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Brooksby Rolls On In Washington

  • Posted: Aug 06, 2021

#NextGenATP American Jenson Brooksby’s strong breakthrough form continued on Friday at the Citi Open as the wild card eased past Australian John Millman 6-1, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals in Washington.

The 20-year-old, who is appearing in his first ATP 500 tournament this week, upset World No. 15 Felix Auger-Aliassime to record a career-best win in the quarter-finals. Brooksby backed this up against 11th seed Millman, dictating throughout as he won 88 per cent (21/24) of his first-service points to advance in 68 minutes.

Brooksby is yet to drop a set this week having also defeated former World No. 5 Kevin Anderson and 16th seed Frances Tiafoe in Washington.

The World No. 130 has been on a roll this season, having won three ATP Challenger Tour titles earlier this year, holding a 23-3 record at this level. Brooksby enjoyed a dream run to the final (l. to Anderson) in Newport last month in his first ATP Tour event and will face either fellow #NextGenATP Jannik Sinner or countryman Steve Johnson in the last four in Washington.

Brooksby is in seventh place in the ATP Race To Milan and has now levelled his ATP Head2Head Series with Millman at 1-1. Their last meeting came at the 2018 US Open in a first-round clash when the American was No. 1229th in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Brooksby qualified for the American hard-court Grand Slam after winning the 2018 USTA Boys’ 18s National Championship .

[WATCH LIVE 1]

The American made a fast start in the first set, stepping inside the baseline as he overpowered Millman with his explosive groundstrokes. Brooksby looked to hit his backhand down the line and closed out an impressive set when Millman fired a forehand wide.

Brooksby continued to play impressively in the second set, as he demonstrated his defensive skills at various times to frustrate Millman. After racing into a 4-1 lead, Brooksby fended off a break point in the fifth game before closing out his victory by breaking Millan for the fifth time in the match. The 20-year-old will rise into the Top 100 next week.

Millman was aiming to reach his first ATP Tour semi-final of the season, having also advanced to the last eight at the BMW Open in Munich in May.

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Korda/Sinner Beat Kyrgios/Tiafoe In Washington QFs

  • Posted: Aug 06, 2021

In a star-studded doubles match Thursday evening, #NextGenATP standouts Sebastian Korda and Jannik Sinner beat Nick Kyrgios and Frances Tiafoe 6-4, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals of the Citi Open.

Korda and Sinner were opponents on the singles court earlier in the day, when Sinner prevailed 7-6(3), 7-6(3). But they certainly worked well together in doubles, winning some thrilling points to triumph after 61 minutes.

This is the duo’s first tournament playing together. They broke their opponents’ serves three times and saved four of the five break points they faced.

Next up will be second seeds Neal Skupski and Michael Venus, who eliminated Cameron Norrie and Luke Saville 6-2, 6-3. Skupski and Venus have won their two matches this week in straight sets.

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For Nadal, Positivity & Pain After Washington Loss

  • Posted: Aug 06, 2021

There was positivity and pain that came from Rafael Nadal’s third-round loss against Lloyd Harris on Thursday evening at the Citi Open. The good thing is his pain was not physical.

The top seed was disappointed to lose a tough three-setter against the fearless South African in front of a raucous Washington crowd that was fully behind the Spaniard. But after feeling pain in his left foot during his second-round win against Jack Sock on Wednesday, Nadal felt better against Harris.

“The most positive thing is my foot was better today than yesterday, so that’s the best news possible,” Nadal said. “I played against a player that played well. For the moment, I think I played better than yesterday, but in the third when I had opportunities, the truth is his serve was huge and I played this last game really badly.”

Nadal was very much in the match as he served at 4-5 in the decider. Up until that point, he was the only one to earn a break point in the third set. But Harris seized the moment and upset the World No. 3, finishing the job with a perfect lob.

“You can’t have mistakes in the key moments, and in the key moments I think in the last game, I was a little bit more nervous. My serve was not working the proper way,” Nadal said. “That’s it. Yes, well done for him. It’s a great victory for him. I wish him all the very best.”

This was Nadal’s first tournament since Roland Garros. The Spaniard admitted before the Citi Open that he went 20 days without playing tennis due to his left foot injury, which kept him out of Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics. So it was a major positive that Nadal made progress on that front on Thursday.

“I was able to move a bit better, so that is very important, especially for me personally, to keep enjoying the sport and keep having energy, believing that important things are possible,” Nadal said. “And then I need to keep improving. It’s true. I honestly didn’t have two easy months. I had a lot of problems with my foot. I was not able to practise all the days that I really wanted, but I did as much as I could and I tried hard here.”

Nadal had never previously played or visited Washington. Throughout the week, the 88-time tour-level titlist was highly complimentary of the city — which he toured on a bike — and its people, who cheered loudly for him during his two matches.

“The most painful thing is [to] not be able to be on court again tomorrow in front of this amazing crowd,” Nadal said. “But I take a great experience [with] me. I was able to know a new city, for me a very important one. I enjoyed [it], and the support and the love of the people will stay [with] me.”

The 35-year-old apologised for his loss, calling out his “amazing” experience in the capital of the United States. But a victory was not to be against Harris.

“I tried very hard, as everybody knows. But [it] was not enough. [The] only thing I can do is congratulate my opponent and just keep going,” Nadal said. “I’m going to keep trying to practise the proper way and to give myself a chance to be better soon.”

The legendary lefty is set to compete in next week’s National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in Toronto, where he can break a tie with Novak Djokovic for the most ATP Masters 1000 titles (36 each). The Spaniard has won the Canadian Masters 1000 event five times.

“For me [the important thing] is just [to] keep going. Accept the challenge that I need to keep working, and I’ll probably have another chance next week in Toronto,” Nadal said. “I’m going to keep trying my best.”

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Harris Stuns Nadal In Washington Thriller

  • Posted: Aug 06, 2021

Lloyd Harris earned the biggest win of his career on Thursday evening, defeating Rafael Nadal 6-4, 1-6 6-4 to reach the Citi Open quarter-finals.

Nadal overcame a lingering foot injury on Wednesday evening to beat home favourite Jack Sock in a final-set tie-break in front of an energised crowd. But the South African would not allow the top seed to work his magic again.

“Today was really special. I think I have had some big wins, and this year I have beat some Grand Slam champions,” Harris said. “But to beat a 20-time Grand Slam champion, and especially in front of a full crowd and with such an amazing atmosphere, it was definitely something very special.”

The pain did not impact Nadal’s fighting spirit — and the Spaniard said he felt better against Harris — but it was not enough to topple the South African. The World No. 50 improved to 2-5 against Top 10 opponents after two hours and 11 minutes.

“I did a lot of good things. I think the best thing was to stay in the moment, keep my composure, and I think I just stayed with my game and stayed playing a consistently good level throughout the match,” Harris said. “It was a good, quality match, I think. Not easy for me out there. It was pretty physical, but all in all, I’m just super happy with how everything turned out.”

There was no Citi Open last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fans have come out in full force this year, especially for Nadal’s matches. As the top seed won critical points, roars echoed from the stands and many Nadal supporters leapt to their feet. But they were fair to Harris as well, especially when the unseeded right-hander hit a stunning lob on match point to complete his victory.

Harris showed no apprehension early in his first ATP Head2Head clash against the 88-time tour-level titlist. The South African held his ground on the baseline and went hard and flat to Nadal’s forehand, pushing the lefty back as he continued to fire away.

The 20-time major winner has become known for his unrelenting offence and ability to control play with his forehand. But stunningly, Harris hit nine forehand winners to just two for the Mallorcan in the opener, seizing the only break of the set to take the lead.

[WATCH LIVE 1]

But Nadal claimed the momentum with one wicked forehand passing shot. The Spaniard broke for 3-1 in the second set with a curler down the line. The lefty took a quick skip and unleashed a massive “Vamos!” as the fans roared. From there, he began to play more aggressively and cruised through the rest of the set as Harris fell further behind the baseline.

The third set, however, became a battle of wills. Nadal did not want to give ground, but Harris was unafraid of the moment and went after his shots to put pressure on the top seed. Screams of “Vamos!” became more frequent from Nadal as he attempted to claw through.

But on his first break point of the decider, Harris did not panic when a Nadal shot bounced off the top of the net. Although he was unable to put away the passing shot, he curled a lob on the next ball over a helpless Nadal’s head.

This was another demonstration of the 24-year-old’s potential. The South African this year became the first qualifier to advance past the Dubai quarter-finals in the tournament’s 29-year history. At that event, Harris won seven matches in seven days to advance from qualifying to the championship match.

Harris defeated Nishikori during that run and he will try to do it again on Friday. The Japanese star beat in-form Briton Cameron Norrie 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to make the quarter-finals.

“It’s going to be a very tough battle and I think a very different game style than I faced today,” Harris said. “It’s going to be a new challenge and I look forward to it.”

In the same half of the draw, Americans Denis Kudla and Mackenzie McDonald will meet in the other quarter-final. Kudla beat #NextGenATP American Brandon Nakashima 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 and McDonald eliminated Belarusian Ilya Ivashka 6-4, 6-4.

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Medvedev Headlines In Toronto; When Is The Draw & More

  • Posted: Aug 06, 2021

Daniil Medvedev will headline the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, Canada’s ATP Masters 1000 event, where Spanish legend Rafael Nadal and Greek star are also set to compete.

Medvedev and Tsitsipas made their first Masters 1000 final at this tournament, in 2019 and 2018, respectively, and both men lost to Nadal in in that championship match. The lefty has captured the trophy at the Canadian event five times. Other players to watch in a loaded field include Russian Andrey Rublev, home favourite Denis Shapovalov and #NextGenATP Italian Jannik Sinner.

Here’s all you need to know about Toronto: when is the draw, what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won, how to buy tickets and more.

Established: 1881

Tournament Dates: 9-15 August 2021

Tournament Director: Karl Hale

Draw Ceremony: Saturday 7 August at time TBC

Schedule: (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Saturday, 7 August – Sunday, 8 August at 11:00 a.m.
* Main draw: Play Monday – Sunday begins at 11:00 a.m. and 7 p.m.
* Doubles final: Sunday, 15 August from 1:30 p.m.
* Singles final: Sunday, 15 August from 1:30 p.m.

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV
TV Schedule

Venue: Aviva Centre
Surface: Hard

Prize Money: $2,850,975 (Total Financial Commitment: $3,487,915)

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Ivan Lendl (6)
Most Titles, Doubles: Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan and Mahesh Bhupathi (5)
Oldest Champion: Rafael Nadal, 33, in 2019
Youngest Champion: Michael Chang, 18, in 1990
Lowest-Ranked Champion (since 1969): No. 95 Mikael Pernfors in 1993
Most Match Wins: Ivan Lendl (57)

2019 Finals
Singles: [1] Rafael Nadal d [8] Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-0 Read & Watch
Doubles: Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos d Robin Haase/Wesley Koolhof 7-5, 7-5 Read More

Social
Facebook: @nbotoronto
Twitter: @NBOtoronto
Instagram: @nbotoronto

Did You Know?

Every year, in alternation, Montreal and Toronto share hosting duties of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers with former champions including Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe and Roger Federer.

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Red-Hot Brooksby Bounces Felix In Washington

  • Posted: Aug 06, 2021

Jenson Brooksby’s all-red kit was fitting on Thursday, because the #NextGenATP American is red-hot. The 20-year-old upset second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Citi Open.

This is Brooksby’s first ATP 500 event, but the Californian has shown poise throughout his impressive run. The World No. 130 walked on court to face the Canadian star without a Top 50 win on his resumé, but he emphatically changed that in front of his home crowd after one hour and 25 minutes.

“I have definitely gotten mentally tougher this year, and it’s only kept improving. I just really love, truly love playing on these stages,” Brooksby said. “No opponent will faze me. I can compete with anyone. This was definitely a very good match today for me.
“I stayed really focussed throughout. I didn’t really have any lapses in my strategy or mentally. I’m happy with that match.”

Brooksby won three ATP Challenger Tour titles earlier this year, and he has not stopped there. In his first ATP Tour event last month in Newport, he made the final, where only former World No. 5 Kevin Anderson was able to stop him. 

But Brooksby has improved weekly, and that has shown in Washington, where the wild card upset Anderson in the first round. Frances Tiafoe, whom Brooksby beat in straight sets in the second round, called his countryman’s game “super unorthodox. Obviously everything he does is pretty strange.” Even so, it works, and continues to frustrate the world’s best players, including Auger-Aliassime.

Felix is at a career-high No. 15 in the FedEx ATP Rankings and fresh off a run to his first major quarter-final at Wimbledon. But Brooksby did not allow the aggressive Canadian to gain confidence in Washington. Auger-Aliassime came out misfiring in the early stages of the match, and his opponent never allowed him to find a rhythm by playing solid tennis with plenty of variety.

The American is rock-solid, making few unforced errors. And by changing the pace of rallies with his deadly drop shot and surprise direction changes, Brooksby prevented the powerful Canadian from controlling play.

[WATCH LIVE 1]

The big-serving second seed did not hit an ace in the match, and he double-faulted to relinquish the deciding break in the second set. Brooksby never showed any nerves, and after Auger-Aliassime missed a final backhand return, the home favourite pumped his fist and shouted “Come on!”

Brooksby will next play 11th seed John Millman, another grinding baseliner, who defeated eighth seed Reilly Opelka 6-3, 7-6(4) earlier in the day.

“I’m really excited to play against him. He’s had a good year,” Brooksby said. “I know he’s a very solid, very good player. But I’m very confident going in with my level and my mental state.”

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Sinner Moves Past Korda In Washington

  • Posted: Aug 05, 2021

In a battle of two #NextGenATP stars, it was Jannik Sinner who came out on top on Thursday at the Citi Open in Washington. The fifth-seeded Italian overcame American Sebastian Korda 7-6(3), 7-6(3) to reach the quarter-finals.

“Obviously it was a tough match, because we never practised together. We never played [a singles] match, so it was kind of new for both of us,” Sinner said. “[We have a] very similar game style, so… [I was] trying to stick to my game plan, trying to serve well in the important moments, trying to have a good balance on court.”

The 19-year-old snapped a four-match losing streak in his opening-round victory against Emil Ruusuvuori and backed it up against Korda, who Sinner will partner in the doubles quarter-finals later on Thursday as they team for the first time this week. The Italian served well and batted from 2-5 down in the second set to advance in one hour and 56 minutes.

Sinner is currently first in the ATP Race To Milan, two spots ahead of Korda in third. The Italian was victorious at the Great Ocean Road Open in Melbourne earlier this year and became just the fourth teenager to reach the final at the Miami Open presented by Itau in March.

The World No. 24 is making his debut at the ATP 500 hard-court event and will next face Steve Johnson after the American beat Ricardas Berankis 6-2, 6-1.

Both Sinner and Korda struck the ball with great depth in the first set as they looked to dictate from the baseline. After Sinner broke to lead 5-4, he was unable to serve the set out, as Korda found good angles on return to move the 19-year-old around. However, the Italian regained focus and raised his level to come through the tie-break to move ahead.

After receiving treatment at the end of the first set, Korda began to have more joy on return in the second set. He stepped inside the baseline to attack Sinner’s serve with his variety of shot, racing 5-2 ahead. However, with the match looking set for a decider, Sinner began to disrupt Korda’s rhythm to gain both breaks back and level at 5-5. Sinner then played aggressively in the tie-break to seal his victory.

“Everyone thinks it’s easy, but it’s not that easy to close it out,” Sinner said. “There is a little bit of pressure. When I made the break, for me it was important to [make] him serve out [at] 5-4.”

Korda won his first ATP Tour title at the Emilia-Romagna Open in Parma in May and broke into the top 50 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time following this triumph. The American was also making his debut in Washington.

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NHL Star Lars Eller Presents Rafael Nadal With Washington Capitals Jersey

  • Posted: Aug 05, 2021

Rafael Nadal scored in more ways than one Wednesday evening.

After the legendary Spaniard battled past American Jack Sock in a final-set tie-break in the second round of the Citi Open, the top seed received a special gift. NHL star Lars Eller, who won the Stanley Cup in 2018 with the Washington Capitals, presented Nadal with a customised “Nadal” Capitals jersey.

“It’s a sport I very much enjoy playing in my free time and also watching,” Eller said. “Especially having Nadal and this level of talent here, it’s a blessing to the city if you’re a tennis fan. We’ve got a Capitals jersey for him that I’m happy to hand over to him.”

Eller scored the game-winning goal in the Capitals’ Stanley Cup-clinching victory against the Las Vegas Golden Knights in 2018.

Nadal, who is making his debut in Washington, will play South African Lloyd Harris in the third round on Thursday evening. The Spaniard is chasing his third ATP Tour title of the season after lifting the trophy in Barcelona and Rome.

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Federer Withdraws From Toronto & Cincinnati Due To Injury

  • Posted: Aug 05, 2021

Former World No. 1 Roger Federer has withdrawn from the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in Toronto and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati due to a knee injury, the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments announced Thursday.

The 39-year-old underwent two right knee surgeries in 2020 after the Australian Open before returning to the Tour in Doha this March. Federer has competed in five tournaments this year, recently missing the Tokyo Olympics due to injury.

When he announced his withdrawal from the Olympics, Federer tweeted: “During the grass-court season, I unfortunately experienced a setback with my knee.”

The World No. 9’s best result this season was a run to the Wimbledon quarter-finals. The 28-time Masters 1000 champion also competed at Roland Garros, where he reached the fourth round before withdrawing. Federer has enjoyed success in Canada, winning two titles in Toronto, and is a record-holding seven-time champion in Cincinnati.

It was also announced Thursday that Tokyo Olympics singles gold medallist Alexander Zverev will not compete in Toronto.

“I regret to inform you that, unfortunately, I have to withdraw from the National Bank Open in Toronto,” Zverev said in a statement. “Due to the intense past couple of weeks and my incredible experience at the Olympics, I need to recover so that I can hopefully be at my best for the remainder of the U.S. summer swing. It was a difficult decision for me as I have had great memories from Canada and I can’t wait to be back next year!”

Italian Matteo Berrettini, Canadian Milos Raonic and Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta have also withdrawn from Toronto.

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