#NextGenATP Winners
The #NextGenATP contingent picked up where they left off in 2016, boasting strong performances early in 2017. Denis Shapovalov, Alexander Bublik, Hyeon Chung and Noah Rubin all lifted trophies thus far this season, with Shapovalov and Bublik claiming their maiden crowns.

The quartet are currently Nos. 10-13 in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan and remain in the hunt to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals in November.

Back in March, Shapovalov delighted the home crowd with his first Challenger title at the $75,000 Challenger Banque Nationale Drummondville in Canada, defeating fourth seed Ruben Bemelmans of Belgium 6-3, 6-2. He is the youngest Challenger winner this year and the first 17-year-old Challenger titlist since Norwegian Casper Ruud prevailed last year in Seville, Spain. He is also the youngest Canadian to ever win a title.

Drummondville has become a second home on tour for Shapovalov, having won his first Challenger match there in 2016 and then title in 2017. Shapovalov’s Drummondville success pushed him into the Top 200 of the Emirates ATP Rankings.

Rubin was champion at the $75,000 Neville Smith Forest Products Launceston International (Launceston, Australia) in February. The American streaked to his second ATP Challenger Tour title, dominating the final 6-0, 6-1 over countryman Mitchell Krueger. It was the fewest games played in a Challenger final since Moscow 2015.

Building off a promising end to 2016, Chung clinched the $75,000 Sportsmaster Tennis Championship of Maui (Maui, Hawaii), rolling through fourth seed Taro Daniel of Japan 7-6(3), 6-1 in the championship match. The 20-year-old didn’t lose a set throughout the week and dropped an average of less than five games per match to secure an eighth Challenger title.

In October 2016 Bublik was ranked outside the Top 300, but a quarter-final result at the VTB Kremlin Cup in Moscow – his first ATP World Tour main draw – and a run to the second round as a qualifier at the Australian Open, set the stage for his biggest professional title on the hard courts of $50,000 Morelos Open.

First Time Champions
In addition to Shapovalov and Bublik, fellow teen Omar Jasika lifted the Caterpillar Burnie International (Burnie, Australia) on home soil. Japan’s Yasutaka Uchiyama and China’s Ze Zhang also won titles. Zhang notched his maiden crown in San Francisco, overcoming Vasek Pospisil 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, to become the second winner from China, joining Di Wu (Maui 2016). Uchiyama’s title (Kyoto, Japan) is one of a tour-leading four for Japan after Yuichi Sugita has won two (Yokohama and Shenzhen) and Taro Daniel ruled in Buenos Aires.

2017 Title Leaders

Challenger Resurgence For Former Top 10 Stars
The 2017 season has not only provided an opportunity for the Next Generation to shine, but the old guard to stake their claim among the Top 200 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Six players own multiple titles thus far in 2017, including former Top 10 players Janko Tipsarevic and Jurgen Melzer, who are both returning from injury. Tipsarevic (foot surgery) vaulted back to the Top 100 after titles in consecutive weeks in Bangkok I and Bangkok II. Melzer (shoulder surgery) is back in the Top 200 after victories in Budapest and Wroclaw, Poland. His title in Wroclaw at 35 years, 9 months made him the oldest winner this year.

The other four two-time winners this year are Sugita, Adrian Mannarino, Rogerio Dutra Silva and Aljaz Bedene. Mannarino is the only repeat winner thus far, retaining his Noumea title to open the season.

Harrison’s Springboard To Success
Ryan Harrison is closing in on a career-high position in the Emirates ATP Rankings after an impressive start to the season, ignited by a run to the title at the $125,000 event in Dallas. The World No. 50 became the first player to win on the ATP Challenger Tour and ATP World Tour in consecutive tournaments since David Goffin in 2014. He is also the only player to win on both circuits this year as he climbed back into the Top 50 for the first time since peaking at No. 43 in 2012. Harrison’s win in Dallas was his fourth Challenger title and the Memphis Open produced his maiden ATP World Tour title.

Moments In The Spotlight

• Blaz Kavcic leads the Challenger Tour with 19 match wins in 2017, followed by Sugita with 16. Kavcic is a three-time finalist this year on Asian soil in Bangkok I, Kyoto and Shenzhen.
• Sugita is the only player to save match points in a final, turning aside two in beating Soon-woo Kwon in Yokohama.
• Zhang (San Francisco), Adrian Menendez-Maceiras (Leon) and Egor Gerasimov (Saint-Brieuc) are a trio of qualifiers to go onto claim the title. Leon witnessed the first all-qualifier final since 2010, where Menendez-Maceiras ended a decade-long title drought to oust Roberto Quiroz.
• Uladzimir Ignatik became the first Lucky Loser champion of the year in Rennes, France, winning five straight matches after falling in qualifying.
• Evgeny Donskoy won his 10th Challenger title in Zhuhai, China, returning to Top 100, immediately after stunning the rejuvenated Roger Federer in Dubai.

Former World No. 2 Tommy Haas turned back the clock on Monday night at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston, defeating a player 20 years younger in #NextGen ATP American Reilly Opelka 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3.

The age disparity between 39-year-old Haas and 19-year-old Opelka is the eighth-biggest in an ATP World Tour or Grand Slam match since 1985. The biggest age gap during this period is an 18-year-old Dominic Thiem defeating 44-year-old Thomas Muster in Vienna in 2011.

“It’s nice to win these matches, especially against the young guys who are going to be around for a long time. The nerves when you’re trying to win a match are something you can’t practise. You can run all day on the treadmill, be in the gym a lot, but you can’t substitute that for match play,” said Haas. “Hopefully I can recover well and be ready for Wednesday.”

Next up for the 2004 Houston champion is top seed Jack Sock, who received a first-round bye. Haas and Sock are even in their FedEx ATP Head2Head at 1-1, but haven’t played since Auckland in January 2014.

Although Haas is competing in his final season on the ATP World Tour, the German said this is not a nostalgia act and that he’s determined to score an upset over Sock.

“I don’t know any other way, to be honest. If I’m not trying to win the match and play to the best of my ability, then I don’t see the point,” said Haas. “I just want to be able to finish on my own terms and play the tournaments that I’ve enjoyed one more time.”

Both players held serve throughout the first set, but Haas rallied from 3/5 in the tie-break and grabbed the early advantage after Opelka missed an overhead smash from the baseline. The American regrouped by grabbing the lone break of serve in the second set at 2-2 and comfortably holding the serve the rest of the way to force a decider.

Haas was unable to convert on three break points in Opelka’s opening service game of the final set, but earned another trio of chances at 1-1 and made good after the American sent a backhand wide. The former World No. 2 comfortably held serve the rest of the way to prevail in two hours and 11 minutes.

More: First Time With #NextGenATP American Escobedo

Dustin Brown defeated defending champion Juan Monaco in the evening session 7-6(7), 6-3. The German saved two set points in the opening set, one on his serve at 5-6 and another in the tie-break at 6/7. Brown improves his FedEx ATP Head2Head against Monaco to 2-0 and will now play fourth seed Steve Johnson for a place in the last eight. 

“We’ve played each other before, so we both knew what to expect. I knew I’d have to be aggressive and am very happy to get the win,” said Brown.

Nicolas Kicker advanced after qualifier and #NextGenATP American Noah Rubin retired with a right wrist injury. The Argentine led 5-3 in the first set. Next up for Kicker is the winner between fifth seed Fernando Verdasco and Kevin Anderson.

Tennis players are known for being creatures of habit, but Donald Young is having a year of new experiences both on and off the court.

The 27-year-old American is enjoying a rich run of form over the past two months on the ATP World Tour, which he credits to loosening up and being more open to trying new things. His changes in routine have played a part in his rapid rise up the Emirates ATP Rankings, jumping nearly 40 spots since February to his current standing of No. 42.

He’s seeded seventh this week at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston and opens his campaign on Wednesday against Thiago Monteiro.

“I’ve just been more relaxed at tournaments this year. I’m checking out the movies, going to see the different sights, leaving my hotel room a little bit more than I used to. It’s definitely paying off,” said Young. “I’ve been playing awhile, so I just thought let’s try something new. You can’t get anywhere new without trying something different. It’s a big deal for me to eat at different restaurants, get out more, being more relaxed in general. I still keep the same routines at the tournament site, but everything off-site has been a big difference.”

Watch: Brown And Tiafoe Get The Dirt At Houston Player Party

Young scored back-to-back semi-final finishes this February in Memphis and Delray Beach, prevailing over players he had been winless against including John Isner (Memphis) and Ivo Karlovic (Delray Beach). Last month, he recorded fourth-round finishes at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami, defeating Top 20 player Lucas Pouille in both events.

“I’ve sporadically had wins over top players throughout my career, but to do it consistently now is great,” said Young. “I want it to continue. This is definitely feeling like high-level tennis.”

Moving into the clay-court season, Young is hoping to keep up his current standard of results. He admitted not having much exposure to clay growing up, with match play limited to one National junior tournament a year on green clay. But not only has he embraced this part of the year, he’s seen the benefits that clay-court tennis can bring to other surfaces.

“We have to do well on clay to get our ranking where we want it. It’s a long, important part of the season,” said Young. “You have a Grand Slam, two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events, some 500-level events. If you can do well on it, it can set your whole year up and not put so much pressure on the American summer events. And it helps you with all aspects of your game, different spins, movement. It’s a great building block for the rest of the season.

“I’ve made it to the third round at Roland Garros and know I can play on clay. I start to like it once I’m on it, but need time to get there, so hopefully I can get a lot of matches over the next two months,” he added. “And then also just being in these great cities, hopefully I can enjoy it more this year, get out and do something, make the tournament a little more exciting and productive.”

Young is also excited to share time on the road in Europe with more of his fellow American players. With 12 competing in the singles main draw this week in Houston, he’s optimistic that Americans of all ages will continue pushing each other up the rankings.

“American tennis is doing great. We’re winning tournaments, competing. You have the top guys up there now, but also a lot of really good younger guys coming up who are going to be great players,” said Young. “They’re pushing us and the group I’m in is pushing each other too. We’re all very cool with each other, so it’s enjoyable to have that company and fellowship on the road.”

The Grand Prix Hassan II holds special memories for Tommy Robredo and the Spaniard made a winning start on Monday in Marrakech as he defeated qualifier Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-4, 6-4 in the first round.

On his only two previous appearances at this ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tournament, when it was held in Casablanca, the 34-year-old Robredo reached the final in 2001 (l. to Canas) and returned in 2013 to win the title (d. Anderson).

Robredo’s 10-1 Marrakech record will be put to the test in the second round, where he is set to face top seed Grigor Dimitrov. Robredo leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-1, winning their most recent contest in Indian Wells two years ago.

Second seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas will open his campaign against qualifier Laslo Djere, who claimed the first tour-level win of his career as he defeated Martin Klizan 7-6(3), 6-3.

In remaining first-round action, Jan-Lennard Struff advanced with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over qualifier Taro Daniel.

The ATP today confirmed that the Memphis Open will relocate to Long Island, New York, from 2018, ensuring the continuation of one of the ATP World Tour’s longest-running tournaments in the United States. The ATP World Tour 250 event will be held from 10-18 February 2018.

GF Sports, a live events and sports media entertainment company, has partnered with Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment (BSE) to move the tournament to the NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which is located on Long Island in New York.

“We are proud to partner with Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment to bring the historic Memphis Open to the new Coliseum,” said Gary Fuhrman, Managing Partner at GF Capital and Board Member of GF Sports. “The spotlight of New York will help to elevate this important tournament and this move is part of GF Sports’ larger goal of re-establishing American tennis as a global powerhouse within the sport.”

“This event diversifies our programming mix at NYCB LIVE’s Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and further delivers on our promise to bring major sporting events back to Long Island,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment. “I also want to thank Gary Fuhrman and his team for the opportunity to bring world-class tennis to Long Island and for working with Jeff Gewirtz, our Executive Vice President of Business Affairs, to consummate our partnership.”

The New York Metropolitan area has a rich tennis history highlighted by the US Open. The arrival of this ATP World Tour event will add another major tennis event to the New York sports calendar, and marks the first time in its 45-year history that the Coliseum will play host to a sanctioned tennis tournament. The event adds to the Coliseum’s growing line-up of top entertainment and sports events following the unveiling of new first-class amenities for fans, performers, and athletes, as part of top-to-bottom renovations, making it Long Island’s premier entertainment destination.

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman & President, said, “GF Sports has shown a strong commitment to invest in professional tennis with a particular focus on the United States. They have demonstrated their ability to operate ATP tournaments, including the Memphis Open, with the goal of growing the sport. The relocation of the Memphis Open to New York and to the newly renovated Coliseum is consistent with their vision, and will elevate this tournament, with over 40 years of history, to a new level of excellence.”

The Memphis Open was established in 1976 and boasts a roll of honour including Andre Agassi, Björn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Jim Courier, Stefan Edberg, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Kei Nishikori, Andy Roddick and Pete Sampras. In recent years, young American players have emerged at the tournament, including 2017 winner Ryan Harrison and 2016 runner-up Taylor Fritz.

Participants and ticket information for the tournament will be announced at a later date. To stay up to date on all the latest news surrounding the event visit NYCBLIVE.com.

Top seed Grigor Dimitrov, #NextGenATP player Borna Coric, Argentine Diego Schwartzman and Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky took time off in Marrakech on Sunday to enjoy a dromedary ride ahead of the Grand Prix Hassan II, which starts on Monday.

Dimitrov, who accepted a late wild card into the ATP World Tour 250 tournament, is visiting Morocco for the first time and enjoyed riding the dromedary, an Arabian one-humped camel. “It’s great to discover a new place and I had a great time today,” the Bulgarian said.

Coric has been to Marrakech before – the 20 year old reached the final last year before falling to Argentine Federico Delbonis. But the Croatian still had a great time during the off-court activity. “This was a new experience for me, and I really enjoyed it,” Coric said after the ride in the Palmeraie district.

Schwartzman, who is playing at a career-high No. 41 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, rode the moodiest dromedary but he couldn’t stop smiling and taking pictures, while Stakhovsky took in the architecture of the “red” city. Main draw play kicks off on Monday, with Stakhovsky facing Spaniard Tommy Robredo in the third match on centre court.

Spring Clay Season Commences: After an exciting first three months of action on the ATP World Tour, the red clay circuit swings into full gear with five tournaments in April. The lone clay tournament in North America, the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston, and the only event in Africa, the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech, begin the swing. There are 12 clay court tournaments in the next seven weeks leading into Roland Garros, which begins 28 May.

Emirates ATP Race To Milan Leaders: Six of the Top 12 #NextGenATP players in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan standings (as of 3 April) are in action, led by No. 5 Jared Donaldson, No. 7 Ernesto Escobedo and No. 9 Frances Tiafoe in Houston. Overall there are seven of the Top 20 in the main draw:

1 Alexander Zverev 11 Hyeon Chung – Houston

2 Daniil Medvedev 12 Noah Rubin – Houston (Q)

3 Casper Ruud 13 Alexander Bublik

4 Andrey Rublev 14 Omar Jasika

5 Jared Donaldson – Houston 15 Quentin Halys

6 Taylor Fritz 16 Blake Mott

7 Ernesto Escobedo – Houston (WC) 17 Karen Khachanov

8 Borna Coric – Marrakech 18 Alex De Minaur

9 Frances Tiafoe – Houston 19 Matteo Berrettini

10 Denis Shapovalov 20 Felix Auger-Aliassime

Reilly Opelka – Houston (WC)

Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship (Houston): This year’s tournament will mark the 83^rd edition hosted at the River Oaks Country Club. The last five winners are in the 28-player field, including reigning champion Juan Monaco, who also captured the 2012 title. The others are 2015 titleholder Jack Sock, 2014 titlist Fernando Verdasco and 2013 champ John Isner.

Sock is the No. 1 seed for the first time in his career in an ATP World Tour event. The other seeds: No. 2 Isner, No. 3 Sam Querrey, No. 4 Steve Johnson, No. 5 Verdasco, No. 6 Feliciano Lopez, No. 7 Donald Young and No. 8 Thomaz Bellucci. Overall seven players in the Top 50 of the Emirates ATP Rankings are in the draw for the second straight year.

Reigning Champion: Unseeded Monaco comes in as the reigning champion. The 33-year-old Argentine is expected to drop from No. 72 to around No. 128 in the 10 April Emirates ATP Rankings, since the tournament was held one week earlier last year. Monaco missed the first two months of the season with a wrist injury before returning last month.

He has an 0-2 record, losing in the first round of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami. Last year he came into Houston ranked No. 148 and defeated 2015 champion Sock 36 63 75 in the final. Monaco also won the 2012 title (d. No. 10 Isner). Overall, Monaco has a 14-4 record in Houston.

Sock Top Seed: Sock is the top seed in an ATP World Tour tournament for the first time. The 24-year-old top American is off to a career-best 18-5 start, winning ATP World Tour titles in Auckland (d. Sousa) and Delray Beach (W/O vs. Raonic). He also advanced to his first Masters 1000 semi-final in Indian Wells (d No. 5 Nishikori, l. to Federer) and followed with a quarter-final in Miami (l. to Nadal).

Sock has an 11-3 record in Houston, winning his maiden ATP World Tour title in 2015 (d. Querrey) while unseeded and ranked No. 46. Last year he lost to Monaco 36 63 75 in the final.

#NextGenATP in Draw: There are six #NextGenATP stars in the main draw:

Rank Age
No. 75 Jared Donaldson 20
No. 89 Frances Tiafoe 19
No. 92 Hyeon Chung 20
No. 95 Ernesto Escobedo (WC) 20
No. 169 Reilly Opelka (WC) 19
No. 182 Noah Rubin (Q) 21

Querrey Eyes 300 Wins: Two-time finalist (2010, 2015) and No. 3 seed Querrey is four wins away from joining the 300 Match Wins Club on the ATP World Tour. The 29-year-old California native has a career record of 296-243. Querrey captured his ninth career ATP World Tour title in Acapulco last month, defeating two Top 10 (No. 9 Thiem in QF, No. 6 Nadal in final) and two Top 20 opponents (No. 11 Goffin in 2R, No. 17 Kyrgios in SF) along the way.

Querrey has a 13-7 record in Houston, falling to Juan Ignacio Chela in the 2010 final and to Sock in the 2015 championship. He also advanced to the semi-finals in 2014 (W/O vs. Almagro).

Isner Looks To Jumpstart: No. 2 seed and 2013 champion Isner comes in with a 6-7 match record on the season. The No. 2 American has not won back-to-back matches in the six previous tournaments he’s played in 2017.

His best results are quarter-finals in Auckland and Memphis (after a bye). He is playing in Houston for the 10^th straight year (13-8 record) and in addition to his title, he was runner-up in 2012, a semi-finalist last year and quarter-finalist in 2009 and 2011.

Haas Returns: Former World No. 2 Tommy Haas, the oldest player in the singles draw at 39, returns to Houston for the first time since 2013. Haas is playing in his fourth tournament of the season and he’s looking for his first win (0-3). In his previous tournaments, he lost in the first round at the Australian Open (retired due to illness vs. Paire), in Delray Beach (l. to Basilashvili) and the in Miami (l. to Vesely).

Haas, who is the tournament director at Indian Wells, has a protected ranking of No. 25. He has a 14-7 career record in Houston, winning the title in 2004 (d. No. 2 Roddick), reaching the semi-finals in 2006 and quarter-finals three other times (2005, 2007, 2009). If he defeats wild card Reilly Opelka in the first round, he would be the oldest player to win an ATP World Tour singles match since 1995 Halle when 42-year-old Jimmy Connors reached the quarter-finals.

Bryans Back: Six-time champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, who have finished No. 1 on the ATP World Tour in 10 of the past 14 years, are making their 13^th appearance in Houston. The reigning champions are the top seeds, and they also won titles in 2007, 2009-10-11, 2014. In their last eight visits (DNP ’08, ’12), they have compiled a 28-2 mark since 2007.

They are looking for their first title of the season at River Oaks for the second year in a row. Their best result so far this season is a runner-up at the Australian Open (l. to Kontinen/Peers). Their last title came in Rome in May 2016. The other seeds are No. 2 Cabal/Farah, No. 3 Baker/Mektic and No. 4 Peralta/Zeballos.

Grand Prix Hassan II (Marrakech): The only African tournament on the ATP World Tour, the Grand Prix Hassan II, inaugurated in 1986 in Casablanca, takes place for the second year in a row at the Royal Tennis Club de Marrakech. Leading the way is wild card and top seed Grigor Dimitrov, who is making his debut.

The other seeds: No. 2 Albert Ramos-Vinolas, No. 3 Philipp Kohlschreiber, No. 4 Mischa Zverev, No. 5 Paolo Lorenzi, No. 6 Benoit Paire, No. 7 Diego Schwartzman and No. 8 Marcel Granollers. The reigning champion is Argentine Federico Delbonis. Overall seven of the Top 50 players in the Emirates ATP Rankings are in the field.

Grigor Top Seed: For the second time in his career, Dimitrov is the top seed in an ATP World Tour tournament. The previous time was in 2014 Bucharest where he was a wild card entry. He went on to win his first clay court title (d. Rosol).

The 25-year-old Bulgarian comes in with a 17-4 match record on the season after a 14-1 start. He won two of the first three tournaments he played, in the opening week in Brisbane, the first since June 2014 at Queen’s Club/London. He defeated three Top 10 opponents in consecutive matches: No. 8 Thiem (QF), No. 3 Raonic (SF) and No. 5 Nishikori.

Dimitrov then followed by reaching the semi-finals at the Australian Open, where he lost to No. 9 Nadal 6-4 in the fifth set. In February, he won the first-year tournament on home soil in Sofia (d. Goffin). In the first two Masters 1000 tournaments, he lost in the third round in Indian Wells (bye, d. Youzhny, l. to Sock) and second round (after bye, l. to Pella).

Delbonis Reigning Champion: Unseeded Argentine Delbonis is the defending champion (d. Coric). He also reached the semi-finals in 2014 (l. to Granollers). Overall he has a 7-2 tournament record. This season the 26-year-old left-hander has an 8-6 match record with a quarter-final in Sao Paulo (l. to Sousa) and a fourth-round showing in Miami (l. to No. 4 Nishikori).

Spanish Success: A Spaniard has hoisted the tournament trophy in five of the last eight years: Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in 2014, Tommy Robredo in 2013, Pablo Andujar in 2011-12 and Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2009. There are a tournament-high five Spaniards in the draw, including former champions Garcia-Lopez and Robredo.

#NextGenATP Star: Last year’s finalist Borna Coric is the lone #NextGenATP player in the main draw. The 20-year-old Croatian has a 5-8 match record on the season, and he is coming off his best result, a third round at the Miami Open presented by Itau, where he beat No. 8 Dominic Thiem (l to Mannarino).

Strong Doubles Draw: The top seeds in the doubles draw are Indian Wells champions Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram. They are No. 4 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings. The other seeds are No. 2 Granollers/M. Lopez, No. 3 Bopanna/Matkowski and No. 4 Mergea/Qureshi.

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