STEFANOS TSITSIPAS looked to Roger Federer for guidance on how to pick himself up from a poor Wimbledon campaign.
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Wednesday 31 July 2019
Stefanos Tsitsipas looked to Roger Federer for guidance before Nick Kyrgios pairing
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS looked to Roger Federer for guidance on how to pick himself up from a poor Wimbledon campaign.
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Down On His Luck, Tsitsipas Turned To Federer
Stefanos Tsitsipas wanted to be alone. Greece's #NextGenATP star had lost in the first round of Wimbledon, a five-setter to Italy's Thomas Fabbiano in which Tsitsipas had three break points early in the fifth set but converted none.
The 20-year-old locked himself in his London room for three days. He spent time on his computer and read books. That's it.
“I thought about this match a lot,” he said on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. “I was very upset.”
But Tsitsipas didn't exclusively turn to fantasy fiction or a topic that would let him completely think about something other than tennis. Tsitsipas read the novel The Alchemist and a book on his tennis idol, Roger Federer.
“I was reading an autobiography [by] another journalist concerning the life of Roger Federer. One really interesting book about him,” Tsitsipas said. “The details in there are pretty accurate.”
Eventually, though, Tsitsipas did step away from the sport, going on a two-week vacation. “I think that was very important to refuel, recharge my batteries coming in here,” he said.
The World No. 6 returned to his winning ways on Stadium Court at the Citi Open, an ATP 500 event, beating home favourite Tommy Paul of the U.S. 6-3, 7-5 to make the third round. Tsitsipas advanced to the semi-finals last year in Washington before falling to eventual champion Alexander Zverev of Germany.
“I was a bit nervous in the beginning. Didn't know what to expect. I'm really happy that I got through that first match. It was quite a challenging match,” Tsitsipas said.
On Monday, he and Aussie Nick Kyrgios joined forces for the first time, playing doubles against the No. 1 ranked team in the world, Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah. The reigning Wimbledon champions beat Kyrgios/Tsitsipas, but the extra match time hasn't hurt either of them. Kyrgios also reached the third round with a 6-4, 7-6(5) win against Gilles Simon.
“I think that released some pressure out of me compared to if I wouldn't have played doubles,” Tsitsipas said.
The pair plan to play together again at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, which begins 11 August. In Washington, Tsitsipas will next meet Aussie Jordan Thompson, who fought past German Jan-Lennard Struff 6-7(8), 6-4, 7-5.
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Schwartzman Storms Through Los Cabos Opener
Third seed Diego Schwartzman made his Los Cabos debut a memorable one on Wednesday at the Abierto de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex. The Argentine raced through the last nine games of his match with Latvian Ernests Gulbis to reach the quarter-finals 7-5, 6-0.
Schwartzman dropped just 10 points in the second set to record a convincing win under the lights. Next up for him is eighth-seeded Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin, who defeated Cameron Norrie 7-5, 7-5. Norrie served for both sets at 5-4, but Kukushkin fought back to advance in one hour and 35 minutes. The 31-year-old is enjoying a career-best season that includes a runner-up finish in Marseille (l. to Tsitsipas) and advancing to the second week at Wimbledon.
Second-seed Guido Pella opened his Los Cabos campaign in style by moving past Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-2 for his eighth ATP Tour quarter-final of the year. Pella went on a six-game run to lead 5-0 in the second set before closing out the match in 71 minutes. The 29-year-old Argentine won his maiden ATP Tour crown this March in Sao Paulo (d. Garin) and reached a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 21 in May.
Awaiting Pella is South Korean qualifier Soon Woo Kwon, who took out Argentine Juan Ignacio Londero 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 for his first ATP Tour quarter-final. The 21-year-old has primarily competed on the ATP Challenger Tour and picked up two titles this season. Kwon, currently No. 112 in the ATP Rankings, will become the third South Korean to ever crack the Top 100 if he can reach the semi-finals this week.
Seventh-seeded Moldovan Radu Albot scored seven breaks of serve in dispatching Japanese Taro Daniel 6-1, 6-2. He awaits the winner between fourth-seeded Frenchman Lucas Pouille and 2017 runner-up Thanasi Kokkinakis of Australia.
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Tsitsipas Holds Off Home Favourite Paul
Stefanos Tsitsipas had to hit one, two and sometimes three winners to put away Tommy Paul during their second-round match on Wednesday. But Greece's #NextGenATP star stayed patient and persistent to move past the 22-year-old 6-3, 7-5 at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C.
The top-seeded Tsitsipas, 20, erased three break points in the fifth game and then promptly broke Paul before taking the opener. Paul, playing at a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 128, made the Washington quarter-finals in 2017 and had three match points against Kei Nishikori for a semi-final spot.
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Thompson's Tale Of Two Seasons
But he couldn't capitalise on his chances against the World No. 6 Tsitsipas, who made the semi-finals in Washington a year ago (l. to Zverev). Paul broke for 5-3 in the second set but couldn't serve it and lost the final four games of the match. Tsitsipas will next meet Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff or Aussie Jordan Thompson.
Eighth seed Milos Raonic, the 2014 champion, dropped only two first-serve points (26/28, 93%) in a 6-1, 6-4 victory against American qualifier Tim Smyczek.
Raonic will face Germany's Peter Gojowczyk, who ended Alex de Minaur's four-match winning streak 6-3, 7-6(6). The #NextGenATP Aussie won his second ATP Tour title on Sunday at the BB&T Atlanta Open (d. Fritz).
Nick Kyrgios has yet to drop a set in reaching the third round. The 24-year-old Aussie delivered 24 aces and beat French veteran Gilles Simon 6-4, 7-6(5). Kyrgios will meet the winner between seventh seed David Goffin and Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka.
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Djokovic, Federer, Nadal & Wimbledon Top July's Most-Read Stories
Two of the most memorable matches of the 2019 season captured fans in July. Roger Federer prevailed past Rafael Nadal during their 40th FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup to make the Wimbledon final, but Novak Djokovic had the final smile of the fortnight when he saved two match points to beat Federer and win back-to-back Wimbledon crowns.
Below, ATPTour.com remembers five of the most popular stories from the month of July.
1. Federer Beats Nadal, Sets Sights On Ninth SW19 Title
From 12 July: Roger Federer booked a place in his 12th final at The Championships, where he will attempt to lift a record-extending ninth trophy, after a tactical masterclass against his long-time rival Rafael Nadal, a two-time former titlist, on Friday at Wimbledon.
The Swiss superstar played at his aggressive best on return of serve, at the net and in long rallies to beat World No. 2 Nadal 7-6(3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in their semi-final, which lasted three hours and two minutes, on Centre Court.
Federer seized the momentum in his 40th FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting against Nadal with a break of serve at 3-1 in the third set and, in spite of an early break in the fourth set, kept 18-time Grand Slam championship winner Nadal at bay before converting his fifth match point chance. It was their first grass-court clash since their legendary 2008 Wimbledon final, which Nadal won 9-7 in the fifth set.
“It's always very, very cool to play against Rafa here, especially [as we] haven't played [here] in so long,” said Federer. “It lived up to the hype, especially from coming out of the gates, we were both playing very well. Then, the climax at the end, with the crazy last game, some tough rallies there. It had everything at the end, which was great, I guess. I'm just relieved it's all over at this point.”
2. Djokovic Beats Federer: How The Final Was Won
From 14 July: World No. 1 Novak Djokovic captured his fifth crown at The Championships, Wimbledon, on Sunday with a thrilling 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 13-12(3) victory over second seed Roger Federer, the eight-time former titlist from Switzerland, in four hours and 55 minutes on Centre Court. Federer had two championship points at 8-7, 40/15 on serve, in the fifth set that lasted two hours and two minutes.
It was the third major championship match that Djokovic saved two match points to beat Federer (also 2010 US Open semi-finals and 2011 US Open semi-finals). It was the first time since the 1948 Wimbledon final — American Robert Falkenburg beat John Bromwich of Australia 7-5, 0-6, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, after being three match points down — that a player had been championship points down and won.
3. Berrettini Asks Federer How Much He Owes For Tennis Lesson
From 8 July: World No. 20 Matteo Berrettini is getting his wallet out.
After Roger Federer punched a forehand volley into the open court to complete his straight-sets victory, the Swiss congratulated the Italian on a strong grass-court season, leading Berrettini to come back with a witty response.
“I said, 'Thanks for the tennis lesson, how much do I owe you?’”
Federer lost only 11 service points in the match, cruising to victory after 74 minutes on the back of 24 winners. The 37-year-old made just five unforced errors in the match.
“I think for sure I didn't play my best match, but he was just too good for me today. He was playing good and I was kind of tight, also,” Berrettini said. “Before the match I was ready for that stuff, and also when he started to play like this, for me, it was really tough to do anything."
4. Nadal Gains Revenge Against Kyrgios At Wimbledon
From 4 July: Nick Kyrgios brought underhand aces, tweeners and blistering exchanges. But Rafael Nadal absorbed them all to earn another Grand Slam milestone on Thursday at Wimbledon.
Two-time champion Nadal held off an in-form Kyrgios 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(3) on Centre Court to reach the Wimbledon third round and become only the ninth player in the Open Era to earn 50 wins at SW19 (50-11).
“Been a tough match obviously against a very tough opponent... Very happy the way that I hold the pressure. Very happy the way I played the tie-breaks with the right determination,” Nadal said
5. Djokovic Matches Federer On Big Titles Leaderboard
From 15 July: Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer for his fifth Wimbledon title on Sunday, and now the Serbian is dangerously close to also surpassing Federer on the all-time “Big Titles” leaderboard.
Djokovic saved two match points to beat the eight-time champion in an epic final, 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 13-12(3), the first fifth-set tie-break in Wimbledon singles history.
The 32-year-old won his 16th Grand Slam crown and 54th Big Title, a combination of Grand Slam, Nitto ATP Finals and ATP Masters 1000 titles.
Federer, the all-time Grand Slam championships leader with 20, still has four more major victories than Djokovic, and the Swiss has celebrated one more Nitto ATP Finals title (six) than the Serbian (five). But Djokovic has won five more Masters 1000 titles (33-28), creating the tie atop the Big Titles leaderboard.
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Nadal & Canada's Raonic, Auger-Aliassime, Shapovalov Headline Montreal; When Is The Draw & More
Rafael Nadal returns to defend his title at the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 tournament, with the 2019 Coupe Rogers to be held in Montreal. The four-time tournament champion will be looking to win a 35th Masters 1000 trophy after re-establishing sole ownership of the record with his victory in May at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome.
The first five Masters 1000 tournaments of the 2019 season have been won by different players, and 2017 champion Alexander Zverev will attempt to continue that trend. The field also features a pair of first-time Masters 1000 champions in Dominic Thiem (BNP Paribas Open) and Fabio Fognini (Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters), as well as fellow Top 10 stars Stefanos Tsitsipas, Kei Nishikori, Karen Khachanov and Daniil Medvedev.
A trio of Canadians — Milos Raonic and #NextGenATP stars Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov — will lead home hopes. Raonic reached the final here in 2013 (l. to Nadal), while a 17-year-old Shapovalov enjoyed his breakthrough run two years ago when he upset Nadal en route to becoming the youngest Masters 1000 semi-finalist in history. Earlier this year, Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime reached the semi-finals at the Miami Open presented by Itau.
Here's all you need to know about the Montreal tennis tournament: what is the schedule, where to watch, who has won and more.
Established: 1881
Tournament Dates: 5-11 August 2019
Tournament Director: Eugene Lapierre
Draw Ceremony: Friday, 2 August, at 4:30pm on site
Are You In? Subscribe To Get Tournament Updates In Your Inbox
Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Saturday and Sunday at 11:00am
* Main draw: Monday - Friday at 12:00pm and 6:30pm, Saturday at 12:00pm and 6:00pm
* Doubles final: Sunday, 11 August at 1:30pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 11 August not before 4:00pm
How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV
TV Schedule
Venue: IGA Stadium
Prize Money: USD $5,701,945 (Total Financial Commitment: USD $6,338,885)
Tickets On Sale: Buy Now
View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown
Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Ivan Lendl (6)
Most Titles, Doubles: Mahesh Bhupathi, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan (5)
Oldest Champion: Rafael Nadal, 32, in 2018
Youngest Champion: Michael Chang, 18, in 1990
Lowest-Ranked Champion (since 1979): No. 95 Mikael Pernfors in 1993
Most Match Wins: Ivan Lendl (57)
2018 Finals
Singles: [1] Rafael Nadal (ESP) d Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 62 76(4) Read & Watch
Doubles: [2] Henri Kontinen (FIN) / John Peers (AUS) d Raven Klaasen (RSA) / Michael Venus (NZL) 62 67(7) 10-6 Read More
Social
Hashtag: #CoupeRogers
Facebook: @CoupeRogers
Twitter: @CoupeRogers
Instagram: @CoupeRogers
Did You Know... Since 1881, the best players in the world have showcased their skills on Canadian courts. Only Wimbledon and the US Open have longer histories than this ATP Masters 1000 tournament.
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Andy Murray reveals the one thing holding back singles return
ANDY MURRAY has hinted he could return to singles action before the US Open but admits his "cardio" is holding him back.
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Novak Djokovic coach Goran Ivanisevic comes under fire from Nick Kyrgios
NOVAK DJOKOVIC's new coach Goran Ivanisevic has come under fire from Nick Kyrgios.
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Nick Kyrgios mimics Roger Federer in entertaining Washington Open clash
NICK KYRGIOS mimicked Roger Federer during his Washington Open win over Thai-Son Kwiatkowski - then asked for the highlight on his Twitter account.
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Roger Federer’s post-Wimbledon schedule revealed by Ivan Ljubicic, 2020 talks planned
ROGER FEDERER’S loaded 2019 season is set to continue into the second half of the year.
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Tuesday 30 July 2019
Dimitrov Scrapes Past Johnson In Los Cabos
Grigor Dimitrov ended a four-match losing streak and improved to 12-12 on Tuesday by grinding out a 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(5) win against American Steve Johnson at the Abierto de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex.
Dimitrov broke in the sixth game of the third set with a forehand winner up the line and saw a match point come and go at 5-3, 40/30. But the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion recovered in the tie-break, nailing a diving volley winner to bring up his second match point.
Dimitrov now leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Johnson 5-2 and will face second seed Guido Pella for a place in the ATP 250 quarter-finals.
Argentine Juan Ignacio Londero had beaten Chile's Cristian Garin only two times in their seven non tour-level meetings. But Londero is 1-0 against Garin at tour-level, having upset the sixth seed 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. Londero will next face South Korean qualifier Soonwoo Kwon, who sped past Germany's Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, last week's Gstaad finalist, 6-2, 6-1.
Seventh seed Radu Albot ran away with his first-round match against Serbian Janko Tipsarevic 7-5, 2-6, 6-0 and will face Taro Daniel of Japan for a spot in the quarter-finals. Daniel routed American Tennys Sandgren 6-2, 6-0 in 63 minutes.
Brit Cameron Norrie set up a second-round meeting with Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin by beating Frenchman Gregoire Barrere 7-6(5), 6-0.
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Nadal Launches Second Edition Of Mallorca Challenger
It was exactly 16 years ago that Rafael Nadal stood on the centre court in Segovia, Spain, and lifted the trophy in front of the home crowd. The victory, his second on the ATP Challenger Tour, moved him into the Top 50 for the first time.
Nadal successfully used the Challenger circuit to vault up the ATP Rankings and announce his arrival with aplomb. Flash forward to 2019 and the Manacor native is hoping that the next generation of Spanish stars have the same opportunity that he did.
On Tuesday, the World No. 2 welcomed local media to the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar, announcing the second edition of the Challenger in his hometown.
"We try to make the event fun and dynamic, so people who like tennis have the chance to enjoy it at a high level," Nadal said. "The idea is also that fans can enjoy the many events around the tournament, so that it also becomes a social happening and they can be entertained. The fact that admission is free helps make it easier for people to enjoy the tennis."
In 2018, the academy celebrated professional tennis for the first time, with Top 100 players Pablo Andujar, Daniel Evans and Thomas Fabbiano joining #NextGenATP Spaniards Nicola Kuhn and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the field. In the end, Bernard Tomic was the last man standing, claiming the inaugural title.
This year, the the tournament has a new name, but remains the same world-class event. And the Rafa Nadal Open by Sotheby's International Realty already has its first entrant. Spanish teen Carlos Alcaraz was awarded a main draw wild card. The 16-year-old became the first player born in 2003 to win a match on the ATP Challenger Tour, advancing to the second round in Alicante in April. At 16 years and two months, he is currently the youngest player in the ATP Rankings.
"When I was younger, I was lucky enough to play all Futures tournaments here in Spain and didn't need to travel far. It was a great help. Now, efforts are being made by the Spanish Federation to expand the Challenger tournaments here. It is so important to promote tennis at this level and also helps the young Spaniards who are pursuing professional careers. That said, I hope everyone enjoys this Challenger and it becomes a success."
Nadal wants to ensure that the future stars of the game have a platform to showcase their talents. With an elite venue in Mallorca, his academy provides the perfect setting to do so.
More than 7,000 spectators took in the action last year and the party is sure to continue as the tournament opens its doors for a second edition. It is held during the second week of the US Open, running from 26 August to 1 September.
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Read & Watch: Squirrel Makes Khachanov Move In Washington
Karen Khachanov moves when he's chasing balls and trying to stay in rallies. But he really becomes alert when there's a squirrel on court, as fans at the Citi Open saw on Tuesday evening.
A squirrel found its way onto the court before the eighth game of the second set of Khachanov's second-round match against Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
During the 5-2 changeover, the squirrel briefly stopped in front of Tsonga, before darting over to Khachanov, then back to Tsonga, then back to Khachanov, who finally noticed the creature and nearly jumped in his chair.
The squirrel, however, meandered past the players and into the stands, where fans shrieked but it appeared none were hurt from the critter's brief foray onto Stadium Court.
Earlier in the day, a moth delayed play between Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Bublik before a ball boy came to the rescue. Watch Now
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Tsonga Hits 44 Winners, Upsets Khachanov
Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga fought through a mid-match dip to upset second seed Karen Khachanov 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 on Tuesday at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C.
Tsonga was a swing away from being up a set and a break when Khachanov served at 4-6, 0-1, 0/40. But the Russian won five straight points and erased another 0/40 deficit on serve during the fourth game. Tsonga, in turn, lost his serve the very next game, and Khachanov ran away with the second set.
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But in the third, the 34-year-old Tsonga regrouped and neither big hitter faced a break point until Tsonga saw his match point, when Khachanov sailed a backhand long.
The right-hander, No. 70 in the ATP Rankings, had never won a match in Washington before this week but will now play for a spot in the quarter-finals against Brit Kyle Edmund, who earned his 100th tour-level win with a 6-1, 6-4 victory against South African Lloyd Harris.
American Reilly Opelka, who made the BB&T Atlanta Open semi-finals last week (l. to De Minaur), set up an intriguing matchup with #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. Opelka, 21, saved all three break points faced to dismiss countryman Christopher Eubanks 6-4, 7-6(3). The ninth-seeded Auger-Aliassime, 18, received a bye.
The winner between Opelka and Auger-Aliassime will meet sixth seed Marin Cilic, who beat Romanian Marius Copil 7-6(4), 7-6(4). Lucky loser Peter Gojowczyk of Germany escaped past Hamburg European Open finalist Andrey Rublev 7-6(6), 4-6, 7-6(2) and will meet Atlanta champion Alex de Minaur of Australia.
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Monday 29 July 2019
Roger Federer wife: The fairytale love story behind Mirka Federer and Roger revealed
ROGER FEDERER recently clinched his 1,200th career win and could get another as he competes in the Wimbledon final, but the tennis star still maintains his biggest win was bagging his gorgeous wife. But how did the couple meet and fall in love?
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Andy Murray reveals update on return to singles action and drops US Open clue
ANDY MURRAY has revealed his singles return is closer than he thought and suggested he could play the US Open.
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Wimbledon umpire in final revelation - I thought Roger Federer would beat Novak Djokovic
DAMIAN STEINER, who umpired the Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, has revealed he thought the Swiss star was going to win a ninth title when he held two championship points.
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Kyrgios, Tsitsipas, Citi Open Pay Tribute To Aussie McNamara
ATP Tour stars, including Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios, paid tribute to the late Peter McNamara on Monday evening at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C.
McNamara, a former Top 10 singles player who, along with fellow Aussie Paul McNamee, formed one of the best doubles teams in the early 1980s, died on 20 July aged 64 after a long fight with prostate cancer.
Aussie Rennae Stubbs, a former WTA player, emceed the on-court ceremony that followed the evening doubles match between Kyrgios/Tsitsipas and Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah.
“He was one of my idols,” Stubbs told ATPTour.com in an interview before the ceremony. “Peter was always such a great athlete, great competitor, great looking guy. He personified what Australian sports are all about.
“Watching him coach, he was always so hard working and professional.
“He was the epitome of just an incredibly good man and kind, and he always had a good word to say about everybody. He was honest. He's really going to be missed.”
For the past four years, until February 2019, McNamara worked with China's Wang Qiang. When they started working together, in 2015, Qiang was ranked just inside the Top 100. She finished 2018 at No. 20, becoming the first Chinese woman to finish the year inside the Top 20 since Li Na retired in 2014.
Stubbs coached against McNamara and would see him around the WTA. But she had no idea he was battling prostate cancer. Aussie Matthew Ebden, who had McNamara as a coach about five years ago, remembered his countryman as never one to complain.
“He was very disciplined and hard working, two things I really got from him. He was honest and genuine,” Ebden said. “He was really respectful and had really sound manners and ethics.”
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Escobedo: I Knew I Was Going To Have A Breakthrough
All roads to the top are created differently. Few players take a linear path up the ATP Rankings, as they plot their ascent. Injuries, a loss of confidence and the struggle to maintain that winning formula all play a significant role. For Ernesto Escobedo, it was a long and trying journey, but one that the American had to endure to emerge with a trophy once again.
On Sunday, as he watched his opponent's return sail long, Escobedo bent over and exhaled. A quick glance to his coach Jan-Michael Gambill confirmed it. After three years, he was a Challenger champion once again. While it was a muted celebration for the American, the victory certainly meant more than any other.
Escobedo reeled off six wins in seven days to lift the trophy at the Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby, culminating in a 7-6(5), 6-4 win over Yasutaka Uchiyama on Sunday. A native of Los Angeles, he initially broke through with a pair of Challenger titles in Lexington and Monterrey in 2016, cracking the Top 100 at No. 67. He was just 20 years old at the time and Escobedo is the first to admit that he wasn't ready for the sudden surge of success.
Now, three years later, with new coach and former Top 20 star Gambill at the helm, he is thriving with a renewed mentality and approach. Most importantly, the 23-year-old they call 'Neto' is having fun again on the court.
He spoke to ATPChallengerTour.com following his victory in Granby...
After all these years, how did it feel to get that winning feeling back and lift the trophy?
I wasn't thinking it was three years. I knew it was a long time since I won a Challenger, but at the same time I wanted to stay in the moment and enjoy the tournament. I was just having a good time out there. I knew for the past three months that I've been practising really hard, so it was just me being patient and waiting for the right time.
You've been making steady progress this year. Did you feel this moment was coming?
The last three tournaments I played, I did pretty well. They were really close matches I lost, so I wasn't dwelling on them. I knew that I was playing well. I just told myself to stay patient and it's going to happen. I knew that one of these weeks I was going to have a big breakthrough and it was this week in Granby.
Talk about the week in Granby. What was the key to put it all together?
When you have six matches in seven days, it doesn't matter if it's the Challenger Tour or the ATP Tour. It's so tough. And it was hot and humid conditions out there. But at the same time I knew that I'm super fit, so there wasn't an issue there. I just felt like I had to compete 100 per cent every point, no matter the situation.
Welcome back to titletown, @netoescobedo!
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) July 28, 2019
Ernesto Escobedo has his first 🏆 in three years, surging to the title in Granby. A third #ATPChallenger crown in total for the 🇺🇸. pic.twitter.com/reanGHyluU
How has Jan-Michael Gambill made a difference with your game and your mental approach?
I didn't play much during the clay and grass seasons. I was just training hard and practising a lot back home with my coach. He was really tough with me, just training morning til night on and off the court. There was a lot of mental training as well. By this week, I felt like I was in a really good position to win.
How did the partnership come about and what's the biggest lesson you've learned from him?
We teamed up right after Monterrey, so around late March. He's helped me so much, but the biggest thing is to just keep things simple. I'm a very simple guy. He's kept things very basic and in that way, it was very easy for me to understand him and respond to his way of coaching. I just trust him a lot. He's a great coach and has been up there in the Top 20, so he knows his stuff.
What was the toughest part of your struggles over the past few years? Was there ever a moment when you didn't think you'd get back here?
There were more downs than ups, for sure. I always knew that I had the game to win and be at the top, but I didn't have the right team around me. It was getting to the point where it felt like a 9-5 job and it wasn't something that I really enjoyed. Ever since Jan has been with me, it's been great. It's been fun again and enjoyable. I feel like I'm back there again. I'm still so far away with my ranking, but my game is definitely there.
Are you setting any goals for yourself or just taking it one step at a time?
One step at a time. I'm going day-by-day pretty much. I'm playing Aptos next, then Vancouver. I'm not looking too far ahead.
And your win in Granby put you into US Open qualifying. Were you aware going into the final?
I had no idea! And I'm leading the US Open wild card challenge. I had no idea of that either. Still two more weeks to go with that, but it feels good. I was hoping to at least get into qualies, so I'm pretty pumped.
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Kokkinakis Gains First Tour-Level Win Since Federer Upset In Miami 2018
Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis picked up his first tour-level win in 16 months on Monday at the Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex in Los Cabos.
The 23-year-old wild card saved eight of nine break points and swept past France's Maxime Janvier 6-4, 6-4 to reach the second round in Mexico. Kokkinakis upset defending champion Roger Federer at the 2018 Miami Open presented by Itau in March, but didn't win a tour-level match the rest of the year and started 0-2 this season.
“It was very tricky, tricky conditions, very windy out there, and my opponent was trying to hit every ball as he hard as he could so I had to just try and stay patient, stay calm,” Kokkinakis said. “It got a bit yucky through the match, towards the end, but I found a way to win, which is good.”
The talented right-hander has struggled with injuries throughout his young career. In January, Kokkinakis had to retire during the first round of the Australian Open because of a right shoulder injury that forced him to sit out until April. A right pectoral injury forced Kokkinakis to miss qualifying at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He has played only five events this year.
"Hopefully I can stay healthy and put together some good runs, whether it's this week or not. Hopefully for the rest of the year [I can] stay healthy," Kokkinakis said.
He will next face fourth seed Lucas Pouille, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals but is 12-13 on the season. The two have never met at tour-level.
"We've been practising a lot this week. Lucas and I are pretty good friends... We know each other pretty well," Kokkinakis said. "It's going to be a very tough match, but I've been practising pretty well against him, so we'll see what happens."
Eighth seed Mikhail Kukushkin continued where he left off at Wimbledon when he made his second fourth round at a Grand Slam (l. to Nishikori). The 31-year-old right-hander beat Damir Dzumhur 7-5, 6-2 and will next face the winner between Brit Cameron Norrie and France's Gregoire Barrere.
India's Prajnesh Gunneswaran fought through an up-and-down match against Aussie John Millman to advance 6-4, 1-6, 6-2. He will next meet fifth seed and Atlanta finalist Taylor Fritz or German qualifier Dominik Koepfer.
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Exclusive: No Mistaking The Rapid Rise of Reilly Opelka
Reilly Opelka is at the ATP 250 tournament in Lyon, France, in the week before Roland Garros. A fan approaches with a photo to sign.
The only problem? It's a photo of fellow American giant John Isner.
"The guy asks me how my foot was," says Opelka with a smile. "I was like, 'He's a big enough Isner fan to know that he has a broken foot, he's got a picture of him, but he's not a big enough Isner fan to know that we look nothing alike.'
"I thought it was really funny. So I had to follow through and sign the picture. I mixed it up, though, signing it ‘Jon’."
Such mix-ups may soon be a thing of the past. Opelka comes into this week's Citi Open, the ATP 500 tennis tournament in Washington, D.C., in the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings for the first time in his career... and with no points to defend through the US Open, where last year he fell in the first round of qualifying.
His new mark is 43 and he’s already one of the most-feared servers in the game. Leveraging his 6’ 11” frame, Opelka has fired a tour-best 653 aces this season at an average of 21 a match. He is fourth on the list of most service games won (90.3%) and also fourth for most first-serve points won (81%).
But Opelka is far from one dimensional. His court coverage for a man his size is excellent, his forehand return from the deuce court is capable of producing searing winners at big moments and he can dig in for a fight on the baseline when circumstances require.
“He’s probably a little ahead of schedule,” Opelka’s coach of 19 months, Jay Berger, says of his progress. "Getting stronger in the body is going to be a big part of the next stage of his development.
“He’s got great hands. He’s a really good ball striker and people underestimate his athleticism and speed. His forward movement is incredible for someone of his size."
That’s not by accident. Although Opelka says that his height has never diminished his athleticism, he doesn’t take it for granted. He does a lot of footwork drills involving ladders and beach workouts and recently began working with a device using flashing lights to improve explosive movement and reaction times.
With a 17-14 record in 2019, which includes his first title at the New York Open, it’s noteworthy that Opelka played just four tour-level matches last season for a modest 2-2 record. Despite a mid-season battle with mono, his 12-month rise up the rankings from 229 to 99 at the end of 2018 was built at the ATP Challenger Tour, where he won three titles from five finals, including back-to-back crowns in Knoxville and Champaign to end his year.
"It was part of the plan,” the Michigan native says. “Last year I wanted to play on the Challenger Tour and try to play and win as many matches as I could and learn a lot.
"I've always been confident and believed in myself that I could get to where I wanted to be. I've put in a lot of hard work and I’ve been patient."
A side benefit of playing most of 2018 at the Challenger level is that competitors who haven’t seen much of him on the ATP Tour are still figuring out what game plan to deploy when they meet Opelka.
"The first time I play guys I think they almost underestimate my speed and ability from the baseline,” he says. “I play aggressively and make plenty of unforced errors, but when I need to stay in the point by scrapping and running balls down, I have no trouble doing that.
"I think a lot of guys are surprised by that and it's won me a lot of matches this year because guys haven't played me the right way. They've made balls thinking I would beat myself. I have a good record against those type of players."
One player who knows Opelka better than most is 6' 10" American John Isner, who has gone 0-3 against his young rival in 2019 meetings. In total this year they have played 10 sets, all of which have gone to tie-breaks.
Last week in Atlanta, in a match featuring a combined 64 aces, Opelka edged Isner 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 7-6(5) after saving three break points deep in the decider. Earlier in the match he dug himself out of trouble on serve with some hyper-aggressive groundstroke winners in big moments.
"Sometimes I'll step off the gas pedal if there is a time I need to make some balls, but my go-to instinct is to be aggressive. At big moments in a match it's not too hard for me to do that, because it's part of my game.
"When you look at the great players, at the big moments in matches, they play their brand of tennis."
Despite the similarities with Isner and the respect he has for his countryman, Opelka did not fashion his game on the 2018 Miami Open champion, or anyone for that matter.
"When I was young I looked up to Roddick and Blake and I loved Ferrer, but I didn't model my game on anyone. I have a ton of respect for Isner and I still look up to John. He's an unbelievable guy and a great competitor.”
Opelka attributes much of his success to the roles played by Berger, the former Top 10 American player, and his day-to-day travelling coach Jean-Yves Aubone. “JY is terrific to have on the road with me and Jay has been an unbelievable coach and mentor. I was 225 in the world when we started and he's always believed in me. When we started I was kind of in a slump and lacking belief in myself.”
Berger is similarly complimentary about his charge. “He comes from a great family, he’s been raised the right way. Combine that with great mentoring from Tom Gullikson, Brian Gottfried, Michael Sell and Diego Moyano and you can see why he’s a really, really good kid.
“He’s extremely coachable. He brings different topics to the table, he’s very interested in developing into the best player he can be.”
For a man who serves from the heavens, the sky is the limit.
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Tsonga Achieves Career First In Washington
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, in his 16th year as a professional tennis player, picked up his first win at the Citi Open on Monday. The 34-year-old Frenchman halted Canadian Brayden Schnur, finalist at the New York Open in February, 6-4, 7-6(2) to reach the second round.
Tsonga, who improved to 22-12 on the year, lost his only other match in Washington, D.C., in 2009. He will next meet second seed Karen Khachanov.
American Tommy Paul beat countryman Denis Kudla for the first time 6-0, 6-4 to set up a second-round showdown with top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece. Paul and Kudla had never met at tour-level, but Kudla had won all four of their other meetings.
The 22-year-old Paul, who made the 2016 Washington quarter-finals, earned his first tour-level win of the season. He has never faced #NextGenATP Tsitsipas, No. 6 in the ATP Rankings.
American wild card Bjorn Fratangelo escaped past 2016 finalist Ivo Karlovic 6-4, 6-7(14), 7-6(5). The 26-year-old Fratangelo withstood 31 aces and saved all four break points. He will next meet third seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia.
In other action, Frenchman Adrian Mannarino will meet fourth seed Kevin Anderson after beating Belarusian Ilya Ivashka 7-6(3), 6-3, and Romanian Marius Copil fought past Danish qualifier Mikael Torpegaard 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 and will meet sixth seed Marin Cilic.
Newport finalist Alexander Bublik beat American Bradley Klahn 7-6(5), 6-3 to set up a meeting against 16th seed Frances Tiafoe of the U.S., and South African Lloyd Harris will face 13th seed Kyle Edmund after beating Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
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Kyrgios/Tsitsipas Fall To Wimbledon Champs Cabal/Farah In Washington
All eyes were on Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas on Monday evening at the Citi Open, where the singles stars teamed for the first time on the doubles court. But top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah stole the show, eliminating the Greek-Australian duo 6-3, 3-6, 10-5 in a 66-minute first-round encounter.
The Wimbledon champions have shone brightly this year, as Cabal and Farah are leading the ATP Doubles Race To London by 2,410 points over second-placed Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan. And their level showed against Kyrgios and Tsitsipas, winning 92 per cent (34/37) of their first-serve points en route to the second round.
View ATP Doubles Race To London
Although Kyrgios and Tsitsipas showed flashes of their shotmaking abilities, it was the Colombians who consistently were in the right place at the right time, putting themselves in perfect positions to poach at the net, and also placing returns back at the server’s feet instead of in the vicinity of the net player.
Cabal and Farah had few issues in the opening set, not facing break point. And it appeared everything was going their way after a highlight-reel moment on the first point at 1-1, when Cabal fell to the court right in front of the net to avoid getting hit by a Tsitsipas forehand. Instead of completely ducking out of the way, he poked his racquet above the net and somehow reflexed an incredible volley into the court, eventually allowing his team to win the point.
The pair’s only slip came while Farah served at 2-3 in the second set. Even though he served well throughout the match, he double faulted on the only break point his team faced, allowing Kyrgios and Tsitsipas to take the advantage and force a Match Tie-break.
Once there, though, the Colombians dominated with their serves, winning all seven of their service points and earning three of four second-serve return points to come out on top. Cabal finished it off with a forehand volley winner.
In the other doubles match of the day in Washington, second seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo beat Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury 4-6, 6-3, 10-5, giving Melo his 500th tour-level win. He is the first Brazilian to accomplish the feat in doubles.
It was a match between two teams inside the Top 10 of the ATP Doubles Race To London, and the key was that Kubot and Melo won four of seven return points in the Match Tie-break.
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Murray Eyeing Cincinnati Singles Return
Andy Murray could potentially begin his singles comeback in just a few weeks' time at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, an ATP Masters 1000 event that begins 11 August.
Murray, who's playing doubles this week with his brother Jamie at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., told reporters that he's been practising singles the past few weeks and has been feeling good. After Wimbledon, where the Scot played doubles with Pierre-Hugues Herbert and mixed doubles with Serena Williams, Murray practised a few singles drills. In Washington, he played a set on Sunday and about eight games on Monday.
“In terms of how I'm moving and feeling and pulling up the next day from these practices, I'm really happy with where I'm at. I think I'm quite close,” he said. “If I was to play a tournament in a few weeks' time, I could do it. But it's just to get to maybe where I want to get to, I'll need to play matches and get a little bit more work done in the gym on my cardio.”
Murray underwent a resurfacing surgery on his right hip in January, and in turn spent hours in the gym, strengthening his hip and improving its flexibility. But his cardio suffered.
“My cardio isn't great,” he said.
His recent doubles success, which includes winning the Fever-Tree Championships title with Feliciano Lopez at The Queen's Club in June, has helped. But the Scot feels he's still a bit away from feeling comfortable by himself in a match.
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“What I'm doing here is, for the most part, I'm going to practise singles and play doubles to compete and then just each week I'm just going to see. If I keep progressing and I feel good in three weeks' time, then I'll play singles as soon as I'm ready. I'm not quite ready at this week, but I hope at some stage soon I will be,” Murray said.
If he isn't able to make his singles return in Cincinnati, Murray will most likely wait until after the US Open to return to play singles and will continue to play doubles, including in New York. He's currently scheduled to play doubles with Lopez at next week's Coupe Rogers, a Masters 1000 event in Montreal.
“Best-case scenario probably would be Cincinnati, and then if I wasn't able to play in Cincinnati, there's a good chance I would probably wait until after New York because I wouldn't want my first tournament to be playing best of five [sets],” Murray said.
Compared to last year, however, everything has been good news for Murray, who has drastically improved physically since 12 months ago. Last year, Murray played singles in Washington and made the quarter-finals (withdrawal). His run featured a three-set win against countryman Kyle Edmund, who was ranked No. 18 at the time.
But, because of pain in his right hip, Murray couldn't serve properly nor could he use his right leg the correct way. It was also an emotional time for him. He finished his third-round match against Romanian Marius Copil at 3:02 a.m. local time, and afterwards broke down in tears.
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“I actually saw the end of that match a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't walk. I was watching myself walk, and I was like 'Wow'. It was really bad. I was struggling a lot. I don't know how I really got through the match in the end. I was upset because my hip was really, really painful,” Murray said.
This year, however, he's pain free, and he's enjoying his tennis. “It's brilliant,” he said.
The 32-year-old has leaned on Bob Bryan along the way. Murray peppered him with questions, beginning 12 months ago, when Bryan, then 40, underwent a hip surface replacement with an artificial joint, also on his right hip.
“He was like my guinea pig. I was messaging him two, three times a week, asking how he was getting on, trying to find out if it was potentially an option for me to give it a go. We're not unbelievably close, but I communicated with him loads over that period,” Murray said.
In January 2018, the former World No. 1 first underwent surgery on his right hip. But because of severe pain, Murray was contemplating retirement in January at the Australian Open before he underwent a second operation six months ago.
Bryan has resumed a full-time doubles schedule in 2019 with his twin brother, Mike Bryan. The legendary combination have won two ATP Tour titles, including the Masters 1000 in Miami.
“He's done extremely well to get back to the level that he's playing at,” Murray said, “and I'm glad he did it, because if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have maybe given it a go even.”
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Marcelo Melo Becomes First Brazilian To Earn 500 Doubles Wins
Marcelo Melo made history on Monday at the Citi Open, becoming the 35th player all-time to earn 500 tour-level doubles wins. The first Brazilian to accomplish the feat in doubles, Melo partnered Lukasz Kubot past Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury 4-6, 6-3, 10-5 to reach the second round in Washington, D.C.
“It means a lot. It means I’ve been playing good for a long time,” said Melo, who did not know he was on the verge of the milestone before the match. “I’m very happy and the many people [who have been] with me all the way, for sure they’re going to be happy as well.”
Melo has earned at least 25 tour-level doubles victories every year since 2008. The 35-year-old owns 32 titles with eight different partners, including 12 with Kubot.
In each of the past six years, Melo has earned a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals, qualifying four times with Croat Ivan Dodig and twice with Kubot. Melo has captured nine ATP Masters 1000 trophies, also triumphing at 2015 Roland Garros (w/Dodig) and 2017 Wimbledon (w/Kubot).
“[I have] a lot of memories. I’ve had great partners all the way, family support,” Melo said. “I think the first time I qualified for the [Nitto ATP] Finals was huge for us. When we won the first Masters [1000] series in Shanghai as well, I was so happy. Of course I have to remember the two Grand Slam titles I have, the French Open and Wimbledon.”
Melo has no plans of stopping anytime soon, either. Thirty of the 34 players ahead of him on the all-time doubles wins list are retired, so the Brazilian will hope to climb those standings. Mike Bryan is the all-time leader with 1,138 tour-level victories.
“I don’t know if I can achieve 1,000 because I took 10 years to get to 500, but I’m so happy already to pass 500. That’s a lot of matches,” Melo said. “I’m very happy as much as I can achieve. I think I can still play for a few more years. At the point I’m still enjoying tennis, so I will continue playing.
“I need to take care of the body. All the players, we do a lot pf physio work, a lot of gym work to get the body in shape… what’s most important is to keep going healthy, to be prepared. If you’re prepared, you have a better chance to keep going longer.”
Career Tour-Level Doubles Match Wins (All-Time)
| Player | Wins |
| 1. Mike Bryan | 1,138 |
| 2. Bob Bryan | 1,097 |
| 3. Daniel Nestor | 1,062 |
| 4. Todd Woodbridge | 782 |
| 5. Max Mirnyi | 780 |
| 35. Marcelo Melo | 500 |
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Tsitsipas On Vlogging: 'It's Time To Step It Up'
Reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas has enjoyed a successful 2019, climbing from year-end No. 15 in the ATP Rankings to where he is now, a career-high No. 6. But tennis is not all the Greek is striving to improve in.
Tsitsipas, the top seed at this week’s Citi Open in Washington, D.C., wants to find another level off the court, too, specifically in his budding vlogging career. The 20-year-old is hiring a videographer to help with that, planning a six-episode season on his YouTube channel.
“I decided it is time to step it up,” Tsitsipas said. “I thought in order for me to be able to make it, because each season is supposedly going to take half a year to make, I thought it would be nice to have a videographer-photographer next to me who is going to help me film instead of me doing all that.”
Tsitsipas has long shown an interest in the camera equipment that professional videographers use. But the three-time ATP Tour champion knows that having great help by his side won’t be all that matters in creating a standout vlog.
“For sure, better content than gear. I don’t care about the gear. The gear helps me make great content, that’s why I spend so much money on it. But if the gear is amazing and the content is low, then what is the point of having such expensive camera equipment?” Tsitsipas wondered. “I always put priority on quality over quantity.”
A reporter asked Tsitsipas on Monday if he also has an interest in acting. And the right-hander was quick to praise some of his idols in that industry.
“I have a lot of aspirations and I’m a big fan of Robert de Niro, [Martin] Scorsese and his style. Leonardo DiCaprio also, and also Bradley Cooper,” Tsitsipas said. “The voice of Morgan Freeman, obviously. You’ve got to have that voice!”
Besides being the top-seeded player in the singles draw this week, Tsitsipas is also competing in doubles alongside Aussie Nick Kyrgios, creating one of the most interesting teams in the field. They begin their campaign on Monday evening against recent Wimbledon champions and top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah.
“He’s known for playing pretty good doubles and I thought having the opportunity to play a little bit before my singles also would help me get used to the conditions faster,” Tsitsipas said. “We do have probably an aggressive mindset on court. We both like to be aggressive and be in charge of the points. He likes to come to the net. It’s not his strongest point, but he feels comfortable doing it. His returns are pretty good. We’re both tall guys with good serves.
“I don’t know what to expect, to be honest. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m actually more excited [for this] than any other doubles match. I don’t know how he feels, but I’m sure we can play some good doubles.”
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Stefanos Tsitsipas: Why I'm excited by Nick Kyrgios doubles pairing at Citi Open
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS says he is looking forward to witnessing Nick Kyrgios’ on-court attitude up close when they pair up in the Citi Open men’s doubles later today.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas opens up on decision to play Citi Open doubles with Nick Kyrgios
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS admits he and Nick Kyrgios are different characters but spoke warmly about playing with the controversial Australian in the Citi Open doubles.
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Thiem: If I Drop My Level, Every Player Can Beat Me
World No. 4 Dominic Thiem is the lone Top 25 player competing at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel this week. But the 13-time ATP Tour titlist, who is seeking home glory at tour-level for the first time, knows that his ATP Ranking means little if he does not execute on the Austrian clay.
“I will try everything to win the title, of course. I also know if I play my 100 per cent that my chances are pretty high,” Thiem said. “But at the same time, every single player in the main draw is that good that if I drop some per cent, they will all beat me. So it depends if I can play my top tennis and I will do everything to do so.”
There’s even more pressure on Thiem this week since he is playing in front of his home fans for the first time this season. The top seed has lost his opening match in Kitzbühel in each of his past two appearances (2016 & 2018), but he hopes to turn that around this year as he pursues his maiden title at the ATP 250 tournament.
“[It’s] very special. It doesn’t happen that often [that I play at home]. Only two home events unfortunately all year, but that makes it very special,” said Thiem, who made the 2014 Kitzbühel final. “I have so many nice memories from here, also some tough memories from which I learned, hopefully. It’s already my ninth time playing here. Such a long time ago I played here the first time… I can’t wait to start again.”
In the second round, Thiem — who has a first-round bye — will play a countryman in wild card Sebastian Ofner or qualifier Lucas Miedler, guaranteeing that a home favourite will advance to the quarter-finals. An Austrian has not lifted the singles trophy in Kitzbühel since Thomas Muster in 1993.
“It’s very important. I’m playing an Austrian for sure in the second round, which is very good for Austrian tennis,” Thiem said. “I think for all the region here and for Austrian tennis, the tournament is super-important.”
It has been a strong season for Thiem, who won his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the BNP Paribas Open before reaching his second consecutive Roland Garros final in Paris. The 25-year-old also won an ATP 500 title in Barcelona.
“I think it’s my best season so far, especially Indian Wells and Roland Garros were amazing,” Thiem said. “But that’s the past, and I’m fully ready for the second part of the season and I hope to get off to a great start here.”
The grass-court season was a short one for Thiem, whose lone match on the surface this year came in an opening-round loss against Sam Querrey at Wimbledon. But after getting his feet dirty on the Hamburg clay last week, advancing to the quarter-finals, the nine-time clay-court ATP Tour champion is ready to begin another surge this week in Austria.
“I’m physically very fresh, mentally very ready. I didn’t have so many matches in the past six or seven weeks,” Thiem said. “I’m really fresh and ready for everything that’s coming.”
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Barrientos' Diving Hot Shot Gives Colombian First Win Since 2016
Careful, Nico! The elbow!
Over the past three years, Nicolas Barrientos has battled to return to the court after undergoing elbow surgery. The 32-year-old was forced to stop playing in 2016 due to a complete muscle tear in his elbow. But now he's back and targeting a successful comeback.
Maybe diving on a hard court isn't the best idea. On Monday, Barrientos scored his first match win on the singles court since 2016, defeating Dan Added 6-4, 7-5 at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Segovia. While serving for the match at 6-4, 6-5, the Colombian scrambled to deny Added's passing shot, leaving his feet to complete the perfect dive volley. He crashed to the court as the ball cleared the net and landed on his opponent's side.
"Diving is something that I've always done since I'm little," Barrientos told ATPChallengerTour.com. "It's always inside my head. Really I don't think about it. When I see the ball coming, it's just an instinct. I don't want to let the ball go. I was taught by my coach, who took me to a sand pit and hit the ball against the wall and made me dive on the sand. I loved it."
Barrientos, who ascended to a career-high No. 71 in doubles and reached an ATP Tour final in Bogota in 2014, with countryman Juan Sebastian Cabal, owns four Challenger titles. He continues to be inspired by Cabal and Robert Farah, who became the first Colombians to triumph at Wimbledon earlier this month.
"It's amazing to see guys like Cabal and Farah doing so well. I actually did my offseason with Cabal in December. And today I was especially inspired by Egan Bernal, who won the Tour de France yesterday. I know it was a first round and just another match, but for me it's something I needed to overcome. Winning that first match was going to be really hard and I got some strength from thinking about them. It inspired me a lot."
Barrientos says he had six doctors review his case and that surgery was the best course of action. He continued to experience pain upon returning last year and, not wanting to push it, stopped to work with some juniors in his home country.
"I came back again this year and only played doubles from the start. Then I wanted to play more singles and while my serving ability was limited, because the more serves I hit the more inflammation I had, the ATP physio told me that I just needed to build up my tolerance. I took some time doing this, going from only being able to hit 10 serves to hitting 100 in a row. Now I am completely pain-free."
Barrientos, who is using a protected ranking this week at the Open Castilla y Leon, will next face fifth seed Nicola Kuhn on Tuesday night.
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Rogers Cup chief rues Roger Federer absence - reveals return hope in retirement prediction
ROGERS CUP tournament director Karl Hale says he’s hopeful Roger Federer can continue playing for another five years in the hope of the Swiss returning to the event.
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Rogers Cup 2019: When is it? Will Federer, Nadal and Djokovic play? When is the draw?
THE ROGERS CUP begins next week and Express Sport is on hand with some of the key details ahead of the sixth ATP Masters 1000 event of the year.
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Nick Kyrgios ‘boos’ Andy Murray in crowd-pleasing exchange - ‘He isn’t nice at all’
NICK KYRGIOS and Andy Murray are both in action at the Citi Open this week and the two were involved in a light-hearted exchange in front of excited fans yesterday.
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Sonego Wins Three-Hour, 36-Minute Marathon In Kitzbuhel
Earlier this year, Lorenzo Sonego defeated Federico Delbonis in their first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting at the Brasil Open, triumphing in straight sets after one hour and 24 minutes. On Monday, the Italian needed more than two and a half times that long to oust the Argentine.
Sonego defeated Delbonis 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-6(4) in a three-hour, 36-minute marathon to reach the second round of the Generali Open, an ATP 250 tournament held in Kitzbühel, Austria. The seventh seed won seven fewer points than Delbonis in their battle, but emerged victorious in large part due to saving all eight break points he faced in the deciding set.
The World No. 56, who claimed his maiden ATP Tour title last month on the grass of Antalya, was No. 116 in the ATP Rankings at this point last year. But he has climbed as high as No. 46 in 2019, reaching his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.
Sonego will play Roberto Carballes Baena for a spot in the last eight. The Spaniard rallied past Bolivian Hugo Dellien 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 49 minutes. Carballes Baena defeated Sonego in Buenos Aires in straight sets earlier this year.
Qualifier Matthias Bachinger outlasted Slovakian Martin Klizan 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 7-6(4) after two hours and 58 minutes. The German had not won a tour-level main draw match since February, when he made the quarter-finals of the Open 13 Provence (l. to Humbert). Bachinger will next face eighth seed Pablo Carreno Busta or Casper Ruud.
In other action, Dennis Novak advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against fellow wild card Jurij Rodionov. He will next try to upset fourth seed Pablo Cuevas.
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30 Things To Watch In Washington, Kitzbuhel & Los Cabos
For the second straight week, ATP 500 action headlines another busy week on the ATP Tour. Top 10 stars Stefanos Tsitsipas, Karen Khachanov and Daniil Medvedev all feature at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., World No. 4 Dominic Thiem looks to finish his 2019 clay-court campaign with success at the Generali Open in Kitzbuhel and defending champion Fabio Fognini leads the way at the Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex in Los Cabos.
Two-time Citi Open semi-finalist Marin Cilic is already enjoying his time in the American capital, after joining a group of players on a sightseeing bus tour of the city. The former World No. 3 returns to the ATP 500 event, where he owns a 6-3 record, for the first time since 2015.
"It is always nice to get a little bit of free time to go and see what we can," said Cilic. "This bus tour, organised by the tournament, is the best place to see something that maybe I haven't seen in the past over here and in a different kind of way. [I am] enjoying the Washington Monument and everything that we have seen so far."
10 Things To Watch In Washington, D.C.
1) Citi Life: The U.S. hard court series moves to Washington, D.C. for the Citi Open. Three of the newest members of the ATP Rankings Top 10 — 20-year-old Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas and 23-year-old Russians Karen Khachanov and Daniil Medvedev — are the top three seeds at the ATP 500 event. They are joined by former champion Milos Raonic and 2018 finalist Alex de Minaur.
2) Greece Lightning: Top seed Tsitsipas was ranked No. 32 coming into the Citi Open last year, where the Greek began an impressive run of form. The Greek raced to the semi-finals in D.C. before falling to eventual champion Alexander Zverev and then defeated four Top 10 players en route to the Rogers Cup final. That two-week span propelled him into the Top 15 of the ATP Rankings.
3) Rising Russian: Khachanov made his Top 10 debut on 10 June after reaching his first Grand Slam quarter-final at Roland Garros. He became the first Russian in the Top 10 since Mikhail Youzhny in 2011. Khachanov seeks his first Citi Open win; he lost to Denis Kudla in his 2018 opener.
4) Present Tens: Medvedev joined his compatriot Khachanov in the Top 10 after Wimbledon, marking the first time two Russians were ranked in the Top 10 simultaneously since Youzhny and Nikolay Davydenko in October 2010. Medvedev reached the Citi Open quarter-finals in 2017.
5) Former Champ: No. 8 seed Raonic is the only prior Citi Open champion in the draw this year. The former World No. 3 from Canada defeated his countryman Vasek Pospisil in the 2014 final for what is, to date, his sole title at ATP 500-level or higher. He has an 8-2 win-loss record in D.C.
6) Felix Flying: Another Canadian in the field is No. 9 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, the only player aged 18 or under currently in the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings. The #NextGenATP star has reached his first three ATP Tour singles finals this season, rocketing from outside the Top 100 at the start of the year to a career-high of No. 21 on 10 June. Auger-Aliassime celebrates his 19th birthday on 8 August.
Read Washington, D.C.: All You Need To Know
7) One More Step: American No. 1 John Isner is two weeks removed from winning his first title of the year at the Hall of Fame Open in Newport. Isner had a career breakthrough in Washington in 2007, where earned five straight wins in final-set tiebreaks to reach his first tour-level singles final as a 416th-ranked wild card. He also reached the final in 2013 and 2015, but still seeks his first D.C. trophy.
8) Hard Court Hits: No. 4 seed Kevin Anderson had his own breakthrough at the 2017 Citi Open, making the final after a series of injuries had hindered him in the previous year. From there, the South African spurred himself on to an impressive 2017 hard court season, culminating in a first Grand Slam final at the 2017 US Open. He reached his second Grand Slam final last year at Wimbledon.
9) Hometown Heroes: No. 16 seed Frances Tiafoe, from Hyattsville, Md., and Denis Kudla, of Arlington, Va., are back at the Citi Open. Kudla was 0-4 in main-draw matches at the event before racing to the quarter-finals last year. Tiafoe got his first D.C. wins in 2018 to make the third round.
10) Double Up: Andy Murray will pair with his brother Jamie Murray as part of a stellar doubles field in D.C. Four-time Citi Open champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan and Roland Garros champions Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies are in the mix, while Wimbledon champions and World No. 1’s Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah face Nick Kyrgios and Tsitsipas in a blockbuster first round.
10 Things To Watch In Kitzbuhel
1) Clay Finale: Kitzbuhel, Austria hosts the last ATP Tour clay tournament of the season this week, with a draw boasting World No. 4 Dominic Thiem along with three former Top 10 players: Fernando Verdasco, Richard Gasquet, and Pablo Carreno Busta.
2) Former Champs Return: Three previous Kitzbuhel titlists return in 2019 — defending champion Martin Klizan, two-time winner Philipp Kohlschreiber (2015, ‘17) and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (2009) — aiming to reclaim the trophy. World No. 158 Garcia-Lopez enters as a qualifier this year.
3) The 200 Club: Albert Ramos-Vinolas enters Kitzbuhel on a hot streak, having won his second ATP Tour title on the clay courts in Gstaad on Sunday. The victory also marked his 200th career tour-level win.
4) Success Continues for Thiem: World No. 4 Dominic Thiem enters Kitzbuhel with two titles this year (Indian Wells, Barcelona) and a second appearance in the Roland Garros final to his name. His season has included wins against No. 1 Novak Djokovic, No. 2 Rafael Nadal, and No. 3 Roger Federer.
5) Veterans and Rookies: Sixteen years separate the youngest and oldest members of the draw, 20-year-old Jurij Rodionov of Austria and 36-year-old Garcia-Lopez.
6) Keeping it in the Family: Dominic Thiem's 19-year-old brother Moritz Thiem enters the Kitzbuhel doubles draw with 39-year-old Nicolas Massu of Chile as a wild card pairing. Massu, the former World No. 9 and two-time Olympic gold medalist, began working as Dominic's coach earlier this year.
7) Banner Summer: Joran Vliegen and Sander Gille arrive in Kitzbuhel after winning their second tour-level doubles trophy as a team in as many weeks. The Belgians won titles in Båstad (d. Delbonis/Zeballos) and Gstaad (d. Oswald/Polasek).
Read Kitzbuhel: All You Need To Know
8) Splitting Forces: Defending doubles champions Roman Jebavy and Andres Molteni are back in the Kitzbuhel draw, but this time on different ends of the draw. Jebavy teams up with 2016 champion Matwe Middelkoop as the No. 3 seeds, while Molteni partners countryman Leonardo Mayer.
9) Doubles Champs: 2017 Kitzbuhel doubles champions Pablo Cuevas and Guillermo Duran join forces for their third ATP Tour event together. Cuevas owns nine doubles titles, with his last coming at 2017 Vienna (w/Bopanna).
10) Home Court Advantage: Five Austrians — Thiem, Rodionov, Dennis Novak, Lucas Miedler and Sebastian Ofner — feature in the singles main draw. The all-Austrian duo of Oliver Marach and Jurgen Melzer, who lifted the Hamburg European Open trophy last week, lead the pack as the top doubles seeds.
10 Things To Watch In Los Cabos
1) Take Four: The fourth edition of the Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex will take place in Los Cabos this week, with top seed Fabio Fognini back to try to defend his title. Guido Pella, Diego Schwartzman, and Lucas Pouille, each of whom are making their tournament debuts, round out the top four seeds, while former finalist Thanasi Kokkinakis is also in the mix.
2) Fog Rolling In: Fognini made his debut at the event last year, and after dropping the first set of his opening match, raced through his next eight sets with ease to capture the title, including a 6-4 6-2 win against then-World No. 4 Juan Martin del Potro in the final. Fognini returns to Los Cabos as a Top 10 player and ATP Masters 1000 champion, having won the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters title.
3) Great Guido: Pella accepted a wild card into the tournament, and will contest his first event since his breakthrough run to his first Grand Slam quarter-final at Wimbledon. Pella’s performance in London continued a season of milestones, which has included his first ATP Tour singles title at the Brasil Open in his fifth career final, and a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 21 on 13 May.
4) Diego For It: Schwartzman seeks his first singles title since winning in Rio de Janeiro in February 2018. The Argentine has come close in doubles twice this year, reaching finals alongside Thiem in Madrid and Buenos Aires. Schwartzman and Pella are seeded No. 2 in the doubles draw.
5) French Twist: Pouille came into the 2019 Australian Open with an 0-5 record at that event, but won five straight matches in Melbourne to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final. The Frenchman lost five tour-level matches in a row following that tournament, but recovered form on the grass, reaching the Stuttgart quarter-finals and the third round of Wimbledon.
6) Wild One: Kokkinakis has received a wild card at Los Cabos for the third straight edition. The Australian made his sole ATP Tour singles final to date here in 2017 while ranked No. 454 in the ATP Rankings, but he lost in the first round last year to Taylor Fritz, an opponent he defeated during his 2017 run.
Read Los Cabos: All You Need To Know
7) Fritz Flying: No. 5 seed Fritz reached the Los Cabos quarter-finals in 2017 and returns this year on a hot streak. The 21-year-old American won his first ATP Tour singles title in Eastbourne in June, made another final in Atlanta last week and hit a new career-high ATP Ranking of No. 28 on Monday.
8) Tip Top: Janko Tipsarevic, who reached a career-high World No. 8 in the ATP Rankings in 2012, makes his Los Cabos debut. The Serb missed all of 2018, but returned from hamstring surgeries in January, won his first tour-level match since the 2017 US Open in Miami and made his first ATP Tour quarter-final since 2016 in Houston.
9) Qualies Quarter: Soonwoo Kwon has qualified for his second ATP Tour main draw in the past two weeks. The 21-year-old made the second round in Atlanta last week and now has a new career-high ATP Ranking of No. 112. He is joined in the main draw by fellow qualifiers Dominik Koepfer, Maxime Janvier and Jason Jung.
10) Doubles Duty: Mexico’s Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela paired with Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador to capture a first ATP Tour doubles title in Los Cabos last year. They are back to try to defend their title, but will face stiff competition from the field, including top seeds Dominic Inglot and Austin Krajicek, who have already won two titles in 2019.
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De Minaur Climbs ATP Rankings, Mover Of The Week
No. 25 Alex de Minaur, +9
The 20-year-old lifted his second ATP Tour title at the BB&T Atlanta Open, becoming the youngest winner in tournament history. De Minaur dropped just seven first-serve points throughout the week (116/123) and did not face a break point during victories against Bradley Klahn, Bernard Tomic, Reilly Opelka and Taylor Fritz. De Minaur rises nine places to No. 25 in the ATP Rankings, one spot below his career-high position achieved on 4 March. Read More.
No. 49 Andrey Rublev, +29
The Russian reached his first ATP 500 championship match at the Hamburg European Open. Rublev overcame two-time ATP Tour titlist Cristian Garin, Casper Ruud, top seed Dominic Thiem and Pablo Carreno Busta to reach the championship match in northern Germany. Despite falling to defending champion Nikoloz Basilashvili in the final, Rublev soars 29 places to No. 49 in the ATP Rankings. It is the first time Rublev has occupied a Top 50 position since 9 September last year.
No. 69 Albert Ramos-Vinolas, +16
Ramos-Vinolas claimed his second ATP Tour trophy at the J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open Gstaad. The Spaniard did not drop a set en route to the trophy, beating Henri Laaksonen, second seed Fernando Verdasco, Roberto Carballes Baena, Pablo Andujar and Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. Ramos-Vinolas jumps 16 positions to No. 69 in the ATP Rankings. Read More.
Other Notable Movers
No. 43 (Career High) Reilly Opelka, +14
No. 47 Pablo Carreno Busta, +12
No. 48 Filip Krajinovic, +10
No. 55 Nicolas Jarry, -17
No. 81 Leonardo Mayer, -30
No. 96 Bernard Tomic, +10
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Sunday 28 July 2019
Inglot/Krajicek Save 2 M.P. To Beat Bryans For Atlanta Title
Dominic Inglot and Austin Krajicek took their second ATP Tour doubles title of 2019 in dramatic fashion on Sunday at the BB&T Atlanta Open. The second seeds saved two championship points to oust top seeds and two-time champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 6-4, 6-7(5), 11-9.
“Things were looking good for us in the [second set] tie-break, but they came up with the goods when they needed to. That’s why they’re the best [team] that’s ever been,” said Inglot. “It was back and forth in the Match Tie-break, but Austin played two unbelievable points to get us the tournament.”
Inglot/Krajicek saved three set points at 5-6 in the second set and led 5/2 in the tie-break, but the Bryan brothers raced through five consecutive points to force a Match Tie-break. The top seeds held two championship points at 9/7, but Inglot/Krajicek won the last four points to prevail in one hour and 31 minutes. The match marked the first loss in Atlanta for the Bryan brothers (11-1).
The British-American duo won their first ATP Tour doubles title together last month in ’s-Hertogenbosch (d. Daniel/Koolhof). Inglot now has 13 ATP Tour doubles titles and Krajicek has three.
“We definitely gritted out some matches early this week,” said Krajicek. “There's been a lot of reps on the practice court, but we’re playing well and it’s something we can build on.”
Bryan/Bryan were seeking their 119th ATP Tour doubles title and third in Atlanta. They prevailed earlier this season in Delray Beach (d. Skupski/Skupski) and Miami (d. Koolhof/Tsitsipas).
Inglot/Krajicek earned 250 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $39,300. Bryan/Bryan picked up 150 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $20,140.
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Ymer Closes In On Top 100 With Tampere Crown
A LOOK BACK
Tampere Open (Tampere, Finland): One year ago, Mikael Ymer was outside the Top 300, clawing his way up the ATP Rankings in his return from hip surgery. What a difference a year makes.
On Sunday, Ymer clinched his second ATP Challenger Tour crown with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over defending champion Tallon Griekspoor in Tampere. The 20-year-old Swede is now on the doorstep of making his Top 100 breakthrough, rising to a career-high No. 108 in the ATP Rankings. Also sitting in 10th in the ATP Race To Milan, he has his sights firmly set on the Next Gen ATP Finals as the calendar flips to August.
Finally healthy, Ymer is plotting his ascent with authority. Under the tutelage of doubles star Frederik Nielsen, he has won two titles from four finals in 2019. Also the champion at the season-opening hard-court event in Noumea, he would finish runner-up on the clay of Murcia and Bordeaux as well.
The Swede, seeded third, was made to work to lift the trophy in Tampere. He became the first player since 2015 to win five deciding-set matches in a single tournament, spending a combined 11 hours and 38 minutes on court. That year, Nikoloz Basilashvili went the distance in all of his matches en route to the title in Scheveningen.
"The final was my best match of the tournament," said Ymer. "My serve was good and I was in control of my game. Tallon is a good friend and I know his game well. He is a tough opponent. I also know I had a lot of fans in Tampere and I thank them for their support. It was like I was in Sweden and I felt at home."
#NextGenATP Winners In 2019
| Player | Age | Title |
| Jannik Sinner | 17 years, 6 months |
Bergamo, ITA |
| Corentin Moutet |
19 years, 9 months |
Chennai, IND |
| J.J. Wolf |
20 years |
Columbus, USA |
| Corentin Moutet |
20 years, 1 month |
Lyon, FRA |
| Emil Ruusuvuori |
20 years, 2 months |
Fergana, UZB |
| Mikael Ymer |
20 years, 3 months |
Noumea, NC |
| Ugo Humbert |
20 years, 7 months |
Cherbourg, FRA |
| Jay Clarke |
20 years, 8 months |
Anning, CHN |
| Mikael Ymer |
20 years, 10 months |
Tampere, FIN |
Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby (Granby, Canada): Much like Ymer, it has been a long journey in recent years for Ernesto Escobedo. The American has also battled injuries as he fought to sustain momentum and confidence on the court. But now, Escobedo is making moves once again.
The 23-year-old clinched his first ATP Challenger Tour title since 2016, fighting to the finish line in Granby. He defeated third seed Yasutaka Uchiyama 7-6(5), 6-4 on Sunday, needing one hour and 32 minutes to triumph under the Canadian sun.
Escobedo, a native of Los Angeles, initially broke through with a pair of Challenger titles in Lexington and Monterrey three years ago, cracking the Top 100 at No. 67. Three years later, with new coach Jan-Michael Gambill at the helm, he is thriving with a renewed mentality and approach on the court.
Projected to rise 74 spots in the ATP Rankings, Escobedo is up to No. 214 on Monday.
Levene Gouldin & Thompson Tennis Challenger (Binghamton, New York, USA): Yuichi Sugita was the last man standing in Binghamton, notching his 10th Challenger crown on Sunday. The 30-year-old defeated Joao Menezes 7-6(2), 1-6, 6-2 to take the title in upstate New York.
It had been more than two years since Sugita last reached a final, having prevailed on the grass of the [ATP Tour] Antalya Open in 2017. He would rise to a career-high No. 36 in the ATP Rankings. But, having fallen outside the Top 200 earlier this year, the Japanese is targeting another ascent.
Sugita joins an illustrious list of champions in Binghamton that includes Kyle Edmund (2015), Kei Nishikori (2010), Andy Murray (2005), Ivo Karlovic (2003) and Leander Paes (1994).
Your champion @BingChallenger is Yuichi Sugita!
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) July 28, 2019
It's #ATPChallenger title No. 🔟 for @sugitayuichi88, overcoming Joao Menezes 76(2) 16 62. pic.twitter.com/iMeyc6PNb0
Advantage Cars Prague Open (Prague, Czech Republic): Mario Vilella Martinez became the 23rd first-time winner of 2019, securing his maiden Challenger crown on the clay of Prague. The 24-year-old defeated Chun-hsin Tseng 6-4, 6-2 for the title on Sunday, completing a ruthless run that saw him refuse to drop a set in six matches.
Vilella Martinez gave Spain a tour-leading 10th title of the year, adding to triumphs by Pablo Andujar (3), Roberto Carballes Baena (2), Tommy Robredo (2), Marcel Granollers and Enrique Lopez-Perez.
Moreover, the week was noteworthy for Tseng's first final appearance. The 17-year-old, a former junior No. 1, is the second-youngest player (Sinner) to reach a Challenger championship this year. He turned around his season in one week, having previously won just four Challenger-level matches.
A LOOK AHEAD
Fourth seed Ze Zhang returns to defend his title in Chengdu, while Hyeon Chung makes his long-awaited return to action following a back injury. The 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals champion is competing for the first time since February.
In Sopot, the second edition of the BNP Paribas Sopot Open features Paolo Lorenzi seeking a successful title defence, while Mikael Ymer looks to go back-to-back after lifting the trophy in Tampere. Stefano Travaglia is the top seed.
In Segovia, the 29th edition of the Open Castilla y Leon includes Tampere finalist Tallon Griekspoor as its second seed and Blaz Rola leading the charge. #NextGenATP star Nicola Kuhn is the top Spaniard in the field.
The U.S. swing continues in Lexington, with Peter Polansky seeded first. Teen sensation Jannik Sinner is third, with J.J. Wolf leading the American charge.
Finally, in Liberec, Czech Republic, defending champ Andrej Martin seeks a fourth title of the year, while Attila Balazs looks to add to his strong run of form after reaching his first ATP Tour final in Umag.
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