Tennis News

Berrettini, Opelka headline Cincinnati wild cards

Former World No. 6 Matteo Berrettini, Reilly Opelka, Marcos Giron and Max Purcell have been awarded wild cards for the Cincinnati Open, the tournament announced Wednesday.

The Italian Berrettini will bring his 10-match winning streak to the ATP Masters 1000 event, having won back-to-back titles in Gstaad and Kitzbühel. It will mark the 28-year-old’s sixth Cincinnati appearance.

Opelka’s next stop in his comeback trail is a familiar one. The 6’11” American first played in Cincinnati as an 18-year-old wild card in 2016 and reached the quarter-finals four years later. Opelka has competed in three tournaments in the past month following a 23-month injury layoff.

Giron looks to continue his standout season. The 31-year-old won his maiden tour-level title in Newport and is currently at a career-high No. 34 in the PIF ATP Rankings. Purcell aims to defend quarter-final points from last year’s run as a qualifier.

Qualifying wild cards were awarded to Cincinnati-native J.J. Wolf, Mackenzie McDonald, Zachary Svajda and Brandon Holt. The Cincinnati Open runs from 12-19 August.

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Draper & Sinner down Bublik & Shelton, reach Montreal QFs

In a second-round showdown between four Top 30 singles players in the PIF ATP Rankings, Jack Draper and Jannik Sinner defeated Alexander Bublik and Ben Shelton 7-6(2), 6-1 at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers.

The British-Italian duo won 81 per cent of their serves and saved all three break points they faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to reach the quarter-finals. They will next face second seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden or 14th seeds Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski.

Bublik and Shelton were competing just hours after playing each other in a first-round singles match, won by the American.

As part of the ATP doubles trial, teams of singles players are pitted against doubles specialist teams in the first round and Wednesday’s action featured a handful of such matches, with the results evenly split.

Miomir Kecmanovic and Casper Ruud ousted the seventh-seeded Argentine duo Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 7-6(4), 6-3.

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/08/07/22/45/kecmanovic-ruud-montreal-2024-wednesday.jpg” style=”width:100%;” alt=”Miomir Kecmanovic and Casper Ruud in Montreal.” />
^{Miomir Kecmanovic and Casper Ruud in Montreal. Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour}

Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Alejandro Tabilo ended the seven-match winning streak of 13th seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow with a 1-6, 6-4, 10-4 victory. The American pair arrived in Montreal after back-to-back titles in Atlanta and Washington.

Nys and Zielinski and 15th seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Nikola Mektic scored wins for the doubles specialists. The Monegasque-Polish duo overcame Arthur Fils and Nicolas Jarry 4-6, 6-3, 10-5 while Glasspool and Mektic raced past Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-4.

<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/08/07/23/10/mektic-glasspool-montreal-2024-wednesday.jpg” style=”width:100%;” alt=”Nikola Mektic and Lloyd Glasspool advance in straight sets.” />
^{Nikola Mektic and Lloyd Glasspool advance in straight sets. Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour}

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Nadal 'not 100%' as he pulls out of US Open

Rafael Nadal pulls out of this month’s US Open, saying he would not “be able to give my 100% at this time”.

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Nadal withdraws from US Open

Rafael Nadal announced on social media Wednesday that he will not compete at the US Open. The 38-year-old Spaniard shared that his next event will be the Laver Cup in Berlin.

“Hi all, writing today to let you guys know that I have decided not to compete at this year’s US Open, a place where I have amazing memories,” Nadal wrote. “I will miss those electric and special night sessions in NYC at Ashe, but I don’t think I would be able to give my 100 per cent this time.

“Thanks to all my US Fans in particular, will miss you all and will see you another time. Best of luck to all for the always amazing US Open! My next event will be the Laver Cup in Berlin.”

Hi all, writing today to let you guys know that I have decided not to compete at this year’s US Open a place where I have amazing memories.
I will miss those electric and special night sessions in NYC at Ashe, but I don’t think I would be able to give my 100% this time.
Thanks… pic.twitter.com/FluGRWUzIp

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) August 7, 2024

A four-time champion at Flushing Meadows, the lefty has earned a 12-7 season record across seven appearances. In the past month, Nadal reached the final of the ATP 250 event in Bastad and made the second round of the Paris Olympics, where he lost to longtime rival and eventual gold medalist Novak Djokovic. Nadal and countryman Carlos Alcaraz reached the quarter-finals in doubles.

Nadal, a part of Team Europe in the Laver Cup, will compete alongside Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Laver Cup will be held from 20-22 September.

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Shelton wins hilarious match point to beat Bublik in Montreal

Ben Shelton defeated doubles partner Alexander Bublik 7-6(4), 6-2 in a first-round match that ended in hilarious fashion Wednesday at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers.

The 11th-seeded American hit a backhand drop shot while holding three match points at 5-2 in the second set. Bublik darted towards the net and in a last-second effort, threw his racquet at the ball, making perfect contact. Though the shot did not count due to the racquet leaving Bublik’s hand, the ball landed on Shelton’s side, leaving the 21-year-old stunned. The pair of Top 25 players in the PIF ATP Rankings shared a laugh during a warm embrace at net.

Shelton, who will team the Kazakhstani later Wednesday in a second-round doubles showdown against Jack Draper and Jannik Sinner, overcame early forehand errors to record his first win in three Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings with Bublik. The two-time tour-level titlist raised his level when Bublik served for the opening set at 5-4 and rarely looked back to earn his career-best 27th match win of the season.

“I think the consistency in my tennis is improving every week,” Shelton said of his 8-0 first-round season record at ATP Masters 1000 level and higher. “I’m feeling more and more comfortable. I’m starting to feel more comfortable on the court against guys that I’ve had a lot of trouble with before. I think that my game is evolving every day. Surely not the player that I want to be in the future, but I think I’m moving the right way with a lot of things and finding identity on court.”

Up next for Shelton will be Australian Alexei Popyrin. The Australian downed Czech Tomas Machac 6-3, 6-4.

Shelton’s countrymen ninth seed Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, a semi-finalist last year at the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 event, and Brandon Nakashima also advanced. The 26-year-old Fritz defeated Mariano Navone 6-4, 6-1.

“It was a solid match. I feel like the level, probably from both of us, went up a bit in the second set. We started playing longer points,” said Fritz, who struck 19 winners to the Argentine’s three. “The conditions are tough. The balls feel so hard to control, so kind of a lot of errors coming out from both sides. I started getting into the movement — moving side to side — just feeling a bit more normal on the court in the second set.”

Fritz will next play Washington champion and countryman Sebastian Korda, who led Vasek Pospisil 2-1 when the Canadian retired due to a back injury.

Paul, 27, scored a 6-4, 7-6(2) victory against Luciano Darderi. Into the second round, the 10th seed will face Nakashima, who ousted home favourite Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 7-5.

Through the first round 🙌@OBNmontreal | @TommyPaul1 | #OBN24 pic.twitter.com/FRVMItE4hD

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 7, 2024

Flavio Cobolli spoiled Felix Auger-Aliassime’s return to his home city, defeating the 14th seed 6-3, 6-2 on the eve of the Canadian’s 24th birthday. Cobolli, 22, arrived in Montreal at a career-high World No. 33 in the PIF ATP Rankings following last week’s run to the Washington final.

Thanasi Kokkinakis overcame a nervy ending to beat last year’s quarter-finalist Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-3. The Aussie dropped serve when serving for the match at 5-1, but kept his cool on his second attempt. Kokkinakis will face fourth seed Hubert Hurkacz on Thursday.

Ugo Humbert, seeded 12th, raced past fellow Frenchman Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-2 to improve to 10-2 against his countrymen since the start of 2023. The 26-year-old has defeated #NextGenATP Fils three times in that same amount of time.

Croatian Borna Coric earned a 6-4, 6-4 win against Pedro Martinez, setting a second-round encounter against World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. It will mark the qualifier’s second meeting with the Italian. Sinner beat Coric in three sets at the 2022 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

The in-form Jordan Thompson, who this week cracked the Top 30 for the first time, defeated Jack Draper 7-5, 6-2. Matteo Arnaldi rallied past Mackenzie McDonald 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina beat Roman Safiullin 6-2, 7-5.

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2024 US Open prize money

The US Open will offer a record $75 million in player compensation this year, with first-round prize money reaching $100,000 per player for the first time.

Early-round increases announced by the USTA cover both qualifying and the main draw of the hard-court Grand Slam in New York. The figure of $100,000 for reaching the first round is an increase of 72 per cent from five years ago, when it was $58,000. Those who lose in the final round of qualifying will this year take home $52,000, an increase of 63 per cent from when it was $32,000 in 2019.

There have also been increases in prize money for those players that go deep into the tournament. The men’s and women’s singles champions in New York will each receive $3.6 million, a 20 per cent increase from 2023. The singles finalists will earn $1,800,000.

The men’s doubles and women’s doubles championship teams will claim $750,000 per team. There has been a nine per cent increase in the total prize money for the men’s and women’s doubles draws from last year.

The year’s fourth and final major, the US Open will be played at Flushing Meadows from 26 August-8 September.

Men’s & Women’s Singles Prize Money

Men’s & Women’s Doubles Prize Money

Men’s & Women’s Singles Qualifying Prize Money

Mixed Doubles Prize Money

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Here's why Alcaraz & Sinner are second-serve standouts

Second serves are barely an asset.

The ATP Tour average is 51 per cent points won behind second serves. It’s only when you reach the rarified air at the top of the PIF ATP Rankings that you see the needle move in this all-important match metric.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of World No. 1, Jannik Sinner, and World No. 3, Carlos Alcaraz, identifies how they are able to create enough separation from their opponents to make a real difference behind their second serves. The data set is comprised of a minimum of 80 matches for each player over the past three seasons.

Second Serve Points Won

• Sinner = 54%
• Alcaraz = 55%

Sinner and Alcaraz only move three and four percentage points north of the tour average of 51%, but it’s enough to make a substantial difference to their careers. What’s fascinating is that Sinner and Alcaraz go about improving their average second-serve points won in different ways.

Deuce Court Second Serve Direction

Sinner
• Wide = 19%
• Body = 44%
• T = 37%

Sinner’s primary target is the body location, at 44 per cent. The majority of those serves go to the body-backhand slot, but a sizable total also test the returner’s body-forehand jam location as well.

Alcaraz
• Wide = 14%
• Body = 27%
• T = 59%

Alcaraz employs a vastly different strategy by taking almost six out of every 10 second serves right down the T to the right-hander’s backhand return, making them move sideways to the ball. On the other hand, Sinner’s second serve at the body is attempting to make the returner move away from the incoming serve directly at their body.

Ad Court Second Serve Direction

Sinner
• Wide = 19%
• Body = 63%
• T = 18%

Just like the Deuce court, Sinner prefers to go right at the body, with almost two out of three (63%) struck there. The big advantage of this location is that Sinner does not have to worry about the singles line or centre line on the sides of the service box.

Alcaraz
• Wide = 49%
• Body = 38%
• T = 13%

Alcaraz hits more than double (49% to 19%) the amount of second serves out wide in the Ad court compared to Sinner. The Spaniard prefers to hit a heavy kick that pulls his opponent outside the singles court. Alcaraz’s key locations in the Deuce and Ad court are all about getting the ball up high to the backhand return, while Sinner wants to immediately jam up his opponent and extract a weak return.

Unreturned Second Serves

In the Deuce court, both players have the most unreturned serves from their surprise second serves out wide to the right-hander’s forehand return. Alcaraz has 26 per cent unreturned from this specific spot, while Sinner was at 24 per cent.

That dynamic also played out in the Ad court, with both players forcing more return errors with the secondary serve down the T to the forehand. Alcaraz had a very healthy 29 per cent unreturned from the T in the Ad court, while Sinner was at 21 per cent.

Second Serve Win Percentages

Alcaraz won a head-turning 66 per cent second serves out wide in the Deuce court to lead all locations, while Sinner topped out at 62 per cent with his wide serve in the Ad court. At all six locations across the Deuce and Ad court service boxes, Sinner and Alcaraz were above the 50 per cent points won threshold.

Sinner and Alcaraz excel behind their second serves. It’s compelling to see the different serve locations they have mastered in their ascent to the pinnacle of our sport.

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Quick questions with Holger Rune: Special feelings & Montreal poutine

Many fans lined the exit of Court Central Tuesday evening in Montreal shouting Holger Rune’s name. Some wanted an autograph, others asked for a photo. There was enthusiastic support for the 21-year-old from Denmark, who had just defeated Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in the first round of the Omnium Banque National presente par Rogers.

Rune, who reached a career-high No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings last year, is competing in Montreal for just the second time. But he felt like a crowd favourite when he battled into the second round.

ATPTour.com caught up with the 13th seed, who will next play another Spaniard, Pablo Carreno Busta, for a round of quick questions with the Dane.

It was pretty cool hearing when they were yelling ‘Holger! Holger! Holger!’ Do you remember the first time any fans were cheering your name?
Yeah, it was many years ago. And it’s great. It feels very good with the support. It’s a special feeling. Being able to travel all over the world and hearing my name, it’s really cool. Playing the first round here on centre court means a lot, and it was a special occasion. I’m just happy I could reveal good enough tennis to get through.

Did you ever watch a primetime match when you were a kid in the stands?
Millions, millions. Well, not so many in the stands, but definitely almost every primetime match on TV. Even the non-primetime matches, I still was watching. So I was watching almost from Court 14 to centre court, almost every tennis match.

But also, I was privileged enough to travel to a few tournaments with my family. I went to the Stockholm Open when I was a kid. It’s cool to have these memories in the bag, and now to be there as a player.

Leaping into Round 2 🕺@OBNmontreal | #OBN24 pic.twitter.com/8mAgdRVRkv

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 7, 2024

Does any match stick out from Stockholm?
Yeah, I was watching… I’m quite sure it was actually [Gael] Monfils against [Milos] Raonic, which is quite funny, because I was supposed to play Milos tonight. I’m very, very young, and they’re still on the Tour, so it’s pretty cool to be able to share those moments with these players.

You’re off tomorrow. What does a day off in Montreal look like for Holger Rune?
We’ll go and eat a poutine. It’s a Canadian specialty food, which is apparently very, very good. I’ve heard that I should definitely eat that, but not on the match day, it’s too heavy. But it’s the same, honestly. Wake up, eat breakfast, do some physio work, mobility, prevention, practise, cool down, get ready for the next day. So it’s boring, but cool.

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Rune handles late matchup change, knocks off Bautista Agut in Montreal opener

After withdrawing from the Olympics with a wrist injury, Holger Rune made a successful return to competition with an opening win Tuesday at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers. In his first hard-court match since Miami, Rune dominated early and late in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 victory against lucky loser Roberto Bautista Agut.

Now 13-2 in his opening rounds this season, including 6-1 on hard courts, Rune will next meet Pablo Carreno Busta or Fabian Marozsan at the Montreal ATP Masters 1000.

“It was a challenge for sure,” Rune said. “It’s never easy coming back after a little break — not the longest break, but for me, I’m very young and luckily I haven’t been injured much. It was difficult but I think I managed to find the rhythm quickly. I didn’t manage to sustain it in the second set. He played good, was feeling free. It was kind of an extra chance that he got to play a match. Happy that I could get through.”

Holger moves 🔛

Rune takes his first win in Montreal with a 6-2 3-6 6-2 win against Bautista Agut 🔥@OBNmontreal | #OBN24 pic.twitter.com/y44iEtqZWi

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 7, 2024

Just minutes before the match, Bautista Agut replaced Milos Raonic, who withdrew with a shoulder injury. The Spaniard played two matches and six sets Tuesday, competing for more than five hours across defeats to Thanasi Kokkinakis in qualifying and Rune in the main draw.

“It was kind of tricky. It’s two completely different game styles,” Rune said of the late change. “I kind of had to adjust from one tactic to another in five minutes. Luckily I played Bautista before so I had a clue, and obviously he’s been on Tour for many years, so I know him very well.

“It was not easy. I was expecting a big server and trying to manage to get in the rallies with Milos, and now it was a completely different story. I needed to attack much more and play on my terms.”

Rune did just that, hitting 39 winners in the two-hour match, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The victory improved his record to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Bautista Agut.

At No. 17 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Rune is seeking his first title of the season this week in Montreal. His best result of 2024 is a runner-up finish in Brisbane.

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Raonic withdraws from Montreal

Milos Raonic withdrew from the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers on Tuesday evening due to a shoulder injury.

“I tried to warm up for my match today. The thing that was the most difficult was to serve,” Raonic said. “I don’t think I would have been able to be competitive by any means. I can manage a lot of things, but without serving, that would be a tough day for me.”

The former No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings was preparing to play in Montreal for the first time since 2019. He most recently competed in the Paris Olympics, where he lost his opening singles match in a final-set tie-break to Dominik Koepfer.

“It came up initially right when I came here on hard courts after the clay,” Raonic said. “I was playing points the other days, and I was kind of having a similar feeling. Took some days off trying to feel better about it. It just wasn’t anywhere close to where I need it to be.”

Thirteenth seed Holger Rune will face lucky loser Roberto Bautista Agut.

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