As Wimbledon prepares to use emotion-tracking cameras at this year’s tennis championships, sport is becoming increasingly digital for fans, players and venues alike.
Becker also advances on Monday
Malek Jaziri will face seventh seed Andreas Seppi in the second round of the Aegon Open Nottingham after outlasting British wild card James Ward 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 on Monday. Jaziri, No. 60 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, won 62 per cent of his service points and converted five of his 10 break points against the 29-year-old Ward, No. 177 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Jaziri, 32, lost to Seppi in their prior FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting (Moscow 2012).
German Benjamin Becker also prevailed in three sets, beating Aussie Jordan Thompson 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. Becker next will face 13th seed Guido Pella of Argentina for the first time.
Britain’s Kyle Edmund, a member of the Next Generation, swept Czech Lukas Rosol 6-4, 6-3. Edmund, a career-high No. 68 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, made his second ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season last week at The Queen’s Club in London, where he lost to eventual champion Andy Murray in three sets.
“He’s a very dangerous player. You don’t know what to expect of him,” Edmund said of Rosol, who beat Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2012. “Coming off a good week last week, it was important that I didn’t relax, I still stay focused, still look to improve. I felt I did that well.”
Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic moved into the second round with a 7-6(7), 6-7(4), 6-2 win against American Rajeev Ram. Estrella Burgos next will face Fernando Verdasco, who won their prior FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting (Cincinnati 2008).
Showers have forced most first-round qualifying matches to Tuesday
Rain caused havoc on Day 1 of qualifying on Monday at Wimbledon, washing out play entirely on nine of 16 courts. Only 16 first-round matches were completed, with #NextGen star Quentin Halys of France among the winners.
Halys made his Wimbledon debut a memorable one won by defeating Hans Podlipnik-Castillo of Chile, 6-0, 6-1. The 19-year-old has cut his ranking in half since last June, currently sitting at a career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 142. Next up for him is Zhe Li of China, who defeated Dmitry Popko of Kazakhstan.
The upset of the day went to British wildcard Daniel Cox, who scored a convincing win over No. 16 seed Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands, 6-1, 6-2. Injuries have limited the World No. 554 in the Emirates ATP Rankings to just six tournaments since last September. Cox will now play Dennis Novak of Austria, who defeated Ze Zhang of China in his first-round match.
Other winners on Day 1 include former Roland Garros doubles champion Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France, No. 28 seed Dennis Novikov of the United States and Julian Reister of Germany.
All remaining first-round qualifying singles matches will be completed on Tuesday. Among those on the schedule include a slew of #NextGen stars, including top seed Karen Khachanov of Russia, American Frances Tiafoe and Andrey Rublev of Russia.
| Wimbledon on the BBC |
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| Venue: All England Club, London Dates: 27 June – 10 July |
| Live: Follow on BBC TV, BBC Radio and online with further coverage across Red Button, Connected TVs and BBC Sport website. Click for more details |
British world number 554 Dan Cox recorded a shock win over 16th seed Thiemo de Bakker in the first round of Wimbledon qualifying in Roehampton.
The 25-year-old recorded a 6-1 6-2 win over the Dutchman and will now play Dennis Novak of Austria.
Fellow Briton Lloyd Glasspool’s hopes ended with a 6-2 7-5 defeat by American Dennis Novikov.
There are three rounds of qualifying to reach Wimbledon, which begins on Monday, 27 June.
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Kyle Edmund reached the second round of the Nottingham Open with a 6-4 6-3 win over Czech Lukas Rosol.
The British number three converted two of his seven break points – one in each set – to set up a second-round tie with Russian world number 32 Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Edmund’s compatriot James Ward, the world number 177, lost 6-1 3-6 6-4 to Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri.
Canadian Frank Dancevic beat Briton Alexander Ward 7-6 (7-3) 6-7 (3-7) 6-2.
Australia-born Briton Brydan Klein was beaten 7-5 6-4 by France’s Stephane Robert.
On Sunday, British number four Dan Evans beat compatriot Liam Broady. He will play Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis in the second round.
| Aegon International |
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| Venue: Devonshire Park, Eastbourne Dates: 19-25 June |
| Coverage: BBC Two, Red Button, Connected TVs and online from Tuesday, 21 June |
Britons Heather Watson and Tara Moore both suffered first-round defeats at the WTA event in Eastbourne on Monday.
British number two and world number 50 Watson, 23, lost 6-2 6-3 to Russian Elena Vesnina, ranked 53.
She was broken in the sixth game of the first set and then the eighth game of the second in gusty conditions.
British number four Moore, also 23, failed to convert five set points in the first set before losing 7-5 6-4 to Ekaterina Makarova of Russia.
The world number 229 led 5-3 in the opener before Makarova fought back to take the set and then the second after breaking in the fifth game.
British number three Naomi Broady plays Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig later on Monday.
Johanna Konta, Britain’s number one, is one of the 16 seeds and has a bye into the second round.
Polish former champion Agnieszka Radwanska, who is the top seed, and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic will also enter the competition at the second-round stage.
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The spectacle took place before the ATP Challenger Tour event in Milan
Before competing on the slow red clay of the ATP Challenger Tour event in Milan, Italy, two Italian stars had a fun hit on a much different surface.
Marco Cecchinato and 2013 champion Filippo Volandri hit a few balls on the boathouse on the Naviglio river, located in the Darsena district in Milan. The oldest canal along the river began being built in the 12th century, while the port Darsena was built in 1603 as a trade hub. There’s also a weekly market held in Darsena on Saturdays, which has become a popular tourist attraction in Milan.
Both Volandri and Cecchinato play their first-round matches in Milan on Tuesday. Cecchinato, the No. 5 seed, plays Juan Ignacio Londero of Argentina, while Volandri takes on qualifier and fellow Italian Lorenzo Sonego.
The pooches helped during an exhibition match to raise awareness for a local animal shelter
This past weekend’s exhibition match at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Poprad Tatry, Slovakia, featured a unique twist as four-legged “balldogs” took to the court to fetch balls.
Former World No. 4 and Olympic gold medalist Miloslav Mecir and former World No. 34 Marian Vajda were joined on Saturday by three dogs who collected balls during the match. Ruby, Layla and Luky are from a local animal shelter and were brought out to highlight the importance of adopting.
“[They] are the first three official tennis ball collectors in Slovakia,” said local civil activist Monika Kozelova. “They demonstrated how clever, skilled and useful the dogs from an animal shelter can be.”
Mecir was also impressed by the balldogs, declaring that “they are such beautiful dogs, really well-trained. It would be such a pity if they didn’t find their home.”
Horacio Zeballos of Argentina won this year in Poprad Tatry without dropping a set, defeating Gerald Melzer of Austria in the final.
Mecir said he was pleased with the tournament and believes it keeps improving each year. “We had stronger players than last year. We had a Top 50 player in Martin Klizan and some other top players in the Top 100. You could see most of the Slovak Davis Cup team in the singles semi-finals and doubles final,” he said. “After 14 years, we hope a Slovak player can win the singles title here. We haven’t managed it so far, but you can always see top tennis here.”
Tennis stars explain what they love most about their dads, or being a dad themselves
Not only have our ATP World Tour players been inspired by their dads, but some of them are dads themselves! We asked our stars to share some of their favourite memories.
To see what the players have to say, visit the ATP Dads capsule on MyATP. Not a member? Sign-up at MyATP.com or download the app to your iPhone or Android device.
Here’s a sneak peek:
Milos Raonic: “My father was a great inspiration to me… for them, education was very important but I got to do whatever I loved as well.” Watch
Bob Bryan: “Being a parent is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me and I consider it my most important and rewarding challenge. Seeing their smiles, hearing their laughter, and the pitter-pattering of their feet always warms my heart.” Read More & View Photo
Kevin Anderson: “My dad made it all possible for me to get to where I am today.” Read More & View Photo
Alexander Zverev: “He’s been helping me for such a long time. He’s been a great role model.” Read More & View Photo
Bruno Soares: “Being a dad is the most special feeling in my life. I think it’s the biggest gift someone can get.” Read More & View Photo
Vasek Pospisil: “My dad is a tennis diehard. I don’t know if I know anybody that loves the sport more than he does.” Watch
John Peers: “[My dad] has not only been a great role model but a true friend.” Read More & View Photo
Joao Sousa: “Aside from being my idol, he’s the main pillar and responsible for my life’s success.” Read More & View Photo
Steve Johnson: “He’s always been there for me in life, on and off the court.” Read More & View Photo
Nicholas Monroe: “He’s always been such a great father, coach and my number one supporter.” View Photo
Marius Copil: “He used to be a professional rugby player and played tennis for fun and because of his hobby for Tennis, I quit playing Soccer and started Tennis!” Read More & View Photo
View the entire ATP Dads capsule on MyATP.
British number one Johanna Konta says that playing in her home town gives her “extra comfort”, such as homemade breakfasts from her parents, as she prepares for this year’s Eastbourne tournament.
READ MORE: I’ll be fit for Wimbledon – Laura Robson