Home Favourite Davidovich Fokina Outlasts Rune In Late-Night Madrid Thriller

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina rode the support of his home crowd to a stirring upset of sixth seed Holger Rune on Sunday at the Mutua Madrid Open. With victory in a 7-6(1), 5-7, 7-6(5) battle of attrition, the Spaniard earned his fourth Top 10 win by outlasting Rune over the course of three hours, five minutes in Manolo Santana Stadium.

Both players received treatment during the dramatic match — Rune for his right wrist early on, and Davidovich Fokina for his upper leg area late — and struggled physically at times, but it was the Spaniard who summoned the energy in the decisive tie-break to progress to the last 16.

"Mentally and physically it was very hard," Davidovich Fokina said after the post-1 a.m. finish. "Rune is a very good player. It was always tough games and we had to stay focussed on every service, because you never know when you [can] have the break point.

"I had my chances in the third set too, but I had a lot of tension and I was a little bit anxious to finish the point," added the 23-year-old, who let slip a 5-3 lead in the decider before regrouping. "But I did well and I'm very happy."

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Davidovich Fokina is bidding to advance to a second ATP Masters 1000 final after he earned two of his Top 10 wins in reaching the Monte-Carlo title match last season, beating Novak Djokovic and Matteo Berrettini in Monaco.

After Rune saved a match point to beat Alexander Bublik in his Madrid debut on Friday, he threatened another escape one day after his 20th birthday. But despite forcing the tie-break from 3-5 in the final set, he ultimately saw his five-match winning streak come to an end, a run which began last week in his successful Munich title defence. Rune also saved four match points in last Sunday's Munich final to edge Botic van de Zandschulp.

The topsy-turvy Madrid match had a fittingly dramatic conclusion in the tie-break. After leading 3/1, Davidovich Fokina fell behind 3/4 only to battle back one final time to get over the line, finding just enough purchase on his groundstrokes to hit through Rune in the crucial moments.

Davidovich Fokina will meet Borna Coric in the last 16 after his 7-6(3), 6-3 win against 12th seed Hubert Hurkacz earlier on Sunday evening — a match in which the Croatian saved all three break points he faced. Davidovich Fokina would reach his fifth quarter-final of the season with victory in that matchup, with the biggest of those previous runs coming in Indian Wells.

He will hope some of the fans who stayed to support him deep into the night will be back for his next match.

"I felt that energy and I was like, 'OK, I don't want to go home. I want to win this game,'" he said of the crowd's influence. "It doesn't matter if I am cramping, doesn't matter if I have a lot of tension, but I want to win this match."

With the defeat, Rune fell to 8-2 on clay this season following his run to the Monte-Carlo final and his title triumph in Munich.

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Alcaraz Lights Up The Madrid Night, Sets Zverev Rematch

After escaping Emil Ruusuvuori in a three-set comeback to begin his title defence at the Mutua Madrid Open, Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the last 16 with a thoroughly entertaining win on Sunday against Grigor Dimitrov. In a 6-2, 7-5 victory, the stylish Alcaraz imposed his athletic game to make a fast start then showed his grit to instantly recover a break in the second set.

He will next face Alexander Zverev in a rematch of last year's Madrid final, won by Alcaraz in straight sets. Zverev leads the ATP Head2Head 3-1, including a win in their most recent meeting in last year's Roland Garros quarter-finals.

"I really want to play that match. We played a few times, head-to-head he is up," Alcaraz said of the showdown encounter. "I really want to show my great level here in front of my home crowd. I have great memories from last year in the final but obviously I have to be really focussed in that match. I know that Sascha is a really good player, a really aggressive one with good serves. I have to show all my skills."

Alcaraz is seeking to complete the Barcelona-Madrid double for the second straight season after retaining the title at the Barcelona ATP 500 last Sunday. He has won 17 straight matches on Spanish soil across four campaigns and must push that number to 21 to earn the title in Madrid.

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Picking up where he left off in closing out Ruusuvuori, Alcaraz used his all-action game to take command against Dimitrov in a one-sided opening set on Manolo Santana stadium.

Alcaraz spoke before the tournament about feeling motivation rather than pressure from the expectant Spanish crowd, and he showed it by playing freely against the Bulgarian. A highlight moment came early on when he brandished his racquet like a magic wand, feigning a cross-court slice before lifting a down-the-line pass beyond his stranded opponent.

Alcaraz continued to thrill his home crowd throughout the match, with the aggressive Dimitrov playing his part by forcing the Spaniard to rely on his world-class speed and defensive skills. The top seed kept a smile on his face throughout the 90-minute contest and raced through the finish line by winning five of the last six games.

The opponents are good friends and have practised together this week in Madrid, an experience Alcaraz said helped him fine-tune his tactics.

"When we practised, it helped me a lot in the tactical game, what I had to do," he said. "Obviously I was focussed on myself all the time, trying to hit the ball really clear and with a lot of power. That was the goal at the beginning of the match, trying to play aggressive all the time."

Dimitrov was seeking to repeat his heroics from 2013 in Madrid, when he beat then-World No. 1 Novak Djokovic for his biggest win. He was denied a fourth win against a Top 2 opponent and stopped two rounds short of matching his Madrid quarter-final run from 2015.

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Dan Evans tears into British tennis players as Emma Raducanu struggles continue

Dan Evans has blasted his fellow British stars for not playing enough with Emma Raducanu still struggling to find form.

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Zverev Cruises Through In Madrid

Alexander Zverev continued his love affair with the Mutua Madrid Open on Sunday when he wasted little time in reaching the fourth round. The German overpowered French qualifier Hugo Grenier 6-1, 6-0 in 55 minutes.

Zverev survived an opening-round scare against Roberto Carballes Baena but faced no such problems against Grenier. He struck 26 winners, won 86 per cent (17/20) of net points and broke Grenier’s serve six times to earn his 12th win of the season.

"Today I felt great," Zverev said. "Maybe Hugo was a bit nervous, first time in the third round at a [ATP] Masters [1000] and that is big for any player. In general I am happy that I kept my composure and that I am through."

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The 13th seed has often produced his best level on the Madrid clay, holding a 21-3 record at the ATP Masters 1000 event. He has reached at least the quarter-finals in all five of his previous appearances, lifting the trophy in 2018 and 2021.

Zverev will continue the quest for his first tour-level title of the season when he takes on top seed Carlos Alcaraz or Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round.

"Both of those players are great players," Zverev said when asked about playing Alcaraz or Dimitrov in the fourth round. "It is going to be difficult no matter who it is against. Of course with Carlos that would be a matchup people would look forward to. We played in the final here last year, played a massive match at [Roland Garros] before I got injured."

The 27-year-old Grenier was making his ATP Masters 1000 debut and earned upset wins against Diego Schwartzman and Sebastian Korda to reach the third round. The Frenchman is up nine places to No. 119 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

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Zizou Bergs: Challenger Tour Star Who Donates Gear To Africa

Players on the ATP Challenger Tour often carry impactful stories that go relatively untold.

Such is the case with Belgian Zizou Bergs, who has been donating tennis equipment to the African country Burundi for eight years. A five-time Challenger Tour champion, the 23-year-old recently triumphed at the Tallahassee Challenger just a few weeks after his grandfather passed away. Bergs’ life off the court is a story within itself.

Following an eye-opening trip to Burundi at age 15, the Belgian No. 2 quickly developed a contact, Marcel Van der Haegen, in the East African country and has since donated tennis clothes and equipment.

“I still have that project going on,” Bergs told ATPTour.com. “We're not always aware about it, but you have so much and sometimes feel like you have little. You grow up in a very good culture, in a very good country and you think everything is quite normal that you have all these clothes, shoes, racquets, you can string whenever you want, get great food at the table every day. That is not common [there], it really opened my eyes. They would play with my [stuff], even if it was like five sizes too big, they would still play with it. That really touched me.”

Earlier this month, Burundi hosted an ITF Women’s 25K event. Bergs received word from a friend at the tournament that while she was there, she noticed several guys around the capital city Bujumbura who were wearing his clothes and playing with the racquets he’s donated over the years.

“That was heartwarming that they're so grateful for that,” Bergs said. “I definitely have enough clothes to keep sending them every year. At a certain point, Yonex [started] helping us too. We're definitely grateful that Yonex is also willing to support me and the project I have, even though it's very small. It's important to me that it's not only taking, because tennis has given me a lot. It's giving back and I really like that in this project.”

This season has been bittersweet for Bergs. The first two months of the year, the Lommel native qualified for the Australian Open and reached a career-high No. 112. Last week, Bergs triumphed at the Tallahassee Challenger, where he didn’t drop a set en route to the title.

As he lifted the trophy in Florida, one person was on his mind; his grandfather, who passed away just a month prior.

“It was very emotional actually,” Bergs said. “Never experienced tears in my eyes after a win, but this one was a little different because my grandfather passed away a few weeks ago when I was in Miami. Ever since, I didn't have the chance to go home, so I had to follow his funeral from a distance. He was my biggest fan, he would text me after every match.

Zizou Bergs triumphs in Tallahassee, Florida. Credit: Tallahassee Tennis Challenger

“Every match he would give me a whole analysis of what happened and give me things to work on. I really hoped he would continue doing that just in a different way, and it definitely happened. He was present that week, I won that with him. It was very emotional and special.”

Full of passion and emotion on court, Bergs chooses to remember his grandfather by living out core values he saw in his life. As he followed his grandfather’s funeral from a different continent, Bergs noticed three principles that consistently came up when loved ones reflected on his grandfather’s life.

“I got to know him better as I was getting older and was more conscious about what was happening,” Bergs said. “Also the time he was sick, I got to know him better. The first value was positivity. He would always be positive that there was something that would help him, thinking everything was going to be okay. He wasn't worried at all, he was a happy man.

“The second one was being combative, because he was always ready to fight. He was struggling for years with his health and for everything that came up, he would be ready to fight and do anything necessary that was needed.

“The third one was solution-oriented. He was always finding solutions in his job, with the family, he would not be complaining. If something wasn't working in my career, I'd go to his home with my parents and we'd talk about it. He'd come up with possible solutions. I felt like these core values could be really good in tennis. They were great values to learn from and stick with me in the future.”

While Bergs will always remember his grandfather, it’s safe to say that there are tennis players in Burundi who will always be aware of the Belgian star.

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Khachanov Wins Madrid Thriller, Sets Rublev Clash

Karen Khachanov reached the fourth round at the Mutua Madrid Open for the first time on Sunday when he clawed past Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in a Madrid thriller.

Competing in front of a packed crowd inside Manolo Santana Stadium, both took large cuts at the ball as they looked to impose their powerful games. After a tight first two sets, Khachanov hit a purple patch in the decider. He struck 20 winners in the third set compared to four from Bautista Agut and won three straight games from 3-3 to triumph in two hours and 53 minutes.

Khachanov, who is making his sixth appearance in Madrid, reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January before he advanced to the last four at the Miami Open presented by Itau in March. The 26-year-old is chasing his fifth tour-level crown and first since 2018 this fortnight in the Spanish capital.

With his 18th win of the season, Khachanov improved to 3-6 in his long-running ATP Head2Head series rivalry against Bautista Agut. Up one spot to No. 11 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, Khachanov will next meet fifth seed Andrey Rublev.

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Rublev moved past Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 7-5 to continue his red-hot clay-court form in Madrid.

The fifth seed hit with relentless power in the fast conditions, blasting 35 winners to improve to 2-2 in his ATP Head2Head series against Nishioka. Rublev now holds a 10-1 record on clay this season, having lifted his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown in Monte-Carlo and advanced to the final in Banja Luka.

Rublev reached the quarter-finals in Madrid last season and will aim to match that when he takes on Khachanov in the fourth round. Rublev defeated long-time friend Khachanov en route to the title in Monte-Carlo, with the pair locked at 2-2 in their ATP Head2Head series.

In other action, Jaume Munar reached the fourth round at an ATP Masters 1000 for the first time, ending Italian qualifier Matteo Arnaldi’s run with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory.

The Spaniard fell to Arnaldi in Barcelona last week but gained his revenge in the Spanish capital to set a fourth-round meeting against Daniel Altmaier or German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann. Munar is up 19 spots to No. 69 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

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Tsitsipas Lands 39 Straight First Serves In Comeback vs. Thiem

Stefanos Tsitsipas completed a dramatic comeback against Dominic Thiem with victory in a third-set tie-break on Saturday night at the Mutua Madrid Open. In a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(5) triumph, the Greek used a flawless serving performance to shift the tone of the match, then battled back from 1/3 in the decisive tie-break after seeing five break points go begging on return at 5-5.

The Greek made 39 straight first serves spanning from late in the opening set to early in the third and won 88 per cent (50/57) per cent of his overall first-serve points in the two-hour, 19-minute contest.

"That's fantastic, 39 is a lot," Tsitsipas said of the streak. "That shows that perhaps I improved today on my serve. That's a positive mark for me. I think I just owe it all to fluidity and just being relaxed on my serve... I think it's just pure relaxation and focus."

With victory in the pair's first meeting since the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals, Tsitsipas closed the gap to 4-5 in their ATP Head2Head series, including a 2-1 mark on clay. Both competitors are former finalists in Madrid, with Tsitsipas reaching the 2019 title match and Thiem finishing runner-up in 2017 and 2018.

The last man in the Madrid singles draw to book his third-round ticket, Tsitsipas will next face 25th seed Sebastian Baez, who beat Marcos Giron 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 earlier on Saturday.

"It was very physical and I think we both played our best," Tsitsipas said of his opening win against Thiem. "I'm in a way happy that we were able to show that kind of tennis... Today sort of showed what kind of intensity two guys that play single-hand backhands can bring to tennis. I'm happy I got away with a win. Things weren't easy at the very end but I just kept fighting."

A semi-finalist last year in the Spanish capital, Tsitsipas entered this year's event on the heels of a run to the Barcelona final, where he was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz. But Thiem halted his momentum in the opening set with an aggressive game plan built around heavy cuts from his forehand wing. The Austrian saved three break points to consolidate his early break and build a 4-1 lead en route to claiming the first set.

Behind his stellar serving, Tsitsipas dominated the second set as Thiem's forehand began to misfire, with the Greek driving home his advantage with a slew of well-timed drop shots.

Thiem stayed in front in the final set behind several battling holds, none more dramatic than his final service game, in which both players produced some of their best tennis with the match on the line. After five deuces and more than 11 minutes, Thiem escaped. But Tsitsipas won four straight points to lead 5/3 in the tie-break and clinched victory on his second match point.

"I had confidence in my tennis and I knew that bit by bit I would be able to fight back," Tsitsipas added of the match as a whole. "My confidence showed in that second set where I was just serving really well and started finding my rhythm on the returns. The third set it was just pure fight. He's not someone that's going to give up and he hates even giving the slightest to you in terms of free points.

"I knew I was dealing with something big and that tie-break, it was just pure cash."

The Greek denied Thiem his first Top 10 win since he beat Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals. Thiem was also seeking his first Top 10 win on clay since beating Djokovic in the 2019 Roland Garros semis. The defeat dropped him to 7-12 on the season, while Tsitsipas improved to 21-6.

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Fritz, Tiafoe Navigate Tricky Madrid Openers

Americans Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe both made winning starts at the Mutua Madrid Open on Saturday by coming through challenging opening matches in straight sets. Fritz edged Christopher O'Connell 7-6(11), 6-4, with Tiafoe wrapping a 6-3, 7-6(5) win against Tomas Martin Etcheverry soon after.

Fritz, fresh off consecutive semi-finals in Monte-Carlo and Munich, continued his strong clay-court form as the eighth seed in Madrid by beating fellow Munich semi-finalist O'Connell.

"It's just understanding what I need to change. Because I've always been a believer in not really changing your game too much to go to different surfaces," Fritz said of his recent success on the dirt. "As it turns out for clay, I play much better when I do make pretty drastic changes in where I'm standing and stuff like that. So it's just about finding that, finding what works best for me on clay."

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The 25-year-old needed eight set points before closing out the first set in a marathon tie-break, 13/11, against Australia's O'Connell, saving two set points to edge ahead on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium. He earned the first and only break of the match early in the second set and then saved a break point on his own serve to consolidate for 3-1.

Fritz saved one break point in each set and finished with eight aces and an 83 per cent win rate (34/41) on first serve, backed up by a 72 per cent mark (23/32) on second serve. He will next face Cristian Garin, who upset 27th seed Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-4 in two hours, 42 minutes.

Tiafoe made a fast start against Etcheverry but needed to break to extend the second set as the Argentine served at 5-4. Though he had not created a break chance since the fourth game of the match, Tiafoe managed to draw level at the crucial moment and then won a dramatic tie-break that saw seven of 12 points go against serve.

The ninth seed will next meet another Argentine in Pedro Cachin, who upset his countryman and 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo 6-1, 7-6(6) to reach the third round.

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In-Form Lajovic Ousts Auger-Aliassime In Madrid

Dusan Lajovic is running red hot on the European clay.

The Serbian notched his third Top 10 win in the space of nine days on Saturday at the Mutua Madrid Open by taking out seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(5).

Lajovic clinched an enthralling second-round encounter with a stunning start to the deciding-set tie-break. He charged to a 5/0 lead against a tight Auger-Aliassime, who then threatened a remarkable comeback but was unable to prevent Lajovic converting his sixth match point for a two-hour, 34-minute win.

“It was super tight at the end,” said Lajovic, who had let slip his first two match points at 6-5 on the Auger-Aliassime serve in the final set. “I was just hoping that he was going to stay back on my serve, because when he was coming in, I was feeling a lot of pressure.

“We opened up the last point. I tried to play heavy on my forehand but because my hand was tight, it was really going short until in the end [one] came up well.”

A stunning display of tennis from @Dutzee as he triumphs over Auger-Aliassime 6-2 3-6 7-6 in Madrid 🙌@MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/2l1XWoxGN2

— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 29, 2023

Lajovic defeated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 6 Andrey Rublev en route to his second ATP Tour title in Banja Luka last week. He is now 16-7 for 2023 and 3-0 against Auger-Aliassime, having beaten the Canadian at the 2020 ATP Cup and in Toronto in 2021.

“Today in the match I really felt like I was going in to show my game," said Lajovic, when asked about his hat-trick of Top 10 wins. "I knew I would have chances if I played my best tennis. It’s really a good feeling to have this much confidence, but I need to be also very careful because it is so easy to lose confidence, especially in tennis.”

The World No. 40 will play Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round at the Caja Magica, where he now holds a 7-4 record. The German lucky loser Struff also held his nerve in a deciding set on Saturday to down 32nd seed Ben Shelton 4-6, 7-6(4), 7-5.

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Medvedev Makes Confident Start In Madrid

Thirty-two wins and counting for Daniil Medvedev in 2023.

Not even the move to his less-favoured clay has stopped the 27-year-old from racking up victories on the ATP Tour. Following his quarter-final run in Monte-Carlo, Medvedev made a rock-solid start to his Mutua Madrid Open campaign on Saturday with a 6-4, 6-3 win against Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori.

Medvedev stayed patient against the World No. 164 Vavassori, notching a late break of serve in each set to complete an 82-minute triumph. Vavassori had claimed the biggest win of his career against Andy Murray in the first round at the Caja Magica, but the second-seeded Medvedev’s combination of huge serving and relentless baseline hitting proved a step too far for the Italian.

The World No. 3 Medvedev is now 32-4 for the year. He is chasing his fifth tour-level trophy of the season in Madrid, where he now prepares for a third-round clash against another qualifier, Alexander Shevchenko.

More to follow…

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Preview: Tsitsipas, Thiem Renew Rivalry In Madrid

Five Top 10 seeds will open their Mutua Madrid Open campaigns on Saturday at the ATP Masters 1000, with the second round of singles action to be completed on Day 4 of main-draw play.

Two men's matches feature on Manolo Santana Stadium, with Stefanos Tsitsipas meeting Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev facing Andrea Vavassori. Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz and Denis Shapovalov highlight the ATP Tour action on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium, while a busy doubles slate sees each of the top three seeds in their first action of the week.

ATPTour.com breaks down some of the biggest matchups on Saturday's schedule across the men's singles draw and men's doubles draw.

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[4] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs. Dominic Thiem (AUT)

The past two meetings between Tsitsipas and Thiem both came at the Nitto ATP Finals — in the 2019 final, won in a third-set tie-break by Tsitsipas, and the 2020 group stage, when Thiem won in three sets. Thiem leads their overall ATP Head2Head 5-3, with their history including five meetings in 2018.

But the familiar foes have not squared off since their November 2020 meeting in the London season finale. After Thiem beat Kyle Edmund 6-4, 6-1 to set up this marquee matchup, the Austrian was excited to renew the rivalry.

"I am looking forward to that one a lot," he said of their second-round meeting. "I like him a lot. He is an unbelievable player, I like watching his matches. He is very elegant. We've had some great matchups."

Thiem is hoping to build on reaching two quarter-finals in his past three events (Estoril, Munich), while Tsitsipas aims to stay hot after reaching the final last week in Barcelona. The Greek is rounding into form following a post-Australian Open dip in which he did not win more than two matches at four straight tournaments.

“I consider myself a candidate for this tournament in terms of having good results," Tsitsipas said of his chances in Madrid. "The run I had in Barcelona brought me joy because after the Australian Open I didn’t go deep in tournaments. Now I’ve had a first glimpse of what it is to be strong again. Things are looking pretty bright."

Both Tsitsipas and Thiem have excelled on clay courts throughout their careers, with Tsitsipas winning three titles on the surface to Thiem's 10. At their best, both can win with consistency or power from the baseline behind heavy ground strokes. A key tactical component to this match will be how often Tsitsipas uses his all-court game to attack the net, and how well Thiem can fend off those approaches with his trademark, vicious passing shots.

[2] Daniil Medvedev vs. Andrea Vavassori (ITA)

Daniil Medvedev entered the European clay swing as the hottest player on the ATP Tour, winning four of five tournaments — including his maiden title in Miami — and reaching the final in Indian Wells. While his run of consecutive finals came to an end in Monte-Carlo, Medvedev picked up two quality wins against Lorenzo Sonego and Alexander Zverev before falling to eventual finalist Holger Rune.

He again opens opposite an Italian this week in Andrea Vavassori, who beat Andy Murray 6-2, 7-6(7) on Thursday. The 27-year-old qualified for the Madrid main draw after reaching the quarter-finals or better at four straight ATP Challenger Tour events coming into the week.

After beating Murray to mark his ATP Masters 1000 main-draw debut, the Italian will hope his four matches on the Madrid clay serve him in good stead against Medvedev, who is competing in the Spanish capital for the first time since 2021.

Medvedev has just one match win in three Madrid appearances, but feels the unique conditions at the event give him a good chance of success this week.

“It's definitely different. I would say it's a little bit like Roland Garros clay where it's kind of on a harder surface," Medvedev said of the surface. "Also altitude, so the balls are flying. What I see from results of many people, I should be able to actually play better here than other clay court tournaments. So far, I was not able to do it. But every year is a new opportunity. This year is another one, and I'm going to try to just play my best and hopefully play some good tennis.”

[8] Taylor Fritz vs. Christopher O'Connell (AUS)

Fritz has also flashed his clay-court credentials this season, reaching consecutive semi-finals in Monte-Carlo and Munich. He picked up his first Top 10 win on the surface by beating two-time defending champion Tsitsipas in the Monte-Carlo quarters, becoming the first American man to reach the Monaco semi-finals in 20 years.

Australia's Christopher O'Connell also enters Madrid on the back of two straight semi-finals, the first in Split on the ATP Challenger Tour and the second last week in Munich.

Both competitors have been in some of the best form of their careers this season. Fritz reached a career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of No. 5 in February, becoming the first American to hit the mark since Andy Roddick, while O'Connell reached a career high of World No. 78 last November and currently sits three points shy of that mark.

Also In Action...

In addition to the Fritz vs. O'Connell matchup, two more ATP contests will feature on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium. Auger-Aliassime will open his campaign against Dusan Lajovic, with the seventh seed seeking his first win in three tries against the Serbian, who last week defeated Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev en route to the Banja Luka title. Later in the day on Madrid's second stage, Shapovalov will face China's Zhang Zhizhen for the first time.

On Stadium 3, ninth seed Frances Tiafoe meets Tomas Martin Etcheverry and 11th seed Cameron Norrie faces Japanese qualifier Yosuke Watanuki. Tiafoe and Paul were doubles opponents on Friday, with Tiafoe and Fritz beating Norrie and Tommy Paul in a Match Tie-break.

All three of the top doubles seeds will see their first action on Friday as well. Top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski face Germans Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz, second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury meet Jamie Murray and Michael Venus, and third seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek take on Simone Bolelli and Fabrice Martin.

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Zverev Sprints Through Finish In Madrid Marathon

Alexander Zverev completed a stunning turnaround at the Mutua Madrid Open late Friday night and into the early hours of Saturday morning to continue his history of success at the ATP Masters 1000.

The 13th-seeded German pulled away late in a 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-0 victory against home favourite Roberto Carballes Baena, winning eight straight games to survive a stern opening test. Spain's Carballes Baena led 4-3, 30/0 in the second set but lost 10 of the last 11 games as Zverev found a new level late on.

"[It was a] very important match for me, especially after the struggles in three-set matches this year," the German said after leaving the court. "I think it was one or two points that decided the match and I'm obviously very happy with how it went."

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Zverev, who took a medical timeout for treatment on his left leg midway through the opening set, has dropped seven places to No. 23 this week in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings after losing the points he earned from reaching last year's Madrid final. Champion at the event in 2018 an 2021, he has reached the quarter-finals or better in each of his previous five appearances in the Spanish capital.

He will next face French qualifier Hugo Grenier, a 7-6(5), 7-6(7) winner against Sebastian Korda earlier on Friday. The winner of that match will face either Carlos Alcaraz or Grigor Dimitrov in the last 16.

"I'm just looking forward to being back, playing these kind of matches, playing in the bigger stadiums," Zverev added. "Especially here, I've said it before, this is my absolute favourite court in the whole world. We'll see how it goes."

Carballes Baena claimed the opening set against Zverev despite failing to convert on seven break chances. He troubled Zverev with depth and width, and moved within two games of victory when a majestic, flicked winner off his opponent's overhead clinched the first break of the match.

But Zverev disrupted the pattern of the match to that point to to turn the match around in the nick of time. Finding more purchase off his backhand wing and attacking the net with repeated success, the German flipped the match on its head to run away with victory.

With nearly three hours on the clock after the second set, the matchup seemed destined to break the record for longest best-of-three-set contest in 2023. But Zverev raced through the final set to close out the match in three hours, 25 minutes — that time falling shy of the three hours, 31 minutes of play in Hubert Hurkacz's second-round win against Thanasi Kokkinakis in the Miami second round.

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'Stan Scissorshands' Wins Unique Coin Toss With Rublev

“One, two, three...”

After a coin toss gone awry, Andrey Rublev and Stan Wawrinka found a fun way to replace the pre-match ritual and decide who would call the first serve in their Mutua Madrid Open second-round match on Friday afternoon.

Rublev suggested a game of ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ at the net on Manolo Santana Stadium after confusion about the options on the electronically generated coin toss. With ATP Chair Umpire Mohamed Lahyani laughing along with the players, Wawrinka’s ‘Scissors’ cut through Rublev’s ‘Paper’ and the Swiss star opted to serve.

Rublev recovered from his ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ defeat in style. The World No. 6, who is chasing his second ATP Masters 1000 title after his triumph in Monte-Carlo 12 days ago, went on to defeat Wawrinka 7-5, 6-4.

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Dominic Thiem's 'loud grunting' blamed for player losing match on a different court

Hubert Hurkacz called out Dominic Thiem's "grunting" after losing his doubles match alongside Ben Shelton.

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Carlos Alcaraz using boxing analogy to inspire him to beat Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon

Carlos Alcaraz gave an insight into his unique strategy on the grass courts in his bid to win Wimbledon.

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'Fit & Healthy' Murray Weighs Roland Garros Return After Madrid Defeat

Andy Murray suffered a third straight ATP Masters 1000 opening round defeat on Thursday at the Mutua Madrid Open, his comeback bid against Andrea Vavassori falling short despite four match point saves in a 6-2, 7-6(7) loss.

Coupled with his first-round loss to Alex de Minaur two weeks ago in Monte-Carlo, Murray is still searching for his first clay win this season.

"Certainly the beginning of the clay season hasn't been that easy for me, but normally after a few weeks, I start to feel better and play better," Murray said in his post-match press conference. "Obviously last year, I'm not saying I came here and played unbelievable tennis straightaway, but I was playing well enough to win matches... against good players, top players."

[ATP APP]

His next opportunity to find his footing on the clay could come next month in Rome, where he has not competed since 2017. Beyond that, Murray hinted that he could make his first appearance at Roland Garros since 2020.

"There are a few different opinions in my team about what I should be doing," Murray said of a potential return to the Parisian clay, on which he has competed just once since his run to the 2017 semi-finals.

Asked to further clarify his thinking on Roland Garros, Murray said he was hoping to play in the year's second Grand Slam.

"I would like to play, just purely because I don't know if I'll get another opportunity to play again. Whilst I feel fit and healthy, I would like to give it a go," he explained. "But I also have ambitions of competing for Wimbledon titles and that sort of stuff, and I know that sitting here today that probably doesn't sound realistic, but I do believe that that's a possibility. I obviously want to do the right thing there."

While Murray skipped Roland Garros in each of the past two years to make an early start to his Wimbledon preparations, he recalled his 2016 campaign during which he reached the final in Paris — his best result at the event — before winning his second Wimbledon crown. Conversely, he considered his 2013 Wimbledon title that came after he missed the clay major.

"I don't know. It's impossible to say what the right thing to do is, but obviously it's a Grand Slam. I would like the opportunity to play," he concluded.

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Andy Murray hints at French Open plans as Brit has Wimbledon wish after Madrid loss

Andy Murray has looked ahead to the Grand Slams after a first-round defeat in Madrid.

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Serena Williams wants Venus 'brought to justice' and 'disinvites' sister from her house

Tennis fans were treated to a hilarious double act from the Williams sisters as Serena joked that she had been 'disinvited' from Venus' house.

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Emma Raducanu told women's tennis 'needs' her as Brit tumbles down WTA rankings

Emma Raducanu is expected to drop out of the world's top 100 after injury saw her withdraw from the Madrid Open.

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Thiem Sets Tsitsipas Clash In Madrid

Dominic Thiem continued his impressive record at the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday when he moved past Briton Kyle Edmund 6-4, 6-1 to set up a second-round clash against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The former World No. 3 has reached at least the semi-finals in four of his past five appearances in the Spanish capital and he looked in control throughout his first-round clash against Edmund.

The Austrian won 86 per cent (24/28) of his first-serve points and remained strong under pressure, saving all four break points he faced to advance after 84 minutes and improve to 2-0 in his ATP Head2Head series against the 28-year-old Edmund.

"It was not easy in the beginning. First match on the centre court and I was mainly practising outside, so it is a different feeling," Thiem said. "I have known Kyle since we were juniors. He has been a tough opponent since the young days, so I went in with a lot of respect. I had some crucial moments in the first set when I saved the break points and then I released a little bit and it got better and better."

[ATP APP]

With his victory, Thiem improved to 17-7 at the clay-court tournament, while he has climbed two spots to No. 91 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

"I love this court, I have great memories and played some great matches here," Thiem said. "Results wise this is my best [ATP] Masters 1000 tournament by far, so it is time to work on that reputation. Once I was a very tough guy to beat on clay and it is not the case right now, but I am feeling that I am getting better and back to shape."

Earlier this month the 29-year-old advanced to quarter-finals at ATP 250 clay-court events in Estoril and Munich. Thiem has often produced his best tennis on clay, winning 10 of his 17 tour-level titles on the surface.

Thiem will next play fourth seed Tsitsipas. The Austrian leads the Greek 5-3 in their ATP Head2Head series.

"I am looking forward to that one a lot," Thiem said when asked about facing Tsitsipas. "I like him a lot. He is an unbelievable player, I like watching his matches. He is very elegant. We've had some great matchups."

In other action, Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry downed Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-4, 6-0, while Roman Safiullin defeated Chilean Nicolas Jarry 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Etcheverry next meets Frances Tiafoe and Safiullin plays Tommy Paul.

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Andy Murray shares the tennis cliche he hates the most as Brit plots Madrid Open run

Andy Murray is preparing for the Madrid Open.

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Emma Raducanu 'sneaky Wimbledon suspicion' raised after Madrid Open withdrawal

Emma Raducanu has dropped out of the world's top 100 following her withdrawal from the Madrid Open.

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Emma Raducanu comments show Brit's attitude to lowest point since US Open win

Emma Raducanu is set to tumble outside of the world's top 100 after injury forced her out of the Madrid Open.

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25 Minutes Of Mayhem! Bublik Pips Galan In Longest Tie-break Of 2023 So Far

Alexander Bublik came out smiling from a topsy-turvy first-round match on Wednesday at the Mutua Madrid Open.

The opening set of the Kazakhstani’s 7-6(15), 6-7(4). 6-4 win against Daniel Elahi Galan was ended by the longest tie-break of the 2023 ATP Tour season so far. After 25 minutes and 32 points of tie-break play, Bublik finally moved ahead by converting his fifth set point.

Galan had already spurned seven set points of his own in the opening set, although the Colombian made amends in the second as he won another tie-break to level the match. Galan was unable to complete the job from 2-0 in the decider, however, as Bublik rallied to a remarkable two-hour, 50-minute triumph at the Caja Magica.

“When you don’t win a lot, it’s tough to finish matches, and I never felt it before because [for the past few seasons I made] 35-plus wins on the season,” Bublik told ATPTour.com. “[So far this year] I only have five, so finishing matches is not easy. I hope to get the momentum back, play better, and win more matches.”

Now 5-14 for 2023, Bublik will next take on sixth seed Holger Rune at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 in the Spanish capital. Wednesday’s marathon tie-break may serve as inspiration for the 25-year-old against Rune, although the World No. 55 would rather try and avoid winning the hard way again.

“It’s very tough playing tennis when you are out of shape, out of rhythm,” said Bublik. “That’s why this thing happened. Last year, if I’d played the same match, it wouldn’t have happened.”

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Tennis fans fear Rafael Nadal has won last Grand Slam as injury casts French Open doubts

Express Sport readers believe that Rafael Nadal may have already lifted his last Grand Slam trophy as the Spaniard continues to struggle with injury.

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Emma Raducanu transcript in full as injury woes may explain cagey performance in Madrid

Emma Raducanu gave limited answers during an exchange with the press before she was forced to pull out of the Madrid Open.

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Russian tennis star barred from plane and left at airport 'with no food for 18 hours'

A Russian tennis star alleges she was barred from boarding a plane and treated like a "third-class citizen".

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Emma Raducanu up against it in Madrid to avoid catastrophic Wimbledon ramification

Emma Raducanu gets her Madrid Open tournament underway today against qualifier Viktoriya Tomova.

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'Awkward' Emma Raducanu press conference cut short by WTA official at Madrid Open

Emma Raducanu returns to action at the Madrid Open this week with a first-round match against Viktoriya Tomova.

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Tsitsipas, Felix & Fritz In Madrid Doubles Action

A host of Top 20 singles stars will undertake double duty at the Mutua Madrid Open this fortnight when they compete in doubles at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Americans Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, who have both won tour-level singles titles this year, team and take on World No. 13 Cameron Norrie and World No. 17 Tommy Paul in a popcorn first-round clash.

View Doubles Draw

Canadians Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov advanced to the third round in Indian Wells together earlier this year and will join forces again in Madrid, while World No. 15 Hubert Hurkacz, who has won four tour-level doubles titles, pairs with #NextGenATP American Ben Shelton

World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas teams alongside brother Petros Tsitsipas after they received a wild card. Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev team for the fourth time this season, while Alex de Minaur partners Grigor Dimitrov.

Defending champions Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski are the top seeds and are seeking their first title of the season. Second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury have won three ATP Masters 1000 crowns together and anchor the draw in Madrid. Koolhof and Skupski face Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz in the first round, while Ram and Salisbury play Jamie Murray and Michael Venus.

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Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock react to Nick Kyrgios being made Laver Cup captain

Nick Kyrgios will captain Team World at the Laver Cup.

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Roger Federer Wimbledon appearance teased as retired star could be set for SW19 return

Roger Federer is set to be honoured for his Wimbledon achievements.

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World's richest tennis star worth £5.15bn more than Wrexham owners Reynolds and McElhenney

Jessica Pegula stands to inherit billions from her father.

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Nick Kyrgios confirms upcoming injury return as French Open comeback remains uncertain

Nick Kyrgios will take on Holger Rune in an exhibition match while his return to official tour-level competition remains up in the air.

from Daily Express :: Tennis Feed https://www.express.co.uk/sport/tennis/1762312/Nick-Kyrgios-French-Open-Holger-Rune-injury-comeback

Andy Murray learns Madrid Open draw as Brit in line for blockbuster Daniil Medvedev clash

Andy Murray will compete at the Madrid Open.

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Emma Raducanu gives coaching lesson to young tennis hopefuls but with an unusual twist

The British No 1 inspired the next generation by giving a personal tennis lesson despite being over 4,300 miles away from the children she was coaching

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Lajovic Returns To Top 40, Mover Of Week

A three-tournament week on the ATP Tour saw Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune and Dusan Lajovic lift trophies in Barcelona, Munich and Banja Luka, respectively. ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as of Monday, 24 April 2023.

View Pepperstone ATP Rankings

[ATP APP]

No. 40 Dusan Lajovic, +30
The Serbian has jumped 30 spots after he won his second tour-level title at the Srpska Open in Banja Luka. Lajovic overcame World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and World No. 6 Andrey Rublev en route to the title to earn two Top 10 wins at the same event for the first time. The 32-year-old has now won two tour-level crowns, having triumphed on clay in Umag in 2019. Read Banja Luka Final Report & Watch Highlights.

No. 58 Alex Molcan, +15
The 25-year-old has climbed 15 places after reaching his first semi-final of the season in Banja Luka. The Slovakian, who reached a career-high No. 38 last May, earned three consecutive three-set wins before falling against Andrey Rublev.

No. 93 Dominic Thiem, +8
The Austrian has returned to the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after he enjoyed a run to the quarter-finals at the BMW Open by American Express in Munich. Thiem, who also advanced to the last eight in Estoril earlier this month, defeated Constant Lestienne and Marc-Andrea Huesler at the ATP 250 clay-court event.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 3 Daniil Medvedev, +1
No. 11 Frances Tiafoe, +1 (Career High)
No. 61 Marcos Giron, + 7
No. 70 Laslo Djere, +8
No. 73 Cristian Garin, +13
No. 74 Nuno Borges, +5
No. 75 Alexei Popyrin, +6
No. 87 Juan Pablo Varillas, +5

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Carlos Alcaraz makes 'lucky' Rafael Nadal comment as Spaniard uncertain for French Open

Carlos Alcaraz will be looking to rival Rafael Nadal for the grand prize at next month's French Open at Roland Garros.

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ATP Tennis Podcast: Alcaraz Reflects On Barcelona Title

This week on the ATP Tennis Podcast...

CARLOS ALCARAZ ON WINNING THE BARCELONA OPEN BANC SABADELL TITLE – “This is something that I was talking about with my team before the match, to stay relaxed, to want to play the tough moments, to forget the mistakes and to be myself on the court.”

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS ON LEARNING FROM PREVIOUS DEFEATS TO RAFAEL NADAL IN THE BARCELONA FINAL – “The first time I played him I just wasn’t ready, I didn’t pick it up yet, but the second time was the most memorable one in terms of the intensity that I brought onto the court and the experience that I had from previous encounters. He brought the best out of me that day and I was so close and it was so disappointing to finish that match with a loss.”

TOMMY ROBREDO ON RAFAEL NADAL AND BARCELONA – “Well it’s his club also, so maybe the people don’t know but Rafa, the license of his tennis is from the membership of this club, obviously he had been winning here for twelve years, but he has been winning everywhere on clay, but it’s special that we felt that Rafa is part of the club, part of the city and that makes it special as well.”

FELICIANO LOPEZ ON MAKING BARCELONA PART OF HIS FAREWELL YEAR – “I came to Barcelona when I was very young and I used to come here to train with the pros because they were calling the federation and asking for some young players that they needed to play with and I used to come here and I was dreaming that one day I could play this tournament and it’s very nice that I can come here twenty years after my first time here to be able to play one more time.”

DR RUTH ANDERSON ON PLAYERS MENTAL HEALTH – “Mental Health affects one in four people in the general population, experiencing mental health symptoms is an everyday experience for all of us, so it’s a common experience and athletes aren’t immune to that and certainly need to manage that and on top of that there is the increasing recognition around your psychological ability being just as important as your physical, technical and tactical ability to work on.”

FRANCES TIAFOE ON BEING SUPPORTED BY LEBRON JAMES – “LeBron has said some cool stuff to me like keep going, keep believing, you know, cliched stuff but it means so much more coming from him and you know, it’s just cool for those upper echelon guys to see me as one of the best. He’s like that guy for me, you know everyone has that guy and no matter how many times I see him it’ll never be normality for me and little things like that is probably why I won the tournament in Houston.”

TAYLOR FRITZ ON GETTING USED TO PLAYING ON CLAY – “I feel like I’ve never really hated being on red clay, green clay, can’t stand it, but red clay, I’ve always like it, maybe not my best surface but you know I feel like I’ve had some good results on it, but no matter how good I feel on clay, for a lot people it’s what they grew up on and I’ll never feel as good on it as they do, but I just have to make up for it by playing even better.”

- Podcast presented by Seb Lauzier
- Interviews by Ursin Caderas, Jill Craybas and Richard Connelly
- Barcelona 70th Anniversary Feature by ATP Media
- Commentary by Nick Lester

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Insane Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz stat emerges as Serb out of Madrid

Novak Djokovic's decision to pull out of the Madrid Open means one of tennis' wildest statistics involving Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz is set to continue.

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Medvedev-Murray, Tsitsipas-Thiem Potential Early Blockbusters In Madrid

The Mutua Madrid Open draw has thrown up a number of potential early blockbusters. Daniil Medvedev could face Andy Murray in his opener and Stefanos Tsitsipas could meet former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem in the second round.

Medvedev will try to add to his Tour-leading 31 wins for 2023 at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event. The second seed will face World No. 1 Murray first up if the Briton defeats a qualifier in the first round. Jiri Lehecka, the 31st seed, could meet Medvedev in the third round in the Spanish capital, while Taylor Fritz and Cameron Norrie are potential quarter-final opponents for the 27-year-old.

View Madrid Singles Draw

Fourth seed Tsitsipas awaits two-time Madrid finalist Thiem or former World No. 14 Kyle Edmund as he looks to bounce back from his defeat in the Barcelona final to Carlos Alcaraz.

Fresh from defending an ATP Tour title for the first time in Barcelona, Alcaraz headlines the top half of the draw as the defending champion and top seed. The 19-year-old will play Emil Ruusuvuori or Ugo Humbert first up in Madrid, where he defeated Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic en route to the title a year ago.

The man Alcaraz beat in the 2022 championship match, Alexander Zverev, is a potential fourth-round opponent for the Spaniard this year. A two-time Madrid champion with a 19-3 tournament record, the 13th-seeded Zverev starts against David Goffin or home favourite Roberto Carballes Baena.

Alongside Medvedev and Tsitsipas, the bottom half of the draw also includes seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian, who is chasing his maiden Masters 1000 crown, could take on #NextGenATP American Ben Shelton in the third round. Auger-Aliassime opens against Banja Luka champion Dusan Lajovic or Jason Kubler, while the big-serving lefty Shelton meets Lorenzo Sonego or a qualifier.

 

Andrey Rublev carries significant momentum to Madrid after lifting his maiden Masters 1000 trophy in Monte-Carlo and reaching the Banja Luka final. The fifth seed may face former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka in his opening match, should the Swiss blunt the serve-and-volleying Maxime Cressy in the first round.

Third seed Casper Ruud opens against a qualifier. The Norwegian, who won his first title of 2023 in Estoril earlier this month, is seeded to meet Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round. Sixth seed Holger Rune, who saved four championship points against Botic van de Zandschulp en route to his fourth ATP Tour title in Munich on Sunday, will make his Madrid debut against Alexander Bublik or Daniel Elahi Galan. 

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Emma Raducanu learns nightmare Madrid Open draw that may leave her needing Wimbledon help

Emma Raducanu may need a wildcard to play at Wimbledon this year.

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Masterful Alcaraz Brushes Past Tsitsipas To Barcelona Crown

Carlos Alcaraz capped a perfect week at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Sunday by outplaying Stefanos Tsitsipas with a high-quality championship-match display at the ATP 500.

The home favourite was in irresistible touch on Pista Rafa Nadal, where he combined fierce ballstriking with inspired defence to wrap a 6-3, 6-4 victory and claim his ninth tour-level crown. Although he dropped serve in the third game of the match, Alcaraz showed no further sign of nerves in front of his home fans as he powered to a 79-minute triumph against the World No. 5 Tsitsipas.

Alcaraz now holds a 4-0 ATP Head2Head record against Tsitsipas, who was chasing his first Barcelona title on his third championship-match appearance. After defending his 2022 title, the 19-year-old Alcaraz is now 10-1 in Barcelona and has won his past 14 ATP Tour matches on Spanish soil.

More to follow…

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Gonzalez/Molteni Clinch Barcelona Crown

Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni continued their impressive season on Sunday when they captured their third tour-level title of the year as qualifiers at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.

In a tight clash, the Argentines recovered from squandering one championship point in the second to eventually defeat top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski 6-3, 6-7(8), 10-4.

Gonzalez and Molteni won 80 per cent (37/46) of their first-service points and raced clear in the Match Tie-break to earn their 20th tour-level win together in 2023 in one hour and 52 minutes.

[ATP APP]

Earlier this season, Gonzalez and Molteni clinched trophies on clay in Cordoba and Rio de Janeiro. With their victory, they have climbed four spots to fourth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Team Rankings.

Koolkhof and Skupski, who clinched seven titles as a team last year, were seeking their first crown this season.

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Rune Saves Four Championship Points, Rallies To Munich Title

Holger Rune produced one of the most remarkable comeback wins of the 2023 season so far on Sunday at the BMW Open by American Express, where the top seed battled physical issues and a daunting deficit to beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(3) in Munich.

Struggling with an upper right arm issue in the latter stages, Rune trailed 2-5, 40/15 on the Van de Zandschulp serve in the third set. Yet he forged an inspired turnaround on the Bavarian clay, ultimately saving four championship points and recovering from twisting his ankle in the 10th game of the decider to dominate the tie-break.

With his fourth tour-level title, Rune became the first player to successfully defend an ATP Tour title in 2023. The 19-year-old now holds a perfect 9-0 record at the clay-court ATP 250.

Rune prevailed in an intriguing first set after securing a decisive second break of Van de Zandschulp’s serve in the seventh game. The Dutchman became increasingly effective at handling Rune’s variety in the second set, however, as he frequently displayed high-class movement on the clay to counter his opponent’s drop shots.

Van de Zandschulp won seven games in a row from 1-1 in the second set to take command of the match, and looked set to ease to victory as the Dane began to struggle physically. Despite being forced to strike under-powered forehands, Rune kept himself in rallies as a tight Van de Zandschulp failed to serve out the match at 5-2, 5-4, and again at 6-5.

Confidence regained, Rune struck the ball cleanly in the tie-break to seal a famous victory in which he converted five of his 14 break points. With the win, the Dane rises three places to eighth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, the final qualification spot for November’s Nitto ATP Finals.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Lajovic Defeats Rublev, Wins Banja Luka Trophy

Dusan Lajovic capped a dream week at the Srpska Open on Sunday when he clinched his second tour-level title in Banja Luka. The Serbian overcame Andrey Rublev 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 32 minutes to snap the second seed’s eight-match winning streak.

Lajovic, who clawed past Miomir Kecmanovic in three sets in the semi-finals, came out firing in his first tour-level title match of the season. He struck the ball aggressively to pull Rublev around and held his nerve in the third set, serving out the match at the second time of asking to earn his eighth Top 10 win.

"Honestly it was probably the toughest match I have had in the past six months. I felt drained," Lajovic said. "From 5-1 in the third I could not feel my legs and felt a bit dizzy. I knew he was going to fight but somehow I managed to pull it out in the last game. I wasn't even thinking in the last game. I was just playing automatically and I tried to take the ball early on the forehand. I am thrilled and overwhelmed that I did it this week, that I won an ATP [Tour] title.

"The last time I was in a final was four years ago and I have been through a lot since then, lots of ups and downs. This was probably the most unexpected thing for me for this week. But on the other side I still believed in myself, even though I did not have the best last year. This victory means a lot."

The 32-year-old now leads Rublev 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series, having also beaten the 25-year-old en route to his maiden tour-level crown in Umag in 2019. He is up 30 spots to No. 40 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings following his impressive week at the clay-court ATP 250.

Lajovic upset World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals. With his victory against World No. 6 Andrey Rublev, the Serbian has defeated two Top 10 opponents at the same event for the first time in his career.

Rublev was aiming to win his second title of the season after clinching his maiden ATP Masters 1000 trophy in Monte-Carlo last week. The 25-year-old is currently sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

In an entertaining final, Lajovic played well under pressure, saving all three break points he faced in the first set to lead. After a dip at the start of the second set, the Serbian produced his best level in the third set, limiting errors from the baseline to earn his 14th win of the year on his third championship point.

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Erler/Miedler Reign In Munich

Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler captured their second tour-level title of the season together on Sunday when they overcome top seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz 6-3, 6-4 in the BMW Open by American Express final.

The Austrians were impressive throughout the 70-minute clash, closing the net sharply and holding their nerves in the key moments. They saved all three break points they faced to triumph in Munich.

“Munich is not that far from Austria, so it was great to play in front of the crowd with the great atmosphere,” Miedler said. “There were a lot of Austrians here as well. It was enjoyable to play here. I think we played amazing today, just too good.”

[ATP APP]

Erler and Miedler, who dropped just one set en route to the title, have now won four tour-level trophies since they first teamed in 2021. Earlier this year they won the crown in Acapulco, while their victory in Munich is their second on clay. Two years ago, the pair won their first title on the surface on home soil in Kitzbühel.

“It is our fourth title and we are really happy that we got it,” Erler said. “It was a really great week for us.”

Germans Krawietz and Puetz were aiming to win their first tour-level title as a team at the ATP 250 clay-court tournament. The 31-year-old Krawietz is a two-time champion in Munich, having triumphed in 2021 with Wesley Koolhof and in 2022 with Andreas Mies.

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‘A Part Of History’: Ferrer Leads Tributes For Barcelona’s 70th Anniversary

Carlos Alcaraz will step out onto Pista Rafa Nadal on Sunday hoping to secure a home victory at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. Even if Stefanos Tsitsipas denies the 19-year-old defending champion in the final, the event in Catalunya will continue to represent a much-loved entity within Spanish tennis.

“This event is important,” Alcaraz’s countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas told ATPTour.com this week as the clay-court ATP 500 celebrates its 70th anniversary. “It [used to be] the only one that we had in Spain. After we had Valencia also, and now Madrid, but I think because the tournament is in a club, it’s like Queen’s maybe. It’s a special tournament for everybody, for us and for all the fans that are coming.”

The World No. 58 Ramos-Vinolas is not alone in his view that the setting makes the tournament stand out. The Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899, nestled in the leafy neighbourhood of Pedralbes, has played an interweaving role in the journeys of many Spanish stars, past and present.

Former World No. 3 David Ferrer is one such example. He visited the event regularly as a child, reached the final four times as a player (falling to 12-time champion Rafael Nadal on each occasion), and is now the tournament director.

“[The event] is part of history,” Ferrer, who grew up down the coast from Barcelona in Valencia, told ATP Media. “It is a tournament that everyone wants to play here in Barcelona. The city is very important, the [club] is different to other tennis clubs. It is not easy in this era to have an ATP tournament in a tennis club.

“I think all professional players start playing in a tennis club, and you know to play a tournament in a tennis club is nice for all the pro tennis players.”

In the Open Era, the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell has been won by a home favourite 25 times. Like Ferrer, Alex Corretja never got his hands on the trophy, but the former World No. 2 nonetheless cherishes coming back each year to catch up with old friends.

“It’s different and special for us because we grew up here,” Corretja told ATP Media. “When you were a little kid, you came here to watch the professionals. Of course, everybody was dreaming to one day become a champion and be able to play in front of the crowd. I think that’s why when you grow up in a city that has a nice tournament, you always like to do very well there.

“Barcelona is such a great city [and] the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona is something special. It’s a members' club, a very traditional one. Everybody knows you here.”

With the 19-year-old Alcaraz set to lead Spanish hopes on the court for another generation, Ferrer intends to use the 70th anniversary celebrations as a springboard to ensure that the Barcelona tournament continues to inspire young talents and fans of all ages, from the local area and from afar.

“It’s amazing that this year is the 70th anniversary,” said Ferrer. “We are really happy with the people that work in the event, because this year we tried to improve a lot. Everyone has the chance to come here and watch the best players in the world.”

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Rune One Win From Successful Title Defence In Munich

The BMW Open by American Express in Munich is proving a magical tournament for Holger Rune.

The Danish star won his first tour-level title at the ATP 250 last year. On Sunday, the 19-year-old returned to the final. Rune saved all eight break points he faced to defeat Australian Christopher O’Connell 6-3, 6-2 in 79 minutes.

“It’s been a very good start to the clay season for me and to be able to continue here in Munich means a lot,” Rune said in his on-court interview. “I have very special memories from here, so super excited for tomorrow.”

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Rune has been dominant in his two appearances in Munich, where he now owns an 8-0 record. The teen has never lost a set at the event.

One week after reaching the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters final, Rune has maintained his momentum in Germany. Facing a tough opponent in O’Connell, who upset two-time Munich champion Alexander Zverev earlier in the week, Rune was in control.

Despite facing eight break points, the 19-year-old played solid tennis under pressure. Rune was opportunistic on return, converting three of his four break points to triumph after 79 minutes.

“I think today was a good match,” Rune said. “I had to be solid. Chris, he played a very good tournament beating some great players, so I’m very happy.”

Rune will face second seed Taylor Fritz or fourth seed Botic van de Zandschulp in the final. Last year in the championship match he played van de Zandschulp, who retired during the first set due to an aching chest.

“Either it’s going to be a part two of last year and if not it’s going to be Taylor,” Rune said. “[They are] both going to be tough matches. I have to get ready physically and prepare as best as possible.”

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Top Seeds Murray/Venus Claim Banja Luka Doubles Title

Jamie Murray and Michael Venus claimed their second ATP Tour title as a team with a 7-5, 6-2 win against Francisco Cabral and Aleksandr Nedovyesov in Saturday's Srpska Open final. The British-Kiwi pair, which has exclusively played together this season, did not face a break point in the title match behind an 82 per cent win rate on both first and second serve.

The reigning Dallas champions improved to 2-1 this year in finals (Adelaide-I) with the victory, having reached the title match after saving a match point against in the quarter-finals against Gonzalo Escobar and Diego Hidalgo. The trophy is Murray's 29th and Venus' 19th at tour-level.

"It's our second title together which is cool. It's only April," Murray said post-match. "There's a big swing coming up with a lot of ranking points on offer, a lot of big events. I think for us to come here and put together four really good matches is good news for us going forward. Hopefully we can keep that momentum going."

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Their four wins this week moved Murray/Venus up five spots to 10th place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, putting them within touching distance of the Nitto ATP Finals qualifying spots.

"I think [Turin] is our goal," Murray added. "I think that most of the teams' goal at the start of the year is to try to qualify for Turin. We've both been fortunate to play at that event in the past a few times. I think for the doubles guys it is a special event. It's one that everyone wants to be part of.

"We know if we want to do that we've got to win a lot of matches, and this makes a good start."

Discussing the ATP 250's new location in Banja Luka, Venus said he enjoyed the week both on and off the court: "We've had great time. I think everything to do with the tournament has been amazingly run and set up. We've been super comfortable and really enjoyed our time here."

Cabral and Nedovyesov were competing together for the first time this week and knocked off the third and second seeds in consecutive matches to reach the final. Cabral was seeking his third tour-level doubles title while Nedovyesov was bidding for his first.

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Djokovic Withdraws From Madrid

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic withdrew from the Mutua Madrid Open, the tournament announced Saturday on Twitter.

“@DjokerNole is unable to compete at the #MMOPEN,” the event tweeted. “Wishing you a speedy recovery, we hope to see you back on court as soon as possible, Nole.”

🇷🇸 @DjokerNole is unable to compete at the #MMOPEN

Wishing you a speedy recovery, we hope to see you back on court as soon as possible, Nole 😘 pic.twitter.com/M44rUvnrH1

— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) April 22, 2023

Djokovic is a three-time champion in Madrid, where he has earned a 30-9 record. Last year at the Caja Magic he reached the semi-finals, in which he fell in a final-set tie-break to Carlos Alcaraz.

The Serbian is 17-3 in 2023, including title runs in Adelaide and at the Australian Open, where he claimed his record-tying 22nd major crown. Djokovic this week competed in Banja Luka, where he lost in the semi-finals to countryman Dusan Lajovic.

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Rune Remains Unbeaten In Munich

Holger Rune continued his love affair with the BMW Open by American Express on Friday when he moved past Chilean Cristian Garin 6-2, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals in Munich.

The 19-year-old, currently at a career-high No. 7 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, lifted his maiden tour-level title at the ATP 250 event last year and moved to within two wins of matching that feat this week with a dominant display against Garin.

The Dane demonstrated his all-court game in front of the German fans. He hammered his groundstrokes, used the drop shot effectively and closed the net sharply to earn his 19th win of the season after one hour and 31 minutes.

“Today was tricky, especially in the second set,” Rune said. “There were some nerves as you might have seen, but it was good. I am very happy with the win. I have played a lot of matches, so the body is maybe not ideal. But I love this place and I love to play on this court in front of a nice crowd.”

Rune has made a strong start to his clay season, having reached his second ATP Masters 1000 final in Monte-Carlo last week. Rune, who leads Garin 3-0 in their ATP Head2Head series, is seeking his fourth tour-level trophy in Munich.

The second seed now holds a 7-0 record in Munich and will next meet Christopher O’Connell. The Australian upset Alexander Zverev earlier this week and backed that up by defeating #NextGenATP Italian Flavio Cobolli 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3 to advance to his second tour-level semi-final.

Earlier, Dominic Thiem advanced to his second quarter-final of the season when he clawed past eighth-seeded Swiss Marc-Andrea Huesler 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

After play was suspended midway through the second set on Thursday evening, Thiem returned on Friday and came out firing. The former World No. 3 broke Huesler three times across the second and third sets to advance after two hours and 38 minutes.

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Mochizuki’s Secret To Challenger Success: Studying Baseball Players Ohtani & Darvish

A rising teen on the ATP Challenger Tour, Shintaro Mochizuki has occasionally leaned on Japanese icon Kei Nishikori for advice. But Mochizuki’s quest for knowledge doesn’t just come from fellow tennis players.

The 19-year-old looks up to Japanese baseball stars, notably Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani and San Diego Padres’ Yu Darvish. Mochizuki researches their off-field routine and tries to implement pieces of it into his training plan.

“I watch a lot of baseball,” Mochizuki told ATPTour.com. “I watched the World Baseball Classic last month. I watched most of Japan's games, they have some great players. There are several Japanese players playing in the MLB, so I watch them a lot.

 

“Especially Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish, they're my favourite. I've never met them, but I think they're super strict with nutrition, fitness, everything they do is amazing. I think that's why they're playing at that level. I learn a lot of things from baseball players. Those guys always have a purpose to work, to practise, to go to the gym, to sleep, also their recovery is very important.

“Those are the things that I always want to know about what they do after a game, before a game, and their routine. I try to find them on the internet. If I get a chance, I want to meet them and I want to ask them a lot of questions.”

The last month has been one to remember for Mochizuki. Japan defeated the United States 3-2 to win the World Baseball Classic in Miami and Ohtani was named Most Valuable Player. Nearly three weeks later, #NextGenATP star Mochizuki earned his maiden Challenger title in Barletta, Italy.

Shintaro Mochizuki triumphs at the Barletta Challenger. Credit: Open Citta della Disfida.

Mochizuki became the third Japanese teenager to win a Challenger title, joining Nishikori (Bermuda 2008) and Yoshihito Nishioka (Shanghai 2014). Coached by former World No. 42 Davide Sanguinetti, the Kawasaki native dropped just one set all week at the Barletta Challenger to rise to a career-high No. 216 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

“I didn't expect it actually,” Mochizuki said. “My best Challenger result was three quarter-finals. It was a surprise to me, I know I could beat those guys but winning a tournament is different. You have to win five, six matches in a row, which is really difficult. I believed I could do it, but after I won, it was a surprise.”

A former junior No. 1, Mochizuki completed a dream run at Wimbledon in 2019, when he became the first Japanese male player in history to win a major boys’ singles title. His reaction to lifting the junior crown at the All England Club was something he considers a ‘pinch-me’ moment.

“Winning Wimbledon juniors was my first year playing Grand Slam juniors, I didn't know anything about the level,” Mochizuki said. “I didn't feel anything after I won it, it was a weird feeling. It was awkward like, 'Am I winning a junior Grand Slam?' I was already hoping to become a professional player but that made me feel even more like I want to be a great player.”

Among those to congratulate Mochizuki on his biggest career title was former World No. 4 Nishikori, whom he built a relationship with when they shared a training base at IMG Academy for several years.

“I got to know Kei when I moved to Florida at 12 or 13,” Mochizuki said. “He was already like Top 10 when I first met him. I didn't know anything about professional tennis, so I was like, 'Maybe I can beat this guy!' Now I feel like what he's achieved is incredible, it's super difficult.

“I don't want to say that I can't do it but being Top 5, Top 10 for so many years is unreal. I want to be like that. I want to do as good as he did in the past years. I don't know if it's going to happen but I'm going to do whatever I can, work super hard to become like those players.

“When I see Kei, he's always nice and talks to me. There's so many things that I don't know and he has experience, so when there's something I want to know, when I see him I always ask. He's always super nice to give me advice.”

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