Haase Leads Final Four At Sibiu Challenger 2016 Friday Highlights
Haase Leads Final Four At Sibiu Challenger 2016 Friday Highlights
Sep242016
German gains first FedEx ATP Head2Head win against Berdych
Alexander Zverev will play for his first ATP World Tour title on Sunday after gaining his first win over Top 10 player Tomas Berdych on Saturday at the St. Petersburg Open. Zverev, a member of the ATP Next Generation, dismissed Berdych 6-4, 6-4 in their semi-final contest at Sibur Arena.
The 19-year-old German saved all four break points and landed 66 per cent of his first serves to advance to his third ATP World Tour final of the season and of his career. He has yet to capture a title yet, though, falling in three sets to Dominic Thiem in Nice and to Florian Mayer in Halle.
“I just needed to serve well in the first place, and I did. Then I had to play aggressively,” Zverev said. “Berdych is always trying to dictate the point, and I had to take it away from him. It worked.”
In St. Petersburg, Zverev, the 2015 ATP Star Of Tomorrow presented by Emirates, will try to become the first ATP World Tour teenage winner since 19-year-old Marin Cilic won New Haven in 2008. Zverev will face top seed Stan Wawrinka for the first time. The Swiss prevailed against fourth seed Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6(8), 6-2.
“He is in good shape,” Zverev said of Wawrinka. “We’ll see.”
Perhaps Zverev will break his final losing streak on Sunday. Before Saturday, the Hamburg native had been 0-4 against Berdych in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, which included two losses on indoor hard courts (Stockholm, 2015; Marseille, 2016). The 31-year-old Czech had also prevailed against Zverev during a five-set Davis Cup match earlier this season and at Wimbledon.
But Zverev, No. 27 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, just three spots below his career high, maintained his strong play in St. Petersburg this week even against World No. 9 Berdych. When the Czech right-hander sailed a forehand long on the second match point, Zverev improved to a perfect 8-0 in sets this week.
See how Zverev compares to the game’s best on the ATP Stats LEADERBOARDS.
Heather Watson says she has fully recovered from the illness that prematurely ended her US Open campaign.
Watson, 24, beat China’s Chang Liu and Samantha Crawford of the United States in back-to-back matches on Saturday to qualify for the Wuhan Open.
It was the British number two’s first singles appearances since requiring medical treatment following her US Open defeat by Richel Hogenkamp last month.
“I got the blood test results and they’re all fine,” she said.
Guernsey-born Watson initially feared that she had suffered a relapse of glandular fever – which affected her in 2013 – after struggling in heat and humidity against Hogenkamp at Flushing Meadows.
“I just think it was a mixture of things, maybe stress and anxiety and the heat is always a factor,” said Watson, who added that her medical report showed she was “very healthy”.
Watson beat Liu 6-1 0-6 6-4 in her opening qualifier, then defeated Crawford 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 to set up a first-round meeting with training partner Madison Brengle of the United States on Monday.
British number one Johanna Konta will meet Annika Beck of Germany in her first-round tie, also on Monday.
New world number one Angelique Kerber and defending champion Venus Williams are among the 56 players who will compete at the tournament.
Wimbledon champion Serena Williams has withdrawn from the event, as well as the China Open the following week, with a shoulder injury.
Second seed David Goffin continued his bid for a second title at the Moselle Open after beating Nicolas Mahut on Friday. The Belgian World No. 14 needed just over two hours to top the home hope 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-4 and reach the semi-finals, where he will face another Frenchman, Lucas Pouille.
Goffin, the 2014 champion at this ATP World Tour 250 tournament, fired 10 aces and capitalised on four of his seven break point chances in his victory as he improved his record in Metz to 7-0.
“Nicolas really went for it from beginning to end, so it was not an easy match,” said Goffin. “I only played one bad game in the match but it really cost me. I found my rhythm in the third set. It felt good to get things under control again and finish the match well.”
Earlier, 22-year-old Pouille defeated compatriot Julien Benneteau 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-3. The World No. 18, currently at a career-high in the Emirates ATP Rankings, saved six of the seven break points he faced to advance in two hours and 20 minutes. Pouille was playing in his sixth quarter-final of 2016 and continued his bid for a first ATP World Tour title.
“It was a really high-quality match,” said Pouille. “His ranking really doesn’t reflect his level. I’m happy with how I played and how I stayed strong physically.”
It will be the third meeting between Pouille and Goffin. The Frenchman leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-0.
Top seed Stan Wawrinka remained perfect against Viktor Troicki, winning 7-5, 6-2 against the Serbian in the quarter-finals of the St. Petersburg Open on Friday. Wawrinka broke on the final point of the opening set, then swept the last four games of the match to win in 64 minutes.
The No. 3 player in the Emirates ATP Race To London, who is already assured of a berth at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, played with confidence. He landed 79 per cent of first serves and saved both break points faced to improve to 6-0 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Troicki.
Wawrinka will play Roberto Bautista Agut for a place in the final. The Swiss has won his past 11 finals, most recently against Novak Djokovic at the US Open.
Bautista Agut overcame a slow start to advance 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 against Joao Sousa. The No. 4 seed dropped serve twice in losing the opening set, but held easily the rest of the way to down the Portuguese in one hour and 40 minutes. All three previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings between the two baseliners have gone the distance. Bautista Agut has now won the past two matches.
Begemann/Paes Into Doubles Final
Andre Begemann and Leander Paes moved into the doubles final after downing Russian wild cards Mikhail Elgin and Alexander Kudryavtsev 6-3, 7-6(5). They will face top seeds Dominic Inglot and Henri Kontinen or Konstantin Kravchuk and Andrey Kuznetsov.
Dominic Thiem remained on course in the Emirates ATP Race To London as he defeated Gilles Muller on Friday to reach the semi-finals of the Moselle Open. The top-seeded Austrian withstood 16 aces to beat the 33-year-old Luxembourg native 6-4, 7-6(5).
“I’m very happy about the match because the return is one of my biggest weaknesses and it’s always tough against a good server like Gilles,” said Thiem. “The first set I returned really well… I broke him and I also had chances to break a second time.”
Thiem currently sits in the seventh position in the Race To London, behind Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori and Gael Monfils, who are also in close contention for the remaining five Barclays ATP World Tour Finals qualifying spots.
The World No. 10, who hit 33 winners and did not face a break point in the 82-minute victory, will take on fourth seed Gilles Simon for a spot in the ATP World Tour 250 final. The pair are tied 2-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, with Thiem claiming the win in their last meeting at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Rome in 2015.
Earlier, the Frenchman Simon defeated Malek Jaziri 7-6(2), 6-0, capitalising on five of his 13 break point chances to advance in one hour and 40 minutes and reach his first semi-final of 2016.
“It’s not the biggest result ever but I get a lot of satisfaction from fighting through and winning the match,” said Simon. “The first set was very tight. Malek likes to change the rhythm and adjust his court position quite a bit. I managed to hang on.”
In doubles, Julio Peralta/Horacio Zeballos ousted second seeds Oliver Marach/Fabrice Martin 6-7(1), 6-4, 10-8 to reach the final.
Tomas Berdych was solid on serve on Friday at the St. Petersburg Open to reach his fourth tour-level semi-final of the year. The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals contender, who is currently No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, struck six aces and lost only four of his first service points to dismantle Paolo Lorenzi 6-4, 6-3 in 78 minutes.
“I felt good,” Berdych said. “I am trying to improve day by day, trying to find my rhythm. My goals is to play as many matches as possible.”
Berdych will next face fifth seed and #NextGen star Alexander Zverev, who downed 2004 champion Mikhail Youzhny. Berdych is looking for his first final of the year, having lost to eventual champion Andy Murray at Wimbledon in his most recent semi-final appearance.
“I think he is a rising ATP star,” said Berdych of Zverev. “I have already played against him a couple of times. We had a couple of good battles at the beginning of this year. One of them was the Davis Cup rubber which I won in five sets. I beat him again at Wimbledon this year. He is definitely a guy with a great future. He always makes me work hard on the court to beat him.”
Zverev cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win against hometown favourite Youzhny to earn his third win in as many FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings against the Russian. The towering German fired eight aces and only dropped three points when landing a first serve. His week in St. Petersburg has been a homecoming of sorts, as both his parents hail from the Soviet Union. The 2015 Emirates Star Of Tomorrow winner is chasing his third ATP World Tour final, having finished runner-up in Halle and Nice this year.
Top seed Stan Wawrinka remained perfect against Viktor Troicki, winning 7-5, 6-2 to improve to 6-0 against the Serbian. Wawrinka broke on the final point of the opening set, then swept the last four games of the match to win in 64 minutes. He will play Roberto Bautista Agut for a place in the final. Wawrinka has won his past 11 finals, most recently against Novak Djokovic at the US Open.
Bautista Agut overcame a slow start to advance 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 against Joao Sousa. The No. 4 seed dropped serve twice in losing the opening set, but held easily the rest of the way to down the Portuguese in one hour and 40 minutes. All three previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings between the two baseliners have gone the distance. Bautista Agut has now won the past two matches.
Serena Williams has withdrawn from next week’s Wuhan Open, as well as the China Open, with a shoulder injury.
Williams, 34, has been troubled by the problem with her right shoulder since winning Wimbledon, her 22nd Grand Slam singles title, in July.
She says her focus is now on being fit enough to play in the season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore from 23 October.
Her recent defeat by Karolina Pliskova at the US Open ended Williams’ 186-week run as world number one.
She had equalled Steffi Graf’s record for the longest reign at the top of the women’s rankings. The defeat against Pliskova in the semi-final at Flushing Meadows, though, saw Williams’ place taken by eventual champion Angelique Kerber.
The Wuhan Open starts on Sunday and runs to next Saturday, with the China Open starting the following Monday.
The American’s withdrawal from the tournaments in Wuhan and Beijing have reduced her chances of reclaiming the number one spot from Kerber before the end of 2016.
The pressure of playing at home can be difficult for some players, but it’s exactly where Rogerio Dutra Silva has thrived in his career.
Despite not having many chances to play on home soil throughout the year, the 32 year old from Brazil has won three of his seven ATP Challenger Tour titles on home soil. Competing as the third seed at this week’s $50,000 Challenger in Santos, he defeated fellow Brazilian Joao Pedro Sorgi in straight sets on Thursday to move into the quarter-finals
“Normally I win, so I like it!” joked Dutra Silva about playing in Brazil. “But I really enjoy playing in my country. I’ve played on these courts all my life and I love the food, the fans and all the support. It makes me just want to try and keep going.”
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Dutra Silva’s rapid rise up the Emirates ATP Rankings in the past two years is even more impressive because injuries took him off the tour for six months and forced him to make a comeback at age 31. With his Emirates ATP Ranking as low as No. 515 in April 2015, he went on a tear in the second half of the season by winning two ATP Challenger Tour titles (Prague, Santiago) and finishing as runner-up in two others (Milan, Barranquilla).
This season, he won the biggest title of his career in May at the $100,000 event in Bordeaux, France, and was also a finalist in two other Challengers (Santiago, Barranquilla). He credited success in his personal life with bringing improved results professional.
“My daughter was born and that was the best thing in my life,” said Dutra Silva. “It’s not easy to come back, but I worked a lot and did my best to try and improve.”
Dutra Silva reached his career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 82 this June. Inspired by the success of players who are well into their ‘30s like Roger Federer, he also believes his best tennis is still to come.
“I think it’s almost normal these days!” he joked. “People are playing really good tennis at 35 and 36 years old, so that’s my goal. I’m still trying to improve and glad I have a few more years to achieve this.”