Albert Ramos-Vinolas wasted no time booking his place in the Huajin Securities Zhuhai Championships second round on Monday, beating Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 6-1 in 74 minutes.

The 31-year-old Spaniard claimed 81 per cent of first-serve points (22/27) and converted five of eight break points to cruise past Nishioka. Ramos-Vinolas will face one of two Next Gen ATP Finals contenders — Casper Ruud or Miomir Kecmanovic — for a quarter-final spot. The eighth seed owns a 3-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Ruud and is yet to meet Kecmanovic at tour-level.

Cameron Norrie also reached the second round in Zhuhai, beating Peter Gojowczyk 6-1, 6-4. Norrie, who did not face a break point, claimed 87 per cent of first-serve points (26/30) throughout the 67-minute contest.

Norrie will meet third seed Gael Monfils in the second round. The Frenchman defeated Norrie in their only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head encounter at the 2017 Nature Valley International.

In the final match of the day, Frenchman Adrian Mannarino set up a second-round meeting with top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas by beating home favourite Ze Zhang 7-6(6), 7-5. Tsitsipas leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 1-0, a straight-sets win in May at the Mutua Madrid Open.

The ATP Tour heads to China with the Chengdu Open and the inaugural Huajin Securities Zhuhai Championships kicking off the three-week ‘Asian Swing’. The ATP 250 tournaments provide players with an opportunity to earn crucial points, with less than two months to go until the Nitto ATP Finals in London and the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.

Six Top 30 players headline an impressive draw in Chengdu, led by John Isner and Felix Auger-Aliassime. In Zhuhai, top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas is one of four Top 15 talents in attendance.

Chengdu Talking Points

A new Chengdu Open champion and finalist are guaranteed, as the three prior titlists and three prior runners-up are not in this week’s main draw. Two players who have already claimed ATP Tour singles titles in 2019 — No. 1 seed John Isner and No. 3 seed Benoit Paire — are making their Chengdu debuts.

2017 champion Denis Istomin and defending champion Bernard Tomic did contest the Chengdu Open qualifying this weekend – and they drew each other in the first round. Tomic retired during their match due to a left wrist injury; Istomin advanced to the final round, where he lost to #NextGenATP Australian Alexei Popyrin.

Popyrin is joined in the main draw by two other #NextGenATP stars seeking their first title, both from Canada: 19-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime and 20-year-old Denis Shapovalov. Auger-Aliassime made his first three ATP Tour finals earlier this season, finishing as runner-up each time, while Shapovalov is seeking his first singles final.

Ivan Dodig is back to attempt to defend his Chengdu Open doubles title, pairing with Filip Polasek this year. Dodig and Polasek teamed to win the Western & Southern Open in August, which is the biggest title of Polasek’s career. Polasek returned to the ATP Tour last year after missing nearly five years of action due to injuries.

Zhuhai Talking Points

The Huajin Securities Zhuhai Championships features two Top 10 players in its inaugural field: World No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas and World No. 10 Roberto Bautista Agut. Both arrive in Zhuhai after a successful Laver Cup campaign in Geneva, where Team Europe lifted its third trophy in as many years (Bautista Agut as an alternate). Former World No. 1 Andy Murray, who has lifted five of his 45 tour-level trophies in China, also features in the draw.

No. 3 seed Gael Monfils has notched 23 hard-court match-wins for the season to date, which is the third-most on the ATP Tour. The Frenchman, who had a career-best 15-3 start to the year, trails only Daniil Medvedev (41) and Roger Federer (25) in hard-court victories in 2019.

Two of the four #NextGenATP players in the field — Casper Ruud and Miomir Kecmanovic — will face each other in the first round. Ruud and Kecmanovic, who are currently No. 6 and No. 7 respectively in the ATP Race To Milan, were doubles partners at Roland Garros and the US Open this year. They upset the No. 3-seeded team of Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus to reach the US Open Round of 16.

One year ago this week, Yoshihito Nishioka won his first ATP Tour title in Shenzhen. The 23-year-old World No. 60 is just two spots off his career-high ATP Ranking, which he achieved in March 2017. Nishioka and Kecmanovic partook in a special painting activity with local children 70 stories above Zhuhai on Sunday, interacting with the community before beginning their runs at this ATP 250 tournament.

No. 8, Matteo Berrettini, +1
The Italian rose one spot to eighth position in the ATP Race To London, just five points ahead of ninth-placed Kei Nishikori (2,180), after reaching the St. Petersburg Open quarter-finals. Prior to the US Open, where he reached the semi-finals, the 23-year-old was in 17th place. He has enjoyed a breakthrough season with two ATP Tour titles at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart (d. Auger-Aliassime) and the Hungarian Open in Budapest (d. Krajinovic).

View Latest ATP Race To London

No. 19, Lucas Pouille, +3
The Frenchman has risen three places to 19th with a run to the Moselle Open semi-finals (l. to Tsonga). It is the 25-year-old’s best result since advancing to his first major championship semi-final at the Australian Open (l. to Djokovic) in January.

No. 22, Borna Coric, +4
The Croatian advanced to his sixth ATP Tour final (2-4) at the St. Petersburg Open (l. to Medvedev) to move up four positions to 22nd in the ATP Race To London.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 29 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, +16
No. 51 Filip Krajinovic, +3
No. 61 Joao Sousa, +3
No. 64 Aljaz Bedene, +12
No. 73 John Millman, +11
No. 85 Gregoire Barrere, +8
No. 99 Salvatore Caruso, +6

A LOOK BACK
Murray Trophy (Glasgow, U.K.): Can anyone stop Emil Ruusuvuori? Seriously. That’s a legitimate question. While Daniil Medvedev has been practically unbeatable on the ATP Tour in recent months, Ruusuvuori has been equally as dominant on the ATP Challenger Tour.

The 20-year-old Finn added a third title in four months, lifting the trophy at the inaugural Murray Trophy in Glasgow. The tournament’s namesake, Jamie Murray, was the talk of the town throughout the week, but Ruusuvuori quickly grabbed the headlines at the Scotstoun Leisure Centre. He routed Alexandre Muller 6-3, 6-1 in just 63 minutes in Sunday’s championship.

Ruusuvuori’s rapid rise is awe-inspiring. Since becoming the youngest-ever Challenger champion from Finland, in Fergana in June, he not only reached his first clay-court final in Augsburg, but added two more titles in Mallorca and now in Glasgow. It marks the second straight year in which a player aged 20 & under has completed a title treble, with Ugo Humbert achieving the feat in 2018.

Moreover, Ruusuvuori has lost just three matches since the start of August, posting a 19-3 record in that span. In fact, of those 19 wins, a total of 17 have come in straight sets. His efficient victory over Dominic Thiem in Davis Cup a week ago marked his first over a Top 10 opponent.

“I thought I played a great match,” said Ruusuvuori. “I didn’t start that well, but I was able to raise my level. I got the break in the first set and then I managed to loosen up a little in the second set. It was good.

“It’s not easy to break here. It just shows I’m able to play some pretty great tennis at the moment and do some damage to the other guys. It’s been a great week.”

Ruusuvuori has shown maturity well beyond his age and has a cannon forehand and clutch serve to back it up. He dropped just five games in the third round, three games in the quarter-finals and four games in both the semis and final.

Just three months ago, Ruusuvuori was sitting outside the Top 400. On Monday, he will be up to a career-high No. 142 in the ATP Rankings. The Top 100 is well within reach.

OEC Open (Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei): John Millman would not be denied his 12th Challenger trophy, securing the title at the Challenger 125 event in Kaohsiung. The third seed defeated Marc Polmans 6-4, 6-2 on Sunday.

Millman was mired in a 6-12 slump upon entering the hard courts of the Kaohsiung Arena, but he would snap out of it in a big way. The Aussie dropped one set all week, notching a Challenger title for a third straight season.

Columbus Challenger III (Columbus, Ohio, USA): One week ago, Peter Polansky saw his ATP Ranking drop to No. 200 for the first time since 2016. The Canadian responded with authority, notching his fourth Challenger crown on the indoor hard courts of Columbus.

Polansky defeated J.J. Wolf 6-3, 7-6(4) on Sunday, capping an impressive week on the campus of Ohio State University. He dropped just one set all tournament, rising 33 spots to No. 167 in the ATP Rankings.

Thindown Challenger Biella (Biella, Italy): Gianluca Mager secured a rollercoaster, marathon final on home soil in Biella, defeating countryman Paolo Lorenzi 6-0, 6-7(4), 7-5 on Sunday. Mager’s victory was his third of the year, becoming the sixth player to lift a trio of trophies in 2019.

In addition, Mager joined Andrej Martin in the ’40 Wins Club’ this year, improving to 40-18 on the season. He rises 22 spots in the ATP Rankings to a career-high No. 120.

Sibiu Open (Sibiu, Romania): Danilo Petrovic was a force all week in Sibiu, not dropping a set en route to his second Challenger title. He downed Christopher O’Connell 6-4, 6-2 to lift the trophy on Sunday.

The Serbian added a clay-court crown to his hard-court victory in Jerusalem in May. He cracks the Top 200 for the first time, rising 65 spots to a career-high No. 194 in the ATP Rankings.

A LOOK AHEAD
One of the most prestigious tournaments in France is in the city of Orleans. This week, the indoor hard-court event celebrates its 15th edition, with defending champion Aljaz Bedene returning as the third seed. Metz titlist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga leads the field, with second seed Ugo Humbert embedded in the ATP Race To Milan.

In Tiburon, California, top seed Tommy Paul looks to add to his recent run, having lifted the trophy in New Haven earlier this month. Sixth seed Michael Mmoh returns as the reigning champion.

A pair of Challenger 80 events are also on the schedule, with the second edition of the Firenze Tennis Cup returning to Florence, Italy. Philipp Kohlschreiber is the top seed. And in Buenos Aires, home hope Federico Delbonis leads the field, with Hugo Dellien seeded second.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga became the first man to win four titles at the Moselle Open on Sunday, beating Aljaz Bedene 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-3.

The 34-year-old improved to 4-1 in championship matches at the ATP 250 event after two hours and 47 minutes, holding each of his 17 service games and dropping just four first-serve points (49/53) en route to victory. Tsonga becomes the ninth French champion in the past 11 editions of the tournament. Since Gael Monfils’ title run in 2009, David Goffin (2014) and Peter Gojowczyk (2017) are the only non-French players to lift the trophy in Metz.

“Mentally, I was very strong. I served really well when I needed to,” said Tsonga. “The match was not easy at all. Aljaz was playing really well and it was a long match, I am definitely happy to win here again.”

Metz Champions Since 2009

Tsonga has now won 10 of his 18 ATP Tour trophies on home soil. The four-time Metz winner also owns three Marseille crowns (2009, ’13, ’17), alongside individual triumphs at the 2008 Rolex Paris Masters, 2017 Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon and this year’s Open Sud de France. The victory comes one year after Tsonga returned to the ATP Tour in Metz, following a seven-month absence due to left knee surgery.

After a tight opening set, Bedene proved the more solid player in the tie-break. The 30-year-old sprinted into a commanding 4/0 lead, capitalising on a series of Tsonga forehand errors before pressuring the Frenchman with trips into the net to claim the set after 57 minutes.

But Tsonga’s forehand proved to be the crucial factor in the following tie-break, as the Frenchman forced a decider with a series of powerful strikes to level the match. Tsonga carried that attacking mindset into the decider, winning the opening 14 points to charge into a 3-0 lead, before clinching the crown on his first championship point with a crosscourt forehand winner.

“It was a very difficult match. I stayed calm, focussed on doing the basics well and waited for the right moment to change the rallies,” said Tsonga.

Bedene was aiming to capture his maiden tour-level trophy in his fourth championship match. The Slovenian defeated two seeded opponents — Gilles Simon and Benoit Paire — to reach his first final since the Argentina Open last February.

“I only lost serve twice this week, so that is probably the best serving week of my career,” said Bedene. “I had chances today. I had a set, 4-3 and a break point. He served well and I picked the wrong side, but it was close and it could have gone either way. I am disappointed. I wanted to win, but I am also happy with the week.”

Tsonga earns 250 ATP Ranking points and collects €90,390 in prize money. Bedene receives 150 ATP Ranking points and receives €48,870.

Alexander Zverev won the final match for Team Europe in last year’s Laver Cup and put in a repeat effort on Sunday in Geneva. The German defeated Milos Raonic 6-4, 3-6, 10-4 to complete a successful title defence for the home team.

Team Europe defeated Team World 13-11 after three exciting days of play and has won the Laver Cup crown in all three years of the competition. Each winning team member will also receive $250,000.

“It was an unbelievable weekend. Those guys [Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal] were screaming at me in the locker room before the Match Tie-break, saying this is how I could turn my season around. Without all of these guys on the bench, I couldn’t have done it,” Zverev said. “This is very special, especially playing in front of those guys and having them trust me to play the last match.”

Lift it up high, #TeamEurope ?#LaverCup pic.twitter.com/7RaYBjnTky

— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) September 22, 2019

Zverev improved to 5-1 in singles, while Raonic fell to 0-2. He also tied his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Raonic at 2-2.

Zverev laced a forehand winner at 3-3 in the opening set to break Raonic and went on to take the early advantage. Raonic responded in the second set by breaking Zverev at 3-2, then bravely saved four break points on his serve at 5-3 to force a Match Tie-break.

But it was the Canadian who blinked first with the title on the line, hitting a pair of backhand errors to give Zverev a 5/2 advantage. The German nailed a forehand winner on match point and collapsed to the ground in delight after one hour and 29 minutes.

Federer kept Team Europe’s title defense alive with a 6-4, 7-6(3) victory over John Isner. Federer leads Isner 8-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry and has won both of their Laver Cup singles matches. The Swiss is undefeated (6-0) in singles at this event, while Isner dropped to 2-4. 

”I’m very excited. What an atmosphere and what a match. I’m thrilled that I was able to give something back to the team after a tough Match Tie-break (in doubles) earlier today,” Federer said. “Team Europe has been amazIng. They’ve fought so hard and played so well.” 

Federer came out firing and nailed a passing shot winner at 2-2 to earn the lone break of the match. The Swiss remained flawless on serve, winning 83 per cent of his service points (20/24) to grab the opening set.

Both players held serve throughout the second set, but Federer was forced to save a set point at 5-6. He raised his game even further in the tie-break, rifling a forehand winner for a 5/3 mini-break lead and hitting a big first serve to wrap up the match after one hour and 26 minutes.

Earlier in the day, Team World staged a dramatic comeback as Isner/Jack Sock defeated Federer/Stefanos Tsitsipas and Taylor Fritz won a thrilling battle against Dominic Thiem.

It was also announced that the 2020 Laver Cup will be held in Boston. Team Europe captain Bjorn Borg and Team World captain John McEnroe confirmed that they will reprise their roles next year.

Good luck trying to slow down Russian Daniil Medvedev en route to the Nitto ATP Finals this November. The 23-year-old Russian, who will make his debut at The O2 in London, won his third title of the season on Sunday, ousting Croatian Borna Coric 6-3, 6-1 at the St. Petersburg Open.

Medvedev was playing in his fifth consecutive final after making title matches in Washington (l. to Kyrgios), Montreal (l. to Nadal), Cincinnati (d. Goffin) and the US Open (l. to Nadal) during the North American hard-court swing.

The World No. 4, who clinched his Nitto ATP Finals berth in New York, has won 24 of his past 27 matches and leads the ATP Tour in wins this season (54-17). His title in St. Petersburg is his first in his native Russia and the sixth of his career. Medvedev is the first Russian to win the St. Petersburg title since Mikhail Youzhny 15 years ago, in 2004.

Coric led their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 4-1, which included two indoor hard-court wins, at the 2018 Rolex Paris Masters and their maiden meeting, at the 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. But Medvedev showed how much he has improved in the past couple years as he broke twice in the opening set against the 22-year-old Coric.

More On Medvedev
Why Medvedev’s Moment Looks Set To Continue Indoors
The Stat That Pushed Medvedev To New Heights
Buy Tickets To See Medvedev In London

The Croatian tried to keep Medvedev off balance, offering a steady dose of slices to both sides. But the Russian was too consistent and wasn’t bothered by any of it for too long. He broke twice more in the second set. Medvedev never faced a break point.

He will receive 250 ATP Rankings points and $203,410 in prize money. Coric, who was playing in his first final since the Rolex Shanghai Masters last October, will receive 150 ATP Rankings points and $109,990 in prize money.

Team World is one match away from taking the Laver Cup after a pair of big wins on Sunday in Geneva. Taylor Fritz outlasted Dominic Thiem 7-5, 6-7(3), 10-5 and John Isner/Jack Sock rallied to defeat Roger Federer/Stefanos Tsitsipas 5-7, 6-4, 10-8, giving Team World an 11-7 lead over Team Europe.

“That was a big match for Team World. We really needed that win. To let my team down the first day and contribute to the team today and give them the win means so much to me,” Fritz said in his on-court interview. “This has to be one of the biggest wins of my career. You’re usually just playing for yourself, but it means so much when you’re playing for other people.”

The singles match was scheduled to be Rafael Nadal against Nick Kyrgios, but Nadal pulled out due to a wrist injury and Kyrgios withdrew due to a shoulder injury. Federer was also scheduled to team up with Nadal in doubles, but Tsitsipas stepped in at the last minute. Team World must now win both of the remaining singles matches on Sunday’s schedule to retain the Laver Cup. Federer takes on Isner and Alexander Zverev faces Milos Raonic.

Fritz and Thiem traded comfortable holds throughout the first set, but a titanic game with Thiem serving at 5-6 saw Fritz convert on his fifth set point to grab the early advantage. There were no service breaks in the second set, but Federer and Nadal urged Thiem to play with more aggression and assert himself in the rallies.

“Find the right rhythm on your second serve,” Federer said. “Look for the baseline a little bit sooner in the rally if you can.”

The strategy worked as Thiem found a new gear in the second-set tie-break. An overhead winner and forehand winner gave the Austrian a 4/1 lead and he fired a forehand winner to force a Match Tie-break.

Thiem kept his momentum by winning the first two points of the Match Tie-break, but Fritz saved his best tennis for when it mattered most. A barrage of forehand winners and aggressive approaches saw Fritz win eight of the next nine points. The American laced a forehand winner on his second match point and charged over to his team to celebrate prevailing after exactly two hours of play.

The match marked Fritz’s first win in Laver Cup play. Thiem suffered his first singles loss at this event and dropped to 2-1 Fritz also improved to 1-2 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Thiem.

Federer and Tsitsipas quickly found their footing in their debut outing as a team, with the Swiss knocking off a volley winner on Sock’s serve at 6-5 to take the opening set. Isner/Sock regrouped and grabbed the lone break of the second at 1-1. Isner then fired an ace on Team World’s third set point to set up a Match Tie-break.

A backhand return from Isner at 4/4 gave the Americans a critical mini-break advantage and another strong serve from Isner wrapped up the win after one hour and 47 minutes.

.@JackSock & @JohnIsner deliver for #TeamWorld!

Who wins the @LaverCup from here?pic.twitter.com/N7g1uhEfKy

— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) September 22, 2019

“I like team atmospheres. I grew up playing sports,” Sock said. “I love a loud crowd, whether they are European or for us.”

Both Isner (2-0) and Sock (3-0) have gone undefeated this weekend. Isner is still unbeaten (3-0) in doubles at the Laver Cup, while Sock improved his doubles record to 7-2.