Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Karen Khachanov to Reach China Open Semifinals for Second Straight Year

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz is one step closer to the China Open title…

The 21-year-old Spanish tennis star, the tournament’s No. 3 seed, advanced to the China Open semifinals for the second straight year after an impressive 7-5, 6-2 victory against Karen Khachanov on Monday.

Alcaraz was characteristically relentless from the baseline and ground down the No. 27-ranked Khachanov’s service games and converted four of 12 service break opportunities to win in 96 minutes.

“I always try to put some pressure when they’re serving just to in a certain way tell them that I’m going to be there,” Alcaraz said. “If they want to win the service game or to beat me, they have to accept the battle and playing a really good tennis. For me, it’s what I’m trying to show them all the time.”

It was Alcaraz’s 46th win of the season and the victory allowed the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion to climb back above the absent Alexander Zverev into second place in the ATP live rankings.

Alcaraz will face Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals, after the fifth-ranked Russian beat Flavio Cobolli of Italy 6-2, 6-4.

Alejandro Tabilo Defeats Zhizhen Zhang at Italian Open to Reach His First Masters 1000 Semifinal

Posted on May 15, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Alejandro Tabilo’s dream run continues in Rome, Italy…

The 26-year-old Chilean-Canadian tennis player advanced to the semifinals of the Italian Open on Wednesday after dismissing Zhizhen Zhang 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.

Tabilo previously defeated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 16 seed Karen Khachanov earlier in the tournament.

Tabilo’s run at this year’s Italian Open has been nothing short of historic…

In beating Djokovic, he became the first Chilean player in 17 years to beat a world No. 1 since Fernando Gonzalez defeated Roger Federer at the 2007 ATP Finals

He reached the quarterfinals of a Masters 1000 for the first time in his career defeating Khachanov.

He reached the first Masters 1000 semifinal in his career by defeating Zhang and became the first Chilean to reach that level since Gonzalez in 2009 at the same event.

Tabilo will next face No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev, who defeated No. 11 seed Taylor Fritz, for spot in Sunday’s final.

Tabilo will move up to a minimum of No. 25 in the world when Monday’s rankings are released.

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.

Francisco Cerundolo Defeats Casper Ruud to Reach Barcelona Open Quarterfinals

Posted on April 21, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Francisco Cerundolo has pulled off an upset…

The 24-year-old Argentine professional tennis player defeated third-seed Casper Ruud 7-6 (5), 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals at the Barcelona Open.

The 15th-seeded Argentine improved to 4-6 lifetime against Top 10 opponents to reach his fourth quarterfinal of 2023 and his first overall at the ATP 500.

Cerundolo claimed a 2-1 advantage in his ATP Head2Head with Ruud, denying the Norwegian a second straight trip to the Barcelona quarters.

In a dramatic opening set, Cerundolo battled back from 2-5, saving two set points to break Ruud in his second attempt to serve out the set at 5-4. The Argentine hung on after building a 4/0 lead in the tiebreak, then moved decisively ahead with an early break in the second set.

He did not face a break point in set two, dictating with his big forehand throughout and capitalizing on some uncertainty from Ruud, who has suffered second-round defeats in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona after his Estoril title run.

Cerundolo will meet 12th seed Daniel Evans in Friday’s quarterfinals after the Briton’s 6-3, 6-4 win against Karen Khachanov.

Rafael Nadal to Make Debut at Citi Open in Washington, D.C.

Posted on July 8, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Nadal is gearing up for hard-court season…

The 35-year-old Spanish tennis star will return to competition later this month by making his debut at the Citi Open in Washington.

Organizers of the hard-court tournament have announced that the 20-time Grand Slam champion is in the field for the July 31 to August 8 event that serves as a US Open tuneup.

Nadal has not played since his loss to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the French Open last month.

He decided to sit out Wimbledon, which ends Sunday, and the Tokyo Olympics, which open July 23, saying his body needed time to rest and recover after the clay-court season.

Other players entered in the Citi Open include Wimbledon semifinalists Denis Shapovalov and Hubert Hurkacz, who beat Roger Federer on Wednesday.

Wimbledon quarterfinalists Felix Auger-Aliassime and Karen Khachanov also are entered.

The tournament says Rock Creek Park Tennis Center will be allowed to have spectators at 50% of capacity. Last year’s Citi Open was canceled because of the pandemic.

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.

Rafael Nadal to Face Roger Federer in the BNP Paribas Open Semifinals

Posted on March 16, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Nadalis set to face one of his biggest rivals…

The 32-year-old Spanish tennis star has advanced to the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open after defeating Karen Khachanov 7-6 (2), 7-6.

Nadal’s victory sets up his 39th career meeting with Roger Federer, their first meeting in 16 months.

Neither Federer nor Nadal has dropped a set in four matches in the desert. Federer has been broken just once, and Nadal has dropped serve three times, twice against Khachanov.

Nadal stands in the way of Federer’s pursuit of a record sixth title at Indian Wells.

Nadal’s right knee flared up for the first time during the tournament in the second set. He called for a trainer, who applied tape just below the knee. The trainer returned again with Nadal leading 3-2 in the second set.

“My goal and my idea is be ready for tomorrow,” said Nadal, who holds a 23-15 edge in his rivalry with Federer. “I cannot guarantee how I’m going to wake up tomorrow morning.”

Knee problems have dogged Nadal in recent years, and they cut short his 2018 season after the US Openin September.

“I love to play on hard [courts], but probably my body doesn’t love it that much,” Nadal said. “As I say before, is not only about today, is about tomorrow. Maybe we’re going to pay the price at the age of 45 or something. That will be not nice. When I see some old legends walking around the tour, is tough to see.”

Juan Martin del Potro Qualifies for the ATP Finals

Posted on October 4, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Juan Martin del Potro has earned a spot in the last big tournament of the year…

The 30-year-old Argentine tennis player has qualified for the ATP Finals for the fifth time by beating Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-6 (4) Wednesday at the China Open.

del Potro, who reached the US Openfinal this year, last qualified for the season-ending tournament for the top eight players in the world in 2013.

del Potro will next meet Filip Krajinovic in the quarterfinals in Beijing. Krajinovic defeated Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (5), 6-3.

He was the runner-up in 2009, losing to Nikolay Davydenkoin the finals of the ATP World Tour Finals.

David Ferrer Advances to the Semifinals at the ASB Classic

Posted on January 11, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

David Ferrer is two wins away from a handful of titles in Auckland…

The 35-year-old Spanish tennis player, a four-time champion at the ATP Tour‘s ASB Classic, has advanced to the semifinals at the tournament for the eighth time after defeating South Korea’s Hyeon Chung 6-3, 6-2 in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

Ferrer’s semifinal opponent will be another former champion, second-seeded Juan Martin del Potro, who beat Russia’s Karen Khachanov 7-6 (4), 6-3.

del Potro looked in top form ahead of the Australian Open with his second straight-sets victory, having beaten Canadian teenage star Denis Shapovalov 6-2, 6-4 in the second round. In two matches in Auckland, 2009 champion del Potro has yet to concede a break point.

“Of course I’m happy to get through. He’s one of the toughest guys on tour,” del Potro said. “Today’s match was so close. He hits the ball so hard and we play long rallies, big points and I think I took all my chances to win.”

Another former champion, fifth-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut, will face Robin Haase of the Netherlands in the other semifinal. Bautista Agut defeated Jiri Vesely 7-6 (1), 6-1 on Thursday while Haase beat Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk 6-4, 6-4.

Rafael Nadal Wins in Straight Sets to Reach Fourth Round at Wimbledon

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

It’s on to the next one for Rafael Nadal…

The 31-year-old Spanish tennis star beat Russia’s Karen Khachanov 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Centre Court to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Nadal is now three matches away from regaining his former ranking as the No. 1 player in the world.

If he reaches the final at the All England Club, the two-time Wimbledon champion will take over from Andy Murray as the top-ranked player in the world.

The fourth-seeded Nadal also extended his Grand Slam winning streak to 28 sets, tying himself for third among men in the Open Era. He also won 28 sets in a row in Grand Slam events in 2010.

Roger Federer holds the record in the Open Era, winning 36 consecutive sets in Grand Slam matches spanning from 2006 into 2007.

John McEnroe won 35 straight in 1984.

Nadal will next face France’s Gilles Muller in the fourth round.

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