Tennis News

Eubanks Stuns Third Seed In US Open Qualifying

Christopher Eubanks’s hopes of a second US Open main draw berth received a boost on Wednesday, following the 25-year-old’s upset of third seed Daniel Elahi Galan in the first round of qualifying.

The No. 216 in the FedEx ATP Rankings needed just under an hour to post a 6-3, 6-2 victory over the Colombian and in the process snapped a three-match losing streak following back-to-back ATP Challenger defeats and a tour-level loss in Washington, D.C. Eubanks – who won an ATP Challenger title in Orlando, Florida, in June – converted four of six break points and was dominant on serve.

The American fired 10 aces and won 83 per cent of first-serve points to set up a showdown with India’s Prajnesh Gunneswaran, a 6-4, 7-6(5) winner over Canadian Brayden Schnur. Eubanks’ only previous trip to a US Open main draw came two years ago, when as a wild card he fell to 31^st seed Cristian Garin in five sets.

Croatian Ivo Karlovic ensured the last tournament of his career extended at least one more match in US Open qualifying. On Court 16, the 42-year-old denied Serbian Nikola Milojevic 6-4, 7-6(1) in 86 minutes.

Karlovic, whose best result at Flushing Meadows was a run to the fourth round in 2016, lost only six points on serve and struck 18 aces. The former World No. 14 next meets Bolivian 17^th seed Hugo Dellien, a 6-1, 6-3 winner over Italian Alessandro Giannessi.

Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis’ bid for a first US Open main draw berth in two years got off to a solid start on Wednesday with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over American Bjorn Fratangelo. The former World No. 69 pushed third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas to five sets in the second round of the Australian Open in February but has endured a frustrating run since.

The 25-year-old’s two standout results in 2021 have been at ATP Challenger level, with a title on clay in Biella, Italy and a semi-final appearance in Lexington, in the US, last month. Kokkinakis next meets Yuichi Sugita, following the Japanese player’s 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Spain’s Mario Vilella Martinez.

Former World No. 10 Ernests Gulbis had his best showing at Flushing Meadows 14 years ago when he made the fourth round on debut. On Wednesday, he moved a step closer to a first US Open main draw berth since 2017 when he pulled off a 6-3, 6-4 win over Australian 26th seed Marc Polmans. Filip Horansky is next after the Slovak’s 7-6(4), 7-6(9) win over Denmark’s Mikael Torpegaard.

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Carreno Busta, Gasquet Surge Into Winston-Salem Quarter-Finals

Top seed Pablo Carreno Busta claimed his third win from as many hard-court events against Dominik Koepfer to reach the quarter-finals of the Winston-Salem Open on Wednesday.

The 2016 champion backed up his wins over the German at the Tokyo Olympics and at last week’s Western & Southern Open to improve to 3-0 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series with a 6-2, 6-3 victory. The Spaniard, who beat World No. 1 Novak Djokovic for the bronze medal in Tokyo, continued his run of hard-court form for his third straight quarter-final berth.

“It was a very good match. I think I played very aggressively today, I made a lot of winners,” Carreno Busta said. “I played against him the last two tournaments so it was important to me at the beginning of the match to be very focused and play very aggressive so I think this was a very good match for me.

“I’m feeling really comfortable playing this year, also. We know next we have the US Open but day by day I need the confidence, I need the rhythm. I think that I’m playing at a really good level so I would like to continue this way.”

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Carreno Busta won 82 per cent of first-serve points and 53 per cent on second-serve points in the 67-minute victory. It set a quarter-final clash with Belarusian Ilya Ivashka, an earlier 6-2, 6-1 winner over German ninth seed Jan-Lennard Stuff.

“I think it was a great match from me. I did everything that I had to do. I was very accurate with the returns. In my game, I was serving really well,” Ivashka said.

“Yesterday was a very tough match losing a set and a break down in the second [against Marin Cilic] and then I found my game… I think today I continued the same way.”

Former No.7 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Richard Gasquet, recovered from a dip in intensity in the second set as he saw off third seed Daniel Evans to book his first quarter-final in Winston-Salem since 2016. From 1-4 down in the second set, the Frenchman found his groove to post a 6-4, 7-6(4) win in an hour and 51 minutes.

Gasquet won 73 per cent of first-serve points, 56 per cent of second-serve points and broke once in each set. He will next meet Finland’s Ruusuvuori, a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 winner over Gasquet’s compatriot, 12^th seed Benoit Paire.

“I had confidence after winning the first set. I fought a lot in the second set, he started to play better, to be more aggressive and I tried to fight so it was important for me to win the second set,” Gasquet said. “The third [set], you never know what could happen so I’m really happy with how I played.

“I’m playing well. I won two difficult matches, especially with the conditions – it’s very hot and humid – so it’s always a tough battle for everyone but I managed to win and I hope to do the same tomorrow.”

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Dan Evans: British number one loses to Richard Gasquet at Winston-Salem Open

British number one Dan Evans is knocked out in the third round of the Winston-Salem Open by France’s Richard Gasquet.

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US Open qualifying: Emma Raducanu & Katie Boulter through to second round

Britons Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter register comfortable victories to reach the second round of qualifying for the US Open.

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Courtship: Monfils, Svitolina On Relationships For Tennis United

Who better to kick of season two of Tennis United: CrossCourt than tennis’ glamour couple, Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina?

While aligned on most matters, the newlyweds do share somewhat different recollections of their first date.

In Paris, Monfils recalls texting to ask Svitolina if she would join him and his friends for a drink. “And then you definitely said ‘yes’… of course,” Monfils said with conviction.

After a hearty laugh, Svitolina replies, “No, no, no, no… At first, I was… I didn’t want to do it. I was jet-lagged and it was tough to stay awake.”

Come along for the journey as we sit down with the two of the most popular players on the ATP and WTA Tours as they discuss what relationships mean to them.

The ATP and WTA last week announced the return of Tennis United: CrossCourt, a continuation of the award-winning digital content series originally released during the 2020 suspended season. The reimagined project marks the first major co-branded initiative to debut since the two Tours integrated marketing operations earlier this year.

Tennis United: CrossCourt goes behind the scenes of life on Tour through a series of intimate one-on-one conversations between ATP and WTA stars. Spanning eight short-format episodes, players explore a range of largely untouched subjects from within and beyond sport, offering fans a raw perspective on the experiences, pressures and privileges that make up life in professional tennis.

The complete episode list:
• Episode 1: Relationships (Gael Monfils & Elina Svitolina)
• Episode 2: Coaching (Felix Auger-Aliassime & Jennifer Brady)
• Episode 3: Mental Health (Madison Keys & Dominic Thiem)
• Episode 4: Doubles (Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Jamie Murray)
• Episode 5: Parenthood (Fabio Fognini & Elena Vesnina)
• Episode 6: Travel (Belinda Bencic & Grigor Dimitrov)
• Episode 7: Discipline (Hubert Hurkacz & Iga Swiatek)
• Episode 8: Locker Room (Andrey Rublev & Aryna Sabalenka)

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Zverev Meets The Mets Ahead Of US Open

Alexander Zverev’s recent results — winning the Tokyo Olympics and the Western & Southern Open — have been home runs, so it is fitting that the German went to a baseball game on Tuesday.

The No. 4 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings watched the New York Mets play the San Francisco Giants from front-row seats behind home plate. Before the game, the 17-time tour-level titlist exchanged a racquet for a customised jersey from Mets Manager Luis Rojas. Zverev also met superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor.

^{Mets Manager Luis Rojas chats with Alexander Zverev on Tuesday evening. Photo Credit: New York Mets}
The 24-year-old will now turn his focus to the US Open across the street at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where he will pursue his first Grand Slam title.

One year ago, Zverev advanced to his maiden major final at Flushing Meadows, but fell short against Dominic Thiem in a gripping final-set tie-break. Zverev owns a 13-6 record at the US Open.

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Serena Williams pulls out of US Open as she recovers from torn hamstring

Six-time champion Serena Williams becomes the latest high-profile player to pull out of next week’s US Open.

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Andy Murray knocked out as Dan Evans progresses to round three of Winston-Salem Open

Andy Murray is knocked out of the Winston-Salem Open but Dan Evans progresses to the third round in North Carolina.

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Tiafoe Fends Off Early Murray Scare In Winston-Salem

Frances Tiafoe is eyeing a return to the Top 50 for the first time in more than 18 months after a fighting opening-round win over Andy Murray at the Winston-Salem Open Tuesday night.

Coming into the ATP 250 tournament in North Carolina at No. 51 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Tiafoe saved three sets points on serve at 4-5 in the first set before taking command of the second set and running away to a 7-6(4), 6-3 win.

Tiafoe dropped out of the Top 50 in February 2019 after losing his quarter-final points from the 2019 Australian Open and has not been back. But a deep run at Winston-Salem should see him climb back into the elite group ahead of next week’s US Open.

Tiafoe will play the winner of Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro and American lucky loser Eduardo Nava.

Former World No. 1 Murray now heads to the US Open, where he won the first of his three Grand Slam titles in 2012.

“The positive thing is that I moved well and served well but my level is up and down with no real consistency,” Murray said. “There are moments in matches where I play well and then I make mistakes or miss returns. I wish I wasn’t doing that.

“My level is around 50 or 60 in the world. It’s frustrating because if wasn’t moving great and not feeling good physically then I would be a bit easier on myself. But when I’m winning a low percentage of second-serve points, that’s got nothing to do with the physical side of things.”

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Wolf Claims US Open Qualifying Win

American J.J. Wolf enjoyed a dream run to the third round at the US Open last year and may have set the wheels in motion for another shot at the main draw as he moved past Denis Istomin 7-5, 6-2 Tuesday to reach the second round of qualifying in New York.

Wolf took full advantage of a wild card last year at Flushing Meadows, where it took Daniil Medvedev to stop him. But the World No. 157 has not won another main-draw match since leaving New York and is hoping to recapture that winning feeling at the year’s final Grand Slam.

The 22-year-old will next face Kamil Majchrzak after the Pole defeated Frederico Ferreira Silva 6-1, 6-4. Fellow American Maxime Cressy, who reached the second round at the US Open last September, also advanced with a 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 victory over Guido Andreozzi in two hours and 28 minutes.

Former World No. 33 Robin Haase downed Croatian Borna Gojo 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-1 to book his spot in the second round of qualifying, while Germany’s Oscar Otte, who took Andy Murray to five sets at Wimbledon, edged Renzo Olivo 6-7(3), 6-0, 7-6(4).

Buenos Aires finalist and qualifying second seed Francisco Cerundolo overcame Thai-Son Kwiatkowski 6-0, 6-7(5), 6-4. Seven-time tour-level titlist Fernando Verdasco defeated Facundo Mena 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 and Gstaad finalist Hugo Gaston overcame Czech Vit Kopriva 6-4, 6-2.

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