Which on-court look was your favorite in the final weeks of the WTA season? Marija Zivlak of Women’s Tennis Blog breaks down the looks that impressed during the month of October.
Four-time Rolex Paris Masters champion Novak Djokovic will look to even the score against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas on Friday when the two meet for the second time this season in the Paris quarter-finals.
The World No. 1 lost to Tsitsipas just three weeks ago in the quarter-finals of the Rolex Shanghai Masters and trails the 21-year-old 1-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. The Greek also beat Djokovic last year at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Toronto, but Djokovic beat Tsitsipas in the Mutua Madrid Open final in May.
“He’s a very good player, he has improved and he’s very professional and trains a lot,” Djokovic said of Tsitsipas. “That reflects positively on his game. He’s one of the best players in the world, so I’m looking forward to that challenge.”
But more than just bragging rights in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry will be on the line. If Djokovic falls to 1-3 against Tsitsipas, his hopes of finishing as the year-end No. 1 in the ATP Rankings for the sixth time could take a significant hit.
A Djokovic loss in the quarter-finals would mean Rafael Nadal could guarantee his place atop the year-end standings for the fifth time by making the Paris final. But Djokovic, as he has stated throughout the week, isn't worrying about the battle for year-end No. 1; he's focussed on the task at hand, and in this case, that will be shaking off his recent loss against Tsitsipas after winning the first set in Shanghai.
“I was a set up and close [in the] second set. I couldn't finish it off, and the match was turned around,” Djokovic said. “I'm hoping that I can start off the match as well as I did in Shanghai but also keep going to the end.”
Tsitsipas, who will compete in the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time from 10-17 November at The O2 in London, seeks his first ATP Masters 1000 title. The Greek star, who triumphed at last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals, has already made the semi-finals at three Masters 1000 events this year (Madrid, Rome, Shanghai).
[WATCH LIVE 1]
The winner of Djokovic-Tsitsipas will meet an unseeded player: 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champ Grigor Dimitrov or two-time ATP Tour titlist Cristian Garin of Chile. Dimitrov and Garin will be meeting for the first time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.
The 23-year-old Garin, who won clay-court titles earlier this year in Houston and Munich, is seeking his first semi-final at this level against the 2017 Cincinnati titlist.
Gael Monfils will try to book a return trip to the Nitto ATP Finals when he meets #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov. Monfils came back to beat Radu Albot on Thursday evening in front of a passionate Paris crowd, and the 33-year-old will surely look to get the crowd engaged early and often against the 20-year-old Shapovalov, who is seeking his second Masters 1000 semi-final of the season (Miami, l. to Federer).
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is looking to continue rolling back the clock at his home Masters 1000 event. The Frenchman, who won this title in 2008, is through to his first Masters 1000 quarter-final since Paris 2016 and will face second seed Rafael Nadal, who has looked sharp in his first two matches.
Nadal, playing in his first ATP Tour event since the Laver Cup in September, won in straight sets against home favourite Adrian Mannarino and Swiss Stan Wawrinka. Regardless of how Djokovic fares, Nadal can clinch his fifth year-end No. 1 finish by winning his first Paris Masters 1000 crown.
Brits Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski made their third consecutive ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final on Thursday, upsetting second seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-3, 3-6, 11-9 at the Rolex Paris Masters.
Murray and Skupski joined forces during the grass-court season, and they have found their stride over the past few months, making the semi-finals in Cincinnati, Shanghai and at the US Open. They will next face fifth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies, who lifted the Roland Garros trophy this year.
Granollers and Zeballos, who were clinging to their dreams of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals, were not the only victims of the upset bug on Thursday. London qualifiers Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury ousted top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 7-5, 5-7, 10-3. The American-British pair did not drop a service point in the Match Tie-break.
[WATCH LIVE 1]
Ram and Salisbury, who triumphed in Vienna last week, will next face eighth seeds Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek in what will be a crucial match in the ATP Doubles Race To London. Dodig and Polasek, who eliminated Jurgen Melzer and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 2-6, 6-3, 10-8, are in a tight battle with Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin for the final doubles spot at the Nitto ATP Finals.
Chardy and Martin kept their hopes alive with a 6-2, 6-3 victory against Divij Sharan and Artem Sitak. They will next play seventh seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut in an all-French match.
Russians Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov converted on eight of 11 break points to beat New Zealand's Marcus Daniell and Austrian Philipp Oswald 6-4, 7-5. They will try to overcome Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who remains in the singles draw, and Indian Rohan Bopanna. Shapovalov and Bopanna ousted Argentine Maximo Gonzalez and American Austin Krajicek 6-1, 6-3 beind strong serving, winning 92 per cent of their first-serve points.
Simona Halep and Karolina Pliskova battle for the last semifinal spot at the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, while Purple Group winner Elina Svitolina takes on alternate Sofia Kenin for the fifth time this season.
Belinda Bencic alcanzó las semifinales de las Shiseido WTA Finals de Shenzhen después de terminar en segundo lugar en el Grupo Rojo tras el abandono de Kiki Bertens por enfermedad.
For the first time on the ATP Tour, players will be permitted to use wearable technology in competition this year during the Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held 5-9 November at the Allianz Cloud in Milan.
The data collected will allow players and coaches at the award-winning 21-and-under event to quantify the demands of the competition, better understand athlete loading and make key performance decisions that are supported with objective data.
The GPS receiver and inertial sensors in the device will measure velocity and direction, acceleration and force, rotation, body orientation, and will quantify internal load (through heart rate). The data from the wearable device, which will only be accessible by each player and those that the player gives access to, will provide accurate maps of movements and actions.
Players and coaches will be provided with post-match and post-practice reports, and they will also have the opportunity to synchronise the data with match footage to add additional context. One-on-one support from the vendor will be provided on-site throughout the week.
Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman & President, said: “From the outset, the Next Gen ATP Finals have been at the cutting edge of innovation in our sport, and the use of wearable technology this year during matches will provide some invaluable insights to players, coaches and ATP medical services. This is a unique tournament that has always embraced new technologies, and this is the latest step as the event continues to pioneer innovation in the game.”
The third edition of the Next Gen ATP Finals will also see the continuation of a number of innovations, including a best-of-five set format, shorter sets to 4 (tie-break at 3-All) and No-Ad scoring. Other innovations include Electronic Line Calling through Hawk-Eye Live, a 25-second Shot Clock, In-Match player coaching via head-sets, Video Review and more. This year’s tournament will also see the return of the traditional ‘let’ rule, following the decision to bring to a close the ‘no let’ trial that was in place across the first two editions of the event.
The tournament’s pioneering role in innovation was recognised at the 2018 Yahoo Sports Technology Awards in London, where ATP & ATP Media won the Most Innovative Governing Body or Rights Holder Award, as well as at the 2018 Leaders Sports Awards, where the tournament was recognised with the award for Best Innovation.
Belinda Bencic has reached the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen semifinals at the first time of asking, finishing second in the Red Group after Kiki Bertens was forced to retire down a set due to illness.
La campeona del US Open se lastimó la rodilla contra Karolina Pliskova y no puede completar la etapa de todas contra todas. Sofia Kenin interviene como suplente para enfrentarse a Elina Svitolina.
The US Open champion hurt her knee against Karolina Pliskova and is unable to complete the round-robin stage. Sofia Kenin steps in as alternate to play Elina Svitolina.
La número uno del mundo Ashleigh Barty selló su lugar en la cima del Grupo Rojo y en las semifinales de las WTA Finals de Shenzhen con una derrota en dos sets de Petra Kvitova.
Follow the WTA Insider Live Blog on Day 5 of the 2019 Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen as No.7 Belinda Bencic and No.10 Kiki Bertens battle it out to advance out of the Red Group and into Saturday&’;s semifinals.
World No.1 Ashleigh Barty sealed her place at the top of the Red Group and in the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen semifinals with a straight-sets defeat of Petra Kvitova.
Follow the WTA Insider Live Blog from the 2019 Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen as No.1 Ashleigh Barty faces No.6 Petra Kvitova for the fifth time in 2019, this time with a semifinal spot on the line.
After staying toe-to-toe through a nail biting qualification campaign for the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, No.7 seed Belinda Bencic and alternate Kiki Bertens are set to meet one last time.
A treasured rivalry will get its latest chapter on Thursday at the Rolex Paris Masters when second seed Rafael Nadal meets No. 16 seed Stan Wawrinka as part of a stacked third-round lineup. Nadal looks to remain on course for his first title at the AccorHotels Arena, which would also clinch the year-end No. 1 ATP Ranking for him.
“I'm very happy to be able to compete again at a good level,” Nadal said. “Tomorrow is another day, another tough match against Stan. Every day in this tournament is so difficult, so let’s see if I’m able to play another good match.”
Nadal holds a convincing 18-3 lead over Wawrinka in their Fedex ATP Head2Head rivalry and has won their past five matches, all in straight sets. The Spaniard is on a 12-match winning streak and exuding confidence in his game, continually finding ways to step up in the crucial moments of a set.
But Nadal knows he can’t rely on his past success against Wawrinka for their latest clash. Wawrinka’s most recent victory over his rival came at this event four years ago. The Swiss has also been in top form lately, prevailing in 11 of his past 13 matches since the start of the US Open.
After competing against each other for more than a decade on the world’s biggest stages, there will be no secrets when they meet on Court Central. Their game plans will likely remain similar to their other 21 matches, but it will come down to who can execute them most effectively.
“I do not want him to play his game, which means I need to make sure I don't let him be in a position where he can hit hard,” Nadal said before the 2017 Roland Garros final, their most recent meeting in Paris. “I will have to do everything I can to keep him from playing aggressively. If I can play long balls, if I can hit hard… I think I will be hopefully able to control him. Easy to say, but it may not be that easy to do.”
The match is also a must-win for Wawrinka if he wants to return to the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, held at The O2 in London from 10-17 November. The Swiss needs to take the title in Paris in order to have a shot at grabbing the last remaining qualifying spot.
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Top seed Novak Djokovic continues his quest for a fifth Paris title against Brit Kyle Edmund. The Serbian leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 4-1. Djokovic needs a big week in Paris in order to keep his hopes alive for a sixth year-end No. 1 finish. He trails Nadal by 1,280 points in the ATP Race to London, which acts as a barometer for who will finish the year at No. 1, but can close the gap significantly with the 1,000 points on offer for the winner this week.
“I understand that I need to play better and feel better to have a chance to go far in this tournament and, as a result of that, to have a chance to still be in the battle for No. 1,” Djokovic said. “But, again, it doesn't depend only on me. It depends on [Nadal]. But my focus is on me.”
Two other London hopefuls are also in action on Thursday. Frenchman Gael Monfils, the No. 13 seed, squares off with Moldovan Radu Albot. Monfils will return to The O2 if he can reach the final this week. Aussie Alex de Minaur takes on seventh-seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in an all-#NextGenATP battle. De Minaur must take the title in Paris in order to have a shot at qualifying.
Who will win the latest @FedEx ATP Head2Head match between these players?#RolexParisMasters
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 31, 2019
Other notable matches on Thursday include sixth-seeded German Alexander Zverev, who clinched the seventh qualifying spot for London, battling #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov. Fifth-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem looks to get ahead in his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, which is currently tied 2-2.
ORDER OF PLAY – THURSDAY 31 October 2019
COURT CENTRAL start 11:00 am
[Q] Jeremy Chardy vs Cristian Garin (CHI)
[5] Dominic Thiem vs Grigor Dimitrov
[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs Kyle Edmund (GBR)
Not Before 5:00 pm
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) vs Jan-Lennard Struff (GER)
Not Before 7:30 pm
[2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs [16] Stan Wawrinka (SUI)
[13] Gael Monfils (FRA) vs Radu Albot (MDA)
Court 1 start 11:00 am
Karen Khachanov (RUS) / Andrey Rublev (RUS) vs Marcus Daniell (NZL) / Philipp Oswald (AUT)
[8] Ivan Dodig/Filip Polasek vs Jurgen Melzer (AUT) / Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA)
[7] Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Alex de Minaur (AUS)
[6] Alexander Zverev (GER) vs Denis Shapovalov (CAN)
Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) / Austin Krajicek (USA) vs Rohan Bopanna (IND) / Denis Shapovalov (CAN)
Click here to view the rest of Thursday's schedule
Belinda Bencic bids to seal a spot in the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen against Kiki Bertens while Petra Kvitova battles to stay alive against Ashleigh Barty as the Red Group round robin concludes.
Bianca Andreescu will await the results of an MRI before deciding to take the court on Friday at the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen sustaining a knee injury against Karolina Pliskova.
La ex campeona de las Finales de la WTA, Agnieszka Radwanska, conversó con periodistas en las Shiseido WTA Finals de Shenzhen, y declaró sucesora al trono.
As the story of Superman goes, the fictional superhero is nearly indestructible, with only the mineral kryptonite leaving him susceptible to damage.
In the tennis realm, World No. 2 Rafael Nadal has shown flashes of near invincible powers of his own in 2019. The 33-year-old is 48-6 this season and is the current leader in the ATP Race To London. Like Superman, however, Nadal does seemingly have one weakness: The Spaniard seems a little more vulnerable on indoor hard courts than he does on other surfaces. It's on an indoor hard court where Nadal will contend his next match as he faces Adrian Mannarino in the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters on Wednesday.
Of his 84 ATP Tour titles, including four so far in 2019, Nadal has lifted only one trophy at an indoor hard-court event. That effort came in 2005 at the Mutua Madrid Open, before the tournament moved to clay. Since then, his record on the surface has been less than stellar, at least in comparison to his results on other surfaces.
The reason Nadal seems to struggle this time of year, he argues, is partly due to the toll that the grind takes on his body going into the last stretch of the season. A combination of fatigue and the normal knocks he picks up through the course of a year seemingly conspire against him.
“That is the reality; to deny this would be to deceive myself and everyone else,” Nadal said.
Since turning professional in 2001, Nadal has competed at the Rolex Paris Masters just six times prior to this year's event. On two of those occasions, his campaign was cut short due to injury: In 2008, the then-World No. 1 was forced to retire from his quarter-final match against Nikolay Davydenko with a knee injury. Then in 2017, Nadal withdrew ahead of a quarter-final clash with Filip Krajinovic, again citing a knee injury. His best result at the last ATP Masters 1000 event of the season came in 2007 when he lost in the final to David Nalbandian.
Ironically, the city where Nadal struggles for more positive results near the end of the year happens to be in the same city where the Spaniard shines most brightly months earlier.
“Everyone knows that [Paris] is the most important city in my career, so I love being in Paris,” the 12-time Roland Garros champion said ahead of his opener in Bercy. “It's an important tournament because it's an ATP Masters 1000. In addition to being on a tough surface, it's a tournament where I have arrived many times without being able to conquer it. Even though I haven't had the best showings here for a lot of reasons, I don't have any bad feelings for the event itself."
Coach Carlos Moya shares his pupil's sentiments. "There have been a variety of reasons, one being the time of year," Moya said. "Most seasons, he's gone into Paris with very little rest; he's entered the event physically worn and hasn't been able to play to the best of his abilities. In fact, since I've come on board as a coach, that's been the case -- he hasn't been in the best shape to allow him to perform at his best."
Fellow Spaniard player Marc Lopez has his own thoughts as to why the Rolex Paris Masters remains one of three Masters 1000 events (Miami and Shanghai are the other two) that has managed to elude Nadal throughout his career.
[WATCH LIVE 1]
"The courts at this event are slick and Rafa's game isn't best suited for that," Lopez said. "His rivals, [Roger] Federer and [Novak] Djokovic play in a way that's more effective on that surface. The ball doesn't bounce high, it tends to skid more and doesn't give a player much time to react."
The indoor hard courts and his own physical weariness are the hurdles Nadal must overcome as the season comes to a close this week in Paris and then at the Nitto ATP Finals in London. Lopez hopes Nadal can dig deep this year and finish 2019 in impressive form.
"He's not always at his best when he arrives here," Lopez said. "The past several years, he's played exhausted after a gruelling season. This time, I hope he can end at his best and continue surprising everyone. I predict he'll do better than usual at these events."
For Nadal's part, he's doing everything in his power to boost his chances and make the most of every opportunity presented to him.
"It's clear the breaks come less frequently on the faster indoor courts," Nadal said. "It's a matter of staying fresh and giving myself the best chance to succeed. I think I'm taking all the right steps to achieve that and to put myself in a situation to be 100 per cent competitive. That's my main objective."
A beaming Alex de Minaur is brimming with confidence -- and for good reason.
On Tuesday, the #NextGenATP star defeated Laslo Djere 6-1, 6-4 in the first round of the Rolex Paris Masters to set up a second-round showdown against ninth seed Roberto Bautista Agut. De Minaur defeated Bautista Agut one month ago in the semi-finals at the Huajin Securities Zhuhai Championships, their only previous FedEX ATP Head2Head encounter.
“I'm very happy with today's result,” De Minaur told ATPTour.com. “It's been a difficult last few months for me, and not just physically. Mentally as well; things have been very complicated.”
The physical complications the Australian endured were due to a groin injury he sustained at the start of the year. Despite the injury, the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up managed to lift his first ATP Tour title by triumphing at Sydney. The pain grew worse as the season progressed, however, until finally the Australian was forced to reassess matters after a first-round loss to Marcos Giron at Indian Wells.
For over two months, De Minaur's career was placed on hold as he recuperated at his residence in Alicante, Spain. The 20-year-old returned from the sidelines at the Millennium Estoril Open in late April, where he was defeated in the first round. Doubt, as well as the reality of returning to competitive play after suffering an injury, began to set in as De Minaur dropped three of his next four matches before reaching the quarter-finals at the Libema Open in June.
His dip in form eventually resulted in a drop out of the Top 30 in the ATP Rankings. It wasn't until July when De Minaur turned things around by triumphing at the BB&T Atlanta Open by defeating American Taylor Fritz in the final. By regaining his form, De Minaur restored his faith in his potential while proving he has the mental fortitude to overcome obstacles like injury.
“At the very least, I've been through (a comeback) already, so I can say I've done it before," De Minaur said. "It's made me stronger. I've worked with my psychologist to get to where I want to be on my road back. I've had an incredible year, but I'm hungry for more. I want to keep improving. I'm looking forward to finishing the year strongly.”
[WATCH LIVE 1]
Following the victory in Atlanta, De Minaur claimed his third ATP Tour title by downing Adrian Mannarino in the final at Zhuhai. The Aussie followed that performance with an impressive showing at the Swiss Indoors Basel, where he reached the final before falling to Roger Federer on Sunday.
As De Minaur sees it, the injury not only made him stronger, it also proved to be a springboard that launched him into the next phase of his career.
“Everything that's happening now is new to me,” De Minaur said. “It was difficult to defend all the points I had earned last season. The injury, the fall in the rankings, dealing with all the pressure... I still managed to win three titles this year. I'm proud of all the work I've done with my team and the progress we've made to get to this point. We've put in a lot of hours and sacrificed so much for moments like these.”
The moments have gotten only sweeter since De Minaur's return from the setback: He's currently ranked a career-high No. 18 in the ATP Rankings, and he's into the second round at the last ATP Masters 1000 event of the season. He's also set to play next week at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, but for now, the young Aussie is taking things one match at a time.
“I'm not focused on anything except today's victory," De Minaur said. “I take everything match-by-match, day-by-day.”
Denis Shapovalov ended any hopes that Fabio Fognini had of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals on Wednesday with victory at the Rolex Paris Masters.
In the intimate surroundings of Court 1, Shapovalov hit his spots on serve to overcome Fognini 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 42 minutes for a place in the third round against sixth seed Alexander Zverev of Germany.
Fognini, the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters champion (d. Lajovic) in April, started day three in Paris in 12th position in the 2019 ATP Race To London on 2,280 points — 380 points behind eighth-placed Italian Matteo Berrettini (2,660) for a spot at next month’s season finale. The Italian ends the regular 2019 ATP Tour season with a 29-23 match record.
From 5-3 in the second set, Shapovalov won the next three games to stamp his authority on the pair’s second FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting (2018 ATP Masters 1000 Toronto). Fognini mis-timed a backhand to hand Shapovalov the advantage at the start of the deciding set, and later at 3-1, when a LED panel on the advertising board behind the baseline malfunctioned due to a first serve from the #NextGenATP Canadian, the two-minute delay didn’t distract him from closing out to 15.
The 20-year-old Shapovalov, who lifted his first ATP Tour title at the Intrum Stockholm Open (d. Fognini) two weeks ago, is now 33-25 on the season. He will compete the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, for players aged 21-and-under, from 5-9 November.
Elsewhere, Cristian Garin knocked out No. 15 seed John Isner of the United States 7-6(5), 7-6(4) in one hour and 33 minutes. Isner hit 25 aces and won 34 of 38 first-service points,
[WATCH LIVE 1]
La segunda favorita Karolina Pliskova logró su primera victoria del Grupo Púrpura en las Shiseido WTA Finals de Shenzhen después de que la campeona del Abierto de EE. UU. Bianca Andreescu se viera obligada a retirarse después del primer set, habiéndose lesionado en los primeros compases del partido.
Second seed Karolina Pliskova tallied her first Purple Group win at the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen after US Open champion Bianca Andreescu was forced to retire trailing
