Tennis News

Soaring Sebastian: Baez Youngest To Win Five Challenger Titles In A Season

In front of friends and family, Sebastian Baez etched his name in the record books on Sunday at the Racket Club in Buenos Aires. The 20-year-old Argentine triumphed on home soil at the Dove Men+Care Challenger de Buenos Aires, becoming the youngest player to win five titles in a season in ATP Challenger Tour history.

Employing his trademark agility and superior defense, Baez was unflappable as he marched through the draw in his hometown. He took his chances often on Sunday, launching his 5’7″ frame into forehand winners from all corners of the court to upset top seed and World No. 92 Thiago Monteiro 6-4, 6-0. It was the #NextGenATP star’s third Top 100 victory of the year.

Baez, who reeled off 10 sets in a row to lift the trophy, is in the midst of a stunning run on the Challenger circuit, securing back-to-back crowns in Santiago and Buenos Aires and posting an 18-2 record since early September. His reward: a career-high No. 112 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, as he continues to plot his charge towards the Top 100.

“The support and warmth of the crowd and my family was incredible this week,” said Baez. “This is the biggest title of my career, for the level I had all week. I gave everything I had on the court. My goal remains the same: to continue improving in every tournament. The results will follow. With my team, we will move towards that objective. I would not be where I am today without them.”

Baez’s latest triumph in his home capital included many impressive scalps along the way. Straight-set wins over former World No. 50 Juan Ignacio Londero, fourth seed Juan Pablo Varillas and fellow #NextGenATP Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo was followed by his 75-minute rout of top seed Monteiro in Sunday’s championship. With his serve leaping off the hometown clay, he was broken just twice combined in his last three matches of the week.

With the victory, Baez joins Benjamin Bonzi (6) and Tallon Griekspoor (6) as players with at least five Challenger titles in 2021, adding to victories in Concepcion, Santiago-1, Santiago-3 and Zagreb. In addition, his 86.6 win percentage (39-6 record), is second on tour this year, behind only Jenson Brooksby’s 88.5 mark.

In other action… Gerald Melzer celebrated a long-awaited return to titletown with his first Challenger crown in four years in Bogota. The Austrian, who ascended to a career-high No. 68 in 2016, has struggled with a chronic ankle injury in recent years. In fact, he was unable to step on a match court for nearly 24 months.

After making his return to action in July, Melzer would reach five Challenger quarter-finals before advancing to the first championship match of his comeback. There, he would not be denied his return to the winners’ circle. The Vienna native overcame a five-hour rain delay and a deciding tie-break to edge Argentina’s Facundo Mena 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(5) on Sunday. It was his eighth Challenger title in total and first in exactly four years, since prevailing in Guayaquil in 2017.

At the inaugural Losinj Open in Losinj, Croatia, it was Carlos Taberner lifting his third trophy of the year and cracking the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. The Spaniard triumphed when Marco Cecchinato withdrew ahead of the final due to an elbow injury. The new tournament is held at former World No. 3 Ivan Ljubicic’s academy on the Croatian island of Losinj.

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Sinner Returns To Top 10 Of 2021 FedEx ATP Race To Turin

10th Jannik Sinner, +1
One week after being displaced by Cameron Norrie in 10th in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin following the Brit’s run to the title in Indian Wells, Sinner regained his position in the Top 10 after winning his fifth tour-level crown in Antwerp. The Italian, who is bidding to make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals, is the youngest player to capture five tour-level trophies since 19-year-old Novak Djokovic triumphed in Estoril in 2007. Read Antwerp Final Report & Watch Highlights

View Latest FedEx ATP Race To Turin Rankings

16th Diego Schwartzman, +1
The 29-year-old has risen one spot to 16th after he enjoyed a run to the championship match in Antwerp. The Argentine overcame former World No. 1 Andy Murray and #NextGenATP Americans Brandon Nakashima and Jenson Brooksby, before falling to Sinner. It is the second time Schwartzman has reached the final at the European Open, having also advanced to that stage in 2019.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
20th Lloyd Harris, +1
23rd Karen Khachanov, +5
35th Marin Cilic, +8
57th Brandon Nakashima, +9

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Sinner Surges In Race With Antwerp Title

The competition for the three remaining singles spots at the Nitto ATP Finals was already tight, and it heated up further on Sunday when Jannik Sinner won the European Open in Antwerp.

The Italian on Monday will climb to 10th in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin with 2,845 points, moving him to within 110 points of ninth-placed Hubert Hurkacz (2,955). The Polish star holds the final qualifying position for the season finale, since eighth-placed Rafael Nadal’s season is over due to a foot injury.

“Of course it’s [on] your mind trying to go there. I would be lying if it wasn’t like that,” Sinner said. “Every player feels pressure, but when you go on court you have to try to think about the match, your tactics against different players. I think this is the way to not think about Turin and all the other stuff.”

Sinner, who won the 2019 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, is trying to qualify for the year-end championships in front of his home crowd. But instead of worrying about the pressure on him to get there, he is taking the challenge in stride and viewing it as a positive.

“Honestly, I love to play tennis, and this is the reason why I play,” Sinner said. “Obviously you would like to go to Turin or you want to win this match or that point, but sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t happen. You have to accept that. Honestly, I just try to play tennis.”

Current FedEx ATP Race To Turin (Nos. 6-13)

^{*Out for rest of 2021 due to foot injury}
Sixth-placed Matteo Berrettini is in good position to qualify for the second time (4,000). After the Italian, only 220 points separate seventh-placed Casper Ruud (3,015) and 11th-placed Cameron Norrie (2,795) in the Race, making every match critical. The sixth through 12th players in the Race — with the exception of eighth-placed Nadal — are all competing this week in the Erste Bank Open, an ATP 500 event. Ruud and Sinner could meet in a crucial showdown in the quarter-finals if they both advance that far.

Although he still has ground to make up, Aslan Karatsev boosted his Race hopes on Sunday by capturing the VTB Kremlin Cup trophy. The 13th-placed Russian now has 2,280 points and is within 675 points of Hurkacz.

Karatsev, who also triumphed in Dubai earlier in the year, can further climb the standings this week at the St. Petersburg Open, where he is the fourth seed.

The five singles players who have guaranteed their spots in Turin are Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev.

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Emma Raducanu: US Open champion relaxed about coaching situation

Britain’s Emma Raducanu says she is “learning to coach myself” as she prepares for the Transylvania Open in Romania this week.

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Scouting Report: Tsitsipas Tops Vienna Field, Rublev In Action In St. Petersburg

ATP Tour action continues this week in Vienna and St. Petersburg, where some of the sport’s biggest stars will be in action.

Stefanos Tsitsipas leads the way at the Erste Bank Open, where he will be able to get revenge against the player who defeated him last year in Vienna. Andrey Rublev, the most recent player to earn his spot at the Nitto ATP Finals, will try to claim a trophy on home soil at the St. Petersburg Open.

ATPTour.com looks at what you should watch in the week ahead.

View Draws: Vienna | St. Petersburg

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN VIENNA
1) Tsitsipas Top Seed: The top seed is Stefanos Tsitsipas, who will play in the Erste Bank Open for the second time. The Greek made his debut last year, when he fell in three sets against 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov. The pair will meet in the first round of the ATP 500 this year.

Tsitsipas has already won two titles this season — in Monte Carlo and Lyon — and will attempt to add a third in Austria. The second seed is Alexander Zverev, who will compete in Vienna main draw for the second time (2017).

2) FedEx ATP Race To Turin Heating Up: Five players have already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, and the Erste Bank Open will be critical for those trying to claim one of the final three spots. Matteo Berrettini (4,000 points) is in strong position to qualify, and he is the third seed in Austria. Casper Ruud, who is seventh in the Race (3,015), has a tough opener in Vienna against in-form South African Lloyd Harris.

Hubert Hurkacz, who is ninth in the Race, currently occupies the final qualifying position (2,955), as eighth-placed Rafael Nadal is out for the season due to a foot injury. But just 110 points behind the Pole is Jannik Sinner (2,845), who claimed his fourth title of the season in Antwerp. Sinner could play Ruud in the quarter-finals.

Eleventh-placed Cameron Norrie (2,795), the Indian Wells winner, and 12th-placed Felix Auger-Aliassime (2,330) will need big efforts at the Erste Bank Open to keep pace.

3) Murray Leads Former Champs: One of the three wild cards was given to Andy Murray, who will compete in Vienna for the third time. The Scot has won the tournament twice (2014 and 2016), and has an 8-0 record at the event. He will face a familiar foe in Hurkacz, who defeated him earlier this year in Cincinnati and Metz.

Another former champion playing the ATP 500 is Kevin Anderson, who triumphed here in 2018. The South African battled through qualifying to earn his place in the main draw, in which he will play Australian Alex de Minaur.

4) First-Round Blockbusters: There are plenty of popcorn first-round matches in Vienna, including three meetings between current or former Top 10 players: Tsitsipas faces former World No. 3 Dimitrov, eighth seed Diego Schwartzman plays former World No. 9 Fabio Fognini and fifth seed Hurkacz chases another win against former World No. 1 Murray.

Other first-round matches to watch include Gael Monfils against #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti, seventh seed Sinner plays big-serving American Reilly Opelka and #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz challenges Briton Daniel Evans.

5) Doubles Showdown: The doubles field is loaded in Vienna, where Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic are the top seeds. The Croatians have won nine tour-level titles this season, but they have not triumphed since the Tokyo Olympics. US Open champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, who like the top seeds have already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, are the second seeds. Teams to watch include home favourite Jurgen Melzer and Alexander Zverev, and Tsitsipas and Spaniard Feliciano Lopez.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ST. PETERSBURG
1) Rublev Defending Champion: Rublev is the reigning titlist in both St. Petersburg and Vienna, but he will try to retain his trophy on home soil in St. Petersburg. The Russian owns an 8-4 record at the event, where he also made the quarter-finals in 2019. Rublev, who has won two of his eight ATP Tour titles on home soil, will open his run against Winston-Salem winner Ilya Ivashka or Serbian Laslo Djere.

2) Karatsev In Form: Aslan Karatsev will make his Top 20 debut this week at the St. Petersburg Open, as he looks to win back-to-back titles in Russia. The 2021 breakthrough star triumphed on Sunday in Moscow, where he did not lose a set in the tournament. Fourth-seeded Karatsev will make this third main draw appearance at this event (1-2) and begin his run against Australian John Millman or wild card Yshai Oliel of Israel.

3) Second Seed Shapovalov: Denis Shapovalov is the second seed in St. Petersburg, where he has enjoyed success in the past. The dynamic Canadian advanced to the semi-finals in 2019 and the quarter-finals in 2018. The 22-year-old lefty will chase his second ATP Tour trophy this week. He opens against Spaniard Pablo Andujar or Argentine Federico Delbonis.

4) Seeded Americans: Two of the eight seeds in the singles draw are Americans: fifth seed Taylor Fritz and eighth seed Sebastian Korda. Fritz is fresh off his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final in Indian Wells, and he is playing here for the second time. Korda, who lifted his maiden ATP Tour trophy this year in Parma, is making his debut.

5) Murray/Soares Pushing For Turin: Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares have played in the Nitto ATP Finals together on three previous occasions, and they are trying to make it four this year. Currently eighth in the FedEx ATP Doubles Race To Turin, Murray and Soares can improve their standing this week in St. Petersburg, where they are the top seeds.

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Karatsev Beats Cilic For Moscow Crown

Aslan Karatsev captured his second tour-level title on Sunday at the VTB Kremlin Cup to keep alive his hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals.

The Russian was strong on serve, overcoming two-time Moscow champion Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-4 in 77 minutes. Karatsev has now levelled his ATP Head2Head series with Cilic at 1-1, avenging his defeat to the Croatian in Cincinnati.

The second seed, who did not drop a set en route to the title, is 13th (2,280 points) in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin, 675 points behind ninth-placed Hubert Hurkacz. The Pole occupies the final qualification spot with eighth-placed Rafael Nadal out for the rest of the season with a foot injury.

“It is a dream come true,” Karatsev said in his on-court interview. “It is a tournament where I have played in qualifying at and now I am winning the tournament. Thank you for all of your support. It was a very nervous final game, I hit a double fault and then on break point there was that long rally, but I managed to win it in the end.”

Karatsev had never been beyond the second round in four main-draw appearances at the ATP 250 event. With his victory, the home favourite has become the 10th different Russian to win the Moscow title in the tournament’s 31-year history.

In a fast start, Karatsev broke Cilic in the first game and served well throughout the opening set, not facing a break point and dropping just one point behind his first delivery to move ahead. The Russian continued to dictate in the second set, pinning Cilic behind the baseline with his backhand. Karatsev then seized further control in the seventh game of the second set as he broke again, before securing his victory on serve.

“First of all, I would like to dedicate my win to my parents, my mum and my father. All my relatives and all of my friends,” Karatsev added.

The 28-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough 2021 season, reaching the semi-finals at the Australian Open as a qualifier, before he lifted his maiden tour-level trophy in Dubai. Karatsev also advanced to the final in Belgrade.

Cilic, who triumphed in Moscow in 2014 and 2015, was aiming to win his 20th tour-level title. Earlier this season, the World No. 41 overcame Felix Auger-Aliassime in the championship match in Stuttgart.

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Sinner Storms Past Schwartzman For Antwerp Title, Continues Turin Chase

The historic achievements continue to add up for Jannik Sinner.

The Italian star defeated second seed Diego Schwartzman 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday to win the European Open, marking his fifth ATP Tour title. The 20-year-old is the youngest player to claim five tour-level trophies since 19-year-old Novak Djokovic triumphed in Estoril in 2007.

“I felt great on court. I moved well. Today I also served better, I think,” Sinner said. “I felt great, but in tennis every day is different. You have to be careful. I think I played well the whole tournament, to be honest, from the first point to the last point.”

It was a key week for Sinner, who will climb to 10th in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin on Monday as he tries to qualify for a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals. The Italian will trail ninth-placed Hubert Hurkacz by just 110 points for the final qualifying spot, as Rafael Nadal is out for the season due to a foot injury.

Sinner did not lose a set en route to the title. The Monaco resident played some of his best tennis towards the end of the tournament, dropping just eight total games against in-form South African Lloyd Harris and Schwartzman in the semi-finals and final.

The top seed overpowered the Argentine in the championship match, blasting winners from all areas of the court, especially off his forehand wing. Sinner returned aggressively and never allowed Schwartzman to claw his way into the match.

“I like to play indoors. I tried to push the ball [through the court] today, which for me was important against Diego because he is moving very well. He’s not missing so many shots,” Sinner said. “For me it was important trying to adapt the game somehow against him.”

The second seed was left frustrated as he tried to work his way into points. But as Sinner continued blasting through the court in the second set, Schwartzman showed his appreciation for his opponent’s level by giving him a thumbs up.

Sinner saved the two break points he faced and lost just two first-serve points (21/23) in a comprehensive serving performance. But his returning was also impressive, as he won 53 per cent of his return points and broke Schwartzman four times in his one-hour, 16-minute triumph.

“I think I can be very proud about the level I played,” Sinner said. “In the other way, tomorrow I go to Vienna. There’s another tournament already. There are different conditions. I won in Washington and then I lost first round in Toronto. I’m trying to not [let] this happen in Vienna, hopefully. It’s going to be a tough opponent [against Reilly Opelka].”

The Argentine was trying to claim his second ATP Tour title of the season (also Buenos Aires) and his first career trophy on an indoor hard court. Like Sinner, Schwartzman did not lose a set on his way to the championship match.

Did You Know?
Sinner is the fifth player to win at least four tour-level titles this year, joining Casper Ruud (5), Novak Djokovic (4), Daniil Medvedev (4) and Alexander Zverev (4).

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Mahut & Martin Cruise To Antwerp Doubles Title

Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Fabrice Martin clinched their first ATP Tour doubles title as a team on Sunday in resounding fashion with a 6-0, 6-1 win against Dutchmen Wesley Koolhof and Jean-Julien Rojer in the European Open final.

Mahut typically plays with Pierre-Hugues Herbert, and Martin competes alongside Jeremy Chardy. But they meshed well together in Belgium, earning the crown without losing a set.

“I was very happy that Nico offered me to play. He’s always been a model and someone to follow because his results are unbelievable. Since I’ve played doubles, he’s always been someone I’ve looked at,” Martin said. “Today to win with him is something really nice, because we got on really well on and off the court. I’m happy that I managed to play well as well next to him, so it was a very good week.”

The second seeds won 60 per cent of their return points and broke their opponents’ serves five times to lift the trophy in Antwerp after 54 minutes. Mahut was happy with the pair’s performance in their third tournament together.

“The week was amazing, like Fabrice said. We actually played the week before the US Open in Winston-Salem and I had a calf injury, so I had to pull out from the second round. But I said to Fabrice, ‘I’ll be ready for Antwerp’,” Mahut said. “We had an amazing week.”

Mahut has made 49 of 51 tour-level finals with Frenchmen, and this was his 34th title. Martin is now a seven-time ATP Tour titlist.

Koolhof and Rojer became full-time partners earlier this year, and the Dutchmen were trying to win their first title together. The third seeds had not lost a set en route to the final.

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Heliovaara/Middelkoop Save 3 MPs, Win Moscow Title

Harri Heliovaara and Matwe Middelkoop completed their dream debut week as a team on Sunday with a title, overcoming Tomislav Brkic and Nikola Cacic 7-5, 4-6, 11-9 in the VTB Kremlin Cup final.

The unseeded pair won 81 per cent (29/36) of their first-serve points and saved three match points in the Match Tie-Break, rallying from 6/9, before securing their victory after one hour and 44 minutes.

“It is so painful for your opponents that you almost feel it for them, but at the same time you are over the moon with your own emotions,” Heliovaara said. “This is what you play for, for these emotions. The fans also love it when it comes to those moments. The Match Tie-Break brings so much excitement to the game.”

Middelkoop was the reigning champion in Moscow, having triumphed at the ATP 250 event with Marcelo Demoliner in 2019. The 38-year-old has now won 11 ATP Tour doubles crowns, while Heliovaara has clinched two titles at this level. The Finn lifted the trophy in Marseille with Lloyd Glasspool in March.

“I really enjoyed playing with Harri,” Middelkoop said. “Harri is a good personality and a great fighter and he is fresh and is young and wants to learn and we are very appreciative towards each other. I think our games complement each other and I think we did a hell of a job today.”

Fourth seeds Brkic and Cacic were playing in their fourth tour-level final of the season together and were aiming to clinch their second tour-level crown as a team after triumphing in Buenos Aires in March.

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Murray: ’It’s Been Amazing That I’ve Been Able To Get Back'

Despite some tight defeats over the past month, Andy Murray is feeling encouraged by his recent performances as he looks ahead to competing at the Erste Bank Open.

The Scot has fallen to Top 10 stars Hubert Hurkacz, Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev since the US Open, before being edged by Diego Schwartzman in Antwerp. However, the former World No. 1 won a mammoth three-hour 45-minute classic against Frances Tiafoe in his opener at the European Open and believes he is moving in the right direction.

“It has been better. From the grass season to the US Open, I played well,” Murray said. “I played better tennis at the US Open. Since then, it has been consistently better each week. It has not been perfect, but most of the matches I have had chances and opportunities in, which certainly wasn’t the case in the grass season and some of the matches I played before the US Open. I have had some decent wins and some tight matches with some top players.”

Murray has been working his way back to top form since he underwent hip surgery in 2019. The former World No. 1 has won the title in Antwerp since then and has secured impressive victories against players such as World No. 4 Alexander Zverev.

“It has been amazing that I have been able to even get back and be playing,” Murray said. “Some of the results I have had, some will go ‘Oh he’s not winning enough against top players or he should be doing better’. But I shouldn’t be doing better than what I am with the situation with my body and what I have been through.

“I don’t think there are many players who would be able to compete with the top five players with a metal hip. I am proud of myself for putting myself in a position to compete with those guys. But ultimately if I want to get back to somewhere close to the level I was at before I need to be winning those matches.”

Murray has fond memories in Vienna, having won the title at the ATP 500 event in 2014 and 2016. The wild card will begin his campaign against Hurkacz, against whom he lost in Cincinnati and Metz this season.

“I need to be a bit more clinical and ruthless when my opportunities come,” Murray said. “That was one of the things when I was right at the top of the game was a strong part of my game and I need to get back to that. When my opportunities come, I am going to take them and be clinical. Finish those sets off when you get ahead and not think that more chances are going to come along because when you play the top players, you don’t get loads.”

The World No. 172 will be joined by countryman Cameron Norrie in Vienna. The 26-year-old won his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells, cracking the Top 20 of the FedEx ATP Rankings with his victory.

Murray heaped praise on the British No. 1, who is 10th in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin as he bids to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals.

“Cameron Norrie has had a fantastic season and has done really well,” Murray said. “I don’t think he had ever made it to the quarter-finals of a Masters series before, so to come through and win it is a brilliant result for him and great for British tennis. If I finish tomorrow, I would feel comfortable that British tennis would be in a good spot.”

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