented, tricky opponent in Lorenzo Musetti, who has had a big win over [Hubert] Hurkacz a few weeks ago in Rotterdam.”

Djokovic’s only previous ATP Head2Head clash against Musetti came in the fourth round at Roland Garros last year. The Italian took a two-set lead before the eventual champion stormed back to force a decider. At 0-4 in the fifth set, Musetti retired.

“We played a tough five-setter obviously in Roland Garros. Clay, different conditions. He likes the more bouncy conditions,” Djokovic said. “I think that this court is playing very quick, actually the quickest I ever experienced the surface here in Dubai. It was always fast, but a lot of players that I talked to have been saying the same thing — it’s very, very fast.

“Obviously if you serve well, it’s a big advantage. I’m hoping that I can get the good start of the match, hopefully nice atmosphere on the stadium. I’m definitely motivated and inspired to play my best tennis. We’ll take one day at a time and see how far I can [go].”