Matteo Berrettini made a winning return to the ATP Tour Thursday, when he dispatched Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad.

Playing in his first match since triumphing at The Queen’s Club in June, the Italian showed little sign of rustiness against the Frenchman, improving to 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.

“I have great memories here,” Berrettini said in his on-court interview. “My first ATP Tour title. I really like these conditions. Even though I was coming from grass and this is the complete opposite, I like when the ball is jumping like this. I think it suits my game and my serve. Also I have a lot of people coming to support me. A lot of Italians I heard, so I am really happy to be here and I am enjoying it.”

In front of a vocal crowd, the second seed fired seven aces and won 79 per cent (31/39) of his first-serve points to advance after one hour and 30 minutes, setting up a meeting with Pedro Martinez. The fifth-seeded Spaniard edged Elias Ymer 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 in two hours and 49 minutes.

Berrettini, who missed Wimbledon due to Covid, has now won his past 10 matches. He lifted trophies on grass in Stuttgart and London in June after missing the spring clay swing in Europe due to a right hand injury.

The 26-year-old, currently No. 14 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, is making his second appearance in Gstaad, having not dropped a set en route to the title in 2018.

FOLLOW THIS WEEK’S ACTION

📺 TV Schedule
🎾 Watch Live On Tennis TV
📱 Follow Live Scores On ATP WTA Live
📧 Sign Up For Newsletters

Earlier, Casper Ruud started his title defence with victory, overcoming #NextGenATP Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals.

The top seed dropped just one set en route to the title at the ATP 250 event last season and once again looked at home on the clay in Switzerland. The Norwegian saved all five break points he faced to advance after one hour and 39 minutes in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.

“I think it was a great match,” Ruud said in his on-court interview. “The conditions are quite challenging here with the altitude and the ball can fly. You need to serve and return well and I think I did that well all day. I started a little bit shakey, had some break points against me, but I was able to win that game and get going. It is nice to get a win again.”

Ruud, who suffered a disappointing opening-round exit in Bastad last week, will next meet Spaniard Jaume Munar.

“I have had great success here and in Geneva, so it feels very good to be back,” Ruud said. “It was a wish to play in Gstaad because we had great memories. This city is beautiful.

”It is nice to come back to a place where you have won before and hopefully I can do well at this tournament. It is a great atmosphere and I love playing in Switzerland.”

The World No. 5 is trying to win his third tour-level trophy of the season this week, having triumphed on clay in Buenos Aires and Geneva. Earlier this year, the 23-year-old also reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final in Miami and maiden Grand Slam championship match at Roland Garros.

Lehecka was aiming to reach his second tour-level quarter-final of the season in Gstaad after reaching the semi-finals in Rotterdam. The 20-year-old is sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan.

Did You Know?
Ruud now holds a 13-0 record in Switzerland, having also won the title in Geneva twice.

Francisco Cerundolo extended his winning streak to seven matches on Thursday, when he upset World No. 8 Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-2 at the Hamburg European Open to earn his second Top 10 win in as many weeks.

The Argentine captured his maiden tour-level title in Bastad last week and has backed that up in Hamburg. In a high-quality second-round match, Cerundolo rallied from 2-4 in the first set and fired 26 winners as he blasted the second seed off the court in one hour and 33 minutes.

“I think I played another great match. I felt really comfortable on the court,” Cerundolo said in his on-court interview. “I think in the first three games I didn’t play that bad, but he was really solid and didn’t miss many balls. Then I started feeling more confident and I think I was very solid today.”

The 23-year-old, who defeated World No. 5 Casper Ruud in Sweden last week, will next face Aslan Karatsev in the quarter-finals after the 28-year-old eliminated Colombian qualifier Daniel Elahi Galan 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

“It is really good to have this confidence at this level,” Cerundolo added. “It is the first time it has happened for me. I am playing against the top guys and I am playing well and it is unbelievable. I really happy with my game and my head, because I am keeping my concentration and playing the whole match well.”

Cerundolo, up to No. 27 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, has earned a career-best 19 tour-level wins this year, with 13 coming on clay. He reached the last four in Rio de Janeiro in February, before he advanced to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final in Miami.

Rublev has captured three tour-level crowns this season and lifted the trophy on his last appearance in Hamburg in 2020. However, he was unable to cope with Cerundolo’s heavy hitting in northern Germany.

The ATP has issued updates to the 2022 ATP Tour calendar, including cancellation of the 2022 China swing and the inclusion of six additional single-year events.

ATP has today confirmed the Rolex Shanghai Masters, China Open (Beijing), Chengdu Open, and Zhuhai Championships will not take place in 2022 due to ongoing restrictions related to COVID-19. This marks the third year of cancellation for the ATP’s China swing, typically hosted in September and October and last staged in 2019, prior to the pandemic.

In parallel, ATP has announced six ATP 250 tournaments, issued as single-year event licenses for the 2022 season:

• Week 38 (19-25 Sep): San Diego, USA (Hard)
• Week 39 (26 Sep-2 Oct): Seoul, KOR (Hard); Tel Aviv, ISR (Indoor Hard)
• Week 41 (10-16 Oct): Florence, ITA (Indoor Hard); Gijon, ESP (Indoor Hard)
• Week 42 (17-23 Oct): Naples, ITA (Hard)

View The Full 2022 ATP Tour Calendar Here

Single-year event licenses were first issued by ATP in 2020, in response to pandemic-related event cancellations, to maintain playing opportunities and also enable tennis to explore new markets.

In addition, the Astana Open in Nur-Sultan, an ATP 250 event, will this year be staged as an ATP 500 alongside the Rakuten Japan Open in Tokyo. The Astana Open became a permanent ATP Tour member this season following two editions as a single-year event in 2020 and 2021, through the transfer and relocation of the St. Petersburg tournament.

All other events for the remainder of the ATP Tour season are currently set to proceed as scheduled, culminating at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan and Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman, said: “As a global sport we continue to manage the impacts of the pandemic. Event cancellations are an unfortunate reality, and we wish our affected tournament members and fans well. At the same time, it’s incredibly encouraging to have many great cities step up to host ATP Tour tennis this season. This shows the strong international interest in our product and validates the agile approach we’ve taken in responding to fast-changing circumstances. We would like to thank all stakeholders involved in this process and look forward to an exciting second half of the season.”

Dominic Thiem gained further momentum on Thursday at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad, overcoming Argentine Federico Delbonis 7-6(8), 6-3 to reach his second tour-level quarter-final in as many weeks.

The Austrian let slip a 5-2 lead in the first set, but took the opener after saving two set points in the tie-break. Thiem then opened his shoulders and hit through Delbonis in the second set to advance after one hour and 57 minutes.

“Every win is so important right now and I got a great energy from my box,” Thiem said in his on-court interview. “They also knew that first set was crucial and the key to the match. I am coming from [reaching] the quarters in Bastad and I really wanted to back it up here in Gstaad.

“I have won two matches which means a lot to me right now. I really need those ranking points. Every match win is something very special.”

The former World No. 3, who saved one match point in his first-round victory against Hugo Gaston, defeated Emil Ruusuvuori and Roberto Bautista Agut en route to his maiden tour-level quarter-final of the season last week in Bastad.

Thiem will be aiming to go one stage further at the ATP 250 clay-court event in Switzerland when he next faces Peruvian qualifier Juan Pablo Varillas. In a rain-disrupted match, the World No. 115 Varillas upset third seed Bautista Agut 7-6(3), 7-5.

“The key moment was that set point save,” Thiem added. “I thought I was playing well the whole match. I was in control in the first set, but then I didn’t play a good game when serving for the set and it was close. He can play really heavy here, especially in altitude. Those two set points saved plus winning that tie-break was the key.”

The 17-time tour-level titlist Thiem has fond memories in Gstaad, having lifted the trophy on his previous appearance in 2015. The last time the 28-year-old won a tour-level crown was at the US Open in 2020.

In the lone completed singles match on a rainy Wednesday at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad, Jaume Munar defeated Alexander Ritschard to advance to his second tour-level quarter-final of the 2022 season.

The Spaniard earned the 6-3, 6-3 victory by saving all seven break points against him in Roy Emerson Arena and claiming three breaks of his own in the one-hour, 21-minute contest.

“Here with altitude and the fastest court maybe we’re playing on Tour, it’s difficult,” the 25-year-old said in his on-court interview. “I think the key to success in this match was to handle the pressure. I think I played a couple of good points [to save the break chances] and on my break points I did well.”

Munar is into his first quarter-final in Gstaad after losing to Robert Bautista Agut in the second round in each of his previous two appearances (2018-19).

“I’m super happy,” he said of the achievement. “It’s one of my favourite weeks during the year. I enjoy it a lot here in Gstaad. I love the place very much.”

The Spaniard improved his record to 9-2 in his past 11 clay-court matches, including ATP Challenger Tour events; he won a Challenger title in Perugia and reached the semi-finals in Forli in June. The World No. 63 is up to No. 59 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings behind his two victories this week.

Now through to his first ATP Tour quarter-final since January in Melbourne, Munar could face top seed Casper Ruud next. The Norwegian’s opening matchup against Jiri Lehecka was postponed until Thursday due to heavy rain in Gstaad.

Dominic Thiem’s matchup with Federico Delbonis was also among the rained-out matches, setting up a busy Thursday slate that also includes second seed Matteo Berrettini’s opener against Richard Gasquet.

Third seed Roberto Bautista Agut was nearly knocked out before the downpour, but the Spaniard saved a match point against Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas to extend his stay in Gstaad by at least one day.

After losing the first set in a tie-break, four consecutive breaks of serve in the second set left Bautista Agut serving to stay in the match at 4-5. He erased a match point in that game to level, then saw a break chance go begging in the ensuing game as Varillas edged back in front before the match was suspended with him leading 7-6(3), 6-5.

Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos made a winning start to their Hamburg European Open campaign Wednesday, overcoming Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 5-7, 6-2, 10-4.

The top seeds, who are making their debut together at the ATP 500 event, won 83 per cent (33/40) of their first-serve points to reach the quarter-finals in one hour and 35 minutes.

The Spanish-Argentine pair has now won their past five matches, after capturing their first title of the season in Halle last month. Granollers and Zeballos will next play Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev.

Third seeds Tim Puetz and Michael Venus also advanced, defeating Aslan Karatsev and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and 32 minutes. The German-New Zealand tandem, who triumphed in Dubai in February, will next face Daniel Altmaier and Jan-Lennard Struff after the Germans defeated Sander Arends and David Pel 6-4, 7-6(4).

Ymer Brothers Taste Success In Gstaad
Elias Ymer and Mikael Ymer recorded their first win of the season as a team at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad, downing 2021 champions Marc-Andrea Huesler and Dominic Stricker 6-4, 7-6(5) to reach the quarter-finals.

The Swedish brothers, who are joining forces for the first time since 2019, broke twice to advance after 81 minutes.

Robin Haase and Philipp Oswald booked their spot in the last eight with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski, while Lorenzo Sonego and Andrea Vavassori defeated Vit Kopriva and Pavel Kotov 6-3, 6-3. Oswald won the title at the ATP 250 clay-court event in Geneva in 2017 alongside Austrian Oliver Marach.

Come to Tampere, Finland, in summer and three things immediately stand out.

First, the line between day and night is a blur across the entire country. With the Tampere Open held in the 60th parallel north, players are competing twice as far away from the equator as from the North Pole. At this latitude, the sun is visible until midnight every day in July, illuminating the night sky with a stunning golden-orange hue. It provides a unique backdrop for a professional tennis tournament.

Second, the idyllic landscape that surrounds the city creates a cosy and relaxing atmosphere for players and fans alike. Pine trees fill the countryside as far as the eye can see, permeating the environment with some of the cleanest air in the world. Finland is also known as the ‘Country of a Thousand Lakes’ and the city of Tampere is embedded within a winding network of bodies of water.

Finally, and most importantly, it is the people that make any trip to Tampere special. Finland is famous for being the ‘Happiest Country in the World’, a moniker which they take very seriously at the Tampere Open. Enter the tournament site and you’re promptly greeted with a ‘Moi’ or ‘Huomenta’ (good morning), as you proceed to sit down for a meal in the cafe, enjoy the day in the VIP area or settle in for a match on Center Court. The hospitality is unmatched in Tampere.

It’s no wonder players have been returning to the tournament for 40 years. This week, the longest-running event on the ATP Challenger Tour became the first to celebrate four decades of professional tennis. The Tampere Open was honoured by the ATP on Tuesday, with a special ceremony in front of the Finnish faithful on Center Court.

“Overall, the tournament has had a big impact in building the tennis culture in Finland,” said Finnish legend and two-time Tampere Open (2001-02) champion Jarkko Nieminen. “I have a huge respect for the tournament after these 40 years. It can’t be an easy task. Tampere Open has always been there and I think it’s well-organised and has a good atmosphere.

“In 2001, it was my breakthrough year and the first time I won in Tampere. Even though I had some success before, it’s always special to win the first title at home. I had the similar success the following year and I wanted to come back, even though I was playing the bigger tournaments. And to beat an incredibly young and talented Richard Gasquet in the final was a nice experience.”

Times change and several factors result in the ebb and flow of tournaments’ longevity over the years. To withstand this precise test of time and remain a symbol of durability deserves to be applauded. Led by tournament director and former World No. 48 Veli Paloheimo, a native of Tampere, the tournament has become a beacon on the Challenger Tour and a summer staple in Finland for these 40 years.

“Of course we’re proud of it,” said Paloheimo. “This is the biggest tournament in Finland, so it is nice that we have this here for so long in Tampere. It is a full effort with a few hundred volunteers every year. Coming together as a community is what makes this so special for everyone.”

“I joined the ATP when Tampere was only 10 years old,” added former Challenger director Joanna Langhorne. “It has been a pleasure and an education to share three decades of excellent cooperation with them. I wish them all the very best for this 40th anniversary event and am grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside the tournament and the team for so many years.”

This moment would not be possible without the hard work and commitment of all the tournament staff, volunteers and sponsors. And the players for whom have been provided opportunities to take the next step in their careers, acknowledge the tournament’s dedication and commitment to the sport and the Tour.

The ATP Challenger Tour is the springboard to success for the stars of tomorrow and this tournament has been precisely that in the decorated careers of Carlos Moya, Robin Soderling, David Ferrer, Richard Gasquet and David Goffin. All competed in Tampere, before rising to the Top 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

“Many congrats to Tampere on their 40-year anniversary, “said 2018 champion Tallon Griekspoor. “It’s a very special place to me, where I won my first Challenger title and came back one year later and reached the final. It’s always an amazing time there and feels like home. Maybe I come back one day and I just wish the tournament all the best for their 40th year.”

From the ATP to the Tampere Open, here’s to another 40 years as part of the Challenger family.