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After 405 Days, Roger Makes Winning Return In Doha

In his first appearance since the 2020 Australian Open, Roger Federer made a winning return to the ATP Tour on Wednesday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.

The three-time Doha champion showcased his fighting spirit to save a set point at 5/6 in the first-set tie-break and he closed the match with a late break at 6-5 in the decider to beat Daniel Evans 7-6(8), 3-6, 7-5.

“It feels good to be back,” Federer said in an on-court interview. “I am happy to be standing here regardless of if I won or lost, but obviously winning feels better. It was a good match. Dan played a good match too. He has been a wonderful training partner as well. Over the past two weeks, we played over 20 sets and it went on [tonight].”

“It has been a long and tough road for me. I enjoyed it though,” said Federer. “It has been a huge challenge of mine in my tennis career and to come back at my age is not something that is very simple. I have had a wonderful team around myself that always supported me throughout. That made it much easier and it was worth it because I played a good match today.”

Federer was not only challenged by an in-form opponent on Centre Court. The 103-time tour-level titlist also needed some time to adjust to the most recent rules on the ATP Tour. Federer, whose last ATP Tour appearance came at the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals, sought advice from umpire Mohamed Lahyani about shot clock and towel box rules (see video). When Federer last played on the ATP Tour, ball kids still handled towels, but not today, leading him to unpackage his own at start of the match.

Things have changed a bit since you were last here, eh @rogerfederer? ? pic.twitter.com/k7DQ2Hoasp

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 10, 2021

Despite a reduced crowd in Doha due to COVID-19 restrictions, Federer received a warm welcome to Centre Court. Federer repaid local fans for their support with a thrilling opening set, which went all the way to a tie-break. The 20-time Grand Slam champion fired multiple forehand winners, including one at 5/6 to save set point, and came to the net to rush his opponent. On his third set point, Federer struck his second cross-court backhand passing shot of the tie-break to clinch the set.

Evans took his attack to Federer’s backhand and rushed the net to save a break point in the opening game of the second set. It proved to be a crucial moment for the Brit, as he forced Federer into backhand errors three games later to earn the first break of the match. Evans maintained his advantage to serve for the set at 5-3, and he showed no sign of nerves to claim four straight points.

After escaping two break points with a mix of pace and precision at 3-3 in the decider, Federer ripped groundstroke winners and applied scoreboard pressure to earn match point at 5-4. But Evans charged to the net behind his serve to stay in the match. Two games later, Federer earned two more chances and he took the first with a backhand winner down the line.

“I said, ‘If I’m going to go out, I’m going to go out swinging.’ Dan had more energy left at the end, but I was serving well and I thought I actually played a really, really good match,” said Federer. “I’m incredibly happy about my performance… It was nice to finish off with a backhand down the line.”

Watch Federer’s quarter-final match in Doha Thursday not before 6 p.m. local time. Key times around the world:

Shanghai: 11 p.m.
Mumbai: 8.30 p.m.
Paris: 4 p.m.
London: 3 p.m.
Rio de Janeiro: 12 noon
New York: 10 a.m.
San Francisco: 7 a.m.
Melbourne: 2 a.m. (Friday)

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“I actually thought he played his best tennis in the last three [or] four games,” said Evans. “[He] got himself out of trouble [at 3-3 and] then when I was 4-5 down he really came at me. I felt a lot of pressure from him, from his game.”

Federer will face Nikoloz Basilashvili in the quarter-finals. The Georgian broke Malek Jaziri on six occasions to record a 6-2, 6-2 win on Court B. Federer won his only previous ATP Head2Head encounter against Basilashvili 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 at the 2016 Australian Open.

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Khachanov Masters McDonald Test In Marseille

Third seed Karen Khachanov fought past a determined Mackenzie McDonald 7-6(4), 6-4 on Wednesday to reach his second quarter-final in as many weeks at the Open 13 Provence. 

“It was a really difficult match, he won yesterday and he played already in these conditions,” Khachanov said. “I feel like I was ready and I played good, but matches [are] never easy. You need to adjust. He is so fast, you need to really build the point against him. It was a difficult match, a really competitive one and I’m happy I could go through and get this kind of intensity and rallies.”

The 2019 champion has been building up momentum after starting the season with a run to the Great Ocean Road Open semi-finals and recording a win over Stan Wawrinka on his way to the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament last week in Rotterdam.

Khachanov, who sits at No. 21 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, was in for a battle against the in-form American. McDonald held firm against the Russian’s firepower, and sent them into a tie-break. Khachanov narrowly edged through on a late mini-break, but was in trouble early in the second set as his big serve began to misfire.

McDonald finally broke through at 2-0 and again at 3-1, but Khachanov broke back each time to stay within touching distance. He was under pressure from the American until the end, shaking off break points in each of his service games as he took a 4-3 lead before sealing the victory in an hour and 54 minutes.

“At the end, this is what is so important, to stay mentally there,” Khachanov said. “I feel like I am doing that well and I want to continue that way.”

Khachanov will face Matthew Ebden in the next round. The Brit advanced with a comfortable 6-2, 6-2 victory over Emil Ruusuvori earlier in the day.

Also in action, Cameron Norrie and Egor Gerasimov began their Marseille campaigns with a victory on Wednesday. Norrie edged past French qualifier Constant Lestienne 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3 while Gerasimov needed 51 minutes to record a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Yannik Hanfmann.

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Shapovalov Wins All-Canadian Clash; Fritz Saves 3 M.P. In Doha

Denis Shapovalov was rock solid on serve Wednesday as the fourth seed won an all-Canadian clash against Vasek Pospisil 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and 45 minutes at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. One break of serve in each set was enough for Shapovalov, who struck seven aces and didn’t face a break point.

Shapovalov will now challenge American Taylor Fritz, who saved three match points in the deciding set to overcome David Goffin of Belgium.

Fritz beat sixth seed Goffin, the recent Open Sud de France champion, 6-1, 5-7, 7-6(9) in two hours and 35 minutes. The World No. 33, who led Goffin by a set and 3-1, was forced to save three match points at 5-6 in the third set, then at 6/7 and 8/9 in the tie-break.

Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili, who came into the ATP 250 tournament on the back of five straight losses, is through to his second quarter-final of 2021 (also the Antalya Open) after he defeated Tunisian wild card Malek Jaziri 6-2, 6-2 in 76 minutes. He will next meet three-time former Doha champion Roger Federer, who is competing at an ATP Tour event for the first time in 14 months, or Daniel Evans of Great Britain.

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Thiem Battles Past Karatsev In Doha

Top seed Dominic Thiem withstood the challenge of Russian wild card Aslan Karatsev on Wednesday in a comeback victory at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. The World No. 4 bounced back from last month’s Australian Open fourth-round exit by beating Karatsev 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 56 minutes.

“We played in juniors 10 or 11 years ago, and we also practised in Vienna, so he wasn’t completely new to me,” said Thiem, who hit nine aces and won 83 per cent of his first-service points against Karatsev. “But he has raised his level so much in the past six months, especially last month in Australia.

“I was up in the tie-break and then I lost it, which was not nice, but he helped me a little bit in that first game. I think he hit two double faults. After you lose a close set, it’s super important to have a good start in the next one. And that’s what I had. It was pretty fast, 3-0, and so I was positive again in my mind. I also loosened up a little bit and started to play better.”

Thiem will next face 2019 champion and fifth seed Roberto Bautista of Spain. One break of serve in each set was enough for Bautista Agut to beat Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik, this season’s Antalya Open and Singapore Tennis Open finalist, 6-4, 6-3 in 70 minutes. The Spaniard won 32 of 37 first-service points to advance to the quarter-finals.

In a high quality first set, which didn’t feature a break point en route to the tie-break, Thiem struggled to return Karatsev’s serve, but opened up a 5/2 advantage in the tie-break. Karatsev responded, winning the next five points to clinch the 52-minute opener, which ended with a Thiem backhand error.

Thiem regrouped in the second set, with Karatsev paying the price for two double faults in the second game. Thiem varied his groundstroke length and service pace to take a 3-0 lead and carried the momentum by breaking Karatsev’s serve once more in the first game of the decider.

Last month, Karatsev became the first player in the Open Era (since April 1968) to reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam championship on his main draw debut. The 27-year-old rose from No. 114 to No. 42 in the FedEx ATP Rankings after his performances in Melbourne. He also helped Russia capture the ATP Cup crown (d. Italy).

Defending champion Andrey Rublev, the third seed from Russia, advanced to the Doha quarter-finals without hitting a ball after his opponent, France’s Richard Gasquet, the 2013 Doha titlist, withdrew ahead of the match due to a leg injury.

Rublev could have a rematch of last week’s ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament final should Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics beat Stan Wawrinka’s conqueror, qualifier Lloyd Harris of South Africa, in the final match on day three.

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17-Year-Old Rune Records First ATP Win In Santiago

Danish qualifier Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune continued to turn heads in Santiago as he fought to his first ATP Tour main draw victory against Sebastian Baez on Monday at the Chile Dove Men+Care Open.

The 17-year-old has been on a tear all year long, reaching three ITF-level finals and winning an ITF 15K trophy to start the season. After qualifying his way into an ATP Tour main draw for the first time earlier in the week, Rune sealed his first victory 6-3, 6-2 in an hour and 19 minutes.

“It’s a great feeling winning my first ATP match,” Rune told ATPTour.com. “I was playing very good and was very focussed on the court and didn’t make any bad decisions. I was controlling my game and my attitude. It made me super happy the way I carried the whole match and [gave] everything until the last point.”

Rune, the current No. 1-ranked junior who won the boys’ title at Roland Garros in 2019, was up against a former junior World No. 1 in Baez. The Dane quickly established himself as the aggressor and earned the first of his 12 break opportunities in the second game of the match. Rune broke Baez four times and kept the Argentine qualifier under pressure on his way to a straight-sets win.

“I think it’s something realistic to [aim to] be Top 100 at the end of the year,” said Rune, who currently sits at No. 410 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. “So far I’m doing good, I’m winning matches and trying to fight [for] every match. This year I [have only] lost three matches and my goal is to make it hard for my opponent.

“This week, I don’t know what to expect. I’m not the favourite for the next match so I’m not saying I’m winning the whole thing. But if that happens it’s great. I’m just taking it one match at a time.”

Indeed, Rune will face a big test against second seed Benoit Paire in his next match. The Danish teen is not superstitious, but he will likely continue to rock the same eye-catching hairstyle that he’s worn during his run in Santiago.

“It feels good having it like this. So far it’s going good, so why not keep it,” Rune explained. “I’m not superstitious in any way, but it’s nice because my hair was growing a lot and I thought I don’t like playing with [a] hat. So I did this.”

Joining Rune in the second round are seventh seed Federico Coria and eighth seed Federico Delbonis. Coria celebrated his 29th birthday with a three-hour marathon comeback against Gianluca Mager, 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(4), while Delbonis also advanced after a lengthy battle against Jaume Munar, needing two hours and 49 minutes to take down the Spaniard 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4.

Elsewhere, Cordoba Open champion Juan Manuel Cerundolo escaped from a 1-4 deficit in the opening set against fellow wild card Gonzalo Lama. The 19-year-old bounced back empathically to close out the match 7-5, 6-2. Andrej Martin overpowered Buenos Aires finalist Francisco Cerundolo in a one-sided victory, 6-1, 6-2, while Chilean qualifier Alejandro Tabilo returned to the second round in Santiago after a 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 win against Jozef Kovalik.

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Goffin's Confidence Soaring In Doha: 'I'm Feeling Great'

David Goffin struggled at the end of 2020, losing his final five matches of the season, including his last 12 sets of the year. But the Belgian is off to a hot start in 2021, and that continued on Tuesday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

The sixth seed beat Serbian Filip Krajinovic 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 22 minutes to reach the second round in Doha. He will play American Taylor Fritz for a spot in the quarter-finals.

“I’m feeling great. I’m taking a lot of pleasure on the court. I’m feeling more relaxed, confident in my choices, [confident] with my serve. It’s a huge difference,” Goffin said. “I’m serving well, returning well, I’m solid. I’m feeling sharp for the moment. It’s great.”

At his best, Goffin has been one of the toughest baseliners on the ATP Tour. After winning his first title since 2017 last month in Montpellier, the Belgian’s confidence has soared.

“[It helps] a lot, because instead of going on the side on my groundstrokes, I just cut the angles,” Goffin said. “I’m more confident to cut the trajectory and go more for the line maybe, so I’m more aggressive. I think my opponents, they feel it. They feel more pressure. They feel that I’m more into the court in front of my baseline.”

Goffin hit eight aces and did not face a break point against Krajinovic, who beat the Belgian twice on hard courts in 2019. The sixth seed now leads their ATP Head2Head series 3-2.

“It was a really good match because Filip was playing well. I think he was feeling the ball well from the start. It was not easy. Then I had the first break, so it changed a lot [in] the match,” Goffin said. “I’m happy the way I’m feeling, moving, and playing on the court now.”

The top seed on Goffin’s half of the draw is Roger Federer. They cannot meet in a match until the semi-finals, but the friends already reunited on the practice courts in Doha.

World No. 14 Goffin will next play Fritz, whom he beat in three sets in their only previous meeting at the 2019 Western & Southern Open. Fritz defeated Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(5), 6-4 in the first round.

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Evans On Federer: ‘You Definitely Second-Guess Yourself’

Roger Federer has not competed since the 2020 Australian Open. But the element of surprise will be out the window for his first match back on Wednesday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. The three-time Doha champion will play frequent practice partner Daniel Evans in the second round.

“We obviously practised for [the] past two weeks [in Dubai], and I thought he was playing pretty well. We played plenty of sets. It was competitive. But it’s all very different when you get on the match court,” Evans said. “It will be a lot different tomorrow. It’s going to be at night, as well, so a little slower. So we’ll see how the match goes.”

It wasn’t the first time Evans has trained with the 103-time tour-level titlist. As always, the Brit had nothing but positive things to say about the experience.

“It’s obvious to say he works hard. Some days we practised for three hours. Other days we practised for an hour and a half. It’s been just like most tennis players, really,” Evans said. “Obviously the level is a lot higher than most, but it’s been good to get some good practise in.

^{Photo Credit: @qatartennis}
Evans needed three sets to defeat Jeremy Chardy on Tuesday. There was a special guest in the stands on Centre Court at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex: Federer.

“He obviously has seen a lot of my game the past few weeks, so I guess I would say it was more out of boredom,” Evans said, cracking a laugh. “He’s probably [was] waiting for his practice [more] than scouting out what’s happening on the court. Let’s put it down to that.”

Federer leads the pair’s ATP Head2Head series 3-0, with the Swiss winning all nine sets they have played. In the past, Evans has pointed to Federer having “every shot” in his arsenal, something the Brit further explained before their fourth clash.

“It’s more the variation. You’re not sure what’s going to come next, different spins, different pace. You definitely sometimes second-guess yourself. He obviously moves very well. So that would be the biggest thing,” Evans said. “I feel like I deal with variation pretty well, and I do feel a bit flustered when practising different things [against him]. I’m sure for the more robotic players out there it’s not ideal with a hell of a lot of variation he’s got.”

Will training with Federer so recently help Evans when they compete for a spot in the quarter-finals? According to the Brit, one of them will have an advantage.

“I think it’s tougher for me by a long stretch. But no, it has been nice to see his game. Obviously it does help I have been able to see it, but it’s still going to be a difficult task,” Evans said. “He looked fit when I practised with him. If he’s fully fit, it’s definitely going to be tough. As well, I should enjoy the occasion.”

Although Federer has not played in 14 months, Evans is expecting a difficult test against the Swiss. But the 30-year-old will challenge Federer, too. He is playing some of the best tennis of his career. In January, Evans claimed his first ATP Tour title at the Murray River Open without losing a set. In February, he reached a career-high No. 26 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

“I’d say I’m definitely a lot better now [than when we last played at the 2019 US Open]. I feel more comfortable. In that sense, obviously he’s not played so much. It will be a little different for him tomorrow, as well. Probably my better chance to get some good tennis out there and trouble him,” Evans said. “I’ll go out there and enjoy it and see what happens. There’s no drama if it goes wrong tomorrow. If I win, it would be great.”

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Qatar Open: Dan Evans to play Roger Federer after Jeremy Chardy win

Great Britain’s Dan Evans will be Roger Federer’s first opponent when he comes back from over a year out of action.

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Watch Federer Practise In Doha

If you’ve missed Roger Federer, you’re certainly getting a good dose of him this week at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

The 39-year-old legend practised with Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev before beginning his run at the ATP 250. You can watch extended footage of their hit from behind the baseline above.

Federer will play frequent practice partner Daniel Evans in the second round. The 39-year-old leads their ATP Head2Head series 3-0, with all three of their meetings coming at Grand Slams. Federer has won all nine sets they have played.

During his pre-tournament press conference, Federer said, “I have missed the Tour. I have missed the second family, [which is] how I call the Tour.” The 103-time tour-level champion showed that on the practice courts when he greeted good friend David Goffin. The Swiss spotted the Belgian and quickly said, “David Goffin, baby!”

Federer has also been spotted doing his physical warm-up on the grounds of the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.

The three-time Doha champion owns a 26-3 record at this tournament. Federer has advanced to at least the semi-finals in six of his seven appearances.

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Harris Upsets Idol Wawrinka In Doha; Evans To Face Federer

Lloyd Harris recorded the biggest win of his career on Tuesday night at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. The South African qualifier withstood the power of Stan Wawrinka, the seventh seed and 2008 Doha finalist, in a 7-6(3), 6-7(6), 7-5 victory over two hours and 41 minutes for a place in the second round.

“I don’t have many words right now,” said Harris. “Stan was my idol growing up, so just to play against him was incredible. I was as determined as I could be, really pumped to play. I am proud of how I fought back after losing the second set. I feel like I’ve done really in the past couple of months and I hope to keep the momentum going.”

Wawrinka recovered from 2/4 down in the second-set tie-break, finishing with a forehand approach and two backhand volleys to carry the momentum into the decider. But Harris came within two points of a 3-0 lead in the third set, before Wawrinka clawed his way back – only to be broken in the 11th game. The 24-year-old closed out to love, finishing with his 11th ace.

Harris, who is making his Doha tournament debut this week, will next face last week’s ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament finalist, Marton Fucsovics of Hungary. Fucsovics defeated Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic 7-6(3), 6-3 in one hour and 44 minutes. 

Watch Tuesday Doha Highlights:

Daniel Evans saved 16 of 18 break points to beat France’s Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 in two hours and 55 minutes. The Briton will next face his frequent practice partner of the past two weeks, Roger Federer, in the second round on Wednesday.

“I thought he was playing pretty well,” said Evans, when asked about Federer’s form. “We played plenty of sets. It was competitive. But it’s all very different when you get on the match court, as I found out today. I wasn’t perfect out there, and I had been playing pretty well in practice. It will be a lot different tomorrow. It’s going to be at night, as well, so a little slower.”

Elsewhere, Vasek Pospisil will play fellow Canadian and fourth seed Denis Shapovalov after defeating Australian qualifier Christopher O’Connell 6-3, 6-4 in 83 minutes.

Melo/Rojer Earn First Win As A Team
Fourth seeds Marcelo Melo and Jean-Julien Rojer earned their first victory as a team on Tuesday when they defeated Kevin Krawietz and Reilly Opelka 6-1, 7-6(9). Last week in Rotterdam, Melo and Rojer lost in a Match Tie-break against Krawietz and Horia Tecau.

 

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Secon seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic also advanced with a 6-1, 6-3 triumph against Marcelo Arevalo and Matwe Middelkoop. The Croatians have already won three ATP Tour titles together this year in their first season as a duo.

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