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Djokovic Completes Shanghai Treble, Secures 25th Masters 1000 Title

Posted: Oct 18, 2015

Novak Djokovic has been the king of the ATP World Tour in 2015 and the World No. 1 would hoist a ninth trophy in his sparkling season, defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2, 6-4 at the Shanghai Rolex Masters.

Djokovic further extended his lead atop the Emirates ATP Race To London standings, eclipsing the 14,000-point threshold to bring his haul to 14,285. The Serb brings home a third Shanghai title in four years, having defeated Andy Murray in the 2012 final and Juan Martin del Potro a year later. The win gives him 25 trophies at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level, pulling to within two of Rafael Nadal’s record of 27. Overall, it was the Serb’s 57th victory in tour-level finals.

Djokovic improved to 14-6 against Tsonga in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry, exacting revenge after the Frenchman dominated their most recent meeting on the hard courts of Toronto last year. In addition, he extended his ruthless run in finals on Chinese soil to a combined 10-0 with the 78-minute win. He fired 18 winners, including three aces, while converting on four of 13 break chances.

“Today the key was to get as many serves back into play to Jo because he has one of the biggest serves in the game,” said Djokovic. “He has shown that in the second set, with some break points early in the set. He came up with some aces, some big serves.

“Generally I felt always in control of the match. I felt like I’ve done everything right. I’ve won many of my service games very comfortably. I didn’t allow him to get into the rhythm, get into the match. Today’s match, and overall the tournament, it’s gone incredibly well for me.”

The Belgrade native would bump his overall winning streak to 17 straight matches, capturing 22 consecutive sets during his dominant run. He was in cruise control from the first ball on Sunday, breaking Tsonga in the opening game of the match as the Frenchman netted a backhand volley. The World No. 1 raced to a double break lead at 3-0, but would hand the break back in the next game.

That would prove to be his lone hiccup. Tsonga clawed back from a 0/40 hole, saving four set points, at 5-1, but Djokovic would claim the first set a game later. He would relinquish just one point on serve in the second, securing the decisive break in the ninth game and serving it out to love for the victory, turning aside a spirited effort by the Frenchman.

“The first set went quick,” Tsonga said. “It’s not easy to stop him. He is really consistent on his return. Today I didn’t serve well enough, especially in the first set. After that, in the second, I served a little bit better, and it gave me the opportunity to have a chance on his serve. But finally I was not able to do it, and he broke me at 4-all.

“I’m very satisfied. To come back at your best level, it’s always a long process. I’m happy today to be back really close to the Top 10. Like I said just before, it gave me energy to continue to work hard and try to achieve other good things.”

Tsonga, who was bidding to hoist his third Masters 1000 trophy in four finals, fell to 12-10 in tour-level title matches. He takes home $448,000 and 600 points in the Emirates ATP Race To London, having vaulted to No. 9 in the standings with his run to the final.

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Back-to-Back Titles for Klaasen/Melo

Posted: Oct 18, 2015

The South African/Brazilian pairing of Raven Klaasen and Marcelo Melo claimed its second straight doubles title on Sunday at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, topping the all-Italian duo of Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-3 at the Qizhong Tennis Center.

Klaasen/Melo were teaming up for the second week in a row after capturing the Tokyo title (d. Cabal/Farah).

“The last two weeks have been great,” said Klaasen. “We’ve played some really goodtennis together. I’ve enjoyed my time with him on the court. It’s been a lot of fun on and off the court. When you win this much, it’s good out there.”

“For sure I expected us to have good results,” said Melo. “But I have to be honest, I never expected to win two tournaments at this level. I think we combine really well together. Raven has a really good volley and he knows how to cover a lot of the net. I also have a good volley, so passing us at the net is not that easy. We have fun and that’s the most important thing for me.”

The No. 5-seeded Bolelli/Fognini tandem came out firing, opening the match with a break and a subsequent consolidation to go up 2-0. However, a loose service game from Fognini would allow his opponents to bring the match back on serve at 2-all. Klaasen/Melo, who would convert five of their seven break-point opportunities on the afternoon, held on to that momentum, breaking for 5-3. The pair then saved three break points to serve out the set in a mere 30 minutes.

Fognini took out his frustration on his racquet between sets. The brief show of emotion seemed to spur his side on, and the Italians were once again out to an early 2-0 advantage in the second set. But just as in the first set, Klaasen/Melo battled back to level the stanza at 2-2. With Bolelli/Fognini serving to stay in the match down 3-5, Klaasen/Melo would notch their fifth and final break of the match to close it out.

“We actually got off to a shaky start,” said Klaasen. “I lost my serve straight out the gate. We managed to get a break back early and that kind of settled me down. Marcelo’s pretty experienced, he’s good in these situations. Once we got our momentum going, we felt good out there. We’re very happy with the result today.”

Australian Open champions Bolelli and Fognini were appearing in their fourth final of the season (1-3) and were seeking their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title after runner-up efforts in Indian Wells (l. to Pospisil/Sock) and Monte-Carlo (l. to Bryan/Bryan) earlier this season. They also reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros (l. to Bryan/Bryan). Their other career titles came in Umag in 2011 and Buenos Aires in 2013.

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Watch: 'Dreddy' Dials Up The Flair At California Challengers

Posted: Oct 18, 2015

Watch Dustin Brown turn up the flair this month on the ATP Challenger Tour’s California swing, claiming hot shot honours.

ATP Staff

Watch Dustin Brown entertain with a pair of hot shots on the ATP Challenger Tour

In his first apperance in the Northern California swing on the ATP Challenger Tour, Dustin Brown has put his trademark shotmaking flair on display.

Brown put on a show in Sacramento, slicing a jaw-dropping backspin volley in his second round meeting against Taylor Fritz. But the German didn’t stop there, going between the legs at the net against another American teen – Tommy Paul – in Fairfield. He awaits a rematch against Fritz in Sunday’s Fairfield final.

Djokovic Hunting For 25th Masters 1000 Title

Posted: Oct 17, 2015

CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: The championship at the Shanghai Rolex Masters on Sunday features the 20^th meeting between World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 16 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Djokovic holds a 13-6 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against the Frenchman, including 7-6 on hard courts. Djokovic has won two of the previous three final head-to-heads, including their last final in Beijing in 2012. Djokovic comes into his 13^th straight final on the season with winning streaks of 16 matches and 20 sets. He is attempting to win his ninth title of the season, fifth ATP Masters 1000 crown (25^th overall in career). Djokovic is 9-0 lifetime in ATP World Tour finals in China. Tsonga is chasing his 2^nd title of the year and 3^rd career ATP Masters 1000 title.

EMIRATES ATP RACE TO LONDON UPDATE: By reaching the final Tsonga has jumped from No. 15 coming into the tournament to No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Race to London. With a title, the Frenchman will add 400 more points and move within 545 points of No. 8 David Ferrer. The Top 8 players on Nov. 9 move on to the year-end Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, Nov. 15-22. Four players have already qualified: Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka. A maximum of 2,000 race points are on the line after the Shanghai Rolex Masters at ATP World Tour 250 events in Moscow, Stockholm and Valencia; ATP World Tour 500 events in Vienna and Basel; and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Paris.

Race	Player	Points	SF	F	W
1	Novak Djokovic*	13,885	13,645	13,885	14,285
2	Andy Murray*	7,870	7,870	8,110	8,510
3	Roger Federer*	6,750	——-	——-	——-
4	Stan Wawrinka*	6,140	——-	——-	——-
5	Rafael Nadal	4,330	4,330	4,570	4,970
6	Tomas Berdych	4,280	——-	——-	——-
7	Kei Nishikori	3,945	——-	——-	——-
8	David Ferrer	3,445	——-	——-	——-
9	Jo-Wilfried Tsonga	2,500	2,260	2,500	2,900
10	Richard Gasquet	2,445	——-	——-	——-

* Qualified

EMIRATES ATP DOUBLES RACE TO LONDON UPDATE: The Top 8 teams in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race to London on Nov. 9 will qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Nov. 15-22. Two teams have already secured their spots: World No. 1 Bob and Mike Bryan and Wimbledon champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau. Italians Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini are in the final and will move to No. 3 if they win the title. Here is a look at the standings:

Race	Team	Points	SF	F	W
1	Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan*	6,285	——-	——-	——-
2	Jean-Julien Rojer/Horia Tecau*	5,950	——-	——-	——-
3	Ivan Dodig/Marcelo Melo	5,140	——-	——-	——-
4	Jamie Murray/John Peers	5,035	——-	——-	——-
5	Simone Bolelli/Fabio Fognini	4,895	4,655	4,895	5,295
6	Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Nicolas Mahut	4,765	4,945	5,185	5,585
7	Marcin Matkowski/Nenad Zimonjic	4,110	4,290	4,530	4,930
8	Rohan Bopanna/Florin Mergea	3,455	——-	——-	——-
9	Vasek Pospisil/Jack Sock	2,820	——-	——-	——-
10	Alexander Peya/Bruno Soares	2,740	——-	——-	——-
11	Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah	2,690	2,870	3,110	3,510
12	Daniel Nestor/Edouard Roger-Vasselin	2,440	2,440	2,680	3,080

* Qualified

BIG FOUR DOMINANCE: The ‘Big Four’ of Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Nadal have won 46 of the last 50 ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, which dates back to Nadal’s triumph at Monte-Carlo in 2010. The only other players to emerge with an ATP Masters 1000 title are Robin Soderling (2010 Paris), David Ferrer (2011 Paris), Stan Wawrinka (2014 Monte-Carlo) and Tsonga (2014 Toronto).

STATISTICS COMPARISON: Djokovic has yet to drop a set en route to the final. Here is a look at both players’ statistics leading into the championship: (+ Leads tournament)

STAT	DJOKOVIC	TSONGA
ACES	25	64 +
1st SERVE %	68%	63%
1st SERVE POINTS WON	74%	80%
2nd SERVE POINTS WON	67% +	57%
SERVICE GAMES WON	91% (31 of 34)	90% (64 of 71)
BREAK POINTS SAVED	63% (5 of 8)	65% (13 of 20)
RETURN GAMES WON	52% (17 of 33) +	21% (15 of 70)
BREAK POINTS CONVERTED	39% (17 of 44)	33% (15 of 45)

NOVAK SUPERB IN CHINA: Djokovic comes into the final having won 37 of his last 38 matches in China, winning consecutive titles in Beijing and Shanghai in 2012-13 and Beijing from 2012-15. His 28-match winning streak in China ended last year when he lost to Federer in the semi-finals in Shanghai. Overall, he has won nine career titles in China (six in Beijing, three in Shanghai). He has never lost in the China Open (29-0) and is 23-3 at the Shanghai Rolex Masters (since 2009). He also went 4-4 at the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai in 2007-08, winning title in ’08. The only country in which he’s won more titles is the U.S. (11). He has never lost in a final in China (9-0).

• World No. 1 has won 16 matches and 20 sets in a row after beating Klizan 62 61, No. 15 seed Lopez 62 63 Tomic 76(6) 61 and No. 3 seed Murray 61 63. Leads tournament in return games won (17 of 33, 52%) and 2^nd serve pts. won (67%). Has held serve 31 of 34 games (91%)

• On a 37-1 run in China, including 6 combined titles at Shanghai (2012-13) and Beijing (2012-15)

• With win over Lopez on Thursday, reached 70 victories in a season for 5th time in career

• Appearing in career-high 13^th straight final since falling in Doha quarter-finals to start season (l. to Karlovic). Last player to reach 10 or more consecutive finals in a season was Federer (11 in ‘06, 17 dating bk to ‘05)

• Trying to win 5 ATP Masters 1000 titles in a season for second time in career (2011). Nadal also won five in ‘13

• Also captured titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo and Rome, moving into a tie with Federer for second all-time with 24 ATP Masters 1000 championships (Nadal 27). Appearing in 83^rd career final (56-26)

• Lost 18 games en route to Beijing title last week (d. Nadal) – lowest five-match total of career en route to a title

• With Beijing title, became first men’s player to earn more than $15 million in prize money during a season (will surpass $16 million if wins title on Sunday)

• Clinched year-end No. 1 in Emirates ATP Rankings for 4th time in last 5 years (2011-12, ’14-15) and will pass McEnroe on Nov. 2 for 5th all-time with 171 total weeks at No. 1

• Won 8th, 9th and 10th Grand Slam singles titles at Australian Open (d. Murray), Wimbledon (d. Federer) and US Open (d. Federer) respectively. Fell short of calendar Grand Slam in Roland Garros final (l. to Wawrinka)

• Became one of three players to play in all four major finals in a single year during Open Era (also Laver in 1969 and Federer in 2006, 2007 and 2009)

• Along with 2014 Paris title, won 30 straight matches at ATP Masters 1000 events before falling to Murray in Montréal final, then Federer in Cincinnati final

DJOKOVIC’S 70-WIN SEASONS

Year

W-L

Win Pct.

2015

72-5

.935

2013

74-9

.892

2012

75-12

.862

2011

70-6

.921

2009

78-19

.804

TSONGA LOOKING FOR 13^th TITLE: The 30-year-old Frenchman beat Robredo 67(5) 62 62, Estrella Burgos 63 62, [Q] Ramos-Viñolas 67(5) 75 64, No. 12 seed/No. 10-ranked Anderson 76(6) 57 64 and No. 8 seed Nadal 64 06 75 to reach his first final here. This week, he leads in aces (64) and has held serve 64 of 71 games (90%), saving 13 of 20 break points. He has broken opponents 15 times (in 70 games, 21%)

• Posted strong results at ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai in the past: 2013 semi-finals (l. to No. 2 Djokovic), 2012 quarter-finals (l. to No. 7 Berdych) and 2010 quarter-finals (l. to No. 4 Murray)

• Started season 6-5 prior to reaching Roland Garros semi-finals (d. No. 4 Berdych and No. 5 Nishikori, l. to eventual champ Wawrinka), matching best career result in Paris (also 2013 SF)

• Advanced to 2nd US Open quarter-finals of career (also 2011), not dropping serve during event until five-set loss to Cilic

• Captured 12th career title in All-French final at Metz over No. 10 Simon, becoming winningest player in event history (18 victories)

• Appearing in 22^ndcareer tour level final (12-9, 1-0 in 2015). Has 2-1 record in ATP Masters 1000 finals. Won titles in 2008 Paris-Bercy (d. Nalbandian) and 2014 Toronto (d. Federer)

• Before winning Metz, had not played in a final since winning 2014 ATP Masters 1000 Toronto (d. Federer)

• Missed first 11 weeks with an arm injury before season debut at ATP Masters 1000 Miami in March

OPEN ERA FRENCH TITLE LEADERS

Player

No.

Yannick Noah

23

Richard Gasquet

12

Gilles Simon

12

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

12

Guy Forget

11

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Tsonga Welcomes Shanghai Challenge

Posted: Oct 17, 2015

For a guy who missed the first 11 weeks of the season with an arm injury, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is sure looking comfortable on the court these days. Following an impressive 6-4, 0-6, 7-5 win over a resurgent Rafael Nadal at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, the Frenchman is into his second final in a span of three weeks.

Credit Tsonga’s ability to stay mostly healthy since returning to the ATP World Tour in March. That and a renewed sense of confidence.

“I’m really happy to work hard because I know I can count on my body,” said Tsonga, who’s into his 22^ndtour-level final (12-9). “It’s something great for me because it was not always like this. Today I’m a lot stronger than I was maybe a few years ago.”

The Metz champion has indeed had his fair share of injuries since his pro debut in 2004. In 2006, he was limited to eight events due to back and abdominal issues. Not long after reaching the one and only Grand Slam final of his career, at the 2008 Australian Open (l. to Novak Djokovic), the 6-foot-2 right-hander seemed to battle one ailment after another. A right knee injury later that year would sideline him for three months and require surgery. There have since been hip, back and knee injuries. But for the moment Tsonga has put all that behind him, his sole focus now winning the 13^th ATP World Tour title of his career.

“He’s a very enthusiastic player. He feeds on the energy of the crowd a lot. He’s very powerful, big serve,” said Djokovic, the man who stands between Tsonga and his second title of 2015. “I think his game heavily relies on the serve. If he has a high first‑serve percentage, he’s managing to get some free points there. Then he’s dangerous.”

Tsonga, now 30-13 on the abbreviated year, makes no secret of the fact that he likes the speedy hard courts at the Qizhong Tennis Center, where he has twice reached the semi-finals or better.

“This surface is one of my favorites,” he said. “I know I’m able to play good tennis.”

If he’s going to upset the World No. 1 Djokovic, a player against whom he’s 6-13 in FedEx ATP Head2Head matchups, and one who has yet to drop a set this week, he’ll need to pull out all the stops. But as he showed against Nadal in his fifth Top-10 win of 2015, he’ll put his body on the line if he has to. During the third set of that semi-final showdown, Tsonga executed an acrobatic diving volley to set up his first match point.

“For me, it was today or never,” he reflected on the play. “At the moment you see the ball a little bit far. You know it’s going to be difficult to stay on your feet. You just go. You don’t think about anything at this moment. Just to try to catch the ball. That’s what I did. It worked.”

By reaching the Shanghai final, Tsonga has jumped from No. 15 to No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Race to London. With a title, he would add 400 more points and move within 545 points of No. 8 David Ferrer. The Top 8 players on Nov. 9 move on to the year-end Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, Nov. 15-22.

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Djokovic Sets Tsonga Final Shanghai 2015 Saturday Highlights

Posted: Oct 17, 2015

Watch highlights as Novak Djokovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga advance. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.

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Djokovic Downs Murray

Posted: Oct 17, 2015

Novak Djokovic discusses his dominant win over Andy Murray in Shanghai.

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Shanghai 2015 Final Preview

Posted: Oct 17, 2015

Novak Djokovic will take on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the title.

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Flawless Djokovic Books Final Berth

Posted: Oct 17, 2015

Novak Djokovic was at his best on Saturday, cruising into the Shanghai Rolex Masters final with a dominant 6-1, 6-3 victory over Andy Murray.

Djokovic reached the final in his seventh consecutive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event, extending his overall winning streak to 16 straight matches and 20 consecutive sets won. The Serb sets a final clash against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Sunday, with a third Shanghai crown in sight. He previously prevailed in 2012 (d. Murray) and 2013 (d. Del Potro).

“It’s the best match of the tournament at the right time against a player who was in form and one of my biggest rivals,” Djokovic reflected. “He’s a player I lost to a couple months ago in the Montreal final. Obviously there was a lot at stake. Whenever we play against each other, it’s always exciting. It’s always a huge challenge. But I was ready. I came in from the very first point with the right intensity, played great, on a very high level.

“I had a very high first-serve percentage throughout the entire match. He had a very low one. I think that also made a difference in terms of the scoreline.”

The World No. 1 applied significant pressure on Murray from the start. The Scot staved off a pair of break points in the opening game of the match, but Djokovic would not be denied two games later, breaking for 2-1 and never looking back. In a dominant display of baseline aggression, he would reel off 24 of the next 27 points to capture the first set in a mere 25 minutes. Murray was victimised by 17 unforced errors in the opener, but looked poised to make it a competitive affair after securing an immediate break to begin the second set.

Murray’s lead would be short lived, however, as a double fault in the next game would hand the break back and Djokovic would surge to the finish line. The Serb laced a backhand down the line to punctuate the 68-minute win. He fired five aces and converted on five of eight break chances in total.

Djokovic carries a 13-6 FedEx ATP Head2Head edge against Tsonga. The Frenchman turned in a brilliant display in relinquishing just four games in the third round of last year’s ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Toronto. He would go on to claim his second Masters 1000 title (d. Federer) and will be hoping for similar success against the top seed on Sunday.

Victory would bring Djokovic’s Masters 1000 title haul to 25, pulling him to within two of Rafael Nadal’s record. The Serb is currently tied with Roger Federer for second place on the list. Appearing in his 83rd tour-level final, he is also bidding to claim his 58th title.

“It was tough,” said Murray. “I’m obviously disappointed with the way I played. I served poorly in the first set especially. You can’t afford to do that against Novak with the way he’s playing just now, the amount of confidence he has in his game, and the conditions over here. You have to do better than that.

“I made it extremely difficult for myself. I just couldn’t get myself in it. Even the second set, got that break at the beginning and was hoping to kick on a little bit. Just didn’t serve well at all tonight. It was tough.”

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Bolelli/Fognini To Meet Klaasen/Melo In Final

Posted: Oct 17, 2015

Watch a live stream of the doubles final from 7.30am CEST/1.30am EDT on TennisTV.com

Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini boosted their bid to qualify for the doubles competition at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, advancing to their fourth tour-level final of the year at the Shanghai Rolex Masters.

Currently No. 6 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London, the Italians rallied past Daniel Nestor and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 5-7, 7-6(5), 10-3. They saved one match point in the ninth game of the second set. Bolelli and Fognini are bidding to reach the season finale at The O2 in London for the first time, following a successful early-season campaign at the Australian Open and final runs at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Monte-Carlo.

Entering Sunday’s final with a 2-3 record in tour-level title matches, individually, Bolelli carries a 4-4 mark in his ninth final and Fognini a 3-7 record in his 11th final. The Italian duo hope it will be third time lucky in Masters 1000 finals when they face sixth seeds Raven Klaasen and Marcelo Melo.

Klaasen and Melo are riding a seven-match win streak after triumphing at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo last week. They ousted eighth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Lukasz Kubot 6-3, 6-7(1), 10-7 in one hour and 34 minutes on Saturday, saving six of seven break points. Klaasen will be appearing in his first Masters 1000 final and 15th overall at the tour-level (8-6 record), while Melo is seeking to capture his second Shanghai crown and 17th in 35 ATP World Tour finals. He teamed with Ivan Dodig in 2013, prevailing over David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco.