Alejandro Davidovich Fokina made a successful return on Wednesday in his first match since reaching the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, clawing past fellow Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-3, 7-6(5) to reach the quarter-finals of the Millennium Estoril Open.

Davidovich Fokina made a dream run in Monte Carlo, where he stunned World No. 1 Novak Djokovic en route to his first ATP Masters 1000 final. Although he wasn’t quite as sharp in Portugal, his confidence showed in a one-hour, 57-minute victory.

“Bernabe is a tough player. He played flat balls and on clay it’s tough to play against him. In the second set he had chances to win the set and I was just there to focus on every point just to create some pressure [for] him,” Davidovich Fokina said. “I’m happy for the win.”

Zapata Miralles, who had already won three matches at the event, including two in qualifying, made his countryman work hard and held a 5/3 lead in the second-set tie-break. But Davidovich Fokina, whose trademark drop shot was not as precise as usual throughout the match, remained calm and was the more consistent player in the big moments.

The fourth seed earned seven service breaks and will next play fifth seed Frances Tiafoe or Portuguese wild card Nuno Borges. If Davidovich Fokina wins, he will move into his third semi-final in Estoril in his third appearance at the ATP 250.

Holger Rune has impressed so far in his young career on the ATP Tour, but the 18-year-old took things to another level on Wednesday in Munich.

The #NextGenATP Dane produced a high-class all-court performance against top seed Alexander Zverev at the BMW Open by American Express, breaking the big-serving German four times on his way to a stunning 6-3, 6-2 victory at the ATP 250 event.

“It was a difficult match from the beginning,” said Rune in his on-court interview. “He’s in the top three in the world and has been playing some unbelievable tennis, especially in the past year winning so many big titles. I have a lot of respect for him, and I obviously didn’t expect to win in two sets, and with a score like this. But it was a really hard match, we played a lot of rallies and I’m really happy about my performance today.”

Rune has shown glimpses of his talent in 2022, winning his opening match in four of his past five tour-level events before arriving in Munich. He had yet to win consecutive ATP Tour matches this year, however he changed that in style in Germany by completing straight-sets wins over Jiri Lehecka and top-seeded Zverev.

“I love this tournament,” added Rune. “It’s a bit at altitude, it’s similar conditions to Denmark, so I’m really happy to be here.”

The win over the German is the biggest of Rune’s career and his first over a Top 10 opponent at the fourth attempt. Prior to Wednesday’s loss, home favourite Zverev had not failed to reach the quarter-finals in Munich in his past five appearances, a streak that included lifting back-to-back trophies in the Bavarian city in 2017 and 2018.

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Rune was dialled in from the start at the Iphitos Tennis Club, surging to a 4-2 lead in the opening set as he measured a series of drop shots from deep to perfection, pulling his opponent around the court. Although Zverev found his feet after a slow start, Rune fended off two break points before converting his sixth set point in a marathon ninth game to take the set.

An early break in the second set piled the pressure on Zverev and Rune appeared unaffected by the prospect of taking out the top seed. The Dane continued to draw Zverev forward to great effect with his drop shot and struck the ball cleanly off both wings from deep as the German struggled to find his rythym, with Rune breaking again before serving out for a one-hour, 40-minute victory.

“I enjoyed it,” said Rune as he addressed the crowd. “Obviously it was tough, especially the first set when we played lots of long rallies. It was really exhausting but I tried to give the audience a great match because Zverev is an unbelievable player, so thank you very much for the support.”

Rune’s success was based on his ability to counter his opponent’s serve, one of the most feared on the ATP Tour. The Dane won 47 per cent (17/36) of return points against the Zverev first delivery in the match, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Rune’s next opponent will be Emil Ruusuvuori, after the unseeded Finn defeated Maxime Cressy, 6-3, 6-3. World No. 63 Ruusuvuori broke the American four times in a 76-minute victory to reach a first tour-level quarter-final since his run to the championship match in Pune in February.

Miomir Kecmanovic earlier made it to a sixth consecutive ATP Tour quarter-final with a 6-2, 6-4 win over home favourite Daniel Altmaier. Kecmanovic’s strong form has included runs to the last eight at the ATP Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami, and the Serb held his nerve in a topsy-turvy second set featuring five breaks of serve to record his 21st win of the season against the No. 67-ranked German.

Kecmanovic’s next opponent will be a player who is unbeaten on the Munich clay, defending champion Nikoloz Basilashvili. The World No. 20 has struggled for form in 2022 and was taken the distance by Ilya Ivashka on Wednesday, but the Georgian claimed a crucial break in the opening game of the deciding set that was enough to set up the win and extend his winning record at the event to 6-0.

The first-round action was also completed on Wednesday, with Alejandro Tabilo prevailing in an all-Chilean battle with 2019 champion Cristian Garin. Tabilo’s 6-3, 6-4 victory gives him a 2-1 ATP Head2Head lead over his countryman, with the World No. 91 also prevailing in the pair’s previous meeting at their home tournament in Santiago in February.

Eighth seed Botic van de Zandschulp booked his second-round spot with a 7-6(3), 6-3 win over #NextGenATP American Brandon Nakashima. Both players were making their debut in Munich, but it was World No. 40 Van de Zandschulp who prevailed in a hard-fought 94-minute clash. He next faces qualifier Egor Gerasimov, who beat Australian John Millman, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

The tennis world is mourning the loss of Kristijan Schneider, former coach of Croatian Borna Coric, who has passed away aged 41.

“Rest in peace my friend and my coach. I was blessed to have you in my life,” wrote former World No. 12 Coric in tribute to his countryman on Twitter.

Schneider, also known as “Kiki”, had been battling abdominal cancer. Those involved in a fundraising effort to support his treatment included Italian World No. 197 Thomas Fabbiano and Gilles Cervara, coach of World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev.

Another Croatian, WTA star Ana Konjuh, paid tribute to Schneider on Instagram. “I’m lost for words. Until we meet again, save me a hug up there. Rest in peace Kiki,” wrote the 24-year-old. Schneider also had a stint working on the WTA Tour as coach of Serbian Olga Danilovic.

ATP World No. 29 Frances Tiafoe added his own tribute in response to Konjuh’s post. “Had nothing but love and respect for you Kiki,” wrote the American. “Thankful for our friendship.”

Rest in peace my friend and my coach.
I was blessed to have you in my life ❤️ pic.twitter.com/e2gi9tSFYs

— borna coric (@borna_coric) April 26, 2022

 

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Maxime Cressy arrived at the BMW Open by American Express on a seven-match losing streak on the ATP Tour, but the American’s serve-and-volley tactics came good against sixth seed Daniel Evans in Munich on Tuesday.

Cressy enjoyed a breakthrough start to 2022 when he reached a maiden tour-level final at the Melbourne Summer Set before falling to Rafael Nadal and made the fourth round of the Australian Open, but the 24-year-old has struggled to back up that run since. Prior to Tuesday the World No. 65 had not won a tour-level match since January, but he showed no signs of a lack of confidence against Evans in damp conditions in Bavaria as he broke the Briton four times on his way to an 81-minute 6-4, 6-4 victory at the ATP 250 event.

“I feel very happy, especially after those two tough months for me,” Cressy said post-match. “I got my confidence back before the tournament. I was very well prepared mentally. I even travelled on my own to really get the confidence back and to be with myself, and it’s great to know that it paid off right away.”

“It was definitely a tough two months, but I’ve lived these moments before and I know how to handle them. The best way to handle them is to get my confidence back through meditation and through my routines… I’m very proud of myself.”

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Play resumed on Tuesday afternoon after rain forced a suspension with Cressy leading 2-0 on Monday evening. A back-and-forth opening set saw four further breaks of serve, but It was the unseeded American who crucially broke to love in the 10th game to forge ahead. Both players were more resolute behind their delivery in the second set, which appeared destined for a tie-break with Evans leading 40/15 on his own serve when 4-5 down. Cressy had other ideas, firing a pair of searing return winners to break and clinch his maiden tour-level victory on clay at the third attempt.

Cressy’s second-round opponent will be World No. 63 Emil Ruusuvuori. The Finn ran out a 6-3, 6-2 winner in the pair’s sole previous tour-level meeting at the Miami Open presented by Itau in March.

“I’m obviously expecting a very tough opponent on the baseline,” Cressy previewed. “He hits his groundies very well on both sides. I’m going to expect a very tough match and just focus on being very efficient on my serve games and what I can control.”

Persistent rain delayed play in Bavaria and only four matches were completed in a reduced schedule, but there was still time for home favourite Oscar Otte to complete a quickfire 6-1, 6-2 win over 18-year-old Serb Marko Topo. The No. 2-ranked German Otte is making his debut at the Munich event, and his second-round opponent will be third seed Reilly Opelka.

Hugo Gaston also enjoyed a successful first appearance at the Iphitos Tennis Club, but the Frenchman was made to dig deep before completing a 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-5 win over Marcos Giron. There were just two breaks of serve across a two-hour, 32-minute clash but both went the way of Gaston, who next faces the winner of the all-Chilean first-round matchup between Alejandro Tabilo and 2019 champion Cristian Garin.

Ilya Ivashka advanced to a second-round meeting with defending champion Nikoloz Basilashvili after the World No. 44 defeated Mackenzie McDonald, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. It is the second year in a row the pair has met in Munich, with Ivashka also prevailing against the American in three sets at the second-round stage in 2021.

Dominic Thiem grew into his opening-round match Tuesday at the Millennium Estoril Open, but World No. 58 Benjamin Bonzi was up to the challenge as he saved three set points in a second-set tie-break to advance, 6-3, 7-6(9). 

The Austrian former World No. 3 was competing in just his second ATP Tour event of the 2022 season after recovering from a right-wrist tear he sustained last June. After a loss in a Marbella ATP Challenger Tour event and three-set defeat last week against John Millman at the Serbia Open, Thiem was seeking the first victory of his return.

That seemed unlikely after an error-strewn opening set in which Thiem battled through three lengthy service games and won only four points on the return. But after saving a break point in his second service game of the second stanza, Thiem found his footing as he began to dominate on serve to force a tie-break against the Frenchman.

In a dramatic tie-break, Thiem saved a match point on serve at 5-6 then had three chances to send it into a decider, including one on serve. But the Austrian could not find the decisive stroke in several rallies, and Bonzi ultimately took the initiative to close the match out by winning the last three points.

Bonzi did not face a break point in the match and protected his delivery well behind a 79 and 70 per cent win rate on first and second serves, respectively. The 25-year-old entered Estoril at a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 58 after qualifying for Monte Carlo. His two best results of 2022 came in consecutive February weeks on home soil: After winning an ATP Challenger Tour title in Cherbourg, he reached the semi-finals of the ATP 250 in Marseille, where he took a set off eventual champion Andrey Rublev.

The Frenchman next faces eighth seed Sebastian Korda, after the American closed Tuesday’s play with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Frances’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert.

“He’s a difficult opponent; you never know what you’re going to get out of him,” Korda said of Herbert. “He serve-and-volleys, plays well from the back. So it’s very difficult. I’m very happy with the way I played today, a great match for me.”

Assessing his 2022 season on the whole, which includes a Delray Beach quarter-final and a three-set battle with Rafael Nadal in Indian Wells, Korda added: “The year’s been good so far. I’m learning a lot, having a lot of close, tight matches. I’m just trying to take the next step now, just staying patient and working hard, and it’ll come.”

His match against Bonzi will be the first ATP Head2Head meeting between the pair, though Korda won a 7-6(5), 7-6(1) semi-final in a Quimper Challenger last January — an event he went on to win.

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Another unseeded Frenchman, Richard Gasquet, scored a Tuesday upset against seventh-seeded American Tommy Paul. After his 7-5, 6-2 victory, the 35-year-old will face Hugo Dellien in the second round. The Bolivian qualifier was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Jiri Vesely earlier in the day.

Spain’s Albert Ramos-Vinolas also advanced on Tuesday with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 result over Aussie Jordan Thompson. He’ll face Soonwoo Kwon in the second round after the South Korean defeated Benoit Paire, 6-4, 7-5, on Monday.

Novak Djokovic fell short in the Serbia Open final on Sunday against Andrey Rublev, but the World No. 1 still enjoyed a feel-good moment after the match.

Djokovic welcomed former team members Marian Vajda, Milan Amanovic and Gebhard Gritsch for a special commemoration of their work together. Nikola Cilic, whose academy Djokovic trained at as a junior, was also on court.

“We have achieved a lot together,” Djokovic said according to a press release. “I wanted to celebrate that and this was an ideal opportunity.”

In March, Djokovic announced that he had split with Vajda, who had worked with him since 2006. The Slovakian spoke to the Belgrade crowd.

“I thank Nole for the past 15 years. I’ve enjoyed everything most of the time. Half of the time,” Vajda joked. “Secondly, I would like to extend my gratitude to the Djokovic family who selected me at the beginning of Novak’s career and I also thank my family for their support… I’ll always be by Novak’s side at key moments and when key decisions are made. Thank you all very much.”

The International Tennis Hall of Fame is giving tennis fans around the world the opportunity to revisit, debate and weigh in on some of the sport’s most impactful moments during the Iconic Moments in Tennis History vote. As part of the campaign, voters in the United States will have the opportunity to enter to win a trip for two to the ITHF’s Enshrinement Weekend, to be held July 15-17 in Newport, R.I.

Voting is open through 30 April, giving fans the opportunity to make selections in five intriguing categories: Most Epic Rivalry, Best Cinderella Story, Best Comeback Within a Match, Most Iconic Celebration, and Best Moment of National Pride. The categories and corresponding nominees were decided upon by a panelists of tennis experts, journalists and historians, including Hall of Famer Steve Flink, ITHF Historian-at-Large Joel Drucker and ITHF Emerging Leaders Council representative Nina Pantic.

Spanning seven decades of tennis history, the lineup of eight nominees in each category include some of tennis’ most memorable moments and significant feats. Voters will be able to relive their favorite moments from Hall of Famers and other legends of the sport while comparing those accomplishments to recent achievements.

The wide-reaching categories weigh lasting memories, such as Billie Jean King’s racquet toss celebration after her victory over Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes, against trendsetting themes, like the Champion’s Climb at Wimbledon. Fans will be able to choose between some of the sport’s most unexpected victories, like Michael Chang’s French Open title and Emma Raducanu’s US Open triumph, and determine which on-court matchups, including record-breakers like the Big Three and the Williams sisters, changed the game forever.

Winning nominees from the Iconic Moments in Tennis History vote will be recognized with a unique exhibit for visitors to experience in person at the ITHF Museum and online at tennisfame.com.

When voting, fans based in the United States can opt in to enter the 2022 Enshrinement Weekend sweepstakes. The winners will join the celebrations for inductee Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, with exclusive access to in-person events over three days. Hewitt, a Wimbledon champion, US Open champion, and the youngest man to ever achieve the world No.1 ranking, will receive tennis’ ultimate honor, induction into the ITHF, on Saturday, July 16.

The winners will join tennis’ biggest fans, supporters, and legends for once-in-a-lifetime experiences during the weekend, including the Opening Tribute Dinner at The Elms mansion on Friday, Saturday’s Induction Ceremony and following cocktail reception, and the semi-finals and finals of the Infosys Hall of Fame Open on Saturday and Sunday. Included in the sweepstakes are two nights’ lodging in the heart of Newport.

Fans can view the nominees, vote and opt-in for the sweepstakes at tennisfame.com/vote, and are encouraged to cast ballots on Twitter by engaging with the ITHF at @tennishallofame.

2022 ICONIC MOMENTS IN TENNIS HISTORY FAN VOTE — CATEGORIES & NOMINEES

Most Epic Rivalry
Jimmy Connors vs. John McEnroe vs. Bjorn Borg
Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic
Chris Evert vs. Martina Navratilova
Steff Graf vs. Monica Seles
Pete Sampras vs. Andre Agassi
Billie Jean King vs. Margaret Court
Rod Laver vs. Ken Rosewall
Venus Williams vs. Serena Williams

Best Cinderella Story
Goran Ivanisevic, 2001 Wimbledon
Emma Raducanu, 2021 US Open
Kim Clijsters, 2009 US Open
Mats Wilander, 1982 Roland Garros
Gustavo Kuerten, 1997 Roland Garros
Pete Sampras, 1990 US Open
Serena Williams, 1999 US Open
Michael Chang, 1989 Roland Garros

Best Comeback Within a Match
Rafael Nadal d. Daniil Medvedev, 2022 Australian Open Final
Jennifer Capriati d. Martina Hingis, 2002 Australian Open Final
Mary Joe Fernandez d. Gabriela Sabatini, 1993 Roland Garros Quarter-Final
Manuel Orantes d. Guillermo Vilas, 1975 US Open Semi-Final
Chanda Rubin d. Jana Novotna, 1995 Roland Garros Third Round
Jimmy Connors d. Mikael Pernfors, 1987 Wimbledon Fourth Round
Richard Pancho Gonzales d. Charlie Pasarell, 1969 Wimbledon First Round
Pete Sampras d. Jim Courier, 1995 Australian Open Quarter-Finals

Most Iconic Celebration
Pat Cash’s Champion’s Climb, 1987 Wimbledon
Kim Clijsters and daughter Jada on court, 2009 US Open
Gustavo Kuerten drawing a heart in clay, 2001 Roland Garros
Jimmy Connors’ fist pump vs. Aaron Krickstein, 1991 US Open
Jim Courier diving into the Yarra River, 1992 & 1993 Australian Open
Petr Korda and Korda Family’s scissor kick
Serbian Davis Cup team shaving heads following 2010 championship
Billie Jean King’s racquet toss following Battle of the Sexes

Best Moment of National Pride
Ashleigh Barty, 2022 Australian Open
Goran Ivanisevic, 2001 Wimbledon
Althea Gibson, 1957 Wimbledon
Andy Murray, 2013 Wimbledon
Virginia Wade, 1977 Wimbledon
Li Na, 2011 Roland Garros
Maria Bueno, 1959 Wimbledon
David Hall, 2000 Sydney Paralympics