Only three players have won all four ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments on North American soil. Michael Chang was the first, with titles at each stop – Canada (1990), Indian Wells (1992, ’96-97), Miami (1992) and Cincinnati (1993-94) – by the age of 21. The American was alone in the exclusive club before Andre Agassi and Roger Federer completed their sets, respectively in 2001 and 2005. 

One of Chang’s most memorable runs came at the Rogers Cup in 1990, the year the Masters 1000 series was introduced. The 18 year old posted back-to-back wins over Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras before prevailing against another American, Jay Berger, in a third-set tie-break to clinch his first Masters 1000 crown.

Now 45, Chang shares his Masters 1000 memories and looks back on that week in Toronto.

What are your first memories of the Masters 1000s?
My first memories, we didn’t call it Masters 1000s back then. I think just being really excited to play. Just knowing that every match was tough from the get-go. The draws were always intriguing because you’ve got the best 56 players, or 64 players… People were excited to watch these great matches and I think especially for me and playing in tournaments like Indian Wells, where I’ve got a lot of family and friends coming to watch, it’s just exciting to come out and play my best tennis. 

Do you think the BNP Paribas Open being your home tournament led to your success there?
Yeah, it was definitely a part of it. I grew up playing in southern California, so I’m very familiar with the conditions here and the courts… I just feel very comfortable. And obviously great crowd support too, that’s always part of it. Having the crowd behind you and supporting you definitely helps you out. 

You first played in that tournament when you were 15. Do you remember that well?
I do; I was an amateur. I had just turned 15 and Charlie Pasarell, the Tournament Director, was kind enough to give me a wild card to play in the qualies. I won two matches, and lost in the third round. But it was a great experience. I came back the next year and played the main draw, so I have a lot of fond memories. And obviously having won a few times also brings back great memories. 

You’re one of the few players who has won all four North American Masters 1000 tournaments. How were you able to accomplish this, particularly at such a young age?
For me, just playing in the United States and Canada not being very far. This is a surface that I grew up on, so it’s the surface I’m most familiar with. There aren’t a whole lot of tournaments that I didn’t do well at here in North America. The only exception from that list is the US Open in which I got to the final. It’s been great; it’s been a lot of fun to play these events. When you feel very comfortable and feel very much at home, the tennis comes pretty easily. 

Is there a particular match that stands out in your memory, or title run?
I have a lot of great memories. The Canadian Open (Rogers Cup) in Toronto is one tournament that does stand out quite a bit, in 1990, beating Pete in the quarters and cramping against Andre there and beating him 7-5 in the third set, and then having a really tough match with Jay Berger and winning that one 7-6 in the third. That was a great tournament for me, a tournament that I still remember in many instances. It’s great to be a part of tough matches. Some you win, and some you lose. And you hope you win a few more than you lose, but the experiences have all been great. 

Is there a certain player that you would consider the toughest competitor in Masters 1000 history?
It’s hard to say because the depth of men’s tennis was so great back then. There weren’t just four or five guys that could win some of these championships. You would have like 10-12 guys that, if their game was on during that week, they were very dangerous to play. I can’t say that it was one guy, there were just so many tough guys to play against. 

What makes the Masters 1000s special?
There’s just so many reasons why the Masters 1000 series tournaments are so special. For one, it’s really like a miniature grand slam. It’s not as big of a draw, but you’ve got all the top players. The venues are tremendous, whether it’s on hard, whether it’s on clay, whether it’s indoor. The intensity of each of the matches is so tough. To be able to come out and to win one of these events is certainly not easy. All the guys realise that they need to be playing their best tennis in order to do well. 

How much do you think has changed since you were a player?
Definitely events have changed. Some draws have changed a little bit. The venues have improved tremendously… When I won [the BNP Paribas Open] back in the day the venue was great, but nothing compared to what it is now. They’ve done such a tremendous job, always improving the events, making it better and better for not only the players, but the media, for the sponsors, for all the fans. It’s great for the sport of tennis.

American wild card Frances Tiafoe recorded the biggest win of his career – and only his second Top 50 victory – on Wednesday to stop in-form fellow #NextGenATP player Alexander Zverev at the Western & Southern Open.

The World No. 87 ended the 10-match winning streak of Zverev, currently at a career-high No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on mid-afternoon in Cincinnati.

Zverev had previously won 28 of his past 29 best-of-three-set matches when winning the first set, but in clutch situations – Wednesday – it was 19-year-old Tiafoe who found a way to complete just his fifth tour-level victory of 2017. Tiafoe played with power and invention to capitalise on Zverev’s fatigue and open up a 3-0 lead in the second set, before growing in confidence for a third-round clash against compatriot John Isner.

Tiafoe is hoping to join Zverev as a qualifier at the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held in Milan from 7-11 November, by moving up from his current position of No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan for a spot at the eight-player 21-and-under event.

Zverev, a winner of five ATP World Tour titles this year, came into the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament on the back of two straight hard-court crowns at the Citi Open (d. Anderson) and last week’s Coupe Rogers (d. Federer). The 20-year-old German is now 47-14 on the season (21-7 on hard courts).

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Two other #NextGenATP players, Russian Karen Khachanov and American Jared Donaldson, also booked their spots in the third round.

Khachanov reached the third round of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament for the first time in beating lucky loser Thomas Fabbiano 6-2, 6-2 in 72 minutes. The Russian No. 1 now meets Japan’s Yuichi Sugita, who defeated qualifier Joao Sousa 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-1.

Donaldson withstood 12 aces and the serve-volley game of Indian lucky loser Ramkumar Ramanathan 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in just under two hours for a meeting against Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili, a 6-3, 6-3 victor over lucky loser Christian Harrison.

Grigor Dimitrov recorded his 30th match win of the year on Wednesday for a spot in the Western & Southern Open third round.

The seventh-seeded Bulgarian hit 27 winners to knock out Spain’s Feliciano Lopez 7-6(5), 6-4 in 90 minutes and will now prepare to face Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina. Del Potro has a perfect 5-0 record in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, with their last meeting coming at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in May.

Dimitrov was reliable on serve in the opening set and almost broke Lopez on three occasions, prior to a strong start in the tie-break that he secured on his third set point chance. The 26 year old broke Lopez for a 2-1 lead in the second set and although he could not convert a match point opportunity on the Spaniard’s serve at 3-5, 30/40, in the next game he secured his third win in five meetings. The Bulgarian beat Lopez 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(6) in the Cincinnati second round last year.

Dimitrov got off to a strong start to the year going 16-1 with two ATP World Tour titles in Brisbane (d. Nishikori) and Sofia (d. Goffin). He is now 30-14 overall and will be hoping to better last year’s run to the Cincinnati semi-finals (l. to Cilic). Currently at No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, Dimitrov is hoping to qualify for the first time to the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 12-19 November.

Del Potro, the 2012 and 2013 semi-finalist, broke serve at the end of both sets to defeat American qualifier Mitchell Kruger 6-4, 6-4 in a hard-fought encounter over one hour and 40 minutes. Del Potro, appearing at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament for the first time since 2013, saved five break points at 3-3 in second set and clinched his 18th victory of the year on his fourth match point opportunity.

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Kei Nishikori announced on Wednesday that he will miss the rest of the 2017 ATP World Tour season in order to recover from a right wrist injury.

The Japanese star flew to Cincinnati, but withdrew from the Western & Southern Open when he felt a sharp pain in his right wrist during a practice session on Sunday at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

A statement from Nishikori’s manager read, “Two days ago during practice in Cincinnati, Kei hit a serve and heard a ‘pop’ in his wrist. We went straight to the hospital to take an MRI. Yesterday, we went to see a very renowned wrist specialist, who works with many of the MLB baseball pitchers.

“We saw another specialist today to get a second opinion. On top of that we have sent MRI results to three other wrist specialists to ensure we get several independent opinions from specialists. After consulting with all of them, it has become clear that Kei has a tear in one of the tendons in the right wrist.

“At this stage, we have elected not to do surgery and Kei is in a cast. After the swelling comes down in the next weeks, we will evaluate next steps. Kei will withdraw from all the 2017 tournaments and work hard to be ready for next year.”

Nishikori, who is currently No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, ends 2017 with a 30-13 match record, including two final runs at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp in January (l. to Dimitrov) and the Argentina Open in February (l. to Dolgopolov).

Recently, Novak Djokovic (right elbow) and Stan Wawrinka (knee) also announced their decision to recuperate from injury and return in 2018.

Expectations are high when a young prospect makes Junior Grand Slam finals. Those expectations are only amplified when said prospect is from a nation with as rich a tennis history as Great Britain.

For Liam Broady, a run to the second round at Wimbledon in 2015 catapulted him to a career-best No. 158 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. It came after reaching his first ATP Challenger Tour final in the preceding November where he had fallen to James Duckworth in Charlottesville.

Progress since his been jittery at best and the 23 year old Stockport native is the first to admit it. But a first Challenger final in three years in Aptos, California, on Sunday, went a long way to restoring belief that a revitalised focus was reaping rewards.

Broady went down in straight sets to Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik in the final. It was an impressive run, though, having won through qualifying to get there.

“I’ve always believed that I’m capable of competing and living with these guys. It’s telling me my work’s paying off and I’m back,” Broady told USTA Pro Circuit broadcaster Mike Cation. “I’ve been here before. I was probably overwhelmed the first time around but I feel comfortable with these guys and … it’s just showing people what I can do.”

Broady strung together seven straight match wins for the loss of just one set en route to the decider. Better still, the surprise run shot his Emirates ATP Ranking up 80 spots to No. 256, which meant he could avoid having to play Futures events and coming through Challengers qualifying.

“I was actually going to play a $25,000 [Futures event] in Illinois this week. Dave said ‘Do you want to play qualies in Aptos because it’s looking so strong or do you want to play a 25 in Illinois?’,” Broady said. “I said ‘Dave, look, I’m not sure I’m going to be able to carry on playing tennis if I go to a Futures in Illinois on my own when I know Aptos is going on because it’s one of the best tournaments that I play’ so he said ‘OK, I trust you to go play it’. I think the tennis gods responded and gave me a final out of this.”

The Brit admitted to frustrations as he made the transition from juniors to the professional ranks. His ranking was not rising anywhere near the rate he wanted it to, or as fast as the British public expected it to given his standout results, which took him as high as No. 2 in the junior world rankings.

“I’ve always felt pressured to get there as quick as I can, especially seeing my peers getting there so fast and kids younger than me now like Zverev, Kyrgios even Shapovalov,” Broady said. “I was playing Shapovalov a couple of months ago on the Challengers and it put such pressure on me not seeing my ranking going up as quick as those guys.

“But one of the big things for me over the last year or so is learning everyone’s path is different. Everybody gets to where they want to get to at different times. You can’t rush that. I think that’s one of the things that’s kind of matured in me.”