Tennis News

A LOOK BACK
Amex Istanbul Challenger (Istanbul, Turkey): Karen Khachanov rallied from a set deficit to upset top seed Sergiy Stakhovsky 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in Sunday’s Istanbul final, claiming his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title. The 19-year-old Russian is the ninth teenage champion on the circuit this year. One of nine players under the age of 20 in the Top 200 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, Khachanov vaults to a career-high World No. 164 with the win. Stakhovsky, meanwhile, falls to 8-8 in Challenger finals.

During the week, the tournament was honoured for 25 years on the ATP Challenger Tour. Read More

Pekao Szczecin Open (Szczecin, Poland): In last year’s Pekao Szczecin Open final, Jan-Lennard Struff came up short in his bid to claim his second ATP Challenger Tour title, falling to countryman Dustin Brown in straight sets. This year, the 25-year-old German would make no mistake in getting his hands on the trophy, downing qualifier Artem Smirnov 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday. Seventh seed Struff captured the title the hard way, rallying from a set down to defeat top seed Pablo Carreno Busta in the quarter-finals, before upsetting former World No. 9 Nicolas Almagro in three sets in the semis. Struff had lost his first eight finals on the circuit, but has since won two of three title matches. Smirnov is the third qualifier to reach the final in the 23-year tournament history, joining 1996 champion Jimy Szymansky and 2004 titlist Edgardo Massa.

Banja Luka Challenger (Banja Luka, Bosnia & Herzegovina): Dusan Lajovic had to wait a day to hoist the Banja Luka trophy after persistent rain washed out the final against 2012 champ Victor Hanescu. Postponed to Monday at 12:00 noon, Lajovic would prevail in a pair of tie-breaks, beating the Romanian 7-6(5), 7-6(5). The third-seeded Serb did not face a seeded opponent all week and did not drop a set in capturing his fourth title, joining Filip Krajinovic as Serbian titlists in 2015.

ATP Challenger China International (Nanchang, China): Peter Gojowczyk needed a mere 51 minutes to dispatch Amir Weintraub 6-2, 6-1 in the Nanchang final – the second-shortest final on the ATP Challenger Tour this year. Only the Guadalajara title match was shorter, when Rajeev Ram beat Jason Jung in 48 minutes. Fifth seed Gojowczyk claimed his fourth Challenger crown and first since November of last year when he hoisted the trophy in Bratislava. Gojowczyk joins Struff as German champs last week, bringing the nation’s total this year to four (Kamke, Zverev). Weintraub, meanwhile, took a significant step on the comeback trail, following a severe groin injury sustained in April 2014.

Morocco Tennis Tour – Kenitra (Kenitra, Morocco): Fourth seed Roberto Carballes Baena became the second Spaniard to win in Morocco in as many weeks, claiming his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title on Saturday. One week after falling to Daniel Munoz-de la Nava in the Meknes final, Carballes Baena moved to 28-19 on the circuit this year in downing countryman Oriol Roca Batalla in exactly one hour. Roca Batalla retired trailing 6-1, 5-1 with an adductor injury. Meanwhile, Munoz-de la Nava became the first player to attain 40 match wins this year in reaching the quarter-finals.

Cary Tennis Championships (Cary, U.S.A.): American Dennis Novikov won the 14th all-countryman final on the ATP Challenger Tour this year, downing Ryan Harrison 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday at the inaugural Cary Tennis Championships. Novikov – the third first-time titlist last week – is the ninth different American to lift a trophy on the circuit in 2015. The 21 year old, who won the bronze medal at the Pan-Am Games earlier this year, was appearing in his first final.

What The Players Said
Struff: “Last week when I looked at the tournament draw and saw how strong the players would be in Szczecin, I did not believe I could win. It was hard. I had to play a lot of difficult matches, but in the end I succeeded and I’m very happy. Now I think what to do with the trophy for my victory. My girlfriend will probably find an appropriate place in the house to properly expose it. Or maybe I’ll just give it to my parents. We’ll see.”

Smirnov: “This was a great week, during which I achieved the greatest success in my life. This result allows me to make a very large jump in the ranking and it will be a great help in the coming months. For the rest of the year I have been planning to play in Challengers and the points won in Szczecin will allow me to skip qualifying and instead I’ll probably be in the main draws of these events.”

Novikov: “I’m very happy to get my first Challenger title, especially in the USA. Thanks to everyone for the support and to Cary for hosting a great event.”

WHAT’S AHEAD
For the second straight week, there are six tournaments on four continents. Tim Smyczek is the top seed at the inaugural Columbus Challenger, while Diego Schwartzman looks to go back-to-back in Campinas. Guilherme Clezar was the champ in 2013, while second seed Guido Pella hoisted the trophy in 2012. Only Argentines and Brazilians have reached the final in the four-year tournament history.

At the $125,000 event in Kaohsiung, seventh seed Luca Vanni returns to the scene of his first Challenger final a year ago. Jiri Vesely looks to kick off his Asian swing on the ATP World Tour with a deep run as the top seed. Hyeon Chung is seeded second, with Lukas Rosol third. In Izmir, three-time runner-up (2009-11) Marsel Ilhan returns as the top seed, while fourth seed Lukas Lacko claimed the title in 2011.

Dusan Lajovic leads the field in Sibiu, Romania, with 2012 titlist Adrian Ungur unseeded. Also in Europe, two former champions are in the draw in Trnava, Slovakia: third seed Inigo Cervantes (2011) and Jaroslav Pospisil (2010).

ATPWorldTour.com takes a detailed look at the storylines in St. Petersburg and Metz.

Strong Fields in St. Petersburg, Metz – There are two European indoor tournaments on the ATP World Tour this week with the St. Petersburg Open and Moselle Open in Metz. They are the first two of 13 tournaments leading into the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. A maximum of 4,000 Emirates ATP Ranking points are on the line over the next seven weeks before the season finale in London from 15-22 November. There are four players in the Top 10 Emirates ATP Rankings in action, including Tomas Berdych and Milos Raonic in St. Petersburg and Stan Wawrinka and Gilles Simon in Metz.

Emirates ATP Race to London – There are five players competing this week in contention for the four remaining spots to the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. Wawrinka, at No. 4, has already qualified. Here is a look at the Race standings:

St. Petersburg Open (St. Petersburg) – The St. Petersburg Open celebrates its 20th edition as it returns to the ATP World Tour following a one-year hiatus. Now staged at the world-class Sibur Arena, the event was held from 1995 to 2013 at the Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex. Leading the way is World No. 6 Berdych and No. 9 Raonic are the top two seeds making their debut in the 28-player draw. Both are trying to qualify again for the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. Rising Austrian star Dominic Thiem, a three-time winner this season, is the No. 3 seed and Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut is the No. 4 seed. The other seeds are: No. 5 Tommy Robredo, No. 6 Benoit Paire, No. 7 Joao Sousa and No. 8 Mikhail Kukushkin.

Past Champions Return – Three former champions return to Russia this week: local favourite Mikhail Youzhny (2004), Mikhail Kukushkin (2010) and Ernests Gulbis (2013). Youzhny (9-20) and Gulbis (8-20) have struggled this season, though the Latvian may receive a confidence boost as the defending champion. Kukushkin, on the other hand, arrives in good form after upsetting No. 17 seed Grigor Dimitrov en route to the third round at the US Open (l. to Cilic in 5 sets).

Berdych’s Road to London – Headlining the St. Petersburg Open is top-seeded Berdych, who returned to the Top 5 of the Emirates ATP Rankings on 14 September. Berdych is seeking his first ATP World Tour title of the season and trying to qualify at London for the sixth straight year. The Czech, who turned 30 on 17 September, has won at least two matches at 14 of his 15 tournaments in 2015.

Raonic’s Rocket Serve – Raonic owns one of the most effective serves that the ATP World Tour has ever seen according to Infosys ATP Scores and Stats. While aces are often the stat most associated with big servers, Raonic ranks second among all players in a category that leads more directly to match wins. He holds in 91 per cent of his service games overall.

Thiem Youngest Three-Time Winner – Entering the 2015 season, Dominic Thiem had yet to win an ATP World Tour singles title. He won all three titles at the age of 21 before turning 22 earlier this month. The Austrian makes his St. Petersburg debut with three titles to his name.

Rublev Rising – At 17, Andrey Rublev is the youngest player in the Top 250 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. The World No. 176 has already won more tour-level matches before the age of 18 than every teenager ranked ahead of him, including 33rd-ranked Borna Coric (seven wins as a 17-year-old).

Youzhny Success in St. Pete – For one player in particular, the return of the St. Petersburg Open is reason to rejoice. Russian Mikhail Youzhny has won the most matches in event history with 31 victories spread across 12 consecutive appearances (2002-13). One of the most consistent players on the ATP World Tour, Youzhny is 8-20 on the year and fell outside the Top 100 in July for the first time since January 2001.

Moselle Open (Metz) – The 13th Moselle Open features the top three seeds of Roland Garros champion Stan Wawrinka, Wimbledon quarter-finalist Gilles Simon and US Open quarter-finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. In addition, US Open doubles champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut are the top seeds in the doubles draw. Wawrinka beat both Simon (R16) and Tsonga (SF) in Paris en route to his second Grand Slam title. The remaining seeds are: No. 4 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, No. 5/wild card Philipp Kohlschreiber, No. 6 Martin Klizan, No. 7 Adrian Mannarino and No. 8/wild card Fernando Verdasco. Five of the past six champions in the 28-player draw are Frenchmen:  Simon in 2010 and last year, Tsonga (2011-12) and Monfils (2009). Belgian David Goffin won the title last year.

Stan’s Road to London – Headlining the Moselle Open is World No. 4 Stan Wawrinka, playing in France for the first time since defeating Novak Djokovic for the Roland Garros title on June 7. The Swiss is one of only two players to reach the quarter-finals or better at all four Grand Slam events in 2015 (also Djokovic). By advancing to the US Open semi-finals, Wawrinka joined Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray in qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals .

Flying the French Flag – Two-time champions Gilles Simon and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga lead a strong contingent of six Frenchmen vying for the Moselle Open title. Simon is hoping that the home-court advantage will help him snap a four-match losing streak, while Tsonga arrives in Metz after advancing to the US Open quarter-finals (l. to Cilic in five sets). Also in the singles draw from France are US Open doubles champs Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, Auckland and Bogota finalist Adrian Mannarino, and Kitzbühel runner-up Paul-Henri Mathieu.

Stars Rise in Metz – The Moselle Open has served as a springboard for some of the ATP World Tour’s brightest stars. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic won the first of his 41 hard-court titles at Metz in 2006. Two-time Grand Slam champ Andy Murray reached the final one year later. Frenchmen Richard Gasquet (first final in 2004) and Gael Monfils (first hard-court title in 2009) also enjoyed breakthroughs in Metz, while David Goffin of Belgium captured his maiden hard-court title here last year. In the 12 months since, Goffin has risen from No. 45 to No. 15 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

Homecoming For US Open Champs – On September 13, Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut became the first all-French team to win the US Open doubles title. In doing so, they emerged as the ninth different doubles champion of the last nine Grand Slam events (18 different players). Herbert and Mahut also reached the Australian Open final this year (l. to Bolelli/Fognini).

Rankings Movers (as of 21 September 2015)

Bernard Tomic 20 (+3 spots) – career-high
Jack Sock 28 (+1 spot)
Leonardo Mayer 36 (+3 spots)
Sergiy Stakhovsky 50 (+3 spots)
Steve Darcis 59 (+5 spots)
Nicolas Almagro 77 (+7 spots)
Damir Dzumhur 83 (+3 spots)
Marco Cecchinato 90 (+5 spots) – career-high
Andrey Kuznetsov 93 (+4 spots)
Dusan Lajovic 96 (+6 spots)

Potential Milestones (as of 21 September 2015)

St. Petersburg – Singles
Teymuraz Gabashvili – 99 match wins

Metz – Singles
Gilles Muller – 145 match wins

Throughout the 2015 season, nine tournaments on the ATP Challenger Tour have been honoured for 25 years on the circuit. These events have exemplified a steadfast commitment to growing the game and creating a strong foundation for players to develop their skills at the Challenger level.

“It is important to recognise the long-term support and commitment these Challengers have provided over the last 25 years or more,” said Alison Lee, Chair of the ATP Challenger Committee. “They all do an incredible job year-in, year-out and this is very much appreciated by the thousands of players who have played their Challengers. We are looking forward to hosting these Promoters at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London in November.” 

The tournaments, which have been on the calendar for at least 25 consecutive years, are as follows: Aptos (USA), Cherbourg (France), Furth (Germany), Istanbul (Turkey), San Luis Potosi (Mexico), Segovia (Spain), Sevilla (Spain), Tampere (Finland) and Winnetka (USA). Last week, the $75,000 event in Istanbul was the last of the nine to be honoured.

“It has been a true adventure to be the tournament director for the past 25 years,” said Linda Goodman of the Nielsen Pro Tennis Championships in Winnetka. “From our early days of a wild card given to Pete Sampras, to starting Todd Martin on his professional journey, to hosting the return of John Isner to the pro circuit, we have enjoyed the journey.

“Winnetka has been most fortunate to even have some sponsors who have been on board for all the 25 years. Our current relationship with our title sponsor, The Nielsen Co. has been extremely rewarding. We thank those players as well as our volunteers who have contributed to the success and support of tennis in the United States.”

“The tournament has been a great success and I give thanks for the 25 years,” added Jose Maria Leon, tournament director at the Copa Sevilla.

All nine events were awarded with an engraved plate which was presented by the ATP Supervisor during the tournament week. Each tournament director and a guest are also invited to The O2 in London for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, held from 15-22 November, where they will take in the season finale and enjoy an off-site dinner.

BELGIUM 3, ARGENTINA 2
Surface: Indoor Hard – Brussels, Belgium

Belgium will make its first appearance in the Davis Cup Final in 111 years after rallying past Argentina on Sunday in Brussels. Steve Darcis overcame Federico Delbonis 6-4, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(3) in the fifth rubber to clinch the tie.

Darcis needed four match points after being denied twice when serving for the match at 5-4 in the fourth set. He would ratchet up his level in the ensuing tie-break, striking a sublime lob for 6-2, before firing an overhead smash into the open court for the victory.

“If you would have told me 10 years ago that we would play a final in Davis Cup, I would not believe it,” said Darcis. “It’s unbelievable. For our small country it’s pretty big. For me, it’s really big. I fought on Friday and Saturday and today was the same. David worked a lot too and gave us two points. He gave me the chance to finish the job.” 

Belgium reach the final for the first time since making its debut in the competition in 1904, when it finished runner-up to Great Britain. The nation will look to exact revenge against the Brits after Andy Murray led them past Australia 3-2 on Sunday.

A live fifth rubber was needed to decide the Davis Cup semi-final clash after David Goffin routed Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-2, 6-1. The Belgians had their backs against the walls following a four-set doubles defeat on Saturday, but Goffin would stop the momentum, firing 38 winners to prevail in one hour and 47 minutes. He converted on six of 13 break chances while denying all four faced.

“It was a perfect match,” said Goffin. “I was a little tight at the beginning, but he was too. It was tough on the legs and I had to find rhythm in my groundstrokes. After three or four big games in the beginning of the match, it was better and better. My job was to bring my point today and that’s what I did. I tried to stay calm and focused on my game and take a lot of pleasure with the crowd.” 

The World No. 15 has now won 17 consecutive sets in Davis Cup singles matches, going back to the 2014 first round tie against Kazakhstan.