Tennis News

Five Things That Matter On ATP Cup Day 2

After the first day of the ATP Cup produced thrilling battles, upset wins and decisive doubles clashes, many tennis fans will be wondering what Day 2 of the ATP Cup has in store? While predictions should be left to the ATP Cup Bracket Challenge, we do know that fans can look forward to a showdown between two of the sport’s brightest young talents — Alexander Zverev and Denis Shapovalov — the latest chapter in the ATP Head2Head rivalry of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur and the 2021 debuts of Kei Nishikori and Gael Monfils.

Here are the five things that matter most ahead of Day 2 at the ATP Cup.

Fresh or Tested?
Four of the eight teams in action — Russia, Italy, Australia, and Canada — played on Day 1. The remaining four nations — Japan, France, Greece, and Germany — will be making their 2021 debuts. Will the fresh teams have an edge or will they still be shaking off that off-season rust? An argument can be made either way. The teams playing their second ties will have a better feel for the court speed and conditions, but how will they adjust to playing matches in back-to-back days so early in the season?

Fanatical Support
The Australia versus Greece tie could inspire the most spirited crowds we’ve heard since the 2020 Australian Open. The Aussie Fanatics support their local boys more vocally than perhaps any other fans in the world. But Melbourne has a huge Greek population as well. Over the years, Greek and Greek Cypriot players, like Marcos Baghdatis, have attracted massive support at tournaments Down Under. The fans have had many months to rest their vocal chords, so it’ll be interesting to see and hear which team receives more support.

Nishikori Comeback
Kei Nishikori faces a tough task in his return to the ATP Tour. The 31-year-old will face reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion and World No. 4 Daniil Medvedev in the Japan versus Russia tie. Nishikori, who reached a career-high No. 4 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in 2015, played just four events in 2020 after returning from elbow surgery. The Japanese star owns a 2-2 ATP Head2Head record against the Russian star, which includes a final victory in Brisbane in 2019. Nishikori will need to find his best level quickly, following Medvedev’s 7-5, 6-3 win against World No. 9 Diego Schwartzman on Tuesday.

More 2021 Debuts
French and German players will also make their 2021 debuts as France plays Italy and Germany faces Canada. Gael Monfils will meet Matteo Berrettini in a repeat of their epic 2019 US Open quarter-final. The Frenchman, who lost that meeting in a final-set tie-break, will aim to gain his revenge with another strong start to an ATP Tour season. Last year, the French No. 1 won 16 of his opening 19 matches and two ATP Tour crowns. Berrettini has already shown he is in fine form in Australia. The 2019 Nitto ATP Finals qualifier defeated World No. 3 Dominic Thiem in straight sets and earned a decisive doubles victory for Italy (w/Fognini) on Tuesday.

And what will the new year bring for Alexander Zverev? His first test against World No. 12 Denis Shapovalov will be a tough one. The 13-time ATP Tour titlist owns a 3-2 ATP Head2Head record against the 21-year-old, but one of those two losses came at this event last year. The German ended 2020 in fine form and he will be eager to carry that momentum into 2021 with a first ATP Cup win (0-3).

Doubles Vision
At the ATP Cup, doubles takes centre stage. On Day 1, two of the four ties were decided by doubles results. In decisive doubles encounters, team captains often have difficult decisions to make. Do they stick with their established doubles team or bring their singles stars into the mix? At last year’s event, Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt’s decision to field singles stars Alex de Minaur and Nick Kyrgios in the quarter-finals against Great Britain paid off, when the duo saved four match points to beat doubles stars Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury and reach the semi-finals.

Two-time Roland Garros champions Andreas Mies and Kevin Krawietz will represent Germany and France’s roster features doubles veterans Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. But not every team can rely on established doubles partnerships. At that point, team captains will have some crucial decisions to make.

Source link

ATP Cup: Rafael Nadal pulls out of opener with back problem as Novak Djokovic wins

Rafael Nadal pulls out of Spain’s opening ATP Cup tie with a lower back problem less than a week before the Australian Open.

Source link

Kyrgios Wins On ATP Tour Return At Murray River Open

Nick Kyrios worked hard on his ATP Tour return Tuesday at the Murray River Open. The Australian breathed a huge sigh of relief after overcoming the incredible fight of France’s Alexander Muller in a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(4) victory over one hour and 52 minutes in Melbourne.

Kyrgios, who hadn’t played a tournament since the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in February last year, struck 22 aces among 34 winners.

“When I lost the first set I never really panicked,” said Kyrgios, who will next challenge fellow Australian Harry Bourchier in the second round. “I was actually just still finding my feet honestly. I actually thought I was serving reasonably well. I wasn’t serving anywhere near my best. I wasn’t playing anywhere near my best. But I thought my attitude was okay. I kept that pretty calm.

“I’m actually happy the way I dealt with it and I just drew from experience. I was nice to myself. I was like, ‘Look, you lost a set, your first set back and you’re playing a guy who has nothing to lose really’. He came out swinging. I actually think that he would have beaten a fair few guys in the draw today. All around, [I] just believed, really.”

Muller capitalised on Kyrgios hitting a double fault at 3-4 in the 23-minute opener. But Kyrgios raised his game in the second set, rushing Muller into errors. While Kygrios called for on-court treatment of a left knee injury, the 25-year-old held firm in the deciding set tie-break, when he saw Muller recover from a 1/4 deficit. The match ended when Muller hit a backhand into the net.

Two others Australians, James Duckworth and Alexei Popyrin, also reached the second round of the ATP 250 tournament in Melbourne. Duckworth won 26 of 30 first-service points in a 6-3, 6-4 win over Czech Tomas Machac and now faces seventh-seeded Frenchman Ugo Humbert.

Popyrin saved six match points in his 6-7(8), 7-6(2), 7-6(7) victory over Borna Gojo of Croatia. Popyrin failed to convert one set point at 6/7 in the first set tie-break, saved four match points on serve at 4-5 in the second set and another two at 5/6 and 6/7 in the deciding set tie-break. The 21-year-old now faces American No. 15 seed Tommy Paul.

“I think when the first three came along, it was three in a row… on my serve,” said Popyrin. “I was just taking it one point at a time, trying to get my first serve in, trying to hit a big first serve and get a good opportunity to finish the point as quick as possible, because I knew when I would get in a rally I didn’t feel quite as comfortable today. I think the conditions were also quite hard. It was quite windy so rally, so it was important to get those first serves in and all the match points, and that’s what I did.”

Source link

Roger Federer aiming to return to tennis in Doha in March

Roger Federer says he hopes to return from a long-term knee injury at the Qatar Open in March after missing the Australian Open.

Source link

Gippsland Trophy: Katie Boulter beats Coco Gauff; Johanna Konta, Naomi Osaka win

Britain’s Katie Boulter claims one of the biggest wins of her career with a three-set victory over Coco Gauff in the Gippsland Trophy second round.

Source link

Nadal Will Not Compete Against Australia Tuesday

Rafael Nadal announced on Twitter that he will not compete on Tuesday evening in Team Spain’s opening tie against Team Australia at the ATP Cup due to a stiff lower back.

“Hi all, we have decided with Team Spain and my team to not play today [in] the first match of the ATP Cup here in Melbourne since I have a stiff lower back,” Nadal wrote. “Hopefully I’ll be better for Thursday. We have a strong team.”

Hi all, we have decided with #TeamSpain and my team, to not play today the first match of the @ATPCup here in #Melbourne since I have a stiff low back. Hopefully I’ll be better for Thursday. We have a strong team, all the to @pablocarreno91 @BautistaAgut & @M_Granollers #vamos ??

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) February 2, 2021

Roberto Bautista Agut, who went 6-0 at last year’s ATP Cup without losing a set, will play Alex de Minaur in the No. 1 singles match, and World No. 16 Pablo Carreno Busta will step in to compete at No. 2 singles against John Millman.

Spain advanced to the championship match at last year’s inaugural ATP Cup, falling 2-1 against Serbia.

Source link

Sandgren, 17 Y.O. Alcaraz Advance At Great Ocean Road Open

Tennys Sandgren and John-Patrick Smith were college teammates at the University of Tennessee a decade ago, and on Tuesday they were across the net from one another in the first round of the Great Ocean Road Open.

It was a tough battle at Melbourne Park for the former Tennessee Volunteers, but it was ninth seed Sandgren who prevailed 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 after two hours and 15 minutes. This was the first ATP Head2Head meeting for the pair, who had previously split four professional meetings. 

Sandgren, a two-time Australian Open quarter-finalist, saved 11 of the 15 break points he faced and won 71 per cent of his second-serve return points to advance. The American will next play Italian Salvatore Caruso.

#NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz also advanced Tuesday. The 17-year-old was tied at 2-2 against Attila Balazs when the Hungarian retired due to left heel pain. Alcaraz will next play top seed David Goffin.

^{Carlos Alcaraz will next play David Goffin. Photo Credit: Tennis Australia}
Uruguayan shotmaker Pablo Cuevas moved into the second round with a 6-4, 6-2 victory against 14th seed Pablo Andujar. This was the pair’s first meeting since the 2011 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

Cuevas broke serve four times and won 50 per cent of his return points to triumph after one hour and 26 minutes. The World No. 70 is pursuing his seventh ATP Tour singles title.

Source link

Raonic Gives Canada Early Edge Over Serbia

Former World No. 3 Milos Raonic served up a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Dusan Lajovic on Tuesday to give Canada a crucial first point over defending champion Serbia at the ATP Cup.

Raonic, Canada’s No. 2 singles player, had to hit the ground running in his tournament debut as Canada was dealt a tough draw, landing in Group A with Serbia and Germany.

The 29-year-old was in command against Serbian No. 2 Lajovic, who won four of his six singles matches en route to the trophy last year. Raonic dropped only three points on serve in the first set and five in the second, keeping Lajovic in check as the Serbian tried to jam him with body serves of his own.

Raonic grew in confidence as the match unfolded, converting the lone break opportunity to finally pull away at 5-3 before sealing the set with an ace. He continued to apply the pressure against Lajovic in the second set, and claimed the victory after an hour and 20 minutes.

“I think I was sharp. I was there in a lot of return games. I kept putting pressure,” Raonic said. “I missed a few break point opportunities, but I kept sticking around and took care of my serve, which is always important.

“This is the first time playing in this event for Canada… It’s a lot of fun to be here. It’s a great honor as well to represent Canada.”

With the victory, Raonic puts Canada ahead 1-0 against Serbia. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Denis Shapovalov are set to take the court at Rod Laver Arena in the No. 1 singles match.

More to follow…

Source link

Australian Open 2021: How to follow on BBC TV, radio and online

BBC Sport brings you live radio and text coverage plus TV highlights of the second week of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park.

Source link

Korda Joins Exclusive Club With Top 100 Breakthrough

When Sebastian Korda embarked on his professional journey four years ago, this moment became a matter of when, not if. After all, sporting greatness is ingrained in the Korda family’s DNA.

For all players striving to reach the upper echelons of the game, reaching the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings is that first major milestone. It is one that signals your arrival and confirms the belief that you belong on the same stage as the game’s best players.

But not all journeys are created equal. Korda’s path to the Top 100 was not quite as straightforward he had hoped – or many expected.

“It’s a little longer journey than the guys in the Top 100 right now, but I always say that I prefer mine over everybody else’s,” Korda told ATPTour.com. “With what I’ve experienced, I can appreciate things more.”

On Monday, Korda celebrates his long-awaited debut among the 100 best players in the world. The 20-year-old has ascended to a career-high of No. 88 after lifting his second ATP Challenger Tour title in Quimper, France. The youngest player to break into the Top 100 since Jannik Sinner two years ago, he is also the youngest American to join the club since Frances Tiafoe in 2016.

Recent #NextGenATP American Top 100 Debuts

The 20-year-old has embraced the idea that his road to the top is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s the philosophy that his father – former World No. 2 Petr Korda – instilled in him from the onset of his professional career. And it’s one that helped him navigate through an 0-7 start to his tenure on the ATP Challenger Tour, as well as an 0-8 record in his first eight professional finals.

With a family pedigree that includes two sisters inside the current Top 20 of the LPGA Women’s World Golf Rankings, a father that ascended to No. 2 in the FedEx ATP Rankings and a mother that peaked at No. 26 on the WTA Tour, expectations have always been high. But it’s that support system that has kept Korda focused and always looking forward, even at his lowest point.

“I always knew I had the game to do this,” Korda added. “It’s just been about getting my body right and really having some good people around me that push me every single day. I know how hard it is to climb the rankings and always being in these tough places. Playing the Challenger level was never easy and I had to battle through that mentally. It really helped me.

“I’ve always been super tough and mentally strong and I try to go back and learn from those experiences. I never take a loss for granted and I always learn from it and build from it. At the time, I put my head down and grinded through it. I’ve come a long way.”

The Korda men – Petr and Sebastian – are now part of an exclusive club, as one of just six father-son duos to appear in the Top 100 in the history of the FedEx ATP Rankings (since 1973). What started with Fred Stolle and Sandon Stolle in the 1970s and 1990s has since included Leif Johansson and Joachim Johansson, Phil Dent and Taylor Dent, Christophe Roger-Vasselin and Edouard Roger-Vasselin and most recently Christian Ruud and Casper Ruud.

Father-Son Duos In The Top 100 (since 1973)

“I think the biggest thing was being in New York [for the 2020 US Open] and being around all the guys,” Korda reflected. “They made me feel comfortable in my own skin, just being able to practise with them and learn from them. Understanding what they’re doing and how they’re doing it was a super big help for me. You can play professional tennis for 15-plus years if you’re healthy and everything is going ok. It’s a long road and a long journey for sure.”

As he began to ascend the FedEx ATP Rankings following a stellar junior career that included a title at the 2018 Australian Open, Korda struggled to win a match on the Challenger circuit. From the hard courts of Indian Wells to the clay of Panama City, he would spend a full year developing his game and finding his confidence, before finally notching his first victory. As he says, cutting his teeth at the lower levels was an integral part of his maturation and growth. One year later, the Florida native was rewarded with his maiden title, as he watched his winless run in finals come to an triumphant conclusion on the indoor hard courts of Eckental, Germany.

Now, fresh off a first ATP Tour final appearance in Delray Beach and a second Challenger title in Quimper, France, Korda cannot be stopped. A run of 14 wins in 15 matches has him firmly cemented inside the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings.

“I started the week super stressed because my sister Jessica won her first tournament in 2-3 years last Sunday. I was watching from here and was stressing the whole time. But to see her lift the trophy was inspiring and she was saying, ‘ok, it’s your turn’. I had to step it up a little bit.

“I had it on my mind for the first few days this week, and it was just a relief when I knew I had finally made it. I had worked so hard for this. Since I first started playing tennis, one of my biggest goals was getting to the Top 100. It’s a dream come true, but hopefully I can go a lot higher than this and keep enjoying the journey.”

Source link