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Basilashvili Holds Nerve To Beat Fritz

  • Posted: Oct 17, 2021

After a season of discontent at ATP Masters 1000 level, Nikoloz Basilashvili is one win away from the biggest title of his career after fending off Taylor Fritz in the BNP Paribas Open semi-finals Saturday.

The Georgian, who had suffered five first-round losses from six appearances at Masters 1000 level this year heading into Indian Wells, saved three sets points in the first set and all seven break points he faced – including two in the final game – to defeat the 23-year-old American 7-6(5), 6-3 to reach his first final at this level.

Basilashvili had to wait until the sixth game of the second set to earn a break point chance but capitalised fully to break Fritz for a match-breaking 4-2 lead. In Sunday’s final he will play in-form British left-hander Cameron Norrie.

The 29-year-old World No. 36 swung for the fences from the back of the court, ripping 26 winners (including 14 off the forehand) against 32 unforced errors.

“It means a lot [to make my first Masters 1000 final] especially at Indian Wells, which people call it like a fifth Grand Slam… to get through so many matches is very important,” Basilashvili said. “I’m at the top of my game now and feeling the best.

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“This was my first time in a Masters 1000 semi-final so I was a little bit tight. I just tried to get rid of [the tension] as much as I could because if I just focus on my game I can play good tennis.”

Although he won just 68 per cent of first-serve points, Basilashvili’s ability to dig in and win extended points, coupled with a 59 per cent winning percentage on second serves, proved telling.

Fritz acknowledged that Basilashvili’s power made it difficult for him to convert his break chances. “I had a lot of chances. It’s tough because I got all those chances and break points kind of from being solid and him missing,” Fritz said. “It’s kind of tough on those break points then to just pull the trigger on balls that I didn’t really feel comfortable with. I didn’t feel like I had good looks to kind of pull it on a big point.

“His backhand, he definitely hits harder than anybody on tour. The way that it comes through the court so hard and flat and deep, nothing you can really do. Usually I’m pretty good at fighting off the balls at the backhand. It was a bit tough today. He hit a lot of good backhand lines.”

As he looks to avenge his crushing 6-0, 6-3 loss to Norrie in Rotterdam earlier this year, Basilashvili know he faces a stern test. “He’s very uncomfortable to play and he’s in really good shape right now. He’s playing a very interesting game.”

Basilashvili has won five ATP Tour titles, with his first three coming at the 500 level.

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Norrie Charges Into First Masters 1000 Final

  • Posted: Oct 17, 2021

Cameron Norrie’s shot at the Nitto ATP Finals kicked into top gear Saturday when he dismissed Grigor Dimitrov to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final at the BNP Paribas Open.

The 26-year-old Londoner broke Dimitrov at the beginning of both sets to underpin his 6-2, 6-4 win at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

“It was the biggest match of my career, following on from yesterday, which was the biggest match,” Norrie said. “There was even more pressure today. I came out and played really physical. Grigor was maybe a little tired from the other matches, but he fought hard and made it physical at the start of the second set, which wasn’t easy.”

Norrie began the tournament 14th in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin but displaced Felix Auger-Aliassime in 11th by reaching the final. Should he win his first Masters 1000 title Sunday – against either Nikoloz Basilashvili or Taylor Fritz – he will move past Jannik Sinner in 10th position and to within 125 points of ninth-placed Hubert Hurkacz, who currently sits in the last qualifying position. [Rafael Nadal, eighth in the Race, will not compete in Turin due to a foot injury.]

Most Finals In 2021

Player  Finals
 Novak Djokovic  6
 Cameron Norrie  6
 Daniil Medvedev  5
 Casper Ruud  5
 Stefanos Tsitsipas  5

The defining battle of the match centred around Dimitrov’s backhand. The Bulgarian used his slice in earlier victories against Daniil Medvedev and Hubert Hurkacz to great effect, but it was a different ballgame against the left-handed Norrie.

With his cross-court slice feeding directly into Norrie’s forehand, Dimitrov was forced to hit much closer to the baseline and to hit a greater percentage of topspin backhands, both riskier prospects that in part led to an elevated error count.

Norrie, who toed the baseline in an attempt to dictate play, notched his 46th match win of the year and is now within reach of his second title of the season to back up his triumph in Los Cabos.

“I’ve been playing a lot of big matches this year, which has helped. I feel like I am used to the big moments and the big matches,” Norrie said. “I’m feeling more and more comfortable and I feel like I am playing on my terms in key moments.”

Coming into the match there was a question mark over the fitness of Dimitrov, who looked physically spent after his draining fourth-round win over Medvedev, when he rallied from a set and a double break down to upset the US Open champion. He then survived a third-set tie-break against eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals, which extended his time on court during the tournament to seven hours and 39 minutes. The 30-year-old has also suffered from allergies during the tournament.

In contrast, Norrie is known as one of the fittest players on Tour and had plenty left in the tank after enjoying a quick 6-0, 6-2 win over Diego Schwartzman in the quarter-finals.

Norrie began the year No. 71 in the FedEx ATP Rankings but is now guaranteed to break into the Top 20 and become Briton’s No. 1 player for the first time in his career.

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Karatsev & Rublev Crush Way Into Indian Wells Doubles Final

  • Posted: Oct 16, 2021

Aslan Karatsev dazzled on the baseline and at net Friday night as he teamed with Andrey Rublev to charge into the doubles final at the BNP Paribas Open.

The Russians fell behind 0-3 in the match tie-break against German Tim Puetz and New Zealand’s Michael Venus before winning 10 of the last 12 points to set up a 6-3, 4-6, 10-5 win.

Karatsev, who teamed with Rublev to win the Doha doubles title earlier in the year, crushed numerous clean winners off the return and baseline and also was explosive at net. For his part, Rublev’s massive forehand always kept Puetz and Venus on edge.

In Saturday’s final the ATP Cup-winning teammates will play the winner of seventh seeds John Peers and Filip Polasek and eighth seeded Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo.

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Saturday Preview: Norrie's Path To Turin Runs Through California

  • Posted: Oct 16, 2021

Cameron Norrie began 2021 at No. 71 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, with a 51-60 career match record. A place among the world’s best eight players at November’s Nitto ATP Finals was a fanciful dream… until it wasn’t.

As he prepares for battle against Grigor Dimitrov in his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final in Indian Wells Saturday, the 26-year-old Brit is now two wins away from surging into 10th place in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin. Should he push on to claim the title, Norrie will find himself just 125 points behind Hubert Hurkacz, who currently occupies the last qualifying spot. [Eighth-placed Rafael Nadal will not compete due to a foot injury.]

Norrie has broken new ground at the BNP Paribas Open this year, downing seeds Roberto Bautista Agut and Diego Schwartzman in addition to wins over Tennys Sandgren and Tommy Paul. The run will see the Los Cabos champion replace Daniel Evans as the new British No. 1 on Monday.

“It’s definitely a great bonus to be British No. 1,” Norrie said. “I want to keep pushing. I think I’ve got a lot of things to improve on, but I think it’s one of those things you’ve got to enjoy.

“It’s nice to show some of the hard work from Facu [coach Facundo Lugones] and we’ve been putting in over the last five years after college. It’s showing, and it’s been a lot of fun. It’s one of those things [that is] a bonus, and [I am] really pleased to be playing at the level that I am and enjoying the process of it.”

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Norrie will carry a 1-0 ATP Head2Head lead into his meeting with Dimitrov on Saturday, having defeated the Bulgarian in straight sets in the second round in Miami in March.

Dimitrov, who battled back from a set down against Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round and Hurkacz in the quarter-finals, earning his 100th Masters 1000 win in the process, is appearing in his first semi-final at the Masters 1000 level since Paris in 2019.

“It’s such an amazing thing,” Dimitrov said when asked about his 100th Masters 1000 victory. “I’m very fortunate to be able to put myself in that position over and over, especially throughout the tough years, injuries and so on. It means a lot to me. I really appreciate it. I’m very, very humbled on it. I’m smiling inside. I think it’s a beautiful thing.”

Dimitrov, who rallied back from a set and a double-break down to upset World No. 2 Medvedev in the fourth round to earn his first Top 2 win since 2016, had never been beyond the third round in seven previous appearances in California. The World No. 28 is aiming to win his first title since triumphing at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2017 and is chasing his first final since Rotterdam in 2018.

On facing Norrie, Dimitrov said: “He’s been having great results. It’s not going to be an easy match. That goes without saying. I’m really going to focus on my side of the net and try to build up a plan that I think could be the winning one.”

Taylor Fritz and Nikoloz Basilashvili emerged as unexpected semi-final opponents after both scored upset wins Friday. Fritz clawed back from 0-3 in the third set to defeat World No. 4 Alexander Zverev following Basilashvili’s three-set upset of World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Coming into the tournament, the pair had a combined five match wins at Masters 1000 level this season. Fritz leads their ATP Head2Head series 2-1, with the players splitting honours earlier this year in Doha and Dubai.

World No. 39 Fritz is enjoying a stellar run, having upset Italians Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner before felling Zverev. The 23-year-old, a former junior World No. 1, is 25-18 on the season. This is his fifth semi-final of the season, but he is yet to push on to a final.

Fritz seeks his second career title (Eastbourne 2019) and his first final since Acapulco last year.

In five of his six Masters 1000 appearances this year leading into Indian Wells, Basilashvili had fallen in the first round. He also lost his opener to Lorenzo Sonego at the San Diego Open two weeks ago.

But the 29-year-old is a streaky player, capable of producing big results when they are least expected, with the first three of his five titles coming at the 500 level (Hamburg 2018-19 and Beijing 2018).

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Fritz Saves 2 MPs, Upsets Zverev To Reach Indian Wells SFs

  • Posted: Oct 15, 2021

Taylor Fritz’s breakthrough run continued Friday at the BNP Paribas Open as he saved two match points to earn his second Top 5 win of his career and reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.

The American rallied from a 2-5 down in the decider and saved two match points at 3-5, 30/40 and 4-5, 30/40 to upset World No. 4 Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) after two hours and 22 minutes in Indian Wells.

The 31st seed, who recorded straight-set wins over Nitto ATP Finals hopefuls Matteo Berrettini and Jannik Sinner en route to his maiden Masters 1000 quarter-final, played aggressive tennis against Zverev, firing 36 winners to advance.

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Fritz now trails Zverev 2-3 in their ATP Head2Head series and will face Nikoloz Basilashvili in the last four after the Georgian overcame second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 to reach his maiden Masters 1000 semi-final.

The Californian resident is making his fifth appearance in Indian Wells, with his previous best result a run to the fourth round in 2018. Fritz’s only other Top 5 win came against then-World No. 5 Dominic Thiem at the Laver Cup in 2019.

The 23-year-old has reached semi-finals in Doha, Cagliari and Los Cabos. Fritz will try to avenge his Doha defeat to Basilashvili when they meet on Saturday.

After breaks were exchanged at the start of the first set, with Zverev double-faulting to drop serve, the German began to take control with his consistent deep groundstrokes. The World No. 4 committed just six unforced errors in the set to move ahead.

Fritz altered his tactics in the second set and started to play aggressively as he blasted 13 winners from all areas of the court, overpowering Zverev to march 4-1 ahead. After Fritz sealed the set on his serve, Zverev regained momentum in the decider as he continued to soak up the 31st seed’s power. The American’s level slightly dipped in the third set and after Zverev broke early, he was able to put his foot down and roar into a 5-2 lead.

However, the German’s second serve abandoned him when he was trying to serve out the match, hitting two double faults as Fritz broke back. After moving to a tie-break, the American found his best tennis to prevail in a tight match.

Zverev was aiming to win his third ATP Masters 1000 title of the season in Indian Wells, having triumphed in Madrid and Cincinnati earlier this year. The German entered the match in strong form after winning 20 of his past 21 matches on hard courts.

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Basilashvili Soars Into First Masters 1000 SF In Indian Wells

  • Posted: Oct 15, 2021

Nikoloz Basilashvili sprung a surprise on Friday at the BNP Paribas Open, earning the biggest win of his career with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 upset of World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.

The Georgian was competing in his maiden Masters 1000 quarter-final and produced an impressive performance as he caused Tsitsipas problems from the baseline with his powerful groundstrokes, raising his level in the third set to advance after two hours and nine minutes.

“I have played really great matches this tournament,” Basilashvili said. “I was not that happy with how I played today but I was happy with how I managed my stress levels. First time in the quarter-finals and it is a big court and Stefanos is a super tough player. I had to keep my physical levels and energy levels in a really good shape because I knew mentally I would be a little bit tight and stressed.”

 

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With his victory, the World No. 36 has reduced the deficit to 1-2 in his ATP Head2Head series against Tsitsipas. Before this year, Basilashvili had never won a main-draw match in Indian Wells in four previous appearances. The 29-year-old will now face third seed Alexander Zverev or America’s Taylor Fritz for a place in the final.

Basilashvili, who rallied from a set-and-a-break down in his third-round victory against Albert Ramos-Vinolas, has won tour-level titles in Doha and Munich this year. The 29th seed’s last Top 5 victory came against then-World No. 5 Alexander Zverev in Hamburg in 2019.

“I have spent a lot of time working hard,” Basilashvili added. “I have been playing really well. For me to overcome stressful moments I am really happy. I also found it here that the conditions don’t suit my game because the balls fly a lot, but this year I am playing well.”

Basilashvili First-Serve Placement
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In a lively first set, Basilashvili made a fast start as he broke in the opening game, causing Tsitsipas problems with his powerful groundstrokes. The Georgian controlled the tempo of the match, notching 14 winners in the first set as Tsitsipas struggled to find his rhythm from the baseline.

However, the Greek began to gain momentum in the second set as he dominated the longer rallies as he soaked up Basilashvili’s power. The 23-year-old did not face a break point on his serve as he levelled.

After breaks were exchanged in the third set, Basilashvili produced a strong return game and was gifted the lead when Tsitsipas double faulted on break to move 4-3 ahead. From there, the Georgian kept his composure, fending off pressure from Tsitsipas to hold serve twice to advance.

Tsitsipas was aiming to reach his third consecutive Masters 1000 semi-final in North America, having enjoyed a run to the last four in Toronto and Cincinnati. The Monte-Carlo champion has earned a tour-leading 54 victories this season.

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Nadal Becomes ‘Adopted Son’ Of Flood-Ravaged Spanish Town

  • Posted: Oct 15, 2021

Spaniard Rafael Nadal has been honoured at a ceremony in Mallorca for the help he provided Sant Llorenc des Cardassar in October 2018 after torrential rain and flashing flooding devastated the town.

The storms resulted in the death of 13 people and led to more than 200 people fleeing, with hundreds of homes and businesses swamped with dirty water that reached levels of two meters.

Nadal spent hours helping volunteers to clean up the area and opened up rooms at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar for those who needed refuge. The 35-year-old also provided a donation of one million euros through his foundation.

Now, the 20-time major champion has been given the title ‘adopted son’ by the city council of Sant Llorenc des Cardassar in recognition of his support.

Nadal has not competed since he reached the third round in Washington in August, with his season curtailed due to a foot injury. The World No. 6 underwent treatment on the injury in September.

When speaking at the ceremony, Nadal stated he was unsure of when he will return to match action but is working hard and following a specific daily plan with clear goals.

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