Alex de Minaur Defeats Grigor Dimitrov to Advance to Rotterdam Open Final

Posted on February 17, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Alex de Minaur is headed to the Rotterdam Open final.

The 25-year-old Uruguayan & Spanish Australian tennis player notched an emphatic revenge win over Grigor Dimitrov to earn the perfect 25th birthday present.

At the same event on de Minaur’s birthday in 2023, Dimitrov proved a veritable party pooper by knocking out the Australian No 1 in the quarterfinals.

But the ‘Demon’ avenged that narrow defeat emphatically in the Rotterdam Ahoy arena in Saturday’s (Sunday AEDT) semifinal with a 6-4 6-3 win that has set up a final showdown against Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner.

Back in tournament action for the first time since his Melbourne Park triumph, top seed and world No.4 Sinner downed home favorite Tallon Griekspoor 6-2 6-4 in the later semifinal.

de Minaur’s win has ensured he will rise to a career-high No 9 in the world rankings next week from his current position of 11.

He had already avenged his painful Australian Open last-16 defeat by downing Andrey Rublev 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-3 in the quarterfinals on Friday.

“I’m extremely happy with the level throughout the whole match,” a delighted de Minaur said after beating Dimitrov.

“It was probably one of the better matches I’ve played from start to finish. Even saying that, I always know that Grigor is going to lift his level and compete until the end, and I had to fight off some pretty tough break points, when I came up with some of my best tennis.”

de Minaur crashed 14 winners and made just four unforced errors in his impressive 84-minute march.

“From the word go here in Rotterdam, I’ve felt a very calm presence. I’ve felt positive, I’ve been calm and collected throughout whole matches, and I think that’s been a big key for me,” added de Minaur, who is also competing in his first tournament since the Australian Open.

The Sydneysider puts his improved form down to a stronger mentality that’s beginning to harden him in matches against the very best players, a steely streak that the last Aussie to win in Rotterdam 20 years ago, Lleyton Hewitt, also had.

It’s no coincidence that de Minaur has been working so closely of late with his Davis Cup captain Hewitt, and he explained after the Dimitrov win: “This is my standard now, this is what I’ve got to bring every single time I walk on the court.

“I think I made a big step in the right direction, showing the type of tennis I can play, week in, week out. I think I’ve raised the bar a little bit and hopefully there’s plenty more to go.”

But Sinner is the acid test for him. If any player could give the Australian an inferiority complex, it’s his 22-year-old Italian foe, who’s won all six of their matches and lost just one set since they first dueled in the ATP NextGen finals in 2019.

Carlos Alcaraz Nominated for ATP’s Sportsmanship Award

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz is a good sport…

The 20-year-old Spanish tennis player has been nominated for the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the first time in his career as part of the 2023 ATP Awards.

Alcaraz will face off against fellow first-time nominees in the category: Jannik Sinner, Grigor Dimitrov and Hubert Hurkacz.

Alcaraz was the ATP Newcomer of the Year in 2020. He was also the ATP Player of the Year and ATP Most Improved Player of 2022.

Alcarez’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, meanwhile, has been nominated for Coach of the Year.

The 43-year-old Spanish former world No. 1 tennis player and current tennis coach is nominated for helping coach Alcaraz to a 65-12 record. Alcaraz defeated four-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in the final, 1–6, 7–6^(8–6), 6–1, 3–6, 6–4 to win the gentlemen’s singles tennis title at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. It was his first Wimbledon title.

ATP Awards winners, including Fans’ Favorite, will be revealed during Awards week, starting December 11.

Here’s the complete list of 2023 ATP Awards nominees:

Comeback Player of the Year: The player who has overcome serious injury in re-establishing himself as one of the top players on the ATP Tour.

Dominik Koepfer
Gael Monfils
Jan-Lennard Struff
Alexander Zverev

Most Improved Player of the Year: The player who reached a significantly higher ATP Ranking by year’s end and who demonstrated an increasingly improved level of performance through the year.

Matteo Arnaldi
Christopher Eubanks
Ben Shelton
Jannik Sinner

Newcomer of the Year: The #NextGenATP player who broke into the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings for the first time in 2023 and made the biggest impact on the ATP Tour this season.

Flavio Cobolli
Arthur Fils
Alex Michelsen
Dominic Stricker
Luca Van Assche

Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award: The player who, throughout the year, conducted himself at the highest level of professionalism and integrity, who competed with his fellow players with the utmost spirit of fairness and who promoted the game through his off-court activities.

Carlos Alcaraz
Grigor Dimitrov
Hubert Hurkacz
Jannik Sinner

VOTED BY COACHES

Coach of the Year: Nominated and voted on by fellow ATP coach members, this award goes to the ATP coach who helped guide his players to a higher level of performance during the year.

Craig Boynton (Hubert Hurkacz)
Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi (Jannik Sinner)
Juan Carlos Ferrero (Carlos Alcaraz)
Goran Ivanisevic (Novak Djokovic)
Bryan Shelton (Ben Shelton)

Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Grigor Dimitrov at Queen’s Club Championships to Reach First-Ever ATP Semifinals on Grass

Posted on June 23, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz is kicking grass…

The 20-year-old Spanish tennis phenom, the tournament’s top seed, reached his first-ever ATP semifinals on grass when he defeated former champion Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-4 at the Queen’s Club Championships on Friday.

Dimitrov, the 2014 winner who came through qualifying this year, was his own worst enemy. He had a better first serve and more break chances but hurt himself with 16 unforced errors and seven double faults.

“Grigor is a top player on any surface, but especially on grass. But I played really well from the beginning to the last ball,” Alcaraz said.

“I’m a guy who learns quite fast and I’m feeling really comfortable playing on grass.”

Alcaraz also improved to 8-0 this year in quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, he’ll face Sebastian Korda, who into his first grass semifinal as well.

Korda became the first American to reach the Queen’s semis in 11 years after beating Cameron Norrie 6-4, 7-6 (1).

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.

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.

Rafael Nadal’s ATP Cup Mural Unveiled in Perth

Posted on December 22, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Nadal’s face has found a special home Down Under…

The 33-year-old Spanish tennis star, currently ranked No. 1 in the world, is one of the players being honored with a special mural in Perth, Australia.

The inaugural ATP Cupis set to take place between January 3-12 in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, bringing together some of the world’s leading players in both singles and doubles from 24 countries.

Weeks before the start of the action, Nodal got his mural in Perth together with Kei Nishikori and other stars, with the organizers welcoming the 19-time Grand Slam champion.

Nadal is among those who’ll fight for the crown together with his teammates, fresh after conquering the first edition of the Davis Cup Finalsin Madrid.

Spain is the favorite to reach the quarters from Group B, battling against Japan, Uruguay and Georgia at RAC Arena in Perth and hoping to continue the competition in Sydney where eight strongest teams continue the quest for the title in the second stage of the event.

Backed by Roberto Bautista Augt, Pablo Carreno Busta, Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Feliciano Lopez, Nadal is eager to lead Spain towards another team competition crown, shining in front of the home fans in Madrid with eight victories from as many rubbers and delivering the sixth Davis Cup title for Spain.

In what was a wild race towards the finish line, Nadal and Djokovic fought for the year-end no. 1 spot for almost the entire season, with the Spaniard making the deciding move in Montreal and the US Open and keeping the lead in the ATP Raceuntil the ATP Finalswhere they both lost in the round-robin stage.

Rafa and Novak will continue their rivalry at the ATP Cup, joined by Gael Monfils, Kei Nishikori, David Goffin, Andy Murray, Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev, Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Nick Kyrgios, Alex de Minaur, Daniil Medvedev, Karen Khachanov, John Isner, Matteo Berrettini, Fabio Fognini, Dominic Thiem, Diego Schwartzmanand others.

Juan Martin del Potro Defeats Robin Haase at Paris Masters in Quest to Earns Spot at the ATP Finals

Posted on November 3, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Juan Martin del Potro is one step closer to earning a spot in the big show…

The 29-year-old Argentinean tennis star moved closer to securing the last spot for the season-ending ATP Finals by beating Robin Haase 7-5, 6-4 in the third round at the Paris Masters.

del Potro, who lost to Roger Federer on Sunday in the Swiss Indoors final, is in 10th place in the race to qualify for the tournament.

Only the top eight players will compete in London and there is one place left, to be taken in Paris.

“I would love to reach London once again. It could be a fantastic moment for me,” said del Potro, who was way back in 47th place in the race before the U.S. Open.

“I’m excited to keep improving for this kind of surprise. I love to surprise myself and that’s what I’m doing now.”

del Potro has a tough challenge next, against big-serving John Isner.

The ninth-seeded Isner, last year’s runner-up to Andy Murray, hit 25 aces as he beat sixth-seeded Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria 7-6 (10), 5-7, 7-6 (3).

Juan Martin del Potro Wins Stockholm Open for Second Straight Year

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

The drought has ended for Juan Martin del Potro…

The 29-year-old Argentinean tennis star has won the Stockholm Open for the second consecutive year — his first ATP title since his success at the Swedish tournament last year.

del Potro produced a ruthless performance to beat top seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-2 at The Royal Tennis Hall and help his case in making the ATP Finals in London.

del Potro broke Dimitrov three times over the course of an impressive display — saving all four of the break points Dimitrov created to keep his own serve unbroken throughout.

In the wake of clinching his 20th career ATP title, fourth seed del Potro said: “I played the best match of the week against Grigor today. Unlucky for that, sorry Grigor.

“It’s amazing to come back and hold this big trophy and hopefully I can come next year as well.

“I love to be in Stockholm. I like the city a lot. I like the Swedish people and you treated me very, very good this week and I would like to thank everyone.”

Juan Martin del Potro Defeats Fernando Verdasco to Reach Stockholm Open Final

Posted on October 21, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Juan Martin del Potro is one win away from a repeat…

The 29-year-old Argentinian tennis player outlasted Fernando Verdasco at the Stockholm Open on Saturday in a tussle between two of the biggest forehands in tennis, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(1).

del Potro, the reigning champion, will now face top-seeded Grigor Dimitrov in the finals.

“It was a great match. We both played great tennis and I think the crowd enjoyed our game,” del Potro said. “I’m glad to be in the final once again.”

del Potro is into his first final of the season, and his first overall since lifting the trophy in Sweden last year. The right-hander will attempt to win his 20th title on Sunday.

The match will be of the utmost importance for del Potro in the ATP Race To London, as he has made a late-season charge to put himself within striking distance of qualifying for the ATP Finals.

del Potro is now into 15th in the Race with 2,035 points, and can ascend to 14th with a victory. If he beats the 2013 champion, del Potro will be within 480 points of No. 9 Pablo Carreno Busta, who has 2,605 points and currently holds the final qualifying spot with No. 7 Stan Wawrinka out for the season due to injury.

It was not easy for del Potro to give himself that opportunity to make a move in the Race, as the veteran left-hander Verdasco pushed the Argentine the distance.

Verdasco earned an immediate break of serve in the third set to gain a 2-0 advantage with his forehand keeping his opponent on the back foot, but del Potro roared right back with a break of his own, using his own timely forehands. The ‘Tower of Tandil’ then saved a break point at 3-4, which would have allowed Verdasco to serve for the match. Once the pair got to the tie-break, it was all del Potro.

“I was focused during the third set and in the tie-break I broke a few times at the beginning and that allowed me to play with more confidence in my game on my serve,” del Potro said. “I played a good match today.”

del Potro will not have it easy on Sunday as he attempts to defend his title against an in-form Dimitrov. With his 6-3, 7-6(2) semi-final victory over sixth seed Fabio Fognini, the Bulgarian moved up to No. 5 in the Race, and put himself in position to win a career-best fourth title of the season (Brisbane, Sofia, Cincinnati).

del Potro leads in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 5-2, but Dimitrov has won the past two matches, both straight-set victories this year in Beijing and Cincinnati.

“I would love to defend my title but Grigor is playing so good. He already beat me in Beijing and Cincinnati as well and he’s playing such good tennis on this surface,” del Potro said. “Hopefully I can be ready to put up a good fight.”

Nadal Defeats Grigor Dimitrov to Reach Australian Open Final

Posted on January 28, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Nadal is one win away from cementing his ultimate comeback…

The 30-year-old Spanish tennis star defeated Grigor Dimitrov in a thrilling five-set semifinal at the Australian Open, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-4, to reach his first Grand Slam final in nearly three years.

Nadal had to draw on all his experience in countless big moments to prevail in his match against Dimitrov.

Nadal firstly held serve with some clutch play, broke Dimitrov with more of the same, then still needed three match points to put away his inspired rival.

Nadal dropped to the court — in equal parts elation and exhaustion — before embracing his beaten foe in one of the great moments of an already memorable event.

“(It is) difficult to describe emotions now. First of all I was tired and Grigor was playing unbelievable. It was a great match. I feel very happy now to be part of it. I enjoy it a lot,” Nadal said.

“The crowd was just amazing … just unforgettable weeks for me and just, you know, to qualify for the final in a match like this means a lot to me.

“I never dreamed to be back in a final of the Australian Open in the second tournament of the year after a lot of months without competing. But here I am now. I feel lucky. I feel very happy.”

Rafael Nadal next faces his longtime nemesis Roger Federer in the final.

Federer and Nadal, the two titans of a magnificent era, will lock racquets in Sunday night’s Australian Open decider — their 35th clash overall, 12th in a grand slam and ninth in a grand slam final. Nadal has won six of the previous eight finals meetings. They have not met for a major championship since the 2011 French Open, when Nadal won his sixth of nine titles at Roland Garros.

“It’s a privilege and very special thing, I think, for both of us to be in the final again and have another chance to compete against each other after a couple of years having some problems,” Nadal said.

“It (is) a moment that I think both of us never thought we would be here again in the final of Australia. We feel, I think, very happy and I hope you feel happy too.”

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