Pedro Cachin Outlasts Albert Ramos-Vinolas to Claim First-Ever ATP Tour Title at Swiss Open

Posted on July 23, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Pedro Cachin is celebrating his first ATP Tour title.

The 28-year-old Argentine professional tennis player came from behind to beat Spanish veteran Albert Ramos-Vinolas 3-6, 6-0, 7-5 to win the Swiss Open, his first tour-level title.

Cachin celebrated his big win with courtside hugs with his girlfriend and kisses with their pet dog.

“Thank you [to] my girlfriend, sister and my dog, of course,” Cachin said in his trophy acceptance speech. “They are coming from Barcelona [Saturday] night, so it was a long drive but it was an unbelievable drive.”

After having his service broken to lose the first set, Cachin reeled off eight straight games during which the 35-year-old Ramos-Vinolas sought treatment for his bandaged left foot.

Cachin let slip a 4-3 lead with a service break up in the deciding set but broke again to lead 6-5 because of wayward forehands from Ramos-Vinolas.

The 90th-ranked Argentine clinched the title at sun-bathed Gstaad in the Swiss Alps with a double-handed backhand for a cross-court winner.

Cachin celebrated by falling to the ground and lying on his back as the first tears flowed. He rose with red dust caked on his white T-shirt.

The victory will lift Cachin toward a career-best ranking of No. 54, which he also reached last year. His career was slowed by neck and ankle injuries, and he entered the top 100 for the first time one year ago.

A clay-court specialist, Cachin has six career titles on the second-tier Challenger tour, and his debut win at ATP level also was secured on his favored surface.

Cachin’s previous match before coming to Gstaad was on the grass of Wimbledon‘s Centre Court, where Novak Djokovic beat him in straight sets in the first round.

Ramos-Vinolas broke Cachin’s serve twice in the first set that the left-hander clinched with a strong service return to his opponent’s feet advancing to the net.

Ramos-Vinolas’ record in tour finals dropped to 4-8. All of the 79th-ranked Spaniard’s titles were won on clay, including at Gstaad in 2019.

Francisco Cerundolo Defeats Tommy Paul to Claim Eastbourne International Men’s Title

Posted on July 1, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Francisco Cerundolo is celebrating his first ATP Tour title on grass…

The 24-year-old Argentine professional tennis player defeated Tommy Paul 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 on Saturday to win the Eastbourne International men’s final.

It was the second match of the day for both players, although Paul had to spend considerably more energy in his first.

Cerundolo, the fourth-seed, only had to play one game to finish off his semifinal against American Mackenzie MacDonald, which was suspended when rain stopped play on Friday.

Cerundolo led 2-6, 7-5, 5-2 when the match was halted and quickly wrapped up the final set 6-2 when it resumed.

The second-seeded Paul then beat France’s Gregoire Barrere 6-4, 6-3 in the other semifinal before returning to the court for the title match.

Cerundolo earned his second career ATP tour title, having been two games away from losing against MacDonald when trailing 4-1 in the second set on Friday.

“I don’t know how I managed to turn it back,” Cerundolo said. “And today, I played a really good four points in the morning and today I think I played an amazing final. It was super tough, super windy.”

Paul was also looking for a second career title but his run to the final means he will equal his career-high ranking of No. 15 entering Wimbledon next week.

Feliciano Lopez Defeats Max Purcell at Mallorca Open to Extend His Career by At Least One More Day

Posted on June 27, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Feliciano Lopez isn’t retiring just yet…

The 41-year-old Spanish veteran tennis player extended his career by at least one more day with an emotional victory at the Mallorca Open on Tuesday — the final event of his 26-year career.

Lopez was cheered on by friend and compatriot 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal during his 6-3 7-5 victory over Max Purcell.

Lopez, who reached a career high ranking of 12 and holds the record for appearing in 79 successive Grand Slam main draws, will face Australian Jordan Thompson on Wednesday.

“It’s a really special win for me, probably one of the most special wins of my career so far, to be honest,” Lopez, who has more than 500 ATP singles wins, said on court at the Santa Ponsa Country Club after his win.

“This is over my expectations, to be winning a match at this stage of my career in Mallorca, this beautiful place, surrounded by the ones that I love, my friends.”

Nadal, who is currently out of action as he tries to recover from injuries, was joined by Carlos Moya in the stands to cheer on their former Davis Cup compatriot.

“Most of them came for my hypothetical last match. Luckily, it wasn’t the last match of my life. I have another opportunity tomorrow, and this is very overwhelming, I have to say,” Lopez added after only his second ATP Tour win this year.

Francisco Cerundolo Defeats Taylor Fritz to Reach Fourth Round at French Open

Posted on June 3, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Francisco Cerundolo is having a moment…

After entering the French Open without a main-draw win at the event, the 24-year-old Argentine professional tennis player has secured his best Grand Slam result by reaching the fourth round in Paris.

Cerundolo, the No. 23 seed, defeated ninth seed Taylor Fritz 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 on Saturday evening to continue his run, improving to 6-7 against Top 10 opponents with the victory.

Cerundolo was without a win in four Grand Slam main-draw appearances prior to 2023, but reached the third round at the Australian Open before his success at Roland Garros.

His Paris campaign will continue with a showdown against sixth seed Holger Rune on Monday.

Cerundolo, who has moved up three places from his current career-high to No. 20 this week in the ATP Live Rankings, frustrated Fritz with his big forehand to earn the victory on Court Suzanne-Lenglen after two hours and 50 minutes.

After surrendering an early break advantage in a dramatic fourth set, Cerundolo saved a set point on serve at 4-5 with a majestic topspin lob and ultimately won the final three games of the match behind his baseline brilliance.

The back-and-forth match saw a combined 10 breaks of serve, with Cerundolo converting on six of 21 break chances and Fritz claiming four of his 15 break points. Fritz, whose defeat means that five of the Top 10 seeds are out after three rounds at Roland Garros, fired nine aces to Cerundolo’s one. But the American was second-best in many of the neutral rallies as Cerundolo moved him from side to side with power and width.

Cerundolo, a quarterfinalist at the ATP Masters 1000s in Miami and Rome this season, was one of three Argentines in action on Saturday. While Rune breezed past Genaro Alberto Olivieri, Tomas Martin Etcheverry upset 15th seed Borna Coric 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-2 earlier in the day. With the victory, the 23-year-old Etcheverry — who reached his first two ATP Tour finals this season in Santiago and Houston — extended his best major run.

Etcheverry owned just one Grand Slam main-draw win prior to Roland Garros, his victory coming earlier this season at the Australian Open.

Next up for the unseeded Argentine is a fourth-round meeting with 27th seed Yoshihito Nishioka, a 3-6, 7-6(8), 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 winner against Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild on Saturday.

Thiago Seyboth Wild Upsets No. 2 Seed Daniil Medvedev to Advance to French Open Second Round

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Thiago Seyboth Wild is celebrating the biggest win of his career…

The 23-year-old Brazilian professional tennis player, a qualifier at this year’s French Open, stunned World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev on Tuesday in a five-set thriller at Roland Garros.

Making his debut in Paris, Seyboth Wild showed little sign of nerves on Court Philippe Chatrier, swinging freely throughout the four-hour, 15-minute clash to upset the second seed 7-6(5), 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

“I have watched Daniil play for my entire junior career, up until today. Playing on this court against this kind of player and beating him is a dream come true,” Seyboth Wild said. “Walking on court I just wanted to get to the net as much as possible and use my forehand against his and it worked pretty well.”

The World No. 172 logged 69 winners and recovered from squandering two set points in the second-set tie-break, raising his level again in the latter stages of the first-round clash to seal his maiden main-draw major win.

Seyboth Wild, who has won two ATP Challenger Tour titles this year, was competing in his first tour-level match this season.

He’ll look to back up his dream win against Medvedev when he plays Guido Pella in the second round.

“It was pretty tough. I started cramping in the second set. I did my best and tried to play my best tennis and it worked,” Seyboth Wild said. “I am really happy with the way I played.”

Medvedev arrived in Paris off the back of winning his first clay-court title in Rome and would have been hoping for a comfortable start to his title quest at the clay-court major. Seyboth Wild had other ideas, though.

The Brazilian was locked in from the first ball, hitting through Medvedev with his baseline power. The 23-year-old played fearless tennis throughout, won 69 per cent (38/55) of net points and held his nerve in a tense deciding set, closing out victory on serve with a destructive forehand winner. Seyboth Wild raised his arms in delight following his stunning victory, soaking in the applause from the packed crowd.

Medvedev, who holds a 39-6 record on the season, was chasing his second major title. The 2021 US Open champion has won an ATP Tour-leading five trophies in 2023, including ATP Masters 1000 crowns in Miami and Rome.

The 27-year-old is first in the ATP Live Race To Turin but can now be overtaken by Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas in Paris.

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 Returns to World No. 1 in ATP Tour Rankings

Posted on May 22, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz has returned to the roost…

The 20-year-old Spanish professional tennis player has replaced Novak Djokovic at No. 1 in Monday’s ATP rankings, earning the top seeding at the French Open.

Daniil Medvedev‘s Italian Open title moved him up to No. 2 ahead of the year’s second Grand Slam tournament.

Djokovic’s loss in the fourth round as the defending champion in Rome dropped him to No. 3. That means he and Alcaraz could end up in the same half of the Roland Garros bracket and be set up for a potential semifinal showdown, depending on what happens in Thursday’s draw in Paris.

The French Open, which begins Sunday, will mark the first chance to be seeded No. 1 at a major tournament for Alcaraz, who turned 20 this month. The Spanish player is 30-3 with four titles in 2023.

Alcaraz ascended to the ATP‘s top spot for the first time by winning the US Open last September and, at 19, became the youngest man to finish a year there.

But a leg injury kept him out of the Australian Open in January, when Djokovic won the title for his 22nd at a Slam event, tying Rafael Nadal for the men’s record.

Djokovic has spent more weeks at No. 1 than anyone — man or woman — in the history of the sport’s computerized rankings.

Roberto Carballes Baena Defeats Alexandre Muller to Win Grand Prix Hassan II

Posted on April 9, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Roberto Carballes Baena is back in the winner’s circle…

The 30-year-old Spanish tennis player came from behind to win the Grand Prix Hassan II on Sunday, beating Alexandre Muller 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2 in a three-hour final.

“I am so tired, but I am very, very happy,” Carballes Baena said. “It was a very, very tough match.”

Neither player was seeded in the tournament.

Carballes Baena won his only previous matchup with the Frenchman in 2019 at Roland Garros.

Carballes Baena, who won his only previous ATP final in 2018 at Quito, is projected to climb to No. 49 in the rankings on Monday.

Muller, who will enter the top 100 for the first time Monday, was playing his first tour-level final.

Tomas Martin Etcheverry Defeats Christian Garin to Reach US Clay Court Championships Semifinals

Posted on April 8, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Tomas Martin Etcheverry has reached the final four…

The 23-year-old Argentinian tennis player, the No 8 seed, moved into the last four of the US Clay Court Championships by defeating Cristian Garin 6-1, 6-7 (2), 6-3 at River Oaks Country Club in Houston on Saturday night.

Etcheverry, ranked No 73, will play German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann next.

Ahead of his victory, Etcheverry won against Juan Manuel Cerundolo (6-3, 6-4) and Australian Max Purcell (7-6 (5), 6-1).

Garin, ranked No 74, beat Hugo Dellien (6-3, 6-0) and Belgian lucky loser Zizou Bergs (7-6 (4), 7-6 (1)) earlier in the tournament.

This is Etcheverry’s second ATP Tour semifinal.

He previously reached the final at the 2023 Chile Open, losing in the final in three sets to home favorite Nicolas Jarry.

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