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Fed Cup: Great Britain hope to persuade Johanna Konta to play

  • Posted: Feb 09, 2020

Great Britain hope to persuade top-ranked Johanna Konta to play in the next Fed Cup tie after she missed their qualifying defeat by Slovakia.

Great Britain lost 3-1 in Bratislava and failed to qualify for April’s inaugural Fed Cup Finals. Instead, they face a play-off to avoid relegation.

Konta, ranked 14th in the world, opted to sit out the tie to reduce her workload and protect her body.

British captain Anne Keothavong said it had been a “blow” to be without Konta.

The team will now play a qualifying tie in April to get back to this stage in next year’s competition – and avoid relegation to the Europe/Africa zone that is notoriously difficult to get out of.

“Without her this week, we certainly felt it, but it would have been tough even if she had made herself available,” Keothavong told BBC Sport.

When asked how she could persuade Konta to return, the captain replied: “Read the Art of Persuasion?! Naturally there will be another conversation with Jo to see if she can be persuaded, but like I’ve said before, once she makes up her mind on something she tends to stick to it.

“Maybe I’ll remind her about her heroic performances last year, and what she did on the back of those wins – maybe that might help her change her mind.”

The British number one, who made her Fed Cup debut in 2013 and has won 18 of her 25 singles matches, was instrumental in April’s World Group II play-off victory over Kazakhstan.

She came from a set down against Zarina Diyas and Yulia Putintseva to help Great Britain end a 26-year wait for Fed Cup promotion.

Her performances in the competition appeared to be a catalyst for success in the clay-court season that followed as she reached finals in Morocco and Rome before a run to the semi-finals of the French Open.

Konta, 28, went out in the first round at the Australian Open last month, having only played one tournament since September’s US Open because of a knee injury.

In the absence of Konta and former British number two Katie Boulter, who is in the early stages of a return from a back stress fracture, the British team in Bratislava was led by Heather Watson and Harriet Dart.

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Fed Cup: Great Britain lose to Slovakia in qualifying tie

  • Posted: Feb 08, 2020

Great Britain failed to reach the inaugural Fed Cup Finals by losing their qualifying tie to Slovakia.

Harriet Dart’s 7-5 6-3 defeat by Anna Karolina Schmiedlova gave Slovakia an unassailable 3-1 lead in Bratislava.

Heather Watson had earlier kept Great Britain in the tie with a 6-0 7-5 win over Rebecca Sramkova.

Slovakia qualify for April’s 12-nation finals in Budapest, while GB will play a qualifying tie to get back to this same stage in next year’s competition.

Britain were without world number 14 Johanna Konta, who opted to sit out the Fed Cup this year to protect her body, and Katie Boulter.

They returned to the World Group for the first time since 1996 by beating Kazakhstan in a play-off last April, and were among eight seeded nations in the qualifiers.

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Dart pays for missed chances

Dart had been beaten by Slovak number one Viktoria Kuzmova in a gruelling three-setter on Friday but the 23-year-old Briton showed no sign of fatigue against Schmiedlova, pushing her hard in a tight first set.

But she sent a forehand long to hand Schmiedlova the first set before battling hard at the start of the second, where she carved out two break points on both of the Slovak’s opening two service games.

But in the end it was the failure to convert those chances – missing nine out of 10 break point chances in total – that cost Dart.

Schmiedlova, a former top-30 player who has slipped down the rankings to 199 through injury, showed her pedigree by saving three break points from 0-40 to hold for a 5-2 lead in the second set.

World number 141 Dart did force the Slovak to serve out the match, showing her fighting spirit by saving two match points with two scorching winners, but finally succumbed on the third match point when she sent a backhand long.

“I’m sad to not be able to get a win for the team,” said Dart, who was in tears in her chair at the end of the match.

“I’m proud of the way I was able to fight this weekend. I couldn’t have done anything more. I’m able to hold my head high and take positives from it all.”

The defeat for Dart means Great Britain now need to win a play-off tie in April to earn another chance to reach the finals in 2021, while a defeat would send them back to the Europe/Africa Zone.

Watson makes most of late change to give GB hope

With Great Britain trailing 2-0 overnight, Watson had kept the tie alive with a dominant victory over Rebecca Sramkova.

The British number two had been expecting to face Kuzmova, but the Slovak pulled out shortly beforehand through illness.

Watson said she only found out 55 minutes before the match that she was playing a different opponent.

“I was watching some Netflix to try and get my mind off tennis and relax,” she told BBC Sport. “I found out at five past three that I was playing her so I went straight on to YouTube to start doing my homework as I don’t really know much about her.”

Watson made the most of the late change, punishing world number 202 Sramkova from the off as she won the first six games to take the set in 26 minutes before the Slovak finally held serve in the opening game of the second set.

The 27-year-old Briton, who tightened up her game considerably since Friday’s error-strewn 6-2 6-3 loss to Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, dealt well with the increased pressure in the second set as Sramkova found some form.

World number 74 Watson got a decisive break in the 10th game of the second set when Sramkova went long, with the Slovak then continuing to rack up her groundstroke errors to allow Watson to serve out the match with ease.

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Monfils Flies The Flag For France, Reaches Fourth Montpellier Final

  • Posted: Feb 08, 2020

Monfils Flies The Flag For France, Reaches Fourth Montpellier Final

Feb082020

Frenchman to meet Goffin or Pospisil in final

Gael Monfils extended France’s perfect record of producing Open Sud de France finalists on Saturday, beating Filip Krajinovic 7-6(4), 6-2 to move one victory away from his third title in Montpellier.

The two-time former champion (2010, ’14) saved all three break points he faced to reach his fourth final at the ATP 250 event (2-1) after 82 minutes. Monfils improves to 2-0 in his ATP Head2Head series against Krajinovic, adding to his final-set tie-break victory against the Serbian at the 2015 Miami Open presented by Itau.

“It was a great win today. I was very solid. I think Filip played great in the first set and then I changed my game a little bit to be more aggressive and it worked,” said Monfils. “I was pleased with my performance. So far [it has been] a great week. Hopefully tomorrow is going to be the same.”

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In the previous nine editions of the tournament, French players have lifted the trophy on seven occasions. Tomas Berdych (2012) and Alexander Zverev (2017) both defeated French opposition to lift their trophies in the south of France.

Monfils will face second seed David Goffin or Vasek Pospisil for the title. The World No. 9 owns two wins from five matches in his ATP Head2Head rivalry with Goffin and owns an unbeaten 5-0 record against Pospisil.

Goffin and Pospisil enter their semi-final encounter in top form. Both players are yet to drop a set this week ahead of their second ATP Head2Head clash. In their only previous meeting, Goffin outlasted the Canadian in a final-set tie-break at the 2013 Western & Southern Open.

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Fed Cup: Spain qualify for finals with 3-1 win over Japan

  • Posted: Feb 08, 2020

Carla Suarez Navarro completed Spain’s win over Japan to secure the five-time champions’ place in the Fed Cup finals.

Suarez Navarro, who will retire this year, beat Kurumi Nara 6-1 6-3.

On Friday, the 31-year-old defeated Misaki Doi in straight sets after Sara Sorribes Tormo had stunned former world number one Naomi Osaka.

Earlier, Serena Williams beat Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets to give the United States a 2-0 lead in their qualifier against Latvia.

After Suarez Navarro’s victory, Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara won the concluding doubles rubber in Cartagena, Murcia, beating Lara Arruabarrena and Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov 6-2 6-3.

Spain, who last won the title in 1998, join the already-qualified Australia, France, Czech Republic and Hungary as one of the 12 nations set to play in April’s new-look Fed Cup Finals in Budapest.

“We wanted to be in Budapest so much and we are there, so I’m so happy,” said Suarez Navarro.

“It’s going to be a really good event with all the best players there. Spain have a really good team and we believe we can be strong in Budapest in two months or so.”

Williams puts US in control

In Everett, Washington, 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams defeated 2017 French Open winner Ostapenko 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-3) overnight to put the US in a dominant position in their qualifying tie.

That came after newly crowned Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin beat Anastasija Sevastova 6-2 6-2 in the first rubber.

“It’s been a long journey. It wasn’t easy,” said world number seven Kenin.

“But I was super happy to come here and play with the team.”

Williams added: “I’m really proud of being able to get the win for the team. I’m really excited that I was able to go through it.”

The qualifier continues from 23:30 GMT with Kenin taking on Ostapenko in the third rubber.

  • Great Britain trail Slovakia 2-0 in qualifier as Watson & Dart beaten
  • Williams ‘maybe needs a new coaching strategy’
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Vesely Saves 4 M.P. To Reach Pune Final

  • Posted: Feb 08, 2020

Vesely Saves 4 M.P. To Reach Pune Final

Feb082020

Czech to meet Gerasimov in final

For the second straight day, Jiri Vesely saved match points in a final-set tie-break to keep his title hopes alive at the Tata Open Maharashtra.

After surviving two match points during his quarter-final victory against Ilya Ivashka on Friday, the unseeded Czech saved four match points to outlast Ricardas Berankis 6-7(8), 7-6(3), 7-6(7) on Saturday, advancing to his first ATP Tour final in nearly five years.

“I am very happy with my performance and my fighting spirit.” said Vesely. “I didn’t give up… In total he had four match points and I kept fighting. It just paid off today.”

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The World No. 107, who trailed 3/6 in the final-set tie-break, landed 28 aces and won six of the final seven points to triumph after three hours and two minutes. Vesely will attempt to lift his second trophy in his third tour-level championship match, following 2015 final appearances at the ASB Classic (d. Mannarino) and Bucharest (l. to Garcia-Lopez).

“I am really happy to be in a final again after almost five years,” said Vesely. “I hope I can keep the momentum. I hope I can use these two matches where I turned the match around and use it as an advantage. I will play with a lot of confidence tomorrow and I will go for it, that’s for sure.”

The 6’6” left-hander levels his ATP Head2Head series against Berankis at 1-1. At last year’s US Open, Berankis defeated Vesely in five sets to reach the second round.

Vesely will meet eighth seed Egor Gerasimov for the title. The Belarusian advanced to his maiden ATP Tour final with a 7-6(2), 6-4 win against sixth seed James Duckworth.

Competing at a career-high No. 90 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Gerasimov dropped just five points behind his first serve (40/45) and did not face a break point to overcome the Australian after 90 minutes. Gerasimov and Vesely have never met at tour-level, but the Belarusian defeated Vesely in their only previous match in the second qualifying round at last year’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

“I think I was playing pretty well. My first final of an ATP [Tour event]. Everyone is dreaming about this. I am very happy.” said Gerasimov.

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Felix Auger-Aliassime Donating $5 For Every Point He Wins In 2020

  • Posted: Feb 08, 2020

Felix Auger-Aliassime Donating $5 For Every Point He Wins In 2020

Feb082020

The Canadian is next scheduled to compete in Rotterdam

#NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime has taken the ATP Tour by storm on the court. But in 2020, he’s doing so off the court, too.

The 19-year-old announced Friday that he will be donating $5 for every point he wins this season to EduChange, partnering with CARE to support the protection and education of children in Togo.

“I feel very lucky to have had a hugely satisfying career so far, but I think it’s time to bring more meaning to it beyond tennis,” Auger-Aliassime said. “This year, all my winning points count.”

My Point: Get The Players' Point Of View

BNP Paribas will donate $15 for every point Auger-Aliassime wins. The World No. 21 has won 768 points in 10 matches so far this year. And as he continues his ascent up the FedEx ATP Rankings, Auger-Aliassime will have more motivation than ever, as he is trying to raise funds for 2,500 children in 2020.

“This year, more than ever, every point will matter,” Auger-Aliassime said.

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Medvedev, Tsitsipas Lead Impressive Rotterdam Field; All You Need To Know

  • Posted: Feb 08, 2020

Medvedev, Tsitsipas Lead Impressive Rotterdam Field; All You Need To Know

Feb082020

Draw, schedule, tickets & more about the 2020 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament

The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, the first ATP 500 event of the 2020 season, features four Top 10 players: Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Gael Monfils and David Goffin.

World No. 5 Medvedev reached the quarter-finals as a qualifier on his tournament debut in 2018, the semi-finals in 2019 (l. to Monfils), and he will attempt to reach the final this year as the top seed. Tsitsipas, the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion, will be looking for his first win in Rotterdam in his third main draw appearance.

Meanwhile, Monfils will aspire for continued success here. The 33-year-old Frenchman has advanced to the final on his past two visits to Rotterdam, finishing runner-up to Martin Klizan in 2016 and winning the title last year with victory over Stan Wawrinka in the final.   

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Draw Preview: Tsitsipas & Hurkacz Resume Budding Rivalry In Rotterdam

The field also features Andrey Rublev, who is off to an 11-1 start in 2020 with titles in Doha and Auckland, #NextGenATP Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime, as well as Next Gen ATP Finals champion Jannik Sinner. 

Here’s all you need to know about Rotterdam tennis tournament: when is the draw, what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more. 

Established: 1974

Tournament Dates: 10-16 February 2020

Tournament Director: Richard Krajicek

Draw Ceremony: Friday, 7 February 2020 at 6:30pm in the RotterTram

Are You In? Subscribe To Get Tournament Updates In Your Inbox

Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: begins Saturday at 11am
* Main draw: Monday – Friday at 11:00am and 7:30pm, Saturday at 1:00pm and at 7:30pm
* Doubles final: Sunday, 16 February at 1pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 16 February not before 3:30pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV
TV Schedule

Venue: Rotterdam Ahoy
Main Court Seating: 10,000

Prize Money: € 2,013,855 (Total Financial Commitment: € 2,155,295) 

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now

Get ticket for 2020 <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/rotterdam/407/overview'>ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament</a>, an ATP 500 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands

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

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Roger Federer (3)
Most Titles, Doubles: Anders Jarryd, Nenad Zimonjic (4) 
Oldest Champion: Roger Federer, 36, in 2018
Youngest Champion: Miloslav Mecir Sr., 20, in 1985
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 1 Jimmy Connors in 1978 and Roger Federer in 2005
Lowest-Ranked Champion (since 1990): No. 156 Anders Jarryd in 1993 — Since 1990
Most Match Wins: Roger Federer (28)

2019 Finals
Singles: Gael Monfils (FRA) d [WC] Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 63 16 62   Read & Watch
Doubles: Jeremy Chardy (FRA) / Henri Kontinen (FIN) d Jean-Julien Rojer (NED) / Horia Tecau (ROU) 76(5) 76(4)  Read More

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Hashtag: #abnamrowtt

Facebook: @ABNAMROWTT
Twitter: @abnamrowtt
Instagram: @abnamrowtt

Did You Know…  The Rotterdam honour roll includes Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Roger Federer and Andy Murray. 

© Henk Koster

Rotterdam 2019

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Isner, Past Champs Anderson & Opelka Return To New York; All You Need To Know

  • Posted: Feb 08, 2020

Isner, Past Champs Anderson & Opelka Return To New York; All You Need To Know

Feb082020

Draw, schedule, tickets & more about the 2020 New York Open

The New York Open, one of the longest-running tennis tournaments in the United States, plays its third edition at its home at NYCB Live on Long Island. The winners of the past two editions, Kevin Anderson and Reilly Opelka, both return in 2020.

Top American and two-time semi-finalist John Isner is set to lead the field, and he will be joined in the draw by a number of countrymen, including recent Australian Open quarter-finalist Tennys Sandgren, Steve Johnson and Tommy Paul. 

Former World No. 3 Milos Raonic is undefeated at this ATP 250. The Canadian won three straight titles from 2011-13, when the tournament was held in San Jose, and will look to continue his undefeated run on his first visit to NYCB Live.

Here’s all you need to know about the New York tennis tournament: when is the draw, what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more. 

Established: 1889

Tournament Dates: 10-16 February 2020

Tournament Director: Peter Lebedevs

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 8 February at 1pm 

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Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Sunday and Monday at 12pm
* Main draw: Monday – Friday at 12pm and 7:30pm, Saturday at 2pm and 7pm
* Doubles final: Sunday, 16 February at 2pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 16 February not before 4pm 

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV 
TV Schedule

Venue: NYCB LIVE Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Main Court Seating: 4,200

Prize Money: USD $719,320 (Total Financial Commitment: USD $804,180) 

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now

Buy tickets for 2020 <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/new-york/424/overview'>New York Open</a>, an ATP 250 tennis tournament

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

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: John McEnroe, Andre Agassi (5)
Most Titles, Doubles: John McEnroe (9)
Oldest Champion: Roy Emerson, 36, in 1973
Youngest Champion: Michael Chang, 16, in 1988
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 1 John McEnroe in 1984, Pete Sampras in 1997 and Lleyton Hewitt in 2002
Lowest-Ranked Champion (since 1979): No. 89 Reilly Opelka in 2019
Most Match Wins (since 1970): Andre Agassi (49)

2019 Finals
Singles: Reilly Opelka (USA) d [Q] Brayden Schnur (CAN) 61 67(7) 76(7)   Read & Watch
Doubles: Kevin Krawietz (GER) / Andreas Mies (GER) d Santiago Gonzalez (MEX) / Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (PAK) 64 75  Read More

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First-Time Winner Spotlight: Reilly Opelka

Social
Hashtag: #NYOpen

Facebook: @newyorkopentennis
Twitter: @NewYorkOpen
Instagram: @nyopentennis

Did You Know… In 2018, the tournament relocated from Memphis to Long Island, ensuring the continuation of one of the ATP Tour’s longest-running tournaments in the United States. During the Open Era, the tournament was also held in Berkeley, Albany, San Francisco and San Jose. 

© New York Open/Alex Smith

New York 2019

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Top Argentines Schwartzman, Pella Top Buenos Aires Field; All You Need To Know

  • Posted: Feb 08, 2020

Top Argentines Schwartzman, Pella Top Buenos Aires Field; All You Need To Know

Feb082020

Draw, schedule, tickets & more about the 2020 Argentina Open

Diego Schwartzman and Guido Pella lead the charge at one of their home country tournaments, the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires. Argentines claimed this title four times in five years, in 2004-05 and 2007-08, but have not won the title again since then. Schwartzman came close to ending the title drought last year, upsetting two-time champion Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals before losing to Marco Cecchinato. Pella also fell victim to Cecchinato in 2019, in the semi-finals.

Contested on clay at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club, known as the “Cathedral of Argentinean tennis”, the ATP 250 tournament will also feature Cecchinato, Croatian Borna Coric, 2019 Rio Open presented by Claro champion Laslo Djere and Cristian Garin, who won two clay-court titles last season in Houston and Munich. 

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Here’s all you need to know about Buenos Aires tennis tournament: when is the draw, what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more. 

Established: 2001

Tournament Dates: 10-16 February 2020

Tournament Director: Martin Jaite

Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 8 February at 3pm on-site

Are You In? Subscribe To Get Tournament Updates In Your Inbox

Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Saturday at 11am, Sunday at 11:30am
* Main draw: Monday – Friday at 2:30pm and 7pm, Saturday at 12pm
* Doubles final: Sunday, 16 February at 1pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 16 February not before 3pm

How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV 
TV Schedule

Venue: Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis
Main Court Seating: 4,800

Prize Money: US $611,420 (Total Financial Commitment: US $696,280) 

Tickets On Sale: Buy Now 

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

Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: David Ferrer (3)
Most Titles, Doubles: Sebastian Prieto (3)
Oldest Champion: David Ferrer, 31, in 2014
Youngest Champion: Guillermo Coria, 22, in 2004
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 2 Gustavo Kuerten in 2001
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 90 Nicolas Massu in 2002
Most Match Wins: Nicolas Almagro (29) 

2019 Finals
Singles: [3] Marco Cecchinato (ITA) d [4] Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 61 62   Read & Watch
Doubles: [1] Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) / Horacio Zeballos (ARG) d Diego Schwartzman (ARG) / Dominic Thiem (AUT) 61 61  Read More 

Social
Hashtag: #ArgOpen2020

Facebook: @ArgentinaOpen
Twitter: @ArgentinaOpen
Instagram: @argentinaopenatp

Did You Know… From Carlos Moya’s triumph in 2003 to Rafael Nadal’s in 2015, Spaniards and Argentines (David Nalbandian, Juan Monaco, Gaston Gaudio, Guillermo Coria) shared 13 straight titles in Buenos Aires.

© Sergio Llamera/Prensa Argentina Open

Buenos Aires 2019

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