Emirates ATP Rankings 23 May 2017
Emirates ATP Rankings 23 May 2017
May232017
British number three Naomi Broady lost in straight sets in the first round of qualifying for the French Open.
The world number 121 was beaten 6-4 6-2 by Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann, ranked 32 places below the 27-year-old.
British number two Heather Watson faces Russian Anastasiya Komardina in Paris later on Tuesday, while Tara Moore, the British number four, plays Chang Kai-chen on Wednesday.
The first round proper at Roland Garros gets under way next week.
Elsewhere, British number two Kyle Edmund battled through the first round of the Lyon Open with a 2-6 6-4 6-1 victory over Brazilian Thiago Monteiro.
He faces home favourite and world number 32 Gilles Simon in the second round.
Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki has withdrawn from the Internationaux de Strasbourg, less than a week before the French Open starts.
The 26-year-old Dane, the number one seed, was a set down in her first-round match against American Shelby Rogers when she retired citing back trouble.
“I felt it kind of in the middle of the first set,” said the world number 12.
“At this point, I think it’s important for me to try and get ready for the French Open and be 100% for that.”
World number 55 Rogers, who won the opening set on a tie-break in just over an hour, will play China’s Qiang Wang in the second round.
Defending champion and home favourite Caroline Garcia advanced to the second round by beating Jennifer Brady 6-3 6-4.
Meanwhile, Eugenie Bouchard has withdrawn from the Nuernberger Cup after injuring an ankle in training last week.
The 2014 champion said: “It’s a great tournament for me with lots of great memories. I’m sorry I cannot see the fans this year and hope to be back next year.”
The French Open starts on Sunday.
Petra Kvitova is “on track” to play at Wimbledon less than seven months after suffering a career-threatening hand injury in a knife attack at her home.
The 26-year-old, a two-time Wimbledon champion, was stabbed on 20 December by an intruder in her apartment in Prostejov in the Czech Republic.
She could return at the French Open, which starts next week.
A spokeswoman for Kvitova said the player would make a “last-minute decision” about competing in Paris.
Following the attack in December, surgeons spent almost four hours repairing tendons and nerves in Kvitova’s left hand – her playing hand.
The Czech, who won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014, will be included on the official entry list for this year’s Championships, which will be released on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, she posted a photograph on social media of her returning to full training in Monaco.
“I hope this picture makes you as happy as it makes me,” wrote Kvitova, who has fallen to 16th in the world rankings having been 11th at the time of the attack.
Wimbledon – the third Grand Slam of the season – starts on Monday, 3 July.
Oliver Anderson, an Australian Open tennis junior winner, had admitted throwing a set in October.
More than a handful of #NextGenATP players advanced a step closer to the Roland Garros main draw on Monday during day one of qualifying in Paris.
Norwegian Casper Ruud, a semi-finalist in Rio earlier this year, made quick work of Belgian Yannik Reuter, advancing 6-3, 6-2 in 67 minutes. The 18-year-old Ruud is trying to make his Grand Slam debut.
American Reilly Opelka, seeking to qualify at Roland Garros for the first time, hit 14 aces to beat Spain’s Daniel Munoz de la Nava 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4. Opelka made his Grand Slam debut earlier this year by qualifying at the Australian Open.
Opelka’s countryman 19-year-old Stefan Kozlov also advanced, prevailing against France’s Corentin Moutet 2-6, 7-5, 6-4. Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas came back from a set down to down sixth seed Thomas Fabbiano of Italy 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Russian Andrey Rublev won 81 per cent of his first-serve points to dismiss Argentina’s Agustin Velotti 6-1, 6-3. Alexander Bublik battled past Egypt’s Mohamed Safwat 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-1 in just under two hours.
Sixth seed Sam Querrey hit 10 aces and won almost 90 per cent (34/39) of his first-serve points to spoil the ATP World Tour debut of German Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-4 on Monday at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open. Querrey, a titlist earlier this year in Acapulco, will next face Croatian qualifier Franko Skugor, who beat Spaniard Tommy Robredo 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in just over two hours.
South African Kevin Anderson stayed perfect against seventh seed Paolo Lorenzi, improving to 3-0 against the Italian in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, 7-5, 7-6(1). Anderson will next face #NextGenATP American Jared Donaldson, who dismissed the Dominican Republic’s Victor Estrella Burgos 6-2, 6-4.
German Mischa Zverev saved nine of 11 break points to beat Robin Haase 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-3 in two hours and 12 minutes. Zverev will next meet fourth seed John Isner. The American leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-1, but Zverev won their last meeting, earlier this year at the Australian Open.
Fifth seed Gilles Simon gave the home French fans plenty to cheer about during his first-round win on Monday at the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Lyon.
The 32-year-old Frenchman saved seven of eight break points to overcome #NextGenATP Russian Daniil Medvedev 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2 in two hours and 17 minutes. Simon will next meet British qualifier Kyle Edmund or Brazilian Thiago Monteiro.
#NextGenATP Korean Hyeon Chung will get a second FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting against third seed Tomas Berdych. Chung was nearly perfect on serve during his 6-2, 6-3 win against American Donald Young.
Chung struck eight aces and dropped only one point on his first serve (30/31) during the 61-minute victory. The 21 year old lost to Berdych during their only prior FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting, 2015 Miami.
Chung is currently in fourth place in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan, which will determine seven of the eight 21-and-under players who will compete at the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held 7-11 November in Milan. The eighth player will be determined by wild card.
See Who’s Pushing Chung In Race To Milan
Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin set-up a second-round meeting against top seed Milos Raonic with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis. The 21-year-old Kokkinakis was playing in his first singles match of the season and only his second since October 2015. The right-hander endured right shoulder surgery last December before suffering an abdominal strain.
Kevin Anderson, ambassador of Tennis for Africa, attended the press conference on the initiative “TENNIS CAMPS” at Salaria Sport Village. The scholarships for youths from Tanzania are developed in the framework of a social developing project for youth through the promotion of sport and in particular or the discipline of tennis.
“It is a pleasure for me to give my support to this important initiative and to be here for Tennis for Africa,” said Anderson.
Four children from Tanzania have been selected to attend one-month tennis camps organised in Italy at the TEAM 2001 Tennis Academy of Gianfranco Barbiero in Padoa and at the BFD Tennis Academy of Fabrizio Di Meo in Rome. The initiative starts in June. The project is totally financed by private donations, receives the support of the two academies and is sponsored by TopSeed and Diadora.
Lorenzo Turchi, chairman of the Tennis for Africa association; Pierluigi Mantini, honorary member of Tennis for Africa association; and Armando Albanesi, team manager of BFD Academy, also attended the press conference.