Netflix’s Break Point told the story of the biggest victory of Taylor Fritz’s career, when he won his first ATP Masters 1000 crown at the BNP Paribas Open in his native Southern California. 

But there was no camera crew following the American when he was grinding his way through the junior ranks and the ATP Challenger Tour — periods filled with difficult moments, hard work and sacrifice with no guarantee of success.

“I’ve given my whole life to the sport,” he reflected in a recent interview with the ATP Tour. “Parties, high school, none of that… college, didn’t happen. I definitely traded a normal life. I knew what I wanted, I knew I wanted to be a professional athlete.

“I’ve had so many days where you just question why you’re even doing it. That’s how hard you need to be pushing yourself all the time. You need to be working so hard that it’s not fun.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ATP Tour (@atptour)

Fritz is certainly having fun now as a member of the Top 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The American No. 1 first broke into that elite group in October 2022, just weeks before his 25th birthday that same month.

That milestone moment came after he won his fourth career title (and third of 2022) at the ATP 500 in Tokyo, where he beat countryman and fellow Break Point star Frances Tiafoe in the final. But after years at the game’s highest level, Fritz has learned to deal with the inevitable setbacks that come with life on the Tour.

“It’s not easy. You play a sport where every single week, everyone loses but one person,” he said. “You’ve got to get used to losing.

“But I love what we do and it’s definitely worth all the sacrifice to be where I am right now.”

Defending champion Felix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev have set a blockbuster quarter-final showdown at the ABN AMRO Open after comfortable second-round victories Thursday.

Third-seeded Auger-Aliassime served nine aces in a 6-4, 6-3 win over French qualifier Gregoire Barrere. But the Canadian will look to improve his lackluster 50 per cent first-serve percentage before coming up against Medvedev.

Medvedev saved all six break points faced in his 6-2, 6-2 win over Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.

Medvedev has won all four of his meetings with Felix, but three have gone the distance, including a 2022 Australian Open quarter-final meeting, in which Medvedev rallied from two sets down to win. The World No. 11 is expecting another close battle.

“The further you go, normally the higher-ranked players you play,” Medvedev said. “Felix is a top player. He won here last year and played amazing at the end of last year. Looking forward to a tough match and hopefully I can be at my best.

“The harder your opponent, the more you’re going to feel you have to play better. He’s going to take his opportunities. He’s going to go for it when he has the chance. I will need to be at my best.”

Michael Mmoh is feeling right at home at the Delray Beach Open after his second straight three-set win earned him a place in the quarter-finals of the Florida ATP 250. The 25-year-old, who was born in Saudi Arabia and holds both American and Australian citizenship, upset third seed Denis Shapovalov 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 on Wednesday night.

Mmoh stormed back from 1-4 down in the opening set, then escaped 0/40 at 2-2 in the third before claiming his third break late in the set and serving out the victory.

“It’s amazing,” Mmoh said after winning in front of the supportive Delray Beach crowd. “I’ve been in Florida for the past 10 years. I call this my home state. To have a packed-out crowd like I did tonight, there was lot more people on Wednesday night than there was on Monday. Thank all you guys for coming out.”

After riding a hot start in his first-round win against fellow American Aleksandar Kovacevic, Mmoh overcame a slow opening against Shapovalov, who suffered his third straight tour-level defeat.

“I think I just started off a little flat,” he said. “I just tried to tell myself to increase the energy… I wanted, win or lose, just to have energy. That got me back in the first set, and unfortunately I lost the second but my energy was there throughout. I think that’s part of the reason I got the W.”

Mmoh will face Mackenzie McDonald in the quarter-finals after the American’s 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 upset of fifth seed Yoshihito Nishioka.

In the bottom half of the draw, Marcos Giron and fourth seed Miomir Kecmanovic will meet in the quarters after both scored straight-sets wins on Wednesday. Giron ended the dream ATP Tour debut of 33-year-old Matija Pecotic with a 6-3, 6-3 win, while Kecmanovic downed Nuno Borges 6-3. 7-5.

Playing his first ATP Tour match in more than three months, Carlos Alcaraz made a winning return to competition on Wednesday night at the Argentina Open. The first former World No. 1 to compete in Buenos Aires since Gustavo Kuerten in 2004, the Spaniard lived up to lofty expectations with a powerful performance at the ATP 250.

Returning from recent abdominal and hamstring injuries, Alcaraz earned a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 victory in two hours against Laslo Djere. He was at his best early and late as he moved through the gears, treating the expectant crowd to the full range of magic that helped him claim the 2022 year-end No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

“It’s a great feeling to win again,” Alcaraz said post-match. “It’s been a long time for me with no competition, with no matches, just recovering. Finally I got my first win of 2023.”

A fast start quelled any early nerves, as the 19-year-old raced to a 3-1 lead. But he could not win a wild second set that included 15 combined break points, none of which were converted until Djere made the breakthrough on his second set point. Any disappointment was short-lived with an immediate break putting Alcaraz back in command. Like in the opening set, he did not face a break point in the decider. 

While he did most of his damage with heavy baseline blows, Alcaraz mixed in a few drop shots and net approaches as he eased back into competition in a welcoming atmosphere. He was serenaded with an “Ole Carlos” chant in between sets, with Argentine legend Gabriela Sabatini among those in the stands to see the the Spaniard’s tournament debut.

“I’m really happy [in Buenos Aires],” Alcaraz said. “I didn’t expect such a great crowd, a great atmosphere behind me. So I just can say thank you to all the fans here in Buenos Aires for the warm welcome that I received in this first match and I hope to keep going with this energy.”

After an abdominal tear ended his 2022 season after the Rolex Paris Masters, Alcaraz picked up a hamstring injury during his preparations for the Australian Open. He lost the top spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings to Novak Djokovic during his time on the sidelines, but now begins his charge to return to the pinnacle of men’s tennis.

Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz caused an upset at the ABN AMRO Open on Wednesday when they defeated top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.

The Germans won 86 per cent of their first-serve points and saved all three break points they faced to advance at the Rotterdam ATP 500 event.

Krawietz and Puetz are finding their rhythm in their second tournament of the year together after reaching the semi-finals last week in Montpellier.

In other action, Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin ousted home favourites Robin Haase and Matwe Middelkoop 7-6(6), 6-4. They will next play third seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek.

Australian Open Champ Makes Successful Start In Delray Beach
Rinky Hijikata won the Australian Open doubles title this year alongside Jason Kubler. On Wednesday, the Australian partnered American Reese Stalder past Argentines Guido Andreozzi and Guillermo Duran 7-5, 2-6, 10-6. They will play second seeds Jamie Murray and Michael Venus in the quarter-finals. Murray and Venus beat William Blumberg and Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-3.

Philipp Oswald and Jordan Thompson also moved through to the last eight when they ousted Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni 6-2, 6-4 to set a clash with top seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer.

Nuno Borges and Andre Goransson clawed past third seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 6-3, 3-6, 10-6.

Cameron Norrie was two points from defeat on three occasions on Wednesday at the Argentina Open, but the Briton found his best tennis at the crucial moments to deny Argentine wild card Facundo Diaz Acosta an upset win in his native Buenos Aires.

In a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(6) victory, Norrie never truly hit top gear, but the second seed showed his champion mentality to get over the line at the ATP 250. 

“I thought Facu played great and it was a battle out there. It was my first [ATP Tour] match on clay in a while,” said Norrie, who earned two Davis Cup wins on the clay of Colombia earlier this month. “I have a lot of things to work on but it was a great atmosphere and I had a lot of people supporting me as well, so I really enjoyed. But I need to improve a lot.”

In the closing stages, Norrie was able to redirect the pacy groundstrokes from his opponent to great effect, attacking without taking big risks as the pressure mounted. Diaz Acosta was two points from victory on return at 5-4, 30/30 and twice in the tie-break at 5/5 and 6/6 after leading 4/1. But each time, Norrie had the answer.

“I love Argentina. I came here early to prepare,” he shared. “Not really the level I wanted to be playing but I feel good here and obviously my coach and my physio are from here, so it’s a special place for me.”

After saving 10 of 14 break points in the two-hour, 59-minute match, the Briton advanced to the quarter-finals. He will next face another Argentine in Tomas Martin Etcheverry, a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 winner against Roberto Carballes Baena earlier on Wednesday.

Dominic Thiem announced on Wednesday that he has been awarded a wild card into the BNP Paribas Open, the ATP Masters 1000 event held at Indian Wells. The last time the Austrian competed in the tournament, four years ago, he captured the title.

“Hello Indian Wells! Today I received the great message that I will get a wild card for the 2023 BNP Paribas Open,” Thiem said. “It’s unbelievable news for me as it’s a tournament I love and it’s going to be the first time I played there since I won the tournament in 2019. So looking forward to seeing you all there. Thank you!”

Testing, testing 🎙

2019 champion @domithiem has an important announcement to make 🗣🌴 pic.twitter.com/84NwqlIyMU

— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) February 15, 2023

The 29-year-old owns a 13-5 record at Indian Wells, where he debuted in 2014. During his dream run in 2019, Thiem upset Roger Federer in the final to secure his maiden Masters 1000 trophy. This year’s BNP Paribas Open will be played from 8-19 March.

Thiem, who is still battling back to top form following a 2021 wrist injury, is No. 99 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The Austrian is competing this week in the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires.

Alex de Minaur earned his third Top 5 win in four months on Wednesday at the ABN AMRO Open, producing a dominant display to defeat second seed Andrey Rublev 6-4 6-4.

De Minaur did not face a break point in the one-hour, 21-minute matchup, winning 88 per cent (28/32) of his first-serve points. He put pressure on Rublev early in both sets and secured a break in the third game of each.

“It was a hell of a mach,” De Minaur said after advancing to the last 16 at the Rotterdam ATP 500. “I think I had the right mindset. I knew I had to be aggressive and take it to him, and really believe in myself. I’ve been practising great. I’ve been doing exactly what I did today on the practice court. So it was great to see it all come alive.”

The 23-year-old did his damage from all parts of the court, hitting 19 winners to seven unforced errors and winning 11 of 14 net points.

Flying into the next round @alexdeminaur @abnamroopen #ConversionScore calculates the percentage of points won when the player has been #InAttack#StealScore calculates how often a player has won the point when they are in defence during the point#TennisInsights | @atptour pic.twitter.com/F79YeBc2In

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) February 15, 2023

After starting 0-18 against Top 5 players, De Minaur has now won three of his past four such matches. He beat Daniil Medvedev in November at the Rolex Paris Masters and Rafael Nadal at the United Cup.

“I think it was just me popping the cherry with Medvedev and really believing that I’ve got the level to compete against these guys and beat these guys,” he said. “It’s coming all together. I’m playing with a lot more confidence, a lot more relaxed and just playing my tennis.”

De Minaur followed his win against Nadal with a run to the fourth round of the Australian Open, matching his best result at his home Slam. He dropped just one set in his three wins before losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

Maxime Cressy will be his next opponent in Rotterdam.

In a second-round match in Rotterdam, home favourite Tallon Griekspoor scored an upset of his own against eighth seed Alexander Zverev. In a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory, the Dutchman saved three break points to hold for 2-2 in the final set then broke at love for a 4-3 lead.

The 26-year-old, who won his first ATP Tour title last month in Pune, improved to 9-1 on the season. One of three players already through to the Rotterdam quarter-finals alongside Stan Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov, Griekspoor awaits fourth seed Holger Rune or fellow Dutch wild card Gijs Brouwer in the last eight.

When tennis fans talk about Hubert Hurkacz’s delivery, they’re usually discussing the Pole’s booming serve, one of the best on the ATP Tour. But the 26-year-old can also deliver a good punch line.

His comedic timing was on full display in the latest edition of our ‘Travel With A Pro’ series, in which the Pole gives an interview from his Vienna hotel room. Our Q&A got off to a rough start, with Hurkacz pointing out the “Privacy Please” sign on his door: “That wasn’t respect!” he joked.

He later shared the importance of his physiotherapist during his time on the road. A big Formula 1 fan, Hurkacz enjoys watching the weekend races with his physio and was travelling with a book on the history of the sport.

“I actually watch every single race,” he said. “Very rarely I miss one.”

Hurkacz also showed off a hoodie with cartoons printed on it… though he stopped short of calling himself a fashionista. But there’s one accessory he takes great pride in: his slippers, which he kicked in the air and caught with panache.

“I thought that was pretty good!” he said, satisfied with his on-camera feat.