Google Play App Download

Tennis News

From around the world

Nakashima Earns Rune Victory To Reach Milan SFs

  • Posted: Nov 11, 2021

In a winner-takes-all Group A match, it was Brandon Nakashima who rose to the task Thursday at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, downing Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune 3-4(3), 4-1, 4-1, 4-3(1) to qualify for the semi-finals in Milan.

The 20-year-old defeated Juan Manuel Cerundolo in his opening round-robin match, but lost to Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday, meaning he faced Rune in a crunch clash after the Dane also went 1-1 in his opening two matches.

With the pressure on, Nakashima rallied from a set down, hitting his explosive groundstrokes with great depth as he showcased strong determination to secure his victory in one hour and 39 minutes. The fourth seed has finished second in Group A behind winner Alcaraz and will play the winner of Group B in the last four, to be determined later on Thursday.

In front of a lively crowd at the Allianz cloud, the more experienced American kept his emotions in check to break Rune six times en route to victory in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.

Earlier this season, Nakashima, who hit five aces against the 18-year-old, became the youngest American since Andy Roddick in 2001-02 to advance to multiple tour-level finals when he reached back-to-back championship matches in Los Cabos and Atlanta when aged 19.

The World No. 63 arrived in Milan in form after he captured his second ATP Challenger Tour title of the season in Brest without dropping a set. With his victory, Nakashima has now won 11 of his past 13 matches.

Source link

Cerundolo: 'I'm On The Right Path'

  • Posted: Nov 11, 2021

Juan Manuel Cerundolo made headlines in February when he soared to his first tour-level title as a qualifier on home soil in Cordoba.

Since then, the Argentine has captured three ATP Challenger Tour trophies and is currently No. 91 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The 19-year-old is competing at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan this week and he caught up with ATPTour.com to speak about the 21-and-under event.

A lot of the #NextGenATP players have been doing amazing things this year. How much does it motivate you, seeing the other young players doing well? Is there anyone in particular who has really impressed you?
I’m really motivated by being here as one of the best eight young players of the year. You look at the people who’ve played in this tournament and now a lot of them are very high in the rankings. That’s a huge motivation to keep going and it shows me that I’m on the right path.

Also, one player who’s really surprised me this year has been Carlos Alcaraz. He’s having a stunning season, his progress is incredible. And I think he’s one of the names we all mention.

When you were growing up there were Roger, Rafa and Novak, who created great rivalries. As you’re competing with other #NextGenATP players, have you thought about your budding rivalries and playing against them for many years?
That will only happen if we continue to improve and play well. I think that they will come only with time. For many players, it’s their first meeting with almost all the others. It’s going to be great. I hope the competition is healthy. I think it’s going to be very good.

Have you watched the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals before and if so, what were your thoughts?
I’ve seen it on TV and I’ve always thought it looked really fun. It’s more relaxed compared to a normal tournament, in terms of the format and the players… It’s always looked like an incredible tournament in every sense.

The Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals always has many innovations. Were there any that you particularly enjoyed and look forward to using and if so, why?
Personally, I’m more of a conservative person in that regard. I’ve always played to six games and that’s what I like. At least that’s what I’m most used to. The list of new rules is pretty long, I couldn’t list all of them.

But I like the on-court ones. For example, that the coach can talk to the player is interesting. I think it’s something that could be really good for the sport and we can do that here. I also like the idea of the bathroom rule. Sometimes those breaks get very long and I think that it’s good to have a rule on that. I feel good about these rules at this event.

When you think of Italy, what do you think of?
The food! You really do eat well here. They have very good pasta, they make great pizza. Italy is a country that cares about its cuisine. Although I don’t eat some of these things during competitions, it’s true that the food is one of the first things that comes to mind when I think about Italy.

Have you ever done any sight-seeing in Italy and if so, what was your favourite place to visit?
I’ve visited some cities thanks to the Tour. I know places like Rome, Como… also Barletta, more in the south of Italy. We don’t always have time to be tourists and visit places like other people who travel to a country.

What’s your favourite Italian food?
The pasta and the pizza. My favourite is margherita pizza, simple but really good. When I’m at tournaments, I don’t eat it because I have to look after myself and follow a competition diet. But it really is wonderful being able to enjoy it from time to time.

Source link

Preview: Korda, Musetti Chase Semi-final Berths Thursday

  • Posted: Nov 11, 2021

With three semi-final berths to be decided Thursday at the Intesa Sanpaolo NextGen ATP Finals, there’s something for tennis fans of all persuasions.

If you like simplicity, then Group A has you covered. With Carlos Alcaraz already qualified for Friday’s semi-finals, there is only one scenario in play: The winner of Brandon Nakashima and Holger Rune will qualify as No. 2 in Group A behind the Spaniard.

If you prefer more intrigue and options, then look no further than Group B, where all four players are in contention for both semi-final slots on offer in the group. Not even second seed Sebastian Korda is guaranteed a slot, despite him being the only player in the group taking a 2-0 record into Thursday.

So buckle up for a day of drama!

Kicking off Day 3 will be top seed Alcaraz against Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo. Alcaraz has won all six sets he has contested this week and will look to keep that streak rolling against Cerundolo, who has suffered losses to Nakashima and Rune.

American World No. 63 Nakashima and Denmark’s World No. 109 Rune are next up with the first of the day’s three semi-final spots on the line. The players have never met either on the ATP Tour or ATP Challenger Tour. Nakashima needs to recover from Tuesday’s straight-sets loss to Alcaraz, while Rune will come into the match with the confidence of his four-set win over Cerundolo.

Rune said that he implemented the lessons learned from his opening-day loss to Alcaraz en route to victory on Wednesday. “I learned a lot and took all the good things and experience into the match today,” Rune said. “I played aggressively and came into the net, so I was really pleased.”

The first match of the night session sees another first-time meeting between Argentina’s World No. 111 Baez and France’s World No. 67 Gaston, who last week enjoyed a fairytale run to the Rolex Paris Masters quarter-finals. Gaston has only one pathway to the semi-finals: He must beat Baez and hope that Korda beats Musetti.

Baez claimed his first Tour-level hard-court match win on Tuesday with a four-set win over Musetti. Gaston rallied from two sets down to force a fifth set against Musetti Wednesday night, but the Italian regrouped to emerge victorious after two hours and 33 minutes, the longest match in tournament history.

How well Musetti can recover physically less than 24 hours after that match will go a long way to determining whether he can ride raucous support from home fans to pull the upset against Korda when the pair meets in the final match of the night session.

“It was tough physically as we ran a lot,” Musetti said of his win over Gaston. “We had some really, really long and great rallies at the end. I was empty… I am really tired right now because I played really late yesterday.”

Semi-final qualification scenarios for the 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals are as follows.

Singles Group A qualification scenarios after the completion of the second round of the event’s group stage:

– Carlos Alcaraz has qualified for the semi-finals.
– The winner of Nakashima vs Rune will qualify as the #2 in Group A 

Singles Group B qualification scenarios after the completion of the second round of the event’s group stage:

– If Korda defeats Musetti and Gaston defeats Baez, Korda will win the group and Gaston will qualify as the #2
– If Korda defeats Musetti and Baez defeats Gaston, Korda will win the group and Baez will qualify as the #2
– If Musetti defeats Korda and Gaston defeats Baez, Musetti will win the group and Korda will qualify as the #2
– If Musetti defeats Korda in three  or four sets and Baez defeats Gaston in three sets, Baez will win the group and Musetti will qualify as the #2
– If Musetti defeats Korda in five sets and Baez defeats Gaston, Korda will win the group and Baez will qualify as the #2
– If Musetti defeats Korda in three sets and Baez defeats Gaston in four or five sets -> Musetti will win the group and Korda will qualify as the #2
– If Musetti defeats Korda in four sets and Baez defeats Gaston in four or five sets -> Korda will win the group and Baez will qualify as the #2

Source link

Musetti Downs Gaston In Magical Milan Display

  • Posted: Nov 10, 2021

With the pressure on, home favourite Lorenzo Musetti delivered Wednesday at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals to record his first victory in Milan in front of a raucous crowd.

The Italian showcased a combination of flair and grit, overcoming Hugo Gaston 4-3(4), 4-3(6), 2-4, 3-4(7), 4-2 to keep alive his hopes of qualifying as he moved to 1-1 in Group B.

“It was tough physically as we ran a lot,” Musetti said. “We had some really, really long and great rallies at at the end. I was empty. My hole in my stomach finally went away and I laid down to rest and enjoy the moment.”

In a battle of two of the most talented players on Tour, exquisite shot-making was the order of the day, with drop shots and flicked backhand winners frequent as both players demonstrated great to touch in a high-quality match.

“I am really tired right now because I played really late yesterday,” Musetti said. “I recovered as I had today to rest and prepare for this match. Hugo came back with some really great tennis and he showed this last week in Paris. I took revenge on him because I lost against him in the last round of qualifying. It was a great battle, but I am really proud of this win.”

Musetti lost to Argentine Sebastian Baez on opening night at the Allianz Cloud. But he did not let it deter him against Gaston, recovering from squandering two match points at 6/4 in the fourth-set tie-break as he chased down everything the Frenchman threw at him to advance after two hours and 33 minutes in the longest match in the tournament’s history.

The 19-year-old, who is the youngest of nine Italians in the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings, reached tour-level semi-finals in Acapulco and Lyon earlier this year and enjoyed a run to the fourth round at Roland Garros.

The World No. 58 will face Group B leader Sebastian Korda in his final round-robin match on Friday as he looks to qualify for the semi-finals. Korda leads the way on two victories, while Baez, like Musetti, holds a 1-1 record. Baez faces Gaston on Thursday.

Source link

Murray Topples Sinner In Stockholm Stunner

  • Posted: Nov 10, 2021

Andy Murray claimed his second Top 10 win of the year in dramatic fashion as he took down top seed Jannik Sinner 7-6(4), 6-3 on Wednesday to move into the Stockholm Open quarter-finals.

The victory over World No. 10 Sinner was Murray’s second win over a Top 10 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings, after he also defeated No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz in Vienna.

In a match packed with lengthy all-court rallies and fascinating angles, Murray managed to stave off the only break point he faced to close out Sinner in two hours and 10 minutes.

“It was a very tough match. He hits the ball huge from the back of the court so there were a lot of long rallies and a lot of running. But it’s probably my best win this season. I want to keep it going now,” Murray said in a post-match interview.

Top seed Sinner, who will serve as first alternate after narrowly missing direct qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals, was not able to make many inroads into Murray’s serve as he let a break point slip away in the opening set. Murray outlasted Sinner in a tie-break after 74 minutes, and held firm in the second to take his spot in the quarter-finals.

Murray’s victory wasn’t the only upset of the day in Stockholm. Tommy Paul also knocked off a seed after defeating his good friend and doubles partner, fifth-seeded Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4. Paul will meet Murray in the quarter-finals for the first time.

US Open quarter-finalist Botic van de Zandschulp also defeated No. 7 Marton Fucsovics, weathering 10 aces from the Hungarian to win 7-6(3), 3-6, 7-5.

Source link

Korda Closes In On Milan SFs

  • Posted: Nov 10, 2021

Sebastian Korda was made to work hard for his opening victory against Hugo Gaston at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals. But he found the going slightly easier on Wednesday, overcoming Sebastian Baez to move to 2-0 in Group B in Milan.

The 21-year-old effectively used his flat and powerful groundstrokes to defeat Argentine Baez 4-3(3), 4-2, 4-2 in 75 minutes, moving to the verge of qualification.

Korda, who became just the second player alongside Borna Coric in tournament history to rally from two sets down when he defeated Gaston, will secure his semi-final place if the Frenchman overcomes home favourite Lorenzo Musetti in the last match of the day in Milan.

“I trusted my game and the way I am playing right now and my body,” Korda said in his on-court interview. “Physically I am doing really well, so all things were good today.”

In a tight first set, Korda rallied from 1-3 as he began to find his rhythm to impose his big-hitting game on the Argentine, closing the net more often to cause Baez problems. The American, who dominated the short rallies, remained focused throughout in front of a lively crowd at the Allianz Cloud to secure his victory.

“It was very tricky at the beginning,” Korda said. “I came out with the wrong tactic as he was loving the pace I was giving him. I adapted really well, changed my game up as I started to come to the net more and sliced more. That was a decision I made. I am really happy with the way I played.”

Korda began the year No. 118 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, but now is No. 39 after a standout 2021 season. The American clinched his first tour-level title in Parma in May and overcame Alex de Minaur and Daniel Evans en route to the fourth round at Wimbledon in July.

Baez captured his first tour-level hard-court win against Musetti on Tuesday and could qualify for the semi-finals if he beats Gaston in his final round-robin match. The World No. 111 was in constant contact with his coach during his clash against Korda, with courtside coaching allowed at the 21-and-under event. But he could not find a way to stop the second seed.

Source link

Gaston Relishing Future Rivalries With Milan Competitors

  • Posted: Nov 10, 2021

Fresh off his quarter-final run at the Rolex Paris Masters, Frenchman Hugo Gaston is competing at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan this week following a breakthrough 2021 season.

The 21-year-old advanced to his first tour-level final at the Swiss Open Gstaad and arrives in Italy in form, after defeating Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta and fellow Milan rival Carlos Alcaraz en route to the last eight in Paris.

ATPTour.com caught up with the World No. 67 at the 21-and-under event.

A lot of the #NextGenATP players have been doing amazing things this year. How much does it motivate you, seeing the other young players doing well? Is there anyone in particular who has really impressed you?
For me to be here at the [Intesa Sanpaolo] Next Gen ATP Finals is great. It is always good to play against the best younger players in the world. It is an honour to be in the top eight and it is going to be a great week for us.

When you were growing up there were Roger, Rafa and Novak, who created great rivalries. As you’re competing with other #NextGenATP players, have you thought about your budding rivalries and playing against them for many years?
I hope we can have the same rivalries with the players that Novak, Rafa and Roger had. The Next Gen players had a lot of good results this year and next year we are going to play each other more than this year, so it is going to be a whole different level.

Have you watched the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals before and if so what were your thoughts?
I saw it two years ago. It is a different event. The rules are totally different, but it is also good. It is really fun and I think it is going to be really nice where we are playing with great support.

The Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals always has many innovations. Were there any that you particularly enjoyed and look forward to using and if so, why?
I am looking forward to speaking to my coach on court and when we can see the stats of our opponents. I think it is something different, but it is going to be cool and helpful.

When you think of Italy, what do you think of?
I have never been in Milan, but I played in Rome and it is always nice to play in Italy. I like to play in this country, I feel good here and I hope I can play well in Milan. The crowd in Italy is nice to play in front of. I am lucky to be in the same group as Lorenzo [Musetti]. It is going to be a great atmosphere for sure.

What’s your favourite Italian food?
In Italy the pizza is pretty good and the tiramisu. I just love the tiramisu! The food in Italy is really good.

Source link