Who will be crowned the 2015 Emirates ATP Star of Tomorrow? Meet the contenders.
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Rafael Nadal draws from past successes in the Chinese capital and hopes to make a deep run at the China Open.
Two-time champion Kei Nishikori weathered a storm Monday to secure his spot in the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships second round. The Japanese star delighted 10,000 fans at the Ariake Colosseum with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 comeback win over Borna Coric.
Nishikori, who is one match win away from his 50th victory of 2015, is battling to qualify for next month’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for the second straight year. Four spots are left at the 15-22 November season finale at The O2 in London.
Coric broke Nishikori in the first and third games, dominating baseline rallies and attacking the net with great fluency. At 1-5, Nishikori saved three set points at 15/40 and Advantage, but minutes later he could not prevent Coric from wrapping up the 48-minute opener.
Nishikori found his rhythm and from a 3-1 lead in the second set clinched five straight games against his 18-year-old opponent, who is the youngest player in the Top 50 of the Emirates ATP Rankings.
Nishikori won 72 per cent of his first service points and saved eight of 10 break points for victory in two hours and eight minutes. He will next face Sam Querrey, who, playing in Tokyo for the first time since 2008, recorded his 20th match win of the season by beating Alexandr Dolgopolov 7-6(5), 6-4 in 83 minutes.
Tatsuma Ito knocked out fellow Japanese wild card Yoshihito Nishioka 3-6, 6-0, 7-5 in two hours and 20 minutes and he now waits on the winner of top seed Stan Wawrinka or Radek Stepanek, who play on Tuesday.
Unseeded Austrian Andreas Haider-Maurer scored the first major upset of the 2015 China Open in Beijing, stunning No. 8-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6(4), 6-2 to advance to the second round.
Tsonga, who was coming off his first title of the year on his home turf in Metz, France (d. Simon), was up a break and had a chance to close out the first set with his opponent serving at 3-5. But Haider-Maurer battled back to force a tie-break and was soon in control. Trailing 4-2 in the second, Tsonga called for a medical timeout, complaining of dizziness.
“It’s not really important what happened when I was a little bit dizzy,” said Tsonga, who’s now 25-13 on the year. “The most important thing for me was the start of the match and this first set I lost. The second set I didn’t play well. That’s it. Today I didn’t lose because I was dizzy, I just lost because I was bad, and that’s it.”
Tsonga, a runner-up to Novak Djokovic in Beijing in 2012, landed just 52 per cent of his first serves. Despite seven aces, he registered four double faults. Haider-Maurer, No. 64 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, won 76 per cent of his first-serve points, and converted three of four break point opportunities. This was their first career meeting.
Seventh seed David Goffin made a strong start, dismissing Andreas Seppi 6-2, 6-3 in 66 minutes. The Belgian broke serve four times from six opportunities as he claimed his 33rd win of the season. The 24-year-old Goffin is playing for the first time since leading Belgium into the Davis Cup final with victory over Argentina last month. He goes on to face another Italian, Fabio Fognini, who needed just 59 minutes to beat Martin Klizan 6-2, 6-1.
Chinese No. 1 Ze Zhang could face top seed Novak Djokovic in the second round after battling past Denis Istomin 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 to earn his third tour-level win of the season. World No. 219 Zhang reached the quarter-finals of this ATP World Tour 500 hard-court tournament in 2012 (l. to Mayer). Five-time Djokovic opens his campaign on Tuesday against Simone Bolelli.
Elsewhere, Lukas Rosol came from behind to beat qualifier Aljaz Bedene 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 in two hours and seven minutes.
It’s no wonder that Rafael Nadal feels at home on the courts of Beijing’s National Tennis Center, site of the October 5-11 China Open. It was here, after all, as a 22 year old, that the Spaniard struck Olympic gold at the 2008 Summer Games.
Much has happened since. Nadal now stands side by side with Hall of Fame great Pete Sampras on 14 Grand Slam trophies, second only to Roger Federer (17). But the memories of his gold-medal-clinching 6–3, 7–6(2), 6–3 win over Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez that year have never faded. As he prepares for the ATP World Tour 500-level event in Beijing this week, those indelible world-stage moments still serve as motivation.
“Every day is an opportunity to improve,” said Nadal, currently No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Race To London and chasing a spot in next month’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. “I take this tournament like another opportunity to play close to the way that I want to play. I have the motivation to play here at a tournament that I love. I have one of the best memories of my career in this center.”
Nadal’s third-round defeat at the hands of Italy’s Fabio Fognini this year at the US Open meant that his streak of 10 consecutive years with at least one Grand Slam crown had come to an end, his best results at the majors being quarterfinal finishes at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. But the left-hander says that he saw improvement in New York, and continues to see it in practice. And for the motivated Mallorcan, that’s all that matters.
“That is something that is important for me,” said Nadal, who is making his third straight appearance in Beijing and fifth overall. “I’m going to try my best in every single match. I going to try to do the things that I believe I need to start stronger next year.”
A career year, right? The kind that summons comparisons to the sport’s all-time greats. But even though we’re barely into October, the 28 year old insists his 2015 campaign has already surpassed it.
“Somehow I feel like this one is even better,” said Djokovic, in Beijing to defend his title at the China Open. “I just feel like a more complete person and a player. I’m a father and a husband, just different circumstances that happen in my life in the last couple of years that have helped me to enjoy all the success that I have on the tennis court even more. So 2011 was absolutely an incredible year. But I feel this year I’m enjoying it even more because I’m more, I would say, fulfilled, more complete, more mature as a person and a player.”
Djokovic, who for the second time in his career came within one major (Roland Garros) of a calendar year Grand Slam, will surely add to his 2015 numbers in the coming weeks. The World No. 1 is already 63-5 with seven titles on the year and traditionally plays some of his best tennis during the ATP World Tour’s Asian swing. He’s chasing a record sixth China Open title, and has won the Shanghai Rolex Masters in two of the past three years.
“I love playing these tournaments,” he said. “I’ve had lots of success in these two cities. The first time I came to Beijing was for the [2008] Olympic Games and I won the bronze medal. Ever since then, I’ve won five trophies here. Shanghai I won a couple times there, won the first Masters Cup. So the record that I have in these tournaments in China gives me a lot of obvious motivation to come back, a lot of great memories that I built my approach on for this year.”
Djokovic, who has already qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 15-22 November, is determined to maintain his run of form through to the end of the year.
“It’s been a long season, no question about it, a lot of matches played,” he said. “But this is what I do. This is my life. I’m looking forward to perform in front of the Chinese people, who give me a lot of support over the years…The way they wait for me in front of the hotel and the club is something that I don’t experience really more or less anywhere, maybe very few places in the world.”
Djokovic will open his title defence this week against Italian qualifier Simone Bolelli, against whom he’s 4-0.
David Ferrer fights past countryman Feliciano Lopez for the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur crown, while Treat Huey and Henri Kontinen prevail in doubles. Video courtesy: Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur
It wasn’t long ago that Kei Nishikori was an integral part of a surging crop of teenagers on the ATP World Tour. Now cemented as one of the game’s elite, the Japanese opens his bid for a third Tokyo title against one of today’s brightest rising stars – 18-year-old Borna Coric.
A blockbuster matchup slated for Day One of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, Nishikori is looking forward to his first encounter with the highest-ranked teen in the Emirates ATP Rankings and has much admiration and respect for Coric’s talent.
“We’ve never played before,” Nishikori said. “We just had one practice together last week. It’s going to be a new match, but everything is going well. He’s one of the young guys playing good tennis, so it’s going to be a dangerous match.”
Nishikori carries a 14-5 record in Tokyo, claiming two titles in the last three years. He downed Milos Raonic in both the 2012 and 2014 finals, and will look to continue his quest for a second straight Barclays ATP World Tour Finals berth with even more success on home soil. Currently sitting at No. 6 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, the Shimane native is hoping to add to his 3,770-point haul.
“It’s really fun to play on the stadium here. Even on Sunday a lot of people show up for practice. It’s great for Japanese tennis. I’m very happy to be playing here. I feel comfortable and look forward to their support tomorrow.”
Should Nishikori fight past Coric, he will face either Alexandr Dolgopolov or Sam Querrey. Other seeds in his half of the draw include No. 4 Richard Gasquet, No. 6 Marin Cilic and No. 8 Grigor Dimitrov. He opens his campaign third on Center Court, with play starting at 11:00am.
Watch highlights of ATP Sunday, featuring Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, Kevin Anderson and Jeremy Chardy in the build up to the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships.
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Stars Aligned in Beijing, Tokyo – The Asian circuit on the ATP World Tour continues with 500 level tournaments with the China Open 2015 in Beijing and the Rakuten Japan Open in Tokyo. They are two of the 13 ATP World Tour 500 events. Between both tournaments, 40 of the Top 45 players in this week’s Emirates ATP Rankings are in action. In Beijing, World No. 1 and five–time champion Novak Djokovic and No. 5/2011 winner Tomas Berdych are the top two seeds. In Tokyo, Stan Wawrinka and reigning champion, local favorite Kei Nishikori, who are the top two seeds and 4th and 6th, respectively, in the Emirates ATP Race to London.
Emirates ATP Race to London – 13 of the Top 15 players in the Emirates ATP Race to London for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals are in action. Top four have qualified. There are four spots remaining to the season finale and 500 points to the champion at stake. Here are the points leaders on Sunday:
|
Position |
Player |
Points |
|
1-Q |
Novak Djokovic – Beijing |
12,785 |
|
2-Q |
Andy Murray |
7,370 |
|
3-Q |
Roger Federer |
6,725 |
|
4-Q |
Stan Wawrinka – Tokyo |
5,500 |
|
5 |
Tomas Berdych –Beijing (in Shenzhen F) |
3,940 |
|
6 |
Kei Nishikori – Tokyo |
3,765 |
|
7 |
Rafael Nadal – Beijing |
3,715 |
|
8 |
David Ferrer – Beijing (won KL) |
3,255 |
|
9 |
Richard Gasquet – Tokyo |
2,355 |
|
10 |
Kevin Anderson – Tokyo |
2,205 |
|
11 |
John Isner – Beijing |
2,180 |
|
12 |
Milos Raonic – Beijing |
2,080 |
|
13 |
Marin Cilic – Tokyo |
2,055 |
|
14 |
Gilles Simon – Tokyo |
1,920 |
|
15 |
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – Beijing |
1,900 |
China Open (Beijing) -The China Open 2015 features an outstanding field with 10 of the Top 20 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, led by World No. 1 and five-time Beijing champion Novak Djokovic and No. 2 seed/2011 winner Tomas Berdych, who met in last year’s final. Djokovic won 6-0, 6-2. The other seeds are: No. 3/’05 champ Rafael Nadal, No. 4 David Ferrer, No. 5 Milos Raonic, No. 6 John Isner, No. 7 David Goffin and No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Raonic and Goffin are making their debut. Djokovic, Nadal and Berdych are the former champions in the field.
Reigning Champ/World No. 1 – Djokovic returns to the China Open for the sixth time and the five-time champion is looking to maintain his unbeaten record (24-0). He’s only dropped three sets (to left-handers Verdasco twice, Berrer) in 51 sets played. He has won the title in 2009-10, 2012-14. Djokovic comes in with a 63-5 match record (40-4 on hard) on the season with seven titles: Australian Open, ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Rome, Wimbledon and US Open. This is Djokovic’s first tournament since capturing his 10th Grand Slam title at the US Open on Sept. 13 (d. Federer). This is the 167th week overall he has ranked No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, which is sixth-most. He will surpass No. 5 John McEnroe’s total of 170 on Nov. 2. He will finish No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the fourth time in five years (except ’13). Here are the other players to win at least their first 20 matches in a tournament in the last 40 years:
Rafael Nadal started 31-0 at Roland Garros between 2005 & 2009. He is now 70-2.
Jimmy Connors went 26-0 at Birmingham, Alabama between 1974 & 1980.
Mats Wilander started 23-0 at Barcelona between 1982 & 1985, finished 27-3.
John McEnroe started 23-0 at Milan between 1979 & 1989, finished 26-2.
John McEnroe started 22-0 at Sydney Indoor between 1980 & 1992, finished 22-1.
Novak in China – Djokovic comes into Beijing having won 28 of his last 29 matches in China, winning consecutive titles in Beijing and Shanghai in 2012-13 and Beijing last year. 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 eight career titles in China (five in Beijing, three in Shanghai). He has never lost in the Beijing Open (24-0) and is 19-3 at the Shanghai Rolex Masters (since 2009). The only country in which he’s won more titles is the U.S. (11).
Rafa Returns – Nadal is making his third straight appearance in Beijing and fifth overall. Nadal is 14-3 in Beijing, winning the title in his debut in 2005 (d. Coria) and reaching the final in ’13 (l. to Djokovic), semi-finals in 2009 (l. to Cilic) and quarter-finals last year (l. to Klizan). Nadal has a 45-15 match record on the season, including 14-7 on hard courts and 26-6 on clay. He has won three ATP World Tour titles (Buenos Aires, Stuttgart, Hamburg) and final at ATP Masters 1000 Madrid. His streak of 10 consecutive years with at least one Grand Slam crown came to an end this season. His best Slam results were quarter-finals at Australian Open and Roland Garros.
Ivo Eyes Aces Record – Ivo Karlovic, who is making his fourth tournament appearance in Beijing (1-3), is closing in on the all-time ATP World Tour aces record (since 1991), currently held by countryman Goran Ivanisevic, who hit 10,237 aces in his career. Karlovic comes into Kuala Lumpur trailing by 35 with 10,202. These figures don’t include Davis Cup matches. Karlovic leads the ATP World Tour this season with 1,207 aces, the fourth year he’s surpassed 1,000 in a campaign.
Milos Makes Debut – Raonic is making his Beijing debut after a successful five-year stretch in Tokyo where he compiled a 14-5 match record and reached the final the last three years (l. to Nishikori in 2012, 2014, del Potro in 2013). The 24-year-old Canadian is coming off his seventh career ATP World Tour title in St. Petersburg (d. Sousa) on Sept. 27. Raonic moved up a spot to No. 12 in the Emirates ATP Race to London and he’s trying to qualify for the second straight year in the season finale.
Doubles Draw Highlights – Top seeds and defending champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau lead a strong doubles field, which features four of the Top 10 teams. Rojer/Tecau, the reigning Wimbledon champions, are No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings and they have clinched a spot for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. Djokovic received a wild card entered with brother Djordje and they are playing together for the first time in an ATP World Tour tournament. Novak teamed with his other brother Marko in five ATP tournaments (0-5). Nadal, who won his ninth career ATP World Tour doubles title in Doha (w/Monaco), is entered with countryman Feliciano Lopez. Other Top 15 teams are: No. 6 Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini, the Australian Open champions, No. 7 Marcin Matkowski and Nenad Zimonjic and No. 10 Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock, last year’s Wimbledon champs. They play Bolelli/Fognini in the first round. No. 13 Daniel Nestor and Edouard Roger-Vasselin are trying to make a late season charge for London. They are 11-2 since teaming together for the first time in August, reaching the final in Montreal and winning the title in Cincinnati.
Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships (Tokyo) -The longest running tournament in Asia on the ATP World Tour, which began in 1972, is led for the second straight year by top seed and World No. 4 Stan Wawrinka The other seeds are: No. 2/two-time champion Kei Nishikori, No. 3 Gilles Simon, No. 4 Richard Gasquet, No. 5 Kevin Anderson, No. 6 Marin Cilic, No. 7 Feliciano Lopez and No. 8 Grigor Dimitrov. Nishikori is the only former winner in the draw. Gasquet was runner-up in 2007 (l. to Ferrer).
Stan Top Seed – Wawrinka is playing in Tokyo for the fourth time (4-3) and last year he was upset by local wild card Tatsuma Ito in the first round. They could meet in the second round if both players win their opening matches. In his previous two visits in 2009 and 2012, he reached the QF. The 30-year-old Swiss has already qualified for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. He enters with a 43-13 match record on the season (25-7 on hard) with three titles (Chennai, Rotterdam, Roland Garros). Six of his 10 career titles have come in 2014-15 after winning four between 2006-13. The Swiss is one of two players (Djokovic) to reach the quarter-finals or better at all four Grand Slam tournaments this season.
Kei Back Home – Nishikori is making his eighth tournament appearance (14-5 record). In 2012, he became the first Japanese player to win the Japan Open title and last year he beat Raonic for the second time in the final. He opens against talented Croat teenager Borna Coric in the first round. The 25-year-old Japanese star, is putting together another outstanding season with three titles in four finals. He reached a career-high No. 4 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on 2 March and he is No. 6 coming into Tokyo. He has compiled a 48-11 match record (29-7 on hard). Nishikori, who is 6th in the Emirates ATP Race to London, is trying to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for the second straight year (SF in ’14). Coach Michael Chang compiled a 21-12 record in the Japan Open, reaching the final in 1994 (l. to Sampras) and semi-finals in 1991-92 and 1995.
Cilic Makes Return – Cilic is playing in Tokyo for the first time since a second-round exit in 2007. Last year’s US Open champion made a solid attempt to defend his title, falling in the semi-finals to eventual champion Djokovic. The 27-year-old Croat was appearing in the semi-finals in Shenzhen on Sunday (vs. Garcia-Lopez). He was sidelined until early March with a right shoulder injury and after a 4-6 start, he has compiled a 21-9 match record from the beginning of Roland Garros.
His best results are semi-finals in Stuttgart, Washington, US Open and Shenzhen along with quarter-finals for second year in a row at Wimbledon. His last ATP World Tour title came in Moscow on 19 October, 2014.
Bryans Lead Doubles Draw – Bob and Mike Bryan are appearing in Tokyo for the third straight year and they are looking for their first win (0-2) after back-to-back first-round losses. The Bryans are playing in their first tournament since a rare first-round exit at the US Open (l. to Johnson/Querrey). Five of the Top 15 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings are in the draw, including No. 5 and US Open champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut. They are the No. 2 seeds. Other Top 15 teams include: No. 9 Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares, No. 11 Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah (play Bryans in 1R) and No. 15 Feliciano Lopez and Max Mirnyi.
Birthdays
5 October – Federico Delbonis (25), Blaz Rola (25)
7 October – Sam Querrey (28)
8 October – Simone Bolelli (30)
In Case You Missed It
At the Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur, David Ferrer overcame compatriot Feliciano Lopez to claim his 25th ATP World Tour title. Read
A Monday final will be necessary at the rain-delayed Shenzhen Open. Tomas Berdych will take on Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. Read
Jonathan Erlich and Colin Fleming pull double duty to claim the Shenzhen doubles title. Read
No. 2 seeds Treat Huey and Henri Kontinen earned their second title in two weeks by winning in Kuala Lumpur. Read