Lorenzo Musetti is the sixth player to qualify for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, to be played from 9-13 November.
The Italian will make his debut at the 21-and-under-tournament after enjoying a standout year in which he rose from No. 128 in the FedEx ATP Rankings to a career-high No. 57 in September.
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Top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and Grigor Dimitrov will meet in a first-round blockbuster at the Erste Bank Open, it was revealed at the ATP 500’s draw ceremony on Saturday.
Tsitsipas fell to the Bulgarian in three sets in the second round in Vienna last year on his main draw debut at the event. The pair are level at 1-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, with the Greek winning their other meeting at Roland Garros in 2020.
The World No. 3 could face Argentine Diego Schwartzman in the quarter-finals, who faces a stiff test in his opening match against Fabio Fognini. Schwartzman has fond memories in Vienna, having reached the final in 2019.
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With the FedEx ATP Race To Turin heating up, ninth-placed (2,955 points) Hubert Hurkacz will look to continue his bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, starting against former World No. 1 Andy Murray.
Hurkacz leads the Scot 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series, recently defeating the wild card in Cincinnati and Metz. The winner could face #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the second round, with the Umag champion beginning against last year’s semi-finalist Daniel Evans.
[FOLLOW ACTION]Norway’s Casper Ruud is seventh in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin (3,015) and will face South African Lloyd Harris in the first round. Ruud, who is the fourth seed in Vienna, leads Harris 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series, overcoming the World No. 32 in Indian Wells earlier this month.
The 22-year-old is seeded to face fellow Turin contender Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals. The Italian, who is 11th (2,745), opens against Toronto finalist Reilly Opelka in what will be their first meeting.
Second seed Alexander Zverev will begin his tournament against Filip Krajinovic and third-seeded Italian Matteo Berrettini will play a qualifier. Indian Wells champion Cameron Norrie starts against Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, while sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime faces Ricardas Berankis.
Third seeds Wesley Koolhof and Jean-Julien Rojer ended Xavier Malisse’s dream run on Saturday at the European Open, downing the Belgian and Lloyd Harris 6-4, 6-2 to reach the final in Antwerp.
Before this week, Malisse had not competed at a tour-level event since the US Open in 2013. The 41-year-old has been coaching Harris and the pair received a wild card into the doubles draw to compete, triumphing in their first two matches.
However, Koolhof and Rojer were too strong for the Belgian-South African tandem, not facing a break point to advance after 67 minutes. They will meet second seeds Nicolas Mahut and Fabrice Martin in their first tour-level final as a team.
[FOLLOW ACTION]Heliovaara/Middelkoop Edge Through In Moscow
Harri Heliovaara and Matwe Middelkoop battled back on Saturday at the VTB Kremlin Cup, defeating Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar 6-7(4), 6-3, 10-8 to reach the championship match in Moscow.
The unseeded pair won 78 per cent (40/51) of their first-serve points and hit six aces to advance after 89 minutes. Heliovaara and Middelkoop are teaming for the first time this week and they will play fourth seeds Tomislav Brkic and Nikola Cacic in the final.
Andrey Rublev became the fifth singles player to qualify for the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 14-21 November, after the Erste Bank Open draw was published on Saturday.
The 23-year-old made his debut at the season finale last year when the event was held in London.
“I am so happy to be back competing with the best eight players in the world,” said Rublev. “It is such a unique and prestigious tournament and I can’t wait to play in Turin.”
Read the full story at NittoATPFinals.com
Russia’s Aslan Karatsev overcame countryman Karen Khachanov 7-6(7), 6-1 on Saturday at the VTB Kremlin Cup to reach his third tour-level final of the season and keep alive his slim hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals.
The 28-year-old saved four set points in the first set, before he raised his level in the second set, breaking twice to advance after one hour and 41 minutes. Karatsev, who had never been beyond the second round in four previous main draw appearances in Moscow, now trails Khachanov 1-2 in their ATP Head2Head series.
“I tried to not think about the score in the tie-break and just play point by point,” Karatsev said in his on-court interview. “At 5/6 I made a great return and he got nervous and that is how I managed to win it.”
[FOLLOW ACTION]Karatsev is currently 13th (2,180 points) in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin, 775 points behind ninth-placed Hubert Hurkacz who occupies the final qualification spot with eighth-placed Rafael Nadal out for the rest of the season with a foot injury. Should Karatsev win the title, he would close to 675 points of the Pole.
The Russian has enjoyed a breakthrough 2021 season, advancing to his first major semi-final at the Australian Open, before he clinched his maiden tour-level trophy in Dubai. Karatsev also reached the championship match in Belgrade.
“It means the world to me [to reach the final]. I have been to this tournament many times, so this final I will play tomorrow will be special for me,” Karatsev added.
The home favourite will face Marin Cilic in the final after the sixth seed moved to within one win of capturing his third VTB Kremlin Cup title, downing Ricardas Berankis 6-3, 6-4.
“It was a tough match, Ricardas played well,” Cilic said in his on-court interview. “The first set was great from my side. I served amazing but then Ricardas began to find his rhythm and played much better in the second set. I managed to play a tough second set. Mentally it was difficult, but I managed to play my best tennis at the right time.”
Cilic has fond memories at the ATP 250 event, having triumphed against Roberto Bautista Agut in the 2014 and 2015 finals, before he advanced to the semi-finals in 2019.
In a strong serving performance against Berankis, Cilic fired 10 aces and won 83 per cent (33/40) behind his first delivery to advance after one hour and 31 minutes and extend his ATP Head2Head series lead to 2-0.
The Croatian, who has dropped just one set en route to the final, will aim to clinch his 20th tour-level title in Sunday’s championship match.
“It is amazing to get this support and whatever happens tomorrow, it will be a great day to enjoy another final in my career and another final here in Moscow,” Cilic added.
Earlier this season, the World No. 41 overcame Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime to win the title in Stuttgart. The 33-year-old also advanced to the last four in Singapore and Estoril.
Berankis was competing in his first tour-level semi-final since Pune in February 2020. The 31-year-old was bidding to win his maiden ATP Tour trophy in Moscow.
Top seed Jannik Sinner soared into his fifth tour-level final of the season on Saturday at the European Open as he continued his pursuit to qualify for the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals.
The 20-year-old produced a dominant performance from the baseline to down South African Lloyd Harris 6-2, 6-2 in Antwerp in 87 minutes.
“I am very happy to be in the final,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. “He is having an incredible season, so best of luck for him to finish in the best possible way. Thanks to the crowd for coming out today, it was a great atmosphere here. I just love playing here and love playing indoors, so hopefully I can play a great match again tomorrow.”
[FOLLOW ACTION]The Italian, who has yet to drop a set at the ATP 250 event, is 11th (2,745 points) in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin, 210 points behind ninth-placed Hubert Hurkacz (2,955). The Pole occupies the final qualification spot with eighth-placed Spaniard Rafael Nadal missing the season finale due to a foot injury. Should Sinner win the title in Antwerp he would move to within 110 points of Hurkacz.
When asked on qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals, Sinner said: “It is a long way. There is still this tournament and then three to go. I have to play well in Vienna and well in Paris and there are other incredible players trying to get there. Hopefully this year, but if not I can be happy about my season.”
The top seed is aiming to make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 14-21 November. Sinner now leads Harris 1-0 in their ATP Head2Head series and is bidding to win his fourth tour-level title of the season in Antwerp, having triumphed in Melbourne, Washington and Sofia.
Victory would see Sinner draw level with Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev for the second most tour-level trophies won this season. Fellow Turin contender Casper Ruud, who is seventh in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin (3,015 points), leads the way with five titles.
“The courts are very similar to Sofia, where I have won the tournament twice,” Sinner added. “I love playing here, I think I can move well here. I am happy about my level today.”
That was some performance ?@janniksin powers past Harris 6-2, 6-2 to reach the final in Antwerp ?#EuropeanOpen pic.twitter.com/v3pUQz3h57
— Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) October 23, 2021
Harris was competing in his second tour-level semi-final of the season, having reached the final in Dubai. The 24-year-old enjoyed a run to his maiden major quarter-final at the US Open last month.
Sinner will face second seed Diego Schwartzman in the championship match after the Argentine cruised past #NextGenATP American Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-0 in 86 minutes to continue his love affair with the European Open.
The 29-year-old reached back-to-back finals in Antwerp in 2016 and 2017, before enjoying a run to the last four in 2018. Schwartzman will be aiming to win his second tour-level title of the season, having triumphed on home soil in Buenos Aires.
In a strong performance, Schwartzman broke Brooksby five times and won nine games in a row to secure victory in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.
“It is always tough when you play an opponent you have never played before,” Schwartzman said in his on-court interview. “In the first game, you try and figure out how he is going to play and how I am going to play and how you feel the ball.
“I was just trying to put every ball in and I think the first set helped me because in the second set he was unable to do what he did in the first set. I kept my rhythm in the second set, which I think was the difference. I feel very comfortable here.”
World number one Ashleigh Barty ends her season and will not defend her WTA Finals title next month because of the quarantine rules she would face on her return to Australia.
Tomislav Brkic and Nikola Cacic moved into their fourth tour-level final of the season as a team on Friday at the VTB Kremlin Cup, downing Ilya Ivashka and Pedro Martinez 6-4, 4-6, 10-8.
The fourth seeds won 85 per cent (34/40) of their first-serve points and rallied from 1/4 in the match Tie-break to advance after 89 minutes. They are aiming to win their second ATP Tour trophy together after triumphing in Buenos Aires in March.
Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar advanced into the semi-finals in Moscow after the Uruguay-Ecuador tandem overcame Andres Molteni and Santiago Gonzalez 7-5, 3-6, 10-7 in one hour and 34 minutes.
Earlier this season, the unseeded pair won tour-level titles in Delray Beach and Marbella. Behar and Gonzalo will face Harri Heliovaara and Matwe Middelkoop for a place in the final.
[FOLLOW ACTION]Mahut/Martin March On In Antwerp
Second seeds Nicolas Mahut and Fabrice Martin overcame Denys Molchanov and Aleksandr Nedovyesov 7-6(5), 6-2 on Friday at the European Open to reach the championship match in Antwerp.
The Frenchmen are teaming for the second time this season and saved all five break points they faced to advance after 84 minutes.
Third seeds Wesley Koolhof and Jean-Julien Rojer advanced into the semi-finals after the Dutchmen received a walkover from Benoit Paire and Lorenzo Musetti.
Jenson Brooksby became the fifth singles player to qualify for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, to be played 9-13 November, after advancing to the semi-finals of the European Open on Friday.
The 20-year-old had earned just one tour-level win before the 2021 season. But the American has enjoyed a breakthrough year, climbing from outside the Top 300 in the FedEx ATP Rankings to a current career-high of No. 70.
Read the full story at NextGenATPFinals.com
Aslan Karatsev kept alive his slim hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals on Friday at the VTB Kremlin Cup, downing Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-4, 6-3 to reach his fourth tour-level semi-final of the season.
The Russian, who had never been beyond the second round in four previous main draw appearances in Moscow, is 13th (2,120 points) in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin, 835 points behind ninth-placed Hubert Hurkack. The Pole occupies the last qualifying spot with Rafael Nadal missing the rest of the season due to a foot injury.
[FOLLOW ACTION]In their first ATP Head2Head meeting, Karatsev broke Simon five times and won 76 per cent (22/29) of his first-serve points to advance after 86 minutes.
The 28-year-old has been one of the breakthrough stars of 2021. Karatsev enjoyed a dream run to the Australian Open semi-finals as a qualifier, before he lifted his first tour-level title in Dubai. The home favourite, who is yet to drop a set in Moscow, also advanced to the final in Belgrade.
The World No. 22 will next face countryman Karen Khachanov after the third seed edged John Millman 7-5, 7-6(4) after two hours and 26 minutes.
On this meeting, Karatsev said: “I think it is great we are having an all-Russian semi-final, so I want the crowd to come and cheer for both of us.”
Khachanov won the title in Moscow in 2018 and is aiming to win his first tour-level trophy since he triumphed in Paris in the same year. The 25-year-old saved four second set points in his victory against Millman.