Nick Kyrgios

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7 TOP 10 RANKED PLAYERS, 4 GRAND SLAM CHAMPIONS, 3 FORMER WORLD NO. 1’S, FOUR PAST D.C. TITLISTS & MANY FAN FAVORITES JOIN STAR-STUDDED @MUBADALACITIDC FIELD 

Posted by Admin on June 7, 2023
Posted in: ATP, Baltimore, Mubadala Citi DC Open, Washington, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Nick Kyrgios, 2019 Citi Open (Photo: Mike Renz)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The world’s top ATP and WTA players will compete at the new Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington D.C. July 29 – August 6 at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park. The Citi Open recently agreed to combine with the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic to create the Mubadala Citi DC Open, the fifth largest professional tennis event in the United States and the only combined ATP-WTA 500 level tennis tournament in the world. The new combined event is pending ATP Board approval.

The tournament’s powerful player field already includes 15 early commitments with four top 10 WTA players, three top 10 ATP players, four Grand Slam champions, three former World No. 1’s and four past D.C. champions signed on to compete in the nation’s capital this summer, as well as many fan favorites. 

Initial ATP player commitments include 2021 US Open champion and World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, 2019 and 2022 D.C. singles and doubles champion Nick Kyrgios, former World No. 1, three-time Grand Slam champion and two-time Gold Medalist Andy Murray, World No. 8 and 2022 Indian Wells champion Taylor Fritz, 2021 US Open semifinalist and World No. 10 Felix Auger-Aliassime, World No. 12 and Washington, D.C. native Frances Tiafoe, three-time Grand Slam semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov and 2016 D.C. champion Gael Monfils. 

Coco Gauff, 2019 Citi Open (TennisAtlantic.com)

The Washington, D.C. WTA field includes World No. 6 and 2019 D.C. doubles champion Coco Gauff, World No. 3 and 2019 D.C. singles and 2022 doubles champion Jessica Pegula, former World No. 1 and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, World No. 5 and 2022 WTA Finals champion Caroline Garcia, World No. 9 and 2022 San Jose champion Daria Kasatkina, 2017 US Open champion and 2015 D.C. champion Sloane Stephens and former World No. 3 and 2023 Roland Garros quarterfinalist Elina Svitolina. 

“We are thrilled to share our initial group of some of the most compelling men’s and women’s players in the world who will make up the incredibly exciting, deep player field we are building for the 2023 tournament,” said Mark Ein, Mubadala Citi DC Open Chairman. “With seven current top 10 players, three former number ones and so many fan favorites, Washington has become one of the most anticipated stops on both tours for players and one of the biggest events of the summer in DC. Ticket sales are at a record pace and we expect a third straight summer of a completely sold-out event.”

Mubadala Citi DC Open ATP player field additions current highlights:

  • Daniil Medvedev, World No. 2: 2021 US Open champion and former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev reached the D.C. final in 2019. His 2023 season includes five titles – in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai, Miami and Rome – and a finals appearance in Indian Wells. The 27-year-old holds 20 ATP career titles. 
  • Taylor Fritz, World No. 8: Taylor Fritz has eight quarterfinal or better finishes in 2023. He won the title in Delray Beach, reached the semifinals in Dallas, Acapulco, Monte Carlo, Munich and Geneva and the quarterfinals in Miami and Indian Wells. He also won the inaugural United Cup with Team USA in January. His 2022 season featured three titles, including his first ATP Masters 1000 in Indian Wells.
  • Felix Auger-Aliassime, World No. 10: Felix Auger-Aliassime captured four titles in 2022 – in Rotterdam, Florence, Antwerp and Basel, to conclude a breakthrough season with victories over World No. 1 Carols Alcaraz and former No. 1’s Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal. He also reached the quarterfinals in the Australian Open and five ATP Masters 1000 events. The 20-year-old Canadian was a 2023 quarterfinalist in Rotterdam, Indian Wells and Lyon and a semifinalist in Doha. He became the first Canadian man to reach the US Open semifinals in 2021.
  • Frances Tiafoe, World No. 12: Frances Tiafoe, a Washington, D.C. native, is having a strong start this season. He reached the quarterfinals in Dallas and Acapulco, semifinals in Indian Wells and captured his second career title in Houston. He also went undefeated at this year’s United Cup to help clinch the championship for Team USA. In 2018 he won his first title at age 20 in Delray Beach, becoming the second youngest American ATP champion since Andy Roddick. He ended his 2022 season on a high note with quarterfinal appearances in Washington, D.C. and the Rolex Paris Masters, a semifinals run at the US Open and finals appearance in Tokyo.
  • Nick Kyrgios, World No. 26: Nick Kyrgios produced strong results in his 2022 season, capturing the Australian Open doubles title, reaching his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon and winning the singles and doubles titles in D.C. He also reached the US Open, Montreal and Indian Wells quarterfinals and the semifinals in Stuttgart and Houston. The 28-year-old Australian has been sidelined in 2023 with a knee injury but will defend his titles in Washington, D.C. this summer.
  • Grigor Dimitrov, World No. 29: Grigor Dimitrov holds eight career titles and is a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist, including the 2019 US Open. The Bulgarian reached the quarterfinals in Marseille, semifinals in Rotterdam and finals in Geneva this season, as well as the fourth round of Roland Garros. In 2022, he made a semifinals run at Monte Carlo and quarterfinals appearance in Indian Wells.
  • Andy Murray, World No. 43: Andy Murray holds 46 career titles, including the 2012 US Open and 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon titles. He was the first tennis player to win two Olympic gold medals (in London and Rio) and is the first British World No. 1. He reached his 71st ATP final this season in Doha. He was a Washington, D.C. finalist in 2006 and a quarterfinalist in 2018.
  • Gael Monfils, Wild Card: Gael Monfils has accepted a main draw wild card for the 2023 Mubadala Citi DC Open. The Frenchman recently returned to tennis after suffering a heel injury in 2022. He holds 11 ATP singles titles and has been ranked as high as World No. 6. His 2022 season included a title in Adelaide and a quarterfinal appearance at the Australian Open. He captured the Washington, D.C. title in 2016 and was a finalist in 2011. 

Mubadala Citi DC Open WTA player field additions current highlights:

  • Jessica Pegula, World No. 3: The highest-ranked American tennis player, Jessica Pegula has two career WTA singles titles, winning in Guadalajara (WTA 1000) in 2022 and her first singles title in Washington, D.C. in 2019. She also owns seven career doubles titles, including the 2022 D.C. title. In 2022, she reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, Roland Garros and the US Open. This season, Pegula has made the finals in Doha, reached the semifinals in Dubai, Miami and Charleston and competed in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and in Madrid. Additionally, Pegula participated on the winning U.S. team in this year’s United Cup. 
  • Caroline Garcia, World No. 5: Caroline Garcia’s resurgent 2022 season saw her break back into the top 10 and capture four singles titles, including the Cincinnati title and the season-ending WTA Finals. She also won the Roland Garros doubles title and was a US Open semifinalist. In 2023, she has reached the quarterfinals in Adelaide, Doha and Stuttgart, and the finals in Stuttgart and Lyon.
  • Coco Gauff, World No. 6: Nineteen-year-old Coco Gauff holds three WTA singles titles and is the youngest player ranked within the WTA’s top 40. Her 2023 season includes a title in Auckland, a semifinal appearance in Dubai and quarterfinal competition in Indian Wells and Doha. She is currently competing in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. In 2022, the American had nine quarterfinal or better finishes, including a finals run at Roland Garros and a quarterfinals berth at the US Open. She has also captured eight doubles titles, winning in Washington, D.C. in 2019.

Pegula and Gauff are the only WTA players currently ranked in the top 10 in both singles and doubles. As partners, they reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in January, captured titles in Miami and Doha and reached the finals in Rome and Madrid. In 2022, they reached the finals of Roland Garros and are paired up again in Paris this year where they are currently in the semifinals. 

  • Daria Kasatkina, World No. 9: Daria Kasatkina is a six-time WTA singles champion. She won the title in San Jose last year (now the Mubadala Citi DC Open) and Granby, and reached the semifinals in Roland Garros, Rome, Sydney and Melbourne (Summer Set 2). In 2023, she made the finals in Adelaide, semifinals in Charleston and quarterfinals in Abu Dhabi. This will be her first time competing in the Washington, D.C. field.
  • Victoria Azarenka, World No. 18: Two-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka has 21 career WTA singles titles, including the 2012 and 2013 Australian Opens. Additionally, she is a two-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champion and a mixed doubles Olympic Gold medalist. She has made 18 Grand Slam quarterfinal or better appearances, including a semifinals run at the2023 Australian Open  and three US Open finals.
  • Sloane Stephens, World No. 30: American Sloane Stephens holds seven career titles, including the 2017 US Open and the 2015 D.C. title, her first WTA win. She was a finalist at Roland Garros in 2018 and a quarterfinalist  in 2022 and 2019. Her 2023 season includes quarterfinal appearances in Austin and Mérida and a semifinal run in Rabat. She recently fell in the fourth round of Roland Garros, which she’s successfully reached eight times in her career. 
  • Elina Svitolina (WC): Former World No. 3 Elina Svitolina has accepted a main draw wild card into the Mubadala Citi DC Open. The 2023 tournament will be her first time competing in the Washington, D.C. field. The Ukrainian and new mom returned to tennis in April after a year hiatus. She holds 17 WTA titles, including a  win in Strasbourg last month. She recently reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. In 2019, she appeared in the Wimbledon and US Open semifinals. 

The Mubadala Citi DC Open will announce additional players and fan experience highlights in the coming weeks.

In April 2019, MDE Sports, owned and led by Washington-based venture capitalist, entrepreneur and civic leader Ein, acquired the management rights of the Mubadala Citi DC Open tournament from the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF), a non-profit which provides free tennis and educational programs for children in underserved communities. This acquisition secured the Mubadala Citi DC Open’s future in the U.S. and specifically in Washington.

For more than 50 years, the Mubadala Citi DC Open has hosted top tennis talent in Rock Creek Park. The tournament was founded to support Arthur Ashe’s vision of playing a professional tennis tournament in a fully accessible public park. The Mubadala Citi DC Open has continued to build and expand the event, with the goal of positively impacting the Washington community and creating one of the best events in the world. The WTEF, a longtime beneficiary of the Mubadala Citi DC Open, capitalizes on the tournament annually for fundraising and has raised millions for youth programs in the Washington area.

The 2022 tournament featured historic attendance records and sold out sessions throughout the week. Full tournament packages are on sale now and can be purchased via mubadalacitidcopen.com or by calling (202) 721-9500. To learn more about the tournament, ticket options, player fields, event policies and more, visit mubadalacitidcopen.com. 

About Mubadala Citi DC Open: The Mubadala Citi DC Open tournament, played in Washington D.C., is one of the world’s premier tennis events and benefits the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF). The tournament was founded in 1969 by Donald Dell, John Harris and Arthur Ashe in its current location in Rock Creek Park with a vision of making pro tennis accessible for all athletes and fans in the Washington community. Beginning in 2019, venture capitalist, entrepreneur, and DC native Mark Ein’s organization, MDE Tennis, began managing and operating the tournament under an agreement with WTEF. The organization provides underserved children in the D.C. area with a safe environment to learn critical life skills both on and off the courts through academic and athletic enrichment. The Mubadala Citi DC Open tennis tournament is the only combined ATP and WTA 500 level event in the world on the tour calendar and one of only five combined ATP/WTA tour events in the United States.  After 53 years, it is also the longest-running professional tennis event at the same site in the United States. 

—A. Alpino

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Finalists Reaching for Greatness at Sunday @CitiOpen Finale

Posted by Admin on August 7, 2022
Posted in: ATP, Citi Open, Washington, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Finalists Reaching for Greatness at Sunday Citi Open Finale

Steve Fogleman in Washington

Three finals are on tap at Citi Open in Washington today after somewhat surprising Saturday action brought us to this conclusion. Wild card Nick Kyrgios advanced to today’s final with a 7-6(4), 6-3 takedown of Mikael Ymer of Sweden.

He’s had a good run in Washington but didn’t want to get ahead of himself contemplating a title or two as he and partner Jack Sock advanced to the doubles final.

“Regardless of how tomorrow goes in both finals, I think it’s a hell of an achievement,” he said. “In one week I think to make both finals is pretty special. You know, I’m super excited. It’s been a minute since I have played in a final, Wimbledon final, so, you know, I’m gonna just try and turn it around and get a win tomorrow. I’m just super proud of the work I have put in.”

The Curious Case of Yoshihito Nishioka continues in Washington with consistent deft play. On Saturday night, he came out fast while Rublev was rusty in the first set. The second set saw Rublev give up four breaks of serve to Nishioka and #96 moved on over world #8 Rublev, 6-3, 6-4.

Kaia Kanepi raced out to a 3-0 lead within eight minutes of “Ready, Play!” and she dominated Daria Saville in the first women’s semifinal yesterday, 6-3, 6-1 in 1:13. Saville needed a medical timeout late in the first set and never had a chance to establish any rhythm in the match as Kanepi overpowered her and dominated the pace,

I would expect Kanepi to attempt a similar start today against Liudmila Samsonova. Both of the women’s semifinals were disappointingly uncompetitive yesterday. Samsonova’s semifinal victory was a 6-1, 6-1 exhibition against an out-of-sorts lucky loser Xiyu Wang in 1:07. Wang was the only women’s semifinalist who had not yet played a match on Stadium court and it showed. Still, it was a very good week for Wang, and for Daria Saville as well.

Here’s to today’s Citi Open champions and I’ll see you in Cincinnati.

Survival of the Fittest at @CitiOpen as Semifinals Set

Posted by Admin on August 6, 2022
Posted in: ATP, Citi Open, Washington, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Survival of the Fittest at Citi Open as Semifinals Set

Steve Fogleman in Washington

It’s been a tortuous few days for players and fans as scorching heat and torrential downpours hit the venue in Rock Creek Park, but the survivors have emerged from the wreckage and they are ready to collect their hardware. On Friday, some of these athletes played twice to book their ticket to the weekend action. Victoria Azarenka opened the day with straight sets win over Tereza Martincova, 7-6(7), 6-2 but that win came at a high price: 2 hours and 10 minutes on court. Hours later, she struggled throughout against the rested lucky loser Xiyu Wang as Azarenka fell 6-1, 6-3.

NO PIC NICK: KYRGIOS HURRIES OFF COURT AFTER FIRST FRIDAY WIN

Nick Kyrgios started the day up a set over Reilly Opelka and got out of the match after a solo set on court Friday afternoon, 7-6(1), By contrast, Frances Tiafoe walked on court yesterday down a set before pulling off the comeback win against Botic Va de Zandschulp, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. That extra effort for the win may have been the difference as Kyrgios prevailed in the evening quarterfinal match in three sets, 6-7(5), 7-6(12), 6-2.

Andrey Rublev played his cards right on Friday by spending only 1:42 on court in a straight sets win over Maxime Cressy, 6-4, 7-6(8) and was more than ready for wild card J.J. Wolf, who needed 2:36 to beat Holger Rune, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 earlier in the the day. The result? Rublev cruised to the semifinals with a convincing 6-2, 6-3 drubbing of the Buckeye.

Kaia Kanepi and Daria Saville only had to play one match yesterday and it showed. Saville made mincemeat out of qualifier Rebecca Marino’s game, 6-1, 7-5. The second set was closer as the rain delay required Saville to re-adjust her game. Kanepi’s opponent, Anna Kalinskaya, seemed to wither in the hot conditions and it felt like Kanepi grew stronger with each passing game as the Estonian advanced to the quarterfinals, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-3. Saville and Kanepi face off this afternoon and the winner will be the odds-on favorite to lift the trophy tomorrow.

Wild Card Awarded to @NickKyrgios for @CincyTennis Main Draw

Posted by Admin on July 25, 2022
Posted in: ATP, Cincinnati, Western & Southern Open. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment
Nick Kyrgios, 2019 Citi Open (Photo: Mike Renz)
CINCINNATI (July 25, 2022) – Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios has been awarded a wild card into the 2022 Western & Southern Open, where he was runner-up in 2017. It will mark Kyrgios’ sixth appearance in Cincinnati and first since 2019. The Wimbledon final earlier this month marked Kyrgios’ first Grand Slam major singles final. He has four wins over top 10 players this year and has reached three semifinals on the ATP Tour. In 2017, the unseeded Kyrgios defeated top seed Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals enroute to the Western & Southern Open final, where he fell to seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov.

Kyrgios, an Australian, won his first Grand Slam major title in January when he won the Australian Open doubles with countryman Thanasi Kokkinakis. He owns six career singles titles and holds the distinction as one of two players to win his first meetings with Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Wild cards give players a chance to play an event they otherwise wouldn’t qualify to enter based on ranking. At No. 45 in last week’s ranking, Kyrgios fell just outside the cutoff for the Western & Southern Open.

Together with the WTA 1000 women’s tournament, the player fields feature the world’s top-ranked 41 men and 39 women, 11 past champions and 19 Grand Slam major winners including Serena Williams and 2021 U.S. Open champions Daniil Medvedev and Emma Raducanu.

The tournament’s first serve will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13 for the qualifying rounds. The men’s and women’s singles finals will be played on Sunday, Aug. 21. The schedule is available here.

Locals Play @CitiOpen Tuesday, Nakashima Turns 20, @NickKyrgios Needs Points

Posted by Admin on August 3, 2021
Posted in: ATP, Citi Open, Washington. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment
Nick Kyrgios, 2019 Citi Open (Photo: Mike Renz)

Locals Play Citi Open Tuesday, Nakashima Turns 20, Kyrgios Needs Points

  • Nick Kyrgios begins his Citi Open title defense against Mackenzie McDonald. Kyrgios needs three wins this week to reach his first ATP Tour quarter-final since the 2019 Citi Open, where he saved a match point against Stefanos Tsitsipas and defeated Daniil Medvedev in two tiebreaks for the title.
  • On Monday, Kyrgios dropped 250 of his 500 points from the 2019 Citi Open and fell to No. 77 – his lowest spot in the FedEx ATP Rankings since he reached the 2014 Wimbledon quarter-finals as a 144th-ranked wild card.
  • Frances Tiafoe, who learned how to play tennis eight miles from the Citi Open, returns to his home event on Tuesday for a second-round match against countryman Jenson Brooksby. Tiafoe, who trained in nearby College Park, Maryland, won a round in singles and doubles for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics last week. 
  • Tiafoe isn’t the only local who will play in front of friends and family on Stadium Court. Denis Kudla, who also trained at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, faces Feliciano Lopez in the first round. Kudla fell to Tiafoe in the Nottingham Challenger final on 13 June after teaming with him twice at the Citi Open.
Denis Kudla, 2019 US Open (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)
  • In another opening-round match, Brandon Nakashima celebrates his 20th birthday against Alexei Popyrin. Nakashima is coming off back-to-back ATP 250 finals at Los Cabos and Atlanta. He became the youngest American to advance to multiple finals since Andy Roddick went 5-2 in finals as a teenager from 2001-02.
  • Nakashima is joined on Grandstand Court by Cameron Norrie, who defeated him in the Los Cabos final on 24 July. Norrie, who meets Marcos Giron in the second round, is tied with Andrey Rublev for third on tour with 36 victories in 2021. Only Tsitsipas (42) and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic (38) have more wins this season. —-ATP

The Kids Are Alright: @Coco Gauff Advances to @CitiOpen Main Draw on Kid’s Day

Posted by Admin on July 28, 2019
Posted in: ATP, Citi Open, Washington, WTA. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

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The Kids Are Alright: @Coco Gauff Advances to @CitiOpen Main Draw on Kid’s Day
Steve Fogleman in Washington

It was unbelievably fitting that the first Sunday of the Citi Open would be Kid’s Day, because 15-year-old Coco Gauff delivered for the under 21 crowd in a big way.

Nick Kyrgios, 2019 Citi Open (Mike Renz for Tennis Atlantic)

Nick Kyrgios, 2019 Citi Open (Mike Renz for Tennis Atlantic)

Earlier, D.C.-area students gathered to hit with the likes of Genie Bouchard, Nick Kyrgios, Sonia Kenin, local legend Frances Tiafoe and yes, Coco Gauff. I understand that Kyrgios was on his best behavior today and I had been a little worried. I remembered the last time I saw him around kids at last year’s US Open, when a young fan asked for an autograph. He sheepishly said, “I’ll give you an autograph for 20 quid.” The kid predictably replied, “What’s a quid?”

Nick Kyrgios, 2019 Citi Open (Mike Renz for Tennis Atlantic)

Nick Kyrgios, 2019 Citi Open (Mike Renz for Tennis Atlantic)

19-year-old Destanee Aiava came close to booking her way into the main draw alongside Gauff but came up short to Sachia Vickery in three sets. After failing to qualify in Atlanta, Donald Young’s month has a nice finish to it as he made another Citi Open main draw. Young, a 2014 Citi Open semifinalist, also needed to mount a comeback to get the job done after dropping the first set 6-2 to Gojowczyk.

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Denmark’s Mikael Torpegaard had to survive a 3-setter in the heat yesterday while Ilya Ivashka (and three other players) received a bye and a day off. After taking the first set from Torpegaard, he started to fade, and as is so common in these situations, Torpegaard’s more extensive recent knowledge of the court was likely a key.

Former UVA NCAA All-American Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, jumped out to take the first set against Vik Troicki and after two hours, was able to upset the Serbian in three to advance to the main draw. Anna Kalinskaya won a tight first set before cruising to a straight sets victory over Fanny Stollar.

Anna Kalinskaya, 2019 Citi Open (Mike Renz for Tennis Atlantic)
And finally, the main event. It shouldn’t surprise that you Cori Gauff qualified with a 6-1, 6-2 clinic over Hiroko Kuwata in an hour and four minutes today. She beat the world #338 yesterday and the #265 today. These are the kind of ranked matches that you could see going down at an ITF event like Charlottesville. Playing on Citi Open stadium court is almost the exact halfway point, size-wise, between Wimbledon and the Charlottesville ITF and it’s clear Gauff is comfortable playing anywhere. D.C. is lucky to keep her around for at least one more match, and the biggest parlor game going on right now is where will she land in the draw. I don’t know a single player who’d love to draw her.

Busy Month on ATP Tour Sees Federer Claim Title #100, Monfils Return to Form

Posted by Admin on March 4, 2019
Posted in: Acapulco, ATP, Australian Open, buenos aires, Cordoba, Delray Beach, Dubai, Marseille, Montpellier, New York, New York Open, Rio, Rotterdam, Sao Paolo, Sofia, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Busy Month on ATP Tour Sees Federer Claim Title #100, Monfils Return to Form
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

After Novak Djokovic claimed the Australian Open title, the ATP season roared into February with multiple 500 level events and a number of 250s on clay and hard courts across the globe. Here is your look at all the action for the month that was.

ATP Montpellier

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Veteran Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won an all French final in this indoor 250 6-4 6-2 against Pierre-Hugues Herbert. The veteran beat Gilles Simon, Jeremy Chardy and Radu Albot in consecutive matches to reach the final, overall he defeated four French players to win the tournament. PHH upset Denis Shapovalov and Tomas Berdych to reach the final.

ATP Sofia

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Bulgaria’s only ATP event was won by the in-form Daniil Medvedev 6-4 6-3 against Marton Fucsovics. Fucsovics had a breakthrough after upsetting Andreas Sepi and getting a walkover against Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarters (then edging Matteo Berrettini in the semis). Medvedev got past Gael Monfils in the semis and prior to that he scored wins against Robin Haase and Martin Klizan in consecutive matches. Medvedev’s win helped him reach the top 15, he’s now 1-1 in ATP finals this year.

ATP Cordoba

On clay in Argentina home hero and wild card Juan Ignacio Londero won his first ever ATP title prevailing against Guido Pella 3-6 7-5 6-1 in a huge moment for him. Londero’s breakthrough pushed him to a new career high in the top 70 and he beat clay courters Nicolas Jarry and Federico Delbonis most notably to make the final. Pella had a good month edging Paolo Lorenzi, Diego Schwartzman, Albert Ramos, and Pablo Cuevas to reach the final in what was a tough path for a 250.

ATP New York

The first ATP 250 in the States this year saw Reilly Opelka lift his first title in three sets 6-1 6-7 7-6 against maiden finalist Brayden Schnur, a Canadian. Opelka also upset top American John Isner, while Schnur edged Sam Querrey in the semis. Opelka’s powerful serve was a difference maker and he should be a factor in Indian Wells and Miami coming up.

ATP Buenos Aires

The 250 on clay in Buenos Aires resulted in Marco Cecchinato’s third career ATP title 6-1 6-2 against home player Diego Schwartzman. Schwartzman upset Dominic Thiem and also beat Aljaz Bedene and Albert Ramos to reach the final. Cecchinato beat Christian Garin, Roberto Carballes Baena, and Guido Pella to reach the final, three accomplished clay courters. This was a great result for Cecchinato outside of Europe.

ATP Rotterdam

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Gael Monfils returned to form winning his 8th career title 6-3 1-6 6-2 against fellow veteran Stan Wawrinka. It was a thrilling moment played in good spirits and filled with joy for both players who have overcome injuries and adversity to return to the top of the game. Monfils 500 level title included wins against Daniil Medvedev, and David Goffin. Wawrinka upset Milos Raonic, Denis Shapovalov, and Kei Nishikori before falling short in the final. Both players would love to contend at the slam level again.

ATP Rio

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The Rio 500 on clay was the top event on the Golden Swing and Serbia’s Laslo Djere claimed his first title 6-3 7-5 against young gun Felix Auger-Aliassime. FAA played well but Djere was the player of the week, as he upset Dominic Thiem and also claimed wins against clay courters Casper Ruud and Aljaz Bedene to reach the final. FAA defeated Fabio Fognini, Christian Garin, Jaume Munar, and Pablo Cuevas to reach the final, showing his all court talent that is set to make him a top 20 player in the near future. Djere broke into the top 40 with the win, the tournament was filled with upsets.

ATP Marseille

Young gun Stefanos Tsitsipas found form and got past Mikhail Kukushkin 7-5 7-6 in the final after defeating David Goffin, and Sergiy Stakhovsky in the late rounds to reach the final. Kukushkin upset Denis Shapovalov and Andrey Rublev before getting a winnable semi against Ugo Humbert. This indoor hard court 250 saw some early round upsets but in the end the #1 seed Tsitsipas won his second career title.

ATP Delray Beach

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Radu Albot made history, winning his first career title and breaking into the top 60 with a 3-6 6-3 7-6 win against Dan Evans in a battle of journeymen in the Delray 250 hard court final. Evans edged John Isner in the semis and upset Frances Tiafoe in round 1 while Albot got past big servers Ivo Karlovic and Nick Kyrgios before nipping Americans Steve Johnson and McKenzie McDonald to reach the final.

ATP Dubai

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Roger Federer won his 100th career title at the Dubai 500 6-4 6-4 on hard courts against the in-form Stefanos Tsitsipas. Federer found form late in the tournament after dropping sets against Philipp Kohlschreiber and Fernando Verdasco in the first two matches. Marton Fucsovics and Borna Coric were his quarterfinal and semifinal opposition, while Tsitsipas had a relatively easy path until Gael Monfils was his semifinal opponent and he prevailed in that match in a third set tiebreak. The young Greek played well but Federer was just too good.

ATP Acapulco

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The Acapulco 500 was won by the struggling big server Nick Kyrgios 6-3 6-4, as he defeated Alexander Zverev in a battle of talented finalists. Kyrgios was focused on the week, edging John Isner in the semis, Rafael Nadal in the second round, and Stan Wawrinka in the quarters while Zverev had a smooth path that included Alex De Minaur in the quarters and Cam Norrie in the semis. Kyrgios has always had the talent to be an elite player, if he can keep this form he will contend in both upcoming Masters tournaments, but that can’t be predicted.

ATP Sao Paulo

Argentina’s Guido Pella won his first ATP title, winning the 250 on clay to close the Golden Swing 7-5 6-3 against Christian Garin. Pella edged Laslo Djere in the semis, while Garin upset Ruud. Pella didn’t have the toughest draw (Roberto Carballes Baena and Marco Trungelliti) but it was still a massive accomplishment to win his first title.

Japanese Favorites Kei Nishikori, Taro Daniel, and Yoshihito Nishioka Target 2018 ATP Tokyo Title

Posted by Admin on September 30, 2018
Posted in: ATP, Steen Kirby, Tokyo. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Japanese Favorites Kei Nishikori, Taro Daniel, and Yoshihito Nishioka Target 2018 ATP Tokyo Title
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

Both home and international talent feature at the ATP 500 Japan Open in Tokyo. Here is your look at all the upcoming action from Japan’s only ATP World Tour tournament.

Top Half:

Marin Cilic had a strong hard court summer, but he’ll get a tough start to the Asian swing as his section begins with J.L. Struff, and is then set to feature Jeremy Chardy/Damir Dzumhur in round 2, and a tough quarterfinal opponent, between Stan Wawrinka/Taylor Fritz or Denis Shapovalov/Hyeon Chung. Wawrinka has come back into form and I’ll back him against Fritz, a semifinalist in China last week, and Shapovalov/Chung, with Cilic still favored to advance from his section.

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Milos Raonic will be favored in section 2, the big serving Canadian faces a struggling Adrian Mannarino first, with either Robin Haase or qualifier Yosuke Watanuki up in round 2. I’ll back qualifiers Daniil Medvedev and Martin Klizan to win their first round matches, with Klizan, a finalist in St. Petersburg, defeating Steve Johnson, and Medvedev edging #4 seed Diego Schwartzman. Raonic over Medvedev is my pick for the section.

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Bottom Half:

Kevin Anderson will be favored in his first two matches against Matt Ebden and Frances Tiafoe/Max Marterer. Ebden has played well enough to suggest he has a shot against Anderson but he’s still the underdog. Nick Kyrgios should be favored against Shenzhen champ and home favorite Yoshihito Nishioka, and I’ll give him the edge, if focused and fit, against Richard Gasquet. Gasquet opens with Denis Kudla and he’s not in great form, Anderson over Kyrgios is my quarterfinal pick.

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Kei Nishikori‘s section has him starting out against countryman Yuichi Sugita, he should win that and also defeat Benoit Paire/Nicolas Jarry in round 2. Metz champ Gilles Simon has a tough match with Alex De Minaur, a semifinalist last week, first up. Simon should win that and also upset Stefanos Tsitsipas (or Taro Daniel), as his form is better than the young Greek. Nishikori over fellow veteran Simon should be the outcome of section 3.

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Predictions

Semis
Cilic d. Raonic
Nisihkori d. Anderson

I’ll back Kei at home against a host of bigger hitters, while Cilic or Raonic should be equally favored to emerge from the top half. This is a tough tournament to predict but Nishikori has the most at stake and should fight the hardest to win.

Final
Nishikori d. Cilic

John Isner Reaches 9th Straight @BBTAtlantaOpen Semifinal

Posted by Admin on July 28, 2018
Posted in: Atlanta, ATP, BB&T Atlanta Open, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

John Isner Reaches 9th Straight ATP Atlanta Semifinal
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

John Isner reached his 9th straight BB&T Atlanta Open semifinal, extending his streak of having never lost before the semifinals since the Atlanta Open began in 2010. Isner got past Mischa Zverev in the quarterfinals 7-5 4-6 6-1 in an hour and a half. The American #1 fired 21 aces and won all but two of his first serve points against the German veteran.

The opening set was a relatively swift one, Isner made a late push to break in the final game of the set, generating three break point chances and finally securing the set. Set 2 saw Zverev take advantage of his one and only opening in the match as he broke Isner for a 3-2 lead and was rock solid on serve to force a third set. Things went off the rails for Zverev though from there, Isner broke open a 5-0 lead and closed out the third set losing just three points on serve.

Isner is now slated to face Australia’s Matt Ebden in the semifinals. In the one routine match of the day Ebden took advantage of a discombobulated Marcos Baghdatis to ease into the semis 6-3 6-2. Baghdatis played a poor match similar to the ones that has characterized his late career decline.  He won just 38% of his second serve points and generated just one break point chance that Ebden saved in the contest. Ebden broke for 2-0, and snuffed out a break point chance in the final game of the first set to take it 6-3. Baghdatis again surrendered an immediate break in the second set and under constant pressure from the clean hitting Ebden he was broken once more to allow Ebden an easy win.

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Ryan Harrison and Cam Norrie face off in the other semifinal. Norrie upset Nick Kyrgios as Kyrgios retired to a chorus of boos down 7-5 3-0 in nearly an hour. Kyrgios struggled throughout the match and played surprisingly passively throughout the contest, eventually giving up as he loomed doomed to defeat against the fast rising Norrie. Norrie was steady on serving erasing the three break point chances he faced as things slipped away from Kyrgios after he failed to break in a pair of games where he had an opportunity in the opening set. After being broken twice in the match (first at 5-6 and second at 0-1) he shook hands with the umpire and walked off the court.

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Ryan Harrison didn’t have it so easy against next gen star Hyeon Chung. Harrison dropped the first set 7-6 and had to comeback for a 6-7 6-2 7-6 victory in a match that was decided by the slightest of margins. Harrison kept hope alive of defending his finalist points from last year after a two and a half hour war where his superior serve made all the difference. Harrison wasn’t broken in the match, saving 5 chances that Chung generated, and he won 83% of his first sere points.

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Despite failing to break Harrison in the opening set Chung played a better tiebreak to get off to the best start. However Harrison instantly got himself back into the contest breaking Chung in the first game of set 2 and then taking another break to finish things 6-2. In the third set it looked like Chung would take the advantage as he had three break points in the 6th game, but Harrison won that long game and then almost broke Chung in the next one. Both players would serve their way into a tiebreak where minibreaks were the order of the day. Harrison took a 6-4 lead in the breaker and finally put things away 7-5 as Chung gave up the deciding point on his serve.

In doubles Arneodo/Chardy and Harrison/Ram advanced in straight sets as Bambridge/O’Mara and Bryan/Tiafoe went down in defeat.

Saturday features Isner vs. Ebden first up with Harrison vs. Norrie to follow. The doubles semifinals are Arneodo/Chardy vs Monroe/Smith and Raja/Skupski taking on Harrison/Ram. Isner and Harrison met in the final last year, while Ebden and Norrie are seeking the first ATP titles of their career. Ebden has one previous final on his resume, while Norrie has none.

Cam Norrie and Marcos Baghdatis Spring Upsets @BBTAtlantaOpen

Posted by Admin on July 26, 2018
Posted in: Atlanta, ATP, BB&T Atlanta Open, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Cam Norrie and Marcos Baghdatis Spring Upsets at BB&T Atlanta Open
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

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Four singles matches were completed on Thursday at the BB&T Atlanta Open as the quarterfinals were set for 2018. Cam Norrie sprung the upset of the day as the ATP #73 came back from a set down to upset the ATP #43 Jeremy Chardy 5-7 6-4 6-4 in a closely fought battle. Norrie was stronger on a serve in a match that featured few breaks. Chardy erased two break point chances early in the first then broke late to take a one set lead. Norrie finally broke Chardy in the second set then squared things up with a steady performance. In the third Chardy was broken right away and was unable to recover as the fast rising Brit showed the improvements in his game over the last few months.

Marcos Baghdatis has once again posted a good run of results in Atlanta. By a score of 7-5 6-1 Baghdatis crushed young gun American Frances Tiafoe who served up 9 double faults and had an awful serving day. Tiafoe got an early break in the first but things quickly unraveled for the young American. Baghdatis generated 13 break point chances and broke 5 times in the match.

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Australians Matt Ebden and Nick Kyrgios also reached the quarterfinals. Ebden was reliable under hot, fast conditions in the noon match as he defeated local favorite Donald Young 6-4 6-4. Ebden won all but 5 of his first serve points as he got late a break in the second set to close the match out and avoid having to spend more time on court than he had to.

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Kyrgios needed less than an hour to aggressively dismantle Noah Rubin 7-5 6-2. NK fired 15 aces and won over 80% of his points on serve as Rubin started well but quickly unraveled after surrendering a break in the last game of the first set. Kyrgios moved around the court with ease and was able to hit from attacking positions for most of the match.

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Raja/Skupski defeated Norrie and Taylor Fritz in the lone doubles match on the day.

The men’s quarterfinals in singles feature Ebden vs. Baghdatis, John Isner vs. Mischa Zverev, Norrie vs. Kyrgios, and Ryan Harrison vs. Hyeon Chung all taking place tomorrow.

The remaining doubles quarterfinals are Bryan/Tiafoe vs. Harrison/Ram and Arneodo/Chardy vs. Bambridge/O’Mara. Monroe/Smith and Raja/Skupski have already reached the semifinals.