Tennis News

Schwartzman Downs Murray In Antwerp

Diego Schwartzman had to bide his time before getting his shot at Andy Murray. Collectively, the Argentine and Scot have played more than 1,250 tour-level matches and their careers have overlapped by more than a decade. But until Thursday, they had never faced off.

But Schwartzman made sure to make the long-awaited moment count when he toughed out a 6-4, 7-6(6) win over the former World No. 1 to reach the quarter-finals of the European Open in Antwerp.

The 29-year-old, who reached back-to-back finals in Antwerp in 2016 and 2017, played consistently from the baseline and demonstrated his fighting skills as rallied from 1-4 down in the first set, before advancing in two hours and 15 minutes.

“It was a pleasure to play against Andy,” Schwartzman said in his on-court interview. “We had not played before and he is coming back and every week he is playing better and moving better. I have a lot of respect because when I grew up playing tennis, I was watching Roger [Federer], Rafa [Nadal], Andy and Novak [Djokovic] and right now playing against him, is a pleasure for me.”

Schwartzman arrived in Antwerp after he reached the last eight in Indian Wells, where he defeated Daniel Evans and Casper Ruud before falling to eventual champion Cameron Norrie. The World No. 14 also advanced to the quarter-finals in San Diego.

The 29-year-old now leads Murray 1-0 in their ATP Head2Head series and will face #NextGenATP American Brandon Nakashima in the last eight. Earlier this season, Schwartzman captured his fourth ATP Tour title on home soil in Buenos Aires and reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.

“I really like to play here,” Schwartzman added. “I like the city and the story. It is a very special city for me because when I started to play my best tennis, I reached the finals here twice. I also enjoy it here with the people. It is special after so many months with playing without crowds.”

In a lively start, Murray played aggressively as he hit his groundstrokes with power and depth to outmanoeuvre Schwartzman and move 4-1 ahead. However, the Argentine began to find his range and as Murray began to drop the ball short, Schwartzman started to dictate, winning five straight games to lead.

Fuelled by momentum, the 29-year-old broke in the fifth game of the second set, but was unable to close out the match, with Murray pegging the Argentine back as they moved to a tie-break. In a tight tie-break, Murray saved a match point at 5/6 with one of the eight aces he hit in the match. But the Scot was unable to keep Schwartzman at bay, with the second seed advancing when Murray pushed a forehand long.

Murray, who won the title in Antwerp in 2019, saved two match points in his first-round victory against American Frances Tiafoe that lasted three hours and 45 minutes. The wild card was aiming to reach his second tour-level quarter-final of the season, having enjoyed a run to the last eight in Metz.

Schwartzman’s next opponent, Nakashima, clawed past Swiss Henri Laaksonen 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 6-3 after two hours and 24 minutes.

Nakashima is pursuing a spot in the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals. The American began the week in eighth in the ATP Race To Milan.

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Karatsev Overcomes Jetlag, Gerasimov In Moscow

Aslan Karatsev has been dealing with jetlag since arriving in Moscow, but that did not stop him from making a good start in Moscow on Thursday.

Following defending champion Andrey Rublev’s loss, Karatsev beat Belarusian Egor Gerasimov 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the VTB Kremlin Cup. He will play former Top 10 star Gilles Simon or American Mackenzie McDonald for a place in the last four.

“It’s quite difficult [to adjust]. The first two days I wasn’t able to sleep on time. I was waking up at 2 a.m. and then I tried to sleep again. I’d fall asleep at 7, get a few hours more from 7 to 10 and then during the day I told myself not to sleep,” Karatsev told ATPTour.com. “The first day I couldn’t manage it, I fell asleep early in the day. Then the second day I got better, and then today I feel more or less fine. [It’s] just getting better day by day.”

Karatsev and Rublev reached the doubles final at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, giving them a quick turnaround to get used to the time difference and indoor conditions in Russia. 

But Karatsev is enjoying competing in Moscow, where he first played in 2012 aged 19. Now 28, he is the second seed and one of the breakthrough stars of 2021. The World No. 22 made a dream run to the Australian Open semi-finals as a qualifier and lifted his first ATP Tour trophy in Dubai.

“To play here with the home crowd, it’s something special. I’ve played many, many times, passing qualies,” Karatsev said. “It’s not like every tournament you play during the year. You have a lot of friends [and] family come here to watch you. It makes it special.”

The home favourite saved the only break point he faced against Gerasimov and won 72 per cent of his service points to advance after one hour and 26 minutes.

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Mannarino Saves 1 MP, Upsets Rublev In Moscow

In a repeat of the 2019 VTB Kremlin Cup final, Frenchman Adrian Mannarino avenged his defeat to reigning champion Andrey Rublev, saving one match point, edging past the Russian 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals in Moscow.

In a strong performance, Mannarino, who fired nine aces, rallied from a set down and saved one match point on serve at 5-6 30/40 as Rublev hit a backhand up the line and into the net. The 33-year-old then raised his level in the third set, not facing a break point on serve to upset Rubelv after two hours and 30 minutes.

With his victory over World No. 6 Rublev, it is the seventh time Mannarino has defeated a Top 10 player in his career. The 33-year-old has now levelled his ATP Head2Head series with the Russian at 1-1.

Mannarino, who lost to Rublev in straight sets in the 2019 final, has an impressive record at the ATP 250 event, having also reached the championship match in 2018 and the semi-finals in 2017. It is the third tour-level quater-final of the season for Mannarino, after he advanced to last eight in Singapore and semi-finals in Mallorca.

The World No. 51 will next face Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis after the 31-year-old defeated World No. 68 Federico Coria 6-2, 6-1 in 70 minutes.

Rublev captured his eighth tour-level trophy in Rotterdam and advanced to ATP Masters 1000 finals in Monte-Carlo and Cincinnati. The 24-year-old is fifth (4,165 points) in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin and is aiming to qualify for the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 14-21 November.

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Harris Marches On In Antwerp

Seventh seed Lloyd Harris produced a dominant performance on Thursday at the European Open as he overcame German Jan-Lennard Struff 6-2, 6-3 to reach his fifth tour-level quarter-final of the season.

The 24-year-old, who also advanced to the last eight in Antwerp in 2020, was strong on serve, firing 11 aces and winning 83 per cent (24/29) of points behind his first delivery to advance after 72 minutes.

“I came out pretty solid and didn’t make many mistakes,” Harris said in his on-court interview. “He gave me a few looks at second serves, which helped a bit and I was able to capitalise and build momentum. I just tried to focus on my service games and I knew I was going to create some opportunities.”

With his victory, Harris has improved to 1-4 in his record against German players and will next face Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in the last eight.

“I am happy to get over the finish line,” Harris added. “Confidence is everything in our sport, so playing with some confidence is a huge advantage. Hopefully I keep rolling with this confidence.”

The South African has earned a career-best 29 tour-level wins this year. The World No. 32 reached the final in Dubai and advanced to the quarter-finals in Halle, Washington and at the US Open.

His next opponent, Fucsovics, rallied past fourth-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1 after two hours and 22 minutes.

The Hungarian began the week having lost seven of his previous eight matches. But he has found good form to reach his first quarter-final since Wimbledon.

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Eight Years After Last Tour-Level Match, Malisse Wins With Harris In Antwerp

Belgian Xavier Malisse was coaching South African Lloyd Harris in Indian Wells when they came up with an interesting idea. They had been hitting together a lot in recent weeks, so why not play doubles together?

Their wish was granted with a wild card from the European Open. And on Wednesday, they beat Monaco’s Romain Arneodo and Australian Matt Reid 6-4, 7-6(4) to reach the quarter-finals in Antwerp. It was Malisse’s first tour-level match since the 2013 US Open, more than eight years ago.

“It was fun. That’s the whole reason we participated,” Malisse told ATPTour.com. “Honestly it felt nice to be back, it’s nice to play and also alongside Lloyd after a good summer together and good travelling. It felt really good. I was actually pretty happy with how it went.”

The 41-year-old, who cracked the Top 25 in singles and doubles, said this will be their only event. But he was happy to “be back out there and compete one more time”. They play Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo on Thursday after the top seeds beat Dutchmen David Pel and Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 7-6(4).

“[My] serve is a lot slower, so placement becomes more important, but I felt okay,” Malisse said, cracking a laugh. “Most of all we had fun. I didn’t expect to win, but it’s nice to get a win.”

Belgian stars Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen, the fourth seeds, were upset. Argentine Federico Delbonis and Spaniard David Vega Hernandez beat the home favorites 5-7, 6-4, 11-9. Austrians Oliver Marach and Philipp Oswald also advanced with a 4-6, 6-4, 10-6 victory against Israeli Jonathan Erlich and Swede Andre Goransson.

Top Seeds Eliminated In Moscow
Indian Rohan Bopanna and Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi eliminated top seeds Raven Klaasen and Ben McLachlan 6-2, 6-4 on Wednesday to reach the VTB Kremlin Cup quarter-finals.

Bopanna and Qureshi have won five ATP Tour titles together, with their most recent triumph coming in Dubai in 2014.

Second seeds Andrey Golubev and Hugo Nys also lost in Moscow. Mexican Santiago Gonzalez and Argentine Andres Molteni beat them 7-5, 6-7(6), 10-7.

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Cilic Continues Pursuit Of Third Moscow Title

Two-time Moscow champion Marin Cilic looks eager for a third title in the Russian capital.

Cilic defeated in-form American Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-3 on Wednesday to reach the VTB Kremlin Cup quarter-finals. After losing his first set of the tournament against Damir Dzumhur in a tie-break, the Croatian has won four consecutive sets.

The former World No. 3 had to work hard against Paul, who advanced to the fourth round in Indian Wells. But Cilic was steadier in the crucial moments to advance after one hour and 43 minutes.

The 33-year-old broke his opponent’s serve four times and won 74 per cent of his second-serve return points to move to 13-2 at the ATP 250. Cilic earned the deciding break in the second set when Paul missed a backhand long, and he never looked back.

Australian John Millman also moved on with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 victory in two hours and 28 minutes. 

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Brilliant Brooksby Bounces Botic In Antwerp

US Open quarter-finalist Botic van de Zandschulp has been playing the best tennis of his career in recent months, but he was unable to solve the Jenson Brooksby puzzle on Wednesday in Antwerp.

Brooksby played vexing tennis to cruise past the Dutchman 6-2, 6-0 and move into the quarter-finals of the European Open. The #NextGenATP American will next play third seed Cristian Garin or Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

“It’s never as easy as the score looks sometimes, but I thought I started out [well], I just felt strong today,” Brooksby said in his on-court interview. “I just didn’t let up my focus at all and I think that showed.”

The qualifier, who has not been extended past 6-4 in a set in his four qualifying and main draw matches at the ATP 250, methodically dissected van de Zandschulp’s game. He broke his opponent’s serve five times and saved the only break point he faced to advance after 63 minutes.

“I’m just trying to take it one day at a time,” Brooksby said. “[I want to] enjoy the last few tournaments the rest of the season and then just have a fun offseason getting ready for a big next year, hopefully.”

Brooksby made few mistakes in the match, and even when van de Zandschulp hit impressive shots that would have ended the point against many players, the American found a way to redirect the ball into an uncomfortable position.

The #NextGenATP star is fifth in the ATP Race To Milan, making him next in line to qualify for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals. 

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Cameron Norrie 'couldn't be happier' after Indian Wells title win

Cameron Norrie tells BBC Breakfast that he “couldn’t be happier” after becoming the first Briton to win the Indian Wells title.

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Murray Shares Rare Exchange After Tiafoe Epic

Andy Murray won’t forget his match-winning drop shot in a hurry after three hours and 45 minutes of battle at the European Open on Tuesday. The Scot eked out a narrow 7-6(2), 6-7(7), 7-6(8) victory against 23-year-old Frances Tiafoe in Antwerp.

But beyond the final point won – which set a second-round clash with second seed Diego Schwartzman – it was not the nature of victory that stuck with the former World No. 1. It was more about a lengthy debrief he shared with his opponent in the immediate aftermath.

“There’s obviously so much that goes into a match like that. The margins were so fine,” Murray said. “I served particularly well at the end, which helped, and when he missed his first serve on that match point.

“I was able to capitalise on that and then in terms of what I’ll remember, I just spent probably 30 minutes in the locker room afterwards just chatting to Frances really.”

Murray recalled only twice from 897 previous tour-level matches in his career having spoken to his opponent after the match in the locker room – both times in victory. The first time was after the opening round of the 2008 US Open and the only other time came after the second round at Wimbledon in 2010.

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“I think maybe once I’ve had that conversation… twice, but very short after matches in the locker room,” he said. “Once was with Melzer at the US Open after I beat him in five sets and we chatted a bit about the match, and then once after playing Jarkko Nieminen because we were waiting to speak to the Queen after we played. We were sort of standing next to each other, so we had a chat about the match.”

“[I had] a long chat with Frances afterwards so I’ll probably remember that and then the embrace at the end. I guess so much went into it that I don’t remember loads of points in the match, but obviously the end was special. I’ve never played a match like that on the tour really… In the locker room we had a much more in-depth chat about tennis, not so much the match… That was kind of rare I would say.”

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Khachanov/Rublev Oust Third Seeds in Moscow

Russian Andrey Rublev reached the BNP Paribas Open doubles final last week alongside countryman Aslan Karatsev. Rublev had no problem with a different partner on Tuesday in Moscow.

The singles World No. 6 and another Russian, Karen Khachanov, eliminated third-seeded Australians Luke Saville and John-Patrick Smith 6-2, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals of the VTB Kremlin Cup.

“I’ve played with Karen so many times and we’ve gotten used to each other. Plus we’ve known each other since we were kids, so we know each other perfectly,” Rublev told ATPTour.com. “With Aslan, it’s different. In my opinion, I think Aslan plays doubles the best of all of us, the way he thinks, the way he returns, plays with the volleys.

“He knows more how to play more like a doubles player compared to all of us [Russians], and I think he’s a great player who can play really, really good in doubles.”

“I think Andrey is not a bad doubles player because everybody from us [Russians] wins matches with him,” Khachanov interjected, cracking a laugh.

Khachanov and Rublev have made two ATP Masters 1000 finals together, and will try to claim their first ATP Tour trophy as a team this week.

Second Seeds Advance In Antwerp
Second seeds Nicolas Mahut and Fabrice Martin moved into the quarter-finals of the European Open on Tuesday with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph against home favourites Ruben Bemelmans and Kimmer Coppejans.

Frenchmen Mahut and Martin are competing together for the second time this season after making the quarter-finals in Winston-Salem two months ago.

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