Carlos Alcaraz Placed in Red Group for This Year’s ATP Finals

Posted on November 9, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz will be seeing red…

The 20-year-old Spanish professional tennis player has been placed in the Red Group for the ATP Tour’s year-end ATP Finals tournament. The draw for the season-ending, eight-man finals was made Thursday.

Coming in as the second seed, Alcaraz will face Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev in the round-robin stage.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic has been placed in a group with home favorite Jannik Sinner for the ATP Finals in Turin, where he needs to win just one match to end the year as world No. 1.

Djokovic will also face Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune in the Green Group for the round-robin stage.

The top two from each group advance to the semifinals.

Djokovic is bidding to win the event for a seventh time and has not lost a match since his defeat to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final in July. He currently shares the record of six victories with Roger Federer.

Zverev has won the tournament twice, while Medvedev and Tsitsipas have one victory apiece.

The tournament starts Sunday, and the final is scheduled for November 19.

Carlos Alcaraz Outlasts Hubert Hurkacz to Reach Western & Southern Open Men’s Final

Posted on August 19, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a Wimbledon rematch for Carlos Alcaraz.

The 20-year-old Spanish tennis player and World No. 1 erased a match point in the second set and rallied past unseeded Hubert Hurkacz 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 in the semifinals on Saturday to reach the Western & Southern Open final.

In Sunday’s final, Alcaraz will face Novak Djokovic, defeated Alexander Zverev, the 2021 tournament champ, 7-6 (5), 7-5 to earn a shot at his third title in the US Open tuneup.

Alcaraz won six straight points in the second-set tiebreaker to reach his eighth final of the season. He beat Djokovic last month at Wimbledon to win his second major title and deny Djokovic his 24th.

Alcaraz is the youngest Cincinnati finalist since 19-year-old Pete Sampras in 1991. He’s trying to become the youngest champion since Boris Becker won at 17 in 1985.

Despite going to a third set in each of his four matches this week, Alcaraz says he’ll be ready for the final.

“It doesn’t matter if I’m playing third sets or long matches, I’m recovering really well,” Alcaraz said. “I feel like I’m going to play the first match of the tournament. I feel great.”

Last week in Toronto, Alcaraz needed two tiebreakers to beat Hurkacz after losing the first set.

“Playing against Hubert is always tough,” Alcaraz said. “We played until the final ball. I was really happy to get that win today. He’s one of the best servers in the tour.”

Djokovic, 36, is the oldest Cincinnati finalist in the professional era, dating to 1968, surpassing 35-year old Ken Rosewall in 1970.

Earlier in the week, it was announced that Alcaraz and Djokovic will participate in the group stage of the Davis Cup finals next month.

Alcaraz and Djokovic were included in the teams announced Monday by Spain and Serbia, respectively, for the competition that will be played September 12-17 in Valencia, Spain.

Alex de Minaur Defeats Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to Reach His First ATP Masters 1000 Final

Posted on August 12, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Alex de Minaur has advanced to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final…

In red-hot form, the 24-year-old Uruguayan & Spanish Australian professional tennis player wasted little time booking his spot in the Canadian Open championship match with a 6-1, 6-3 triumph over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Saturday in Toronto.

de Minaur stayed largely solid to ease to victory against his under-par opponent in just 78 minutes, breaking in all but one of the Spaniard’s eight service games to reach his fourth ATP Tour final of the season.

“It was a very tough day. Very tricky conditions out here,” said de Minaur. “Very windy, and not easy to play tennis, so from the first point I just told myself to stay positive. I was going to try and win every point, try to be solid and not expect perfect tennis. I think that made the difference today.”

Now 16-5 since the beginning of the grass-court season in June, de Minaur will meet seventh seed Jannik Sinner on Sunday at Sobeys Stadium as he chases the biggest title of his career.

His run in Toronto, where he took out Top 10 opponents Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev prior to Davidovich Fokina, has lifted him five spots to 10th in the ATP Live Race To Turin.

Davidovich Fokina’s low-energy performance on Saturday suggested he may have been feeling the effects of his previous exertions this week in Toronto, where he upset seeded players Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud.

de Minaur was clinical in capitalizing on his opponent’s struggles, cruising to become the first Australian to reach the Canadian Open final since Patrick Rafter in 2001.

Even when Davidovich Fokina found some rhythm on return, he was unable to regain control as he offered up 38 unforced errors to de Minaur’s nine overall. The Australian claimed the only hold of the second set in the second game before the windy conditions contributed to seven straight breaks of serve to finish the match.

“[I‘m proud of] bringing out the level that I knew I always could and being able to back it up day after day,” said de Minaur, who had not been past the last 16 of a Masters 1000 prior to this week. “That’s been one of the goals of mine, to stay consistent and keep bringing this level, and give myself chances to play in the deep ends of tournaments. To play against the best in the world and go toe to toe with them.

“I gave myself the chance this week, I’ve taken that opportunity, and tomorrow I get to play another final.”

de Minaur has now risen six spots to No. 12 in the ATP Live Rankings as a result of his run in Toronto, three clear of his career-high No. 15. He is set up nicely for a bid to crack the Top 10 for the first time across the rest of the North American hard-court swing.

“For a couple of years now I’ve been chasing that goal, and probably put a lot of stress on myself to try to achieve that,” said De Minaur. “I’m always going to get the absolute most out of myself. I’m not content where I am, so I’m just going to keep on pushing.”

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Defeats Mackenzie McDonald at Canadian Open to Advance to Second Masters 1000 Semifinal

Posted on August 11, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina is back in a Masters 1000 semifinal…

The 24-year-old Spanish professional tennis player defeated Mackenzie McDonald in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open to advance to his second Masters 1000 semi, his first on a hard court.

Davidovich Fokina beat McDonald 6-4, 6-2 in an hour and 36 minutes for his best Masters 1000 result since Monte Carlo last year.

He clinched 16 points more than his American opponent, losing serve two times and building the advantage with five return games on his tally.

Davidovich Fokina landed 18 winners and 25 unforced errors. McDonald couldn’t follow that pace, missing a lot from his forehand and wrapping up the duel with a 13-36 ratio. Mackenzie was off to a great start, holding at love in the encounter’s first game and delivering a break in game two to forge an early advantage.

Alejandro broke back in the third game after the rival’s loose forehand and denied a break point in the next one to lock the result at 2-2.

The American held after deuces in the seventh game, closing the game with a service winner and opening a 4-3 gap. The Spaniard erased a break point in the eighth game after forcing the rival’s mistake and held to lock the result at 4-4.

With a boost on his side, Davidovich Fokina clinched a break at 15 in the ninth game, moving 5-4 ahead and serving for the opener.

The Spaniard held at 15 with an ace, bringing the opening part of the duel home in 49 minutes and hoping for more in the second set.Alejandro broke for the second straight time at the start of the second set from 40-15 down to extend the gap.

McDonald lost the ground in those moments and sprayed a volley error in the third game to get broken for the third time in a row and find himself near the exit door. Davidovich Fokina played against five break points in the fourth game and got broken after a double fault.

However, the Spaniard rattled off his fourth break of serve a few minutes later, taming the rival’s initial shot entirely and controlling the scoreboard. Alejandro held at love in game six for 5-1 and served for the victory at 5-2.

The Spaniard converted the third match point to emerge at the top and secure a place in his second Masters 1000 semifinal.

Davidovich Fokina previously toppled Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud en route to his quarterfinal vs. McDonald.

Tomas Martin Etcheverry Defeats Yoshihito Nishioka to Reach First-Ever Grand Slam Quarterfinal Round at French Open

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Tomas Martin Etcheverry’s dream run at the French Open continues…

The 23-year-old Argentinian tennis player moved into the last eight at Roland Garros after defeating Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka, the No 27 seed, 7-6 (8), 6-0, 6-1 in Paris on Monday evening.

Etcheverry, ranked No 49, is the big surprise of all quarterfinalists in the field. In fact, this will be his first-ever appearance in a Grand Slam quarterfinal.

He took the best spot in the lower part of the draw opened by Daniil Medvedev’s early loss.

He’ll next play Germany’s Alexander Zverev, the No 22 seed.

“I just can’t believe it, it’s a dream come true”, said Etcheverry in his on-court interview. “It’s important to share this moment with my family and with the crowd. I will recover tonight and be ready for the next battle”

Etcheverry, who was a runner-up early this year in Santiago and Houston, has defeated three seeds on his road to the quarters.

He beat Jack Draper (6-4, 1-0 ret.), Alex De Minaur, the No 18 seed (6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3) and Borna Coric, the No 15 seed (6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-2) before Nishioka.\

Nishioka, ranked No 33, probably paid his time spent on the court. He had to call for the physio during the third set after three five-sets battles during the previous rounds against J.J. Wolf (1-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3), Max Purcell (4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-4) and Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild (3-6, 7-6 (8), 2-6, 6-4, 6-0).

Juan Pablo Varillas Upsets Hubert Hurkacz to Reach Fourth Round at French Open

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Juan Pablo Varillas continues his fairy tale run at the French Open…

The 27-year-old Peruvian professional tennis player has earned the highest-ranked win of his career at Roland Garros after he upset 13th seed Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2 in the third round.

Varillas, who had not won a Grand Slam main draw match heading into Paris, has survived three consecutive five-set thrillers to set a fourth-round clash against 22-time major champion Novak Djokovic.

Incredibly, all five of Varillas’ career Grand Slam appearances have gone the distance.

It’s been a dramatic reversal of fortune for Varillas at Roland Garros, where last year he squandered a two-sets-to-love lead against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the opening round. This year, in his first two matches, Varillas battled back from two-sets-to-love down against Shang Juncheng and Roberto Bautista Agut.

The Lima native will look to add to his run by collecting his first Top 5 win against the third seed Djokovic. Varillas, who is at a career-high No. 60 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, is the first Peruvian to reach the Roland Garros fourth round since Jaime Yzaga in 1994.

Varillas struck his groundstrokes with power and depth throughout the three-hour, 51-minute battle against Hurkacz. Varillas held the advantage in extended rallies and absorbed the Pole’s hefty delivery to advance.

A five-time ATP Challenger Tour champion, Varillas has broken serve 19 times across three matches, including four breaks against the World No. 14 Hurkacz.

Earlier this year, Varillas pushed Alexander Zverev to five sets in the first round of the Australian Open, where the Peruvian was making his Melbourne debut as a lucky loser.

Nicolas Jarry Defeats Grigor Dimitrov to Win Geneva Open Title

Posted on May 27, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Nicolas Jarry is celebrating a big win…

The 27-year-old Chilean professional tennis player, unseeded in the tournament, defeated Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (1), 6-1 on Saturday to win the Geneva Open final and is poised to rise to his best ranking in a career that was stalled by a doping case.

The former No. 3-ranked Dimitrov was seeking his first title since the 2017 ATP Tour Finals, which lifted him to that career-best ranking.

Instead, the 54th-ranked Jarry eased to his second title this season, converting his first match point when Dimitrov could not return a powerful serve to his backhand.

Jarry celebrated by crossing the court to where his family was watching and passed his racket up to his infant son.

In Jarry’s standout week in Geneva, he beat current or former top-10 players on three straight days — two-time defending champion Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev and Dimitrov.

It was Jarry’s third career ATP title, all of them coming at clay-court events in the lowest 250-level.

“It’s been a great year after a very tough couple of years. I’m very happy for that,” said Jarry, who was runner-up at Geneva in 2019 against Zverev.

Jarry is now set to rise above the career-high No. 38-ranking he reached in 2019 before a failed doping test interrupted his career.

He completed an 11-month suspension in 2020 after he tested positive for two banned substances, including an anabolic steroid, at the Davis Cup finals. The International Tennis Federation accepted that Jarry was not at significant fault for ingesting a tainted vitamin supplement made in Brazil.

Dimitrov was playing in his first final since February 2018 when he lost to Roger Federer at Rotterdam.

“It’s been a while since I’ve done one of those,” the 33rd-ranked Dimitrov said when collecting his runner-up trophy. “It’s been a bumpy road but I’m very grateful to be back here and to be part of the final.”

The Geneva Open is the last warmup event on clay before the French Open starts Sunday.

At Roland Garros, Jarry will face 160th-ranked Hugo Dellien of Bolivia in the first round. The winner could then face 16th-seeded American Tommy Paul.

Dimitrov is seeded No. 28 in Paris and will first play 147th-ranked Timofey Skatov of Kazakhstan.

Nicolas Jarry Defeats Alexander Zverev to Reach Geneva Open Final

Posted on May 26, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Nicolas Jarry is one win away from his second ATP Tour title of the year…

The 27-year-old Chilean professional tennis player defeated third-seeded Alexander Zverev 7-6 (3), 6-3 at the Geneva Open on Friday in a rematch of their 2019 final of the Swiss tournament.

Jarry sealed the win with a delicate, low backhand volley at the net, one day after ousting top-seeded Casper Ruud, the two-time defending champion.

Zverev and Ruud combined to win the past three editions of the French Open warmup event and neither had lost at the lakeside park venue until running into the tall 54th-ranked Chilean.

Jarry, who chasing his second title this year after also winning on clay at his hometown Santiago event in March, will face Grigor Dimitrov, who advanced to his first final on the ATP Tour in more than five years by beating Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (2).

Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Borna Coric to Advance to Madrid Open Final

Posted on May 5, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a birthday to remember for Carlos Alcaraz…

The Spanish tennis star celebrated his 20th birthday on Friday with a win over Borna Coric at the Madrid Open to advance to the final.

Alcaraz was presented with a cake on center court to celebrate his birthday after his 6-4, 6-3 over Coric.

After staring at the gargantuan cake whose top was shaped like a tennis ball crowned by the number 20, Alcaraz took a knife and deftly cleaved off a thin piece to give it a try.

After the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” in Spanish, the defending champion told the packed Manolo Santana Stadium, “It truly is incredible to celebrate my birthday with all of you. Each year I celebrate my birthday here. When I turned 18, I played Rafael Nadal [in a loss], when I turned 19, I played [Cameron] Norrie [in a win], and now at 20, I advance to the final.”

The second-ranked Alcaraz will face 65th-ranked Jan-Lennard Struff in Sunday’s final after the German fought back from a set down to beat Aslan Karatsev.

Alcaraz is aiming for his fourth title of the season after triumphs in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells and Barcelona. He is also preparing for the French Open this month.

If Alcaraz successfully defends his title in Madrid, he will recover his world No. 1 ranking by playing one match in Rome next week.

In his first matchup with Alcaraz, Coric surprised early with his ability to counter his drop shots, so Alcaraz changed tactics and just battered the Croat player into submission. He took a 3-2 break lead and didn’t look back.

Alcaraz has dropped only one set — the first in his opener against Emil Ruusuvuori — at the tournament he won for the first time last year en route to becoming the U.S. Open and the youngest year-end No. 1 in ATP history.

After that comeback win over Ruusuvouri, Alcaraz made quick work of Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev and Karen Khachanov to reach the semifinals.

“It means a lot to me, playing a final again here in Madrid,” Alcaraz said. “It’s such a special place for me and I have great memories since I came here to play [when I was] under 12. Of course last year was amazing. Turning 20 like that is special, so I will enjoy the final here and I will try to make all of Spain happy.”

Alcaraz has won his last 20 matches in Spain.

Carlos Alcaraz Outlasts Karen Khachanov to Reach Madrid Open Semifinals

Posted on May 3, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz is playing on at the Madrid Open…

The 19-year-old Spanish tennis player and defending champion overcame a tough test from Karen Khachanov on Wednesday, rallying late in the second set for a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 win that set up a semifinal against Borna Coric.

It was Alcaraz’s 150th tour-level match, and his 117th victory to leave him with a winning percentage (78%) currently better than the likes of Pete Sampras, Boris Becker and Andre Agassi.

“My dream in tennis right now is to become one of the best tennis players in history,” Alcaraz said. “I know that this is a big dream, (it) probably is too big. But in this world, you have to dream big and you have to think big, as well. I want to be part of the the best tennis players in history. And I will work for it.”

Alcaraz was down 4-1 and 5-2 in the final set before winning the final five games to secure his fourth straight-set victory in Madrid.

The top-seeded Spaniard improved to 27-2 this year, having dropped only one set in his last 19 victories. He will be playing in his third Masters 1000 semifinals of the season.

“I knew I had to keep fighting no matter what,” Alcaraz said. “I had to stay strong because I knew that I would have my opportunities, and gladly I took advantage of the first one that I had to close out the match.”

Alcaraz converted on his first match point after the 10th-seeded Khachanov had taken control of the second set with an early break. The Russian had two break opportunities to go up 5-1 before Alcaraz rallied for the victory. The Spaniard, who finished with 31 winners, had converted on his first break opportunity to go up 4-3 and win the first set.

Alcaraz had cruised past last year’s runner-up Alexander Zverev in the previous round, while Khachanov – a semifinalist at the Australian Open this year and at the U.S. Open last year – had beaten fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev.

Alcaraz is trying to become the first player this season to win two Masters 1000 titles, after having already lifted the trophy in Indian Wells. He successfully defended his title in Barcelona and also won in Buenos Aires.

If Alcaraz wins the title again in Madrid, he will regain the No. 1 spot in the world rankings if he plays at least one match in Rome.

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