Tennis News

Mektic/Pavic Save Match Point Against Familiar Foes In Toronto

Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic have dominated the ATP Tour in 2021, but on Thursday they barely escaped their opener against Britons Daniel Evans and Neal Skupski.

The Croatian stars saved a match point at 9/10 in the Match Tie-break before rallying past Evans and Skupski 3-6, 7-5, 13-11 to reach the quarter-finals of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers. It was their third victory of the year against Evans and Skupski, with the previous two coming in the Miami and Monte Carlo finals.

Mektic kept his cool when serving down match point, delivering a big serve to get out of trouble. The top seeds, who have won nine titles this year — including the doubles gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics — will next play Dutchman Matwe Middelkoop and Australian Luke Saville.

The second and third seeds also advanced to the last eight. Second seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah eliminated Russian singles stars Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-4, while third seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury ousted Kazakshtani Andrey Golubev and German Andreas Mies 6-3, 6-2.

In other action, Russian Aslan Karatsev and Serbian Dusan Lajovic beat fifth seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-4, 6-4, and Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen battled past Dutchman Wesley Koolhof and American Austin Krajicek 7-6(5), 2-6, 10-8.

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Day 5 Preview: Ruud Ready To Send A Message Against Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas reached his very first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final on hard-courts at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in 2018. Will he reach another one on Friday, or will Casper Ruud send a message of intent to the rest of the field with an upset? 

The 23-year-old Greek and the 22-year-old Norwegian are both contenders in the FedEx Race To Turin, with Tsitsipas sitting in second position and Ruud occupying eighth place. But while both players have recorded big results on hard courts, it’s been their clay-court achievements that have caught the attention in 2021. 

Ruud will come into the matchup with a 1-0 ATP Head2Head lead over World No. 3 Tsitsipas after defeating him in straight sets on the clay courts of Madrid. He is on a 12-match winning streak after winning three consecutive clay-court titles, but the Norwegian is eager to prove he is more than a one-surface threat.

After his win over Dusan Lajovic, Ruud signed the camera with the words ‘Hard Court’ and a smiley face – sending a message to the rest of the field that he means business in Toronto.

“I have seen a lot of people probably questioning my ability to play on hard court, so just thought it was funny to write a little note,” Ruud said after the match.

“Even though I played most of my best results on clay, my best Slam result is from this year’s Australian Open [fourth round]. I think it’s a surface that also can suit my game well, even though this year has been mainly clay, clay, clay all the year. I’m motivated to come back to the hard courts.”

Tsitsipas reached his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros (l. to Djokovic) and won his first ATP Masters 1000 at Monte-Carlo earlier in the season. But the Greek player’s hard-court resume is nothing to scoff at: he won four of his seven titles on the surface, including the biggest of his career at the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals. He is seeking his seventh ATP Masters 1000 semi-final – and his fourth on hard courts – in Toronto.

The winner of Tsitsipas and Ruud will next face either 10th seed Roberto Bautista Agut or Reilly Opelka. The Spaniard, who edged past Diego Schwartzman in the previous round, owns a 2-1 Head2Head record over the American, who defeated Lloyd Harris in three sets.

Also in action, John Isner will aim to continue his red-hot momentum as he faces the resurgent Gael Monfils for the 13th time in their careers. Monfils won back-to-back matches for the first time all year to reach his first quarter-final since February of 2020, while Isner is seeking to extend an eight-match winning streak that includes his sixth Truist Atlanta Open title. 

Top seed Daniil Medvedev will take on seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz for a place in the semi-finals. The Russian was runner-up to Rafael Nadal in Montreal in 2019, and he will be aiming to do one better as he seeks his fourth ATP Masters 1000 title in Toronto. Medvedev will be out for revenge against the Pole after he lost a five-set match in the fourth round at Wimbledon this year in the pair’s only prior ATP Head2Head meeting.

Click here for the full Day 5 order of play. 

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Medvedev Downs Duckworth For Toronto Quarter-Final Berth

Top seed Daniil Medvedev has fended off a late-match surge from James Duckworth and punched his ticket to the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers quarter-finals on Thursday.

Quick out of the blocks in attack and a brick wall in defence, the 25-year-old gave the Australian few chances at making any real inroads until the closing stages as he clinched the pair’s first ATP Head2Head encounter 6-2, 6-4.

A runner-up at the event in Montreal two years ago, the Russian continued his affinity for North American hard courts to reach his eighth ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final. He awaits the winner of his Wimbledon conqueror – seventh seed Hubert Hurkacz – or Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Duckworth was enjoying an equal career-best run at an ATP Masters 1000 event, having won through two rounds of qualifying before posting impressive straight-sets wins over Taylor Fritz and last week’s Citi Open champion Jannik Sinner. But a first victory over a Top 10 opponent in nine attempts proved a bridge too far against Medvedev.

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“He was playing good, especially in the beginning. I managed to get a few tight games, managed to get ahead. I think he lost his rhythm a little bit so that was well my fault also,” Medvedev said. “I managed to be ahead throughout the rest of the match and then – it’s very normal, it’s the same for everybody when your back’s against the wall – I served for the match, he played much better than before.

“He managed to be the closer and well played from him because it’s putting pressure on your opponent. I managed to keep this pressure out there and really happy with the win.”

Having undergone eight surgeries throughout his career, Duckworth left with much to celebrate in what was shaping as his finest season. For his feats this week, he was projected to crack the Top 70 for the first time. 

The World No. 2’s only wobble came as he served for the match at 5-2. Duckworth elevated his game to summon his first break point and he and converted it to extend his stay before Medvedev closed it out at the second time of asking.

“When you face someone for the first time it’s a bit tougher and we’d never practised together so I didn’t know what to expect,” Medvedev said. “Sometimes you just need to find things during the match. Even when you play someone for the 10^th time every day is different so it’s always about finding the right spot during the match.”

In the final match of the night, seventh seed Hurkacz held off Georgian Basilashvili in two hours and 38 minutes to book his place in the quarter-finals. The World No. 13 secured his third ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final, all on North American hard courts, having progressed as far at Indian Wells two years ago and after his title run in Miami this year.

In a dominant night on serve, Hurkacz finished with 30 winners of which 23 were aces. He won 88 per cent of first-serve points and saved six of seven break points. 

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Medvedev & Tsitsipas Lead In Cincy; All You Need To Know

After its one-year stint in New York City in 2020, the Western & Southern Open returns to its home in Cincinnati, Ohio. There will be plenty of action in store as 15 players inside the Top 20 of the FedEx ATP Rankings are set to hit the courts at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

Daniil Medvedev leads the field as he seeks his second Cincinnati trophy. The World No. 2 made a big breakthrough on these courts in 2019 as he lifted his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy (d. Goffin). It was one of four consecutive finals he reached that year in North America, including his first at the Grand Slam level later on at the US Open. The Russian will return to Cincy seeking his fourth Masters 1000 crown, and his 12th tour-level title. 

Fellow Grand Slam finalists Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini will also be in action, alongside Nitto ATP Finals contenders Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, Hubert Hurkacz and Aslan Karatsev. #NextGenATP stars Jannik Sinner and Felix Auger-Aliassime will also feature.

This year’s Western & Southern Open holds one additional twist. For the first time since the ATP Tour resumed from its pandemic suspension in August 2020, FedEx ATP Rankings points will be added and dropped per traditional methodology (beginning 23 August). 

Here’s all you need to know about the Western & Southern Open: what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won, when is the draw and more. 

Established: 1899

Tournament Dates: 15-22 August 2021

Tournament Director: J. Wayne Richmond

Draw Ceremony: Friday, 13 August

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Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Saturday, 14 August – Sunday, 15 August at 10:00am
* Main Draw: Sunday, 15 August – Friday, 22 August, 11:00am & 7:00pm; Saturday not before 1:00pm & 6:00pm 
* Doubles Final: Sunday, 15 August at 12:00pm
* Singles Final: Sunday, 15 August not before 4:30pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV 
TV Schedule

Venue: Linder Family Tennis Center

Prize Money: USD $4,845,025 (Total Financial Commitment: USD $5,404,435) 

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Roger Federer (7)
Most Titles, Doubles: Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan, Daniel Nestor (5)
Oldest Champion: Ken Rosewall, 35, in 1970
Youngest Champion: Boris Becker, 17, in 1985
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 1 John McEnroe in 1981; Andre Agassi in 1995; Pete Sampras in 1997, 1999; Gustavo Kuerten in 2001; Roger Federer in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2012; Novak Djokovic in 2020
Lowest-Ranked Champion (since 1979): No. 23 Peter Fleming in 1979
Last Home Champion: Andy Roddick in 2006
Most Match Wins: Roger Federer (47)

2020 Finals
Singles: [1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) d Milos Raonic (CAN) 16 63 64   Read & Watch
Doubles: Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) / Alex de Minaur (AUS) d Jamie Murray (GBR) / Neal Skupski (GBR) 62 75  Read More 

Social
Hashtag: #CincyTennis

Facebook: @cincytennis
Twitter: @CincyTennis
Instagram: @cincytennis

Did You Know?
The Cincinnati tournament has come a long way from its humble roots, first played at the Avondale Athletic Club more than a century ago, to the grand-scale ATP Masters 1000 event it is today. Past champions include all-time greats like Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. 

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'Sometimes In Sports It’s Shock Therapy': Dodig/Polasek Split

Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek won this year’s Australian Open and competed in the Nitto ATP Finals in their first season as a team in 2019. But after Wimbledon, the Croatian-Slovakian duo ended their two-year partnership.

“What we achieved in two years was simply amazing. We had unbelievable success. We won an ATP Masters [1000], we won a Grand Slam, we played the [Nitto ATP] Finals. It was simply great results,” Dodig said. “We won a lot of tournaments together, and we always have it with us. Nobody can take that. We have great memories and we are still great friends. We still support each other.”

After reaching the Miami semi-finals, Dodig and Polasek did not win consecutive matches together again. They sat down to discuss their partnership and mutually decided it was best to move forward with new partners.

Dodig is competing with India’s Rohan Bopanna and Polasek is playing with Australia’s John Peers. Bopanna and Dodig made the Montreal final together in 2017, while Polasek and two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Peers competed as a team for the first time last week in Washington.

Filip Polasek and John Peers competed together for the second time this week in Toronto. Photo: Peter Staples/ATP Tour

“We did unbelievable things together that we both appreciate,” Polasek said of his accomplishments with Dodig. “We weren’t winning as much and we didn’t do the results that we would like to do. We were still playing a very solid level, we were just losing the close matches that we were winning before.”

Considering earlier this year they won a major title together in Melbourne, neither man expected to split in the middle of the season. But they felt it could spur positive change for both.

“Sometimes in sports it’s shock therapy,” Dodig said. “When you change something, it can help you to get back in a winning state and we just made that decision. It was not an easy decision, but we made it and we have to go on.”

Dodig and Polasek are in fourth in the FedEx ATP Doubles Team Rankings. They have agreed to compete together in this year’s Nitto ATP Finals, to be held in Turin from 14-21 November, should they qualify, so long as they do not do so with their new partners.

“We decided we’d rather split earlier than later and in a good way. We are still very good, there are no hard feelings from either side,” Polasek said. “It’s never a good time to split, but if you have to do it, it was a good time.”

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Bautista Agut Saves 3 MPs In Schwartzman Epic

Roberto Bautista Agut won in thrilling style on Thursday, saving three match points against Diego Schwartzman to advance to the quarter-finals at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

The World No. 17 recovered from a 3-5 deficit in the third set, winning the final four games to take a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 victory.

All three of Schwatzman’s match points came in the tenth game of the final set, but three untimely unforced errors from the eighth seed kept the match alive.

Bautista Agut required two match points of his own to win the match, ultimately taking the dramatic third set after a Schwartzman backhand went long. The Spaniard now owns a 2-1 ATP Head2Head lead over Schwartzman, having beaten the Argentine in the same event in 2019.

Bautista Agut is chasing his first ATP Tour title of the season, having reached the final in both Dubai and Montpellier in 2021. Coming into Toronto the 33-year-old was on a three-match winless run, but has turned his fortunes around this week with impressive victories over Schwartzman and American Tommy Paul.

He will next face Reilly Opelka in the quarter-finals, after the big-serving American won a three-set thriller of his own against Lloyd Harris.

Bautista Agut has now reached nine ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finals in his career. It is also the third time that he has reached this stage at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, appearing in the quarter-finals in Montreal in both 2017 and 2019.

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Canadian Open: Johanna Konta pulls out of WTA event with knee injury

British number one Johanna Konta pulls out of the Canadian Open with a knee injury.

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Tsitsipas On Birthday Buddy Sampras: 'We Saw Him As A Big Legend'

Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas remembers spending countless hours with his father watching Pete Sampras play. Tsitsipas would serve, slice, volley and do everything to follow in the footsteps of Sampras, an American of Greek descent.

“He was always there,” Tsitsipas said of Sampras. “We always saw him as a big legend of our sport.”

That makes it even more special that they share a birthday. On Thursday, Tsitsipas turned 23, and Sampras turned 50. After advancing to the quarter-finals of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, Tsitsipas spoke about what he admires most about his birthday buddy.

“His flamboyant game. I enjoyed watching his serve-and-volley game,” Tsitsipas said. “People say Roger Federer is effortless. I also feel like Pete Sampras was very effortless and just making the game so beautiful to watch.”

In a way, Sampras has always been part of Tsitsipas’ life. When his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, began tennis in his late teens, he always watched the American legend.

“[Pete] was a player that he really liked to watch and he passed it on to me,” Tsitsipas said. “Both of us grew up watching him. I grew up being given Pete as an example.”

Stefanos was too young to watch Sampras during his career. When Tsitsipas was born, ‘Pistol Pete’ was already an 11-time major winner. But one thing that sticks out to the Greek about the former World No. 1’s career is that he went out on top by lifting the trophy at the 2002 US Open, which was his final tournament.

“That was the best ending of someone’s career, to be honest with you, to win a Grand Slam title and just call it a day,” Tsitsipas said, cracking a smile. “He did it in unbelievable style. Doesn’t get any better, I think.”

Tsitsipas got excited when he recalled meeting Sampras two years ago in Indian Wells. The third seed was almost as thrilled when tournament officials brought a birthday cake onto the court Thursday following his victory against Karen Khachanov.

 

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A post shared by Stefanos Tsitsipas (@stefanostsitsipas98)

“[It was] the best feeling, one of the best feelings that you can experience on a tennis court,” Tsitsipas said. “I’m glad they remembered. It also reminded me my age, which I like to think is five years less sometimes.”

The Greek admitted that name days — a day of the year associated with a given name — when are even bigger than birthdays for his family. But Tsitsipas was happy to get a win this time considering he lost against Rafael Nadal in the Toronto final three years ago on the day he turned 20.

“Birthdays are the best, because people remember you, people send you nice presents and messages,” Tsitsipas said. “It’s always a beautiful day when it’s your birthday.”

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Isner Serves Up Rublev Upset To Reach Toronto QFs

John Isner maintained his perfect record against World No. 7 Andrey Rublev as he took down the Olympic mixed doubles gold medalist in a 7-5, 7-6(5) upset on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers. 

The 6’10” American has found his best tennis on the North American hard courts in recent weeks. Isner claimed the doubles title in Los Cabos (w/ Hach Verdugo) and lifted his sixth trophy at the Truist Atlanta Open. 

In Toronto, Isner extended his winning streak to eight consecutive matches as he defeated Rublev in straight sets. The American claimed his second Top 10 victory of the year after also defeating Rublev in Madrid in May, improving to 3-0 in their ATP Head2Head. 

“I think I have taken care of myself very well. I rarely take a day completely off, and that’s even if it’s a travel day after playing lots and lots of tennis,” Isner said. “I’m not afraid to take time off the tennis court, but I’ve got to keep my body moving other ways, whether that’s on a stationary bike… or go to the gym and lift weights with my trainer.

“At 36, I really do feel every bit as good as I did eight, ten years ago.”

Isner, the No. 30 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings, was dictating play with his booming serve from the start of the match. He fired 29 winners, including 20 aces, and saved all four break points he faced en route to victory. 

Rublev worked hard to defend his own serve, but was constantly under pressure from Isner. The American returned with confidence, creating six break chances in three of Rublev’s service games in the opening set. Rublev was the first to blink, as a double fault at 6-5 handed the opening tilt to Isner.  

Isner continued to erase the few opportunities that Rublev was able to create. In the second set, the American faced four break points at 3-3. From 0/40, he fired three aces, and outrallied Rublev to keep them on serve. Isner rallied from a 0/3 deficit in the tie-break to seal the victory after an hour and 44 minutes.

“The conditions were a bit tough on centre court. It’s been a little bit swirly,” Isner said. “I did know that Andrey was struggling with that. He was a little bit off kilter from the very get-go, I think. I could tell he was exhibiting some frustration out there.

“When I knew that he was a bit rattled early on, I just told myself I had to be the one to keep a cooler head. I think that helped me prevail in the end.”

Through to his 18th ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final, Isner will take on 11th seed Gael Monfils, who defeated lucky loser Frances Tiafoe 6-1, 7-6(2) to reach his first tour-level quarter-final since 2020. This is Isner’s third quarter-final appearance in Canada, having reached this stage in Toronto in 2012 and in Montreal in 2015.

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Ruud Defeats Lajovic, Continues Winning Streak

Casper Ruud’s impressive winning run remained intact at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers on Thursday, as he defeated Dusan Lajovic in straight sets.

The World No. 12 eased past 2019 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters finalist Lajovic 6-4 6-3 to win his 13th consecutive match. Ruud has won his past three tournaments (Bastad, Gstaad and Kitzbuhel), and his record in 2021 now stands at 37-9.

There were no breaks in the opening set until the final game, when Lajovic hit four unforced errors to donate the break to Ruud. The Norwiegen had no such trouble on serve in the opener, winning 20 of his 22 service points and 100 per cent of his second-serve points.

There was little to separate the two players in the second set, but it was the sixth seed who again gained a crucial break in the latter stages of his victory over the Serbian.

Ruud moves on to the quarter-finals of an ATP Tour event for the 11th time this season as he continues his pursuit of a first ATP Masters 1000 level title.

The 22-year-old will next play third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals. Ruud won their only previous ATP Head2Head meeting this year in Madrid.

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