Pablo Carreno Busta advanced to his seventh ATP Tour quarter-final of the year on Thursday at the Intrum Stockholm Open. The fifth-seeded Spaniard knocked out Gianluca Mager, a lucky loser from Italy, 6-3, 7-6(2) in 87 minutes and now plays American Sam Querrey on Friday. Carreno Busta, who is now 27-19 on the season, captured his first singles title since May 2017 at the Chengdu Open (d. Bublik) three weeks ago.

Japanese lucky loser Yuichi Sugita, competing in his third tour-level tournament since Wimbledon in July, overcame Stefano Travaglia of Italy 7-6(6), 6-4 in one hour and 46 minutes. Travaglia hit 16 aces and could not convert a set point at 6/5 in the first-set tie-break.

“I am happy to make a quarter-final at tour-level this year,” Sugita, who also reached the 2017 quarter-finals, told ATPTour.com. “I played well, I am solid now and my tennis is back.”

Later today, top-seeded Italian Fabio Fognini, who has reached the semi-finals at the ATP 250 tournament for the past two years, meets Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia. Fognini is currently No. 11 in the 2019 ATP Race To London for one of the three remaining berths at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 from 10-17 November.

The ATP and Cancer Research UK have today announced a new partnership for the final two editions of the Nitto ATP Finals in London (2019-2020) before the season finale moves to Turin, Italy in 2021.

The partnership will see the world’s best eight qualified tennis players and doubles teams come together at the ATP’s prestigious season-ending tournament on a mission to help Cancer Research UK raise money to fund research into beating all 200 types of cancer affecting men, women and children.

To kick start the fundraising, the Nitto ATP Finals has given customers the opportunity to donate to Cancer Research UK when they buy their tickets. Throughout the eight-day tournament, set to take place this year from 10-17 November at The O2 in London, short films about Cancer Research UK’s work, including players and supporters, will be broadcast. Spectators will be encouraged to support by text-to-donate or via bucket collections, with all money raised via the partnership helping to fund life-saving cancer research.

Buy Your Tickets Today

The Nitto ATP Finals and Cancer Research UK will also be working together to show attendees at the tournament how 40 per cent of cancers can be prevented with Cancer Research UK nurses and volunteers on hand at the tournament to answer questions. Making changes such as stopping smoking, keeping a healthy weight, being more active, drinking less alcohol and enjoying the sun safely will all help to reduce risk of cancer.

Caro Evans, Director of Partnerships at Cancer Research UK, said: “Our partnership with the Nitto ATP Finals is really exciting, and we are delighted they’ve chosen to work with us for the next two years. We’re excited to be able to reach tennis fans at the season finale to spread awareness about the causes of cancer and to help raise money to fund more cancer research. With many of the biggest tennis stars in the world, we are aiming to highlight small things all of us can do to help prevent cancer, including keeping an active and healthy lifestyle. All money raised through the partnership will go towards our life-saving work to beat cancer.”

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman and President, said: “We’ve all been affected by cancer in some way, shape or form, so we’re delighted to welcome Cancer Research UK on board as our charity partner at our season finale. The aim of the partnership is to help raise as much awareness and money as possible for the incredible life-saving work Cancer Research UK carries out.”

Featuring only the world’s best eight qualified singles players and doubles teams of the season, this year’s Nitto ATP Finals looks set to provide a thrilling finale to the men’s professional tennis season, giving tennis fans in the UK an unmissable opportunity to watch the world’s best players go head-to-head as they battle for the last title of the season.

Stan Wawrinka’s debut appearance at the European Open got off to a dramatic start on Wednesday, as the fourth seed battled past Feliciano Lopez 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(4).

Making his first appearance since reaching the US Open quarter-finals last month, Wawrinka saved all three break points he faced throughout the two-hour, 19-minute encounter. The 34-year-old, who improves to 28-17 at tour-level this year, moves into a 5-3 lead in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Lopez.

Wawrinka will face Gilles Simon for a spot in the semi-finals. The Frenchman defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 7-5 to snap a four-match losing streak against the 2017 champion. Simon owns four FedEx ATP Head2Head victories from 13 meetings against Tsonga.

Frances Tiafoe improved his chances of qualifying for the Next Gen ATP Finals for the second consecutive year. The 21-year-old American was forced to work hard to beat German qualifier Yannick Maden 7-6(7), 6-3 in one hour and 39 minutes to break a three-match losing streak. Tiafoe will play another German, Jan-Lennard Struff, in the Antwerp second round.

The World No. 53, who has reached four ATP Tour semi-finals this season, recovered from 1-4 down in the first set and saved set points at 4-5, 15/40, then at 4/6 and 6/7 in the tie-break. Tiafoe closed out on his third set-point chance and won the first three games of the second set.

Fifth seed Guido Pella defeated Soonwoo Kwon 7-5, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals in Antwerp for the first time. The 29-year-old fired 12 aces and dropped just four points behind his first serve (37/41) to reach the last eight after one hour and 54 minutes.

Eighth seed Pablo Cuevas beat Hugo Dellien 6-4, 6-3 to book a second-round meeting against Andy Murray. Cuevas won 27 of 28 first-serve points to notch his 24th victory in 44 tour-level matches this year.

Did You Know?
The highest seeded players in action today at each of this week’s three ATP 250 events were all taken to final-set tie-breaks. Alongside Wawrinka’s success in Antwerp, top seed Karen Khachanov saved five match points to triumph at the VTB Kremlin Cup. At the Intrum Stockholm Open, second seed Grigor Dimitrov fell to Sam Querrey.

Sam Querrey needed all his firepower to defeat Grigor Dimitrov 6-7(7), 6-3, 7-6(3) at the Intrum Stockholm Open on Wednesday.

The World No. 50 recorded his first FedEx ATP Head2Head win in four matches against the Bulgarian after two hours and 14 minutes, landing 25 aces en route to the quarter-finals. Querrey’s win puts 2013 champion Dimitrov’s bid for a 300th tour-level victory on hold. Only 25 active players on the ATP Tour have recorded 300 or more tour-level wins.

“It was a fun match. It was a close match,” said Querrey. “A lot of times in these matches it is just a couple of points here and there. That is what it was today.”

In his sixth quarter-final of the season, Querrey will meet Chengdu champion Pablo Carreno Busta or lucky loser Gianluca Mager. The American is yet to meet either player on the ATP Tour.

Yoshihito Nishioka defeated No. 3 seed Taylor Fritz 7-5, 6-4 to reach his third tour-level quarter-final of the year. The 23-year-old, competing at this ATP 250 event for the first time, converted four of five break points to improve to 2-0 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against the American No. 2. Nishioka will face eighth seed Daniel Evans or Filip Krajinovic for a place in the semi-finals.

“I am playing very good tennis now — I think my best tennis — so I am very happy for that,” said Nishioka.

Swedish wild card Mikael Ymer recorded his second win in five main draw appearances at his home event, beating Joao Sousa 7-5, 6-4. The Stockholm resident broke serve on six occasions to confirm a second-round match against Cedrik-Marcel Stebe of Germany.

Karen Khachanov saved five match points to deny Philipp Kohlschreiber a birthday win at the VTB Kremlin Cup on Wednesday.

”I can’t remember the last time I had a comeback like that,” said Khachanov. “I had to fight and try to find my game. I am really happy that finally I can go through here in my hometown of Moscow.”

The top seed and defending champion recovered from 3-5 down in the deciding set to record a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(7) victory in front of a passionate home crowd in Moscow. This is Khachanov’s second win in five FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters against 36-year-old Kohlschreiber.

”In my hometown, it is really a great atmosphere,” said Khachanov. “To see so many people here for my second-round match, I didn’t really expect that… I have more drive and more energy when people are cheering for me like that.”

After saving three match points to reach the deciding-set tie-break, Khachanov was forced to save two more at 5/6 and 6/7 with patience from the baseline. The Russian advanced to the quarter-finals on his first match point as Kohlschreiber committed his third double fault of the match.

Khachanov extends his winning streak in Moscow to five matches. At last year’s event, the World No. 8 dropped only one set en route to the title.

Khachanov will face Andreas Seppi for a place in the semi-finals. The 23-year-old defeated the Italian in their only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head encounter at the 2016 Erste Bank Open in Vienna.

After saving two match points in his opening match, Seppi was forced to come from a set down to beat Roberto Carballes Baena 5-7, 6-1, 6-3. The 35-year-old Italian earned 72 per cent of second-serve return points (31/43) to advance after two hours and 12 minutes.

Fourth seed Dusan Lajovic recorded his first victory in three FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters against Lukas Rosol, edging the Czech 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 to reach his first quarter-final in Moscow. The Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters runner-up landed eight aces and broke serve on three occasions to secure the one-hour, 52-minute win.

Lajovic will meet last year’s runner-up Adrian Mannarino for a semi-final spot. The seventh-seeded Frenchman beat 2013 runner-up Mikhail Kukushkin 7-6(4), 6-2 to confirm his place in the last eight.

For the past three seasons, Rafael Nadal’s second-serve performance has elevated to beast mode.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the Spaniard’s second-serve win percentage since he first won an ATP event in 2004 identifies that 2017, 2018, and 2019 occupy three of his best four years on Tour.

Consider the following three second-serve achievements from Nadal:

1. Best Three-Year Streak
Nadal is currently first in second-serve points for the 2019 season at 59.97 per cent (836/1394). Federer is the only player within striking distance of taking year-end honours in this category, as the Swiss currently sits at 59.56 per cent (885/1486) won.

If Nadal does finish first in this category in 2019, it will be the first time in his career that he will have finished first in second-serve points won for three consecutive seasons.

Best Three 2019 Tournaments: Second-Serve Points Won
Rome = 67.44% (58/86)
Acapulco = 67.16% (45/67)
Indian Wells = 66.67% (60/90)

2. 2017 Was The Best
Nadal’s best year since 2004 winning second-serve points was just two years ago in 2017, when he averaged winning 61.17 per cent (1095/1790).

At Roland Garros in 2017, he charged through the draw to win the title without dropping a set. Of the 20 sets he won, opponents won a maximum of two games in 14 of them. He went on a rampage with second-serve points won, winning a jaw-dropping 74.17 per cent (112/151).

His best three tournaments with second-serve points won in 2017:
Roland Garros = 74.17% (112/151)
Shanghai = 66.25% (53/80)
Brisbane = 66.10% (39/59)

3. No One Does It Better
Nobody has a higher win percentage on second serves during their career since statistics in tennis were first kept in 1991. What’s also extremely impressive is that Nadal has been positioned in the Top 10 in this category for the past 16 years.

The top three players in career second-serve points won:
R. Nadal = 57.45% (15006/26122)
R. Federer = 56.85% (24079/42353)
J. Isner = 56.11% (9972/17773)

Nadal’s 2019 US Open title saw him win an impressive 57.02 per cent (138/242) on the hard courts in New York. He is now just 0.03 of a percentage point away from winning 60 per cent or more for the third time in his career.

What will it take to tip the scales to 60 per cent in 2019? Win just one more second-serve point.

2004 – 2017: Rafael Nadal Second-Serve Win Percentage / Second-Serve Position

Daniil Medvedev is human after all. The 23-year-old Russian, who reached his sixth consecutive final on Sunday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters (d. Zverev), withdrew from his home tournament, the VTB Kremlin Cup in Moscow, on Tuesday, citing exhaustion.

The Russian leads the ATP Tour with 59 wins, including 46 on hard court and 22 at the ATP Masters 1000 level, also both Tour-leading figures. Medvedev won his second Masters 1000 title in Shanghai after winning the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati in August.

“Nobody knew that I would do so well in Shanghai to reach my sixth final in a row. I just feel that I am physically and mentally exhausted. I can’t be 100 per cent. As a professional, I cannot step on court knowing that I am not 100 per cent ready to play,” Medvedev said.

“On the one hand, it is very sad, because I really wanted to play in Moscow in front of my home crowd. I’ve played for four years in a row in Moscow and each year my results improved. But, on the other hand, this is how it is. It is professional sport, and I must do what is best for my body. In this situation, I had no choice.”

With the Shanghai title, Medvedev passed Roger Federer for third place in the ATP Race To London. The Russian will make his debut at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, to be held 10-17 November at The O2 in London.

“I feel amazing and have a great mood. I’ve never dreamed about six finals in a row. One of the finals is at a Grand Slam [US Open], three of them are at Masters. [Pass in the ATP Race To London] Federer? It is also something I’ve never dreamed of,” Medvedev said.

He is next scheduled to compete at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, which begins Monday.