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.

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.

Cristian Garin Upsets Casper Ruud to Reach Fourth Round at Indian Wells

Posted on March 12, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Cristian Garin has pulled off a major upset at Indian Wells…

The 26-year-old Chilean professional tennis player, the former World No. 17 who came through two qualifying matches to book a spot in the main draw at the ATP Masters 1000 event, sealed a 6-4, 7-6 (2) victory against third seed Casper Ruud to reach the fourth round for the first time at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

“With a full stadium, and to play like this today against Casper, who is one of the players that I really admire on Tour, I am so, so happy to keep playing like that,” said Garin. “Aggressive, going to the net, I think that’s the way that I like to play and the only way that I [can] beat these kinds of players. I’m just so happy and I want to keep improving and keep enjoying this tournament.”

Garin qualified without losing a set and then dropped just 10 games across his opening two main-draw matches, and he showed few nerves when presented with his toughest test yet in California. He outhit the World No. 4 Ruud by 39 winners to 17 to notch his third win against a Top 10 opponent, his first since 2021, and his first on a hard court.

After clinching the first set by breaking Ruud’s serve in the fifth game, Garin’s composure was tested as he looked to close out the match. Ruud narrowly avoided going down a double break in the second set by recovering 30/40 to hold for 2-3, and the Norwegian went on to force a tie-break as he threatened a comeback on Stadium 1.

Garin expertly ended Ruud’s hopes of victory, however. He reeled off four points in a row to clinch the tiebreak as he heaped pressure on the Norwegian’s groundstrokes with frequent forays to the net. During his one-hour, 58-minute victory, Garin won 78 per cent (18/23) of points at the net.

“I like to play aggressive and move a lot to the net, and I think Casper is a really good player when you give time to him,” said Garin after extending his ATP Head2Head series lead against Ruud to 3-1. “So I try to go aggressive, go to the net, and play like that… I’ve known Casper for a very long time, so it’s very special to keep playing like this in this tournament, so I want to keep going.”

Garin will look to keep his run going in Indian Wells when he next takes on 23rd seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who defeated 13th seed Karen Khachanov 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 later on Sunday.

Should the Chilean triumph, he would advance to his fourth ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal after also reaching that stage at the 2019 Rolex Paris Masters, the 2021 Mutua Madrid Open, and the 2022 Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

Nicolas Jarry Outlasts Tomas Martin Etcheverry at Chile Open for First ATP Title Since 2019

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Nicolas Jarry is officially a hometown hero…

The 27-year-old Chilean professional tennis player, the home crowd favorite, came from behind to beat Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-2 to clinch the Chile Open final on Sunday, his first title at the ATP level since 2019.

Jarry served a doping suspension in 2020 and his ranking tumbled.

His run to the title in the clay court tournament at Chile came the week after Jarry reached the semifinals of the Rio Open, where he lost a tough match to Carlos Alcaraz, and is projected to put him back into the top 60 in the ATP Tour rankings.

“It is really unbelievable, it means a lot to me, specially doing it for the two weeks in a row,” Jarry said. “Winning the second tiebreaker was very important emotionally.”

Jarry and Etcheverry had met only once previously, in the first round at Cordoba last year, which the Argentine won in three sets.

Alex de Minaur Defeats Tommy Paul to Win Mexican Open

Posted on March 5, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s Lucky No. 7 for Alex de Minaur.

The 24-year-old Uruguayan & Spanish Australian professional tennis player rallied to win the biggest title of his career, beating Tommy Paul 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 on Saturday night in the final of the Mexican Open.

de Minaur won his seventh career title and first at the ATP 500 level.

He won his previous six titles at ATP 250 events, most recently last year at Atlanta.

de Minaur will move to No. 18 in the rankings.

His career-best ranking is No. 15 in 2021.

Paul had reached the final by beating fifth-ranked Taylor Fritz on Friday in a match that lasted 3 hours, 25 minutes. He has one career title, at Stockholm in 2021.

Alex de Minaur Earns First Win Over Rafael Nadal in United Cup Play

Posted on January 2, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Alex de Minaur has finally claimed a win against a tennis legend…

For the first time in his career, the 23-year-old Uruguayan & Spanish Australian professional tennis player defeated Rafael Nadal at the United Cup mixed team tournament Monday, as concerns about the world No. 2’s early-season form grew ahead of his Australian Open title defense.

It was de Minaur’s first win against Nadal in four attempts.

Nadal showed glimpses of brilliance during his opening loss to Cameron Norrie following his return to action after an injury-plagued 2022 season, and he looked set to respond against de Minaur, only to fall again as de Minaur won 3-6, 6-1, 7-5.

Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, has now won only one of his past seven matches on the ATP tour — a dead rubber round-robin stage victory over Casper Ruud at the ATP Finals. His other losses have come against Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe.

Nadal will next be in action at the season’s first Grand Slam at Melbourne Park starting January 16, giving him time to iron out flaws.

Spain and Australia not being in contention for the next stage of the inaugural $15 million prize money event had dulled the edge of their meeting slightly, and de Minaur’s quest for his first win over Nadal looked set to continue as he fell behind.

However, he rallied from a set and a break down to secure the biggest victory of his career as Nadal surrendered his serve in the 11th game and de Minaur closed out the victory to spark emotional scenes and delight the raucous Sydney fans.

Rafael Nadal to Battle Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas Exhibition Match in March

Posted on December 7, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Nadal is headed to Sin City…

The 36-year-old Spanish tennis superstar will face off against compatriot and current World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in an exhibition match in Las Vegas on March 5.

Nadal owns a men’s-record 22 Grand Slam titles, including two in 2022 at the Australian Open in January and French Open in June, while Alcaraz, 19, claimed his first major trophy at the US Open in September.

The two Spaniards finished 1-2 in this year’s ATP rankings: Alcaraz is the youngest man to finish at No. 1, while Nadal is the oldest to finish at No. 2. They’re also the first two countrymen to lead the men’s rankings since Americans Pete Sampras and Michael Chang in 1996.2d

The match being touted, boxing-style, as “The Slam: Nadal vs. Alcaraz” will be held inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Tickets go on sale Friday.

Nadal and Alcaraz have played each other three times in official tournaments, all at Masters 1000 events. Nadal leads 2-1, with Alcaraz’s victory coming in their most recent meeting, in May on red clay at Madrid.

Carlos Alcaraz Becomes Youngest Year-End No. 1 in ATP History

Posted on December 7, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz has another a place in tennis history once again…

The 19-year-old Spanish professional tennis player is the youngest year-end No. 1 in the history of the ATP computerized rankings.

He also joins fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal as the first players from the same country to claim the top two spots at the close of a season since Americans Pete Sampras and Michael Chang in 1996.

The final men’s tennis rankings for 2022 were published Monday, and Alcaraz’s rise from No. 32 at the end of 2021 is the largest single-season jump to No. 1.

Alcaraz, who turned 19 in May, has remained atop the rankings since he won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open in September by beating Casper Ruud in the final.

That made Alcaraz the first male teen at No. 1 since the ATP computerized rankings began in 1973.

He’s the first man in 20 years other than Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray — since Andy Roddick in 2003 — to finish at No. 1.

Alcaraz ended his season early after tearing an abdominal muscle while competing at the Paris Masters a month ago.

The 36-year-old Nadal, meanwhile, is the oldest man to finish a year ranked first or second. He also extended his own record by placing in the top 10 at the end of a year for the 18th consecutive season. The recently retired Federer is the only other man with that many top-10 finishes over the course of a career.

Nadal won the Australian Open and French Open to raise his men’s-record Grand Slam total to 22 trophies, one ahead of Djokovic and two ahead of Federer.

Ruud finishes at No. 3, followed by No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas, No. 5 Djokovic, No. 6 Felix Auger-Aliassime, No. 7 Daniil Medvedev, No. 8 Andrey Rublev, No. 9 Taylor Fritz and No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz.

Djokovic couldn’t play at the Australian Open or US Open because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19 and didn’t earn any rankings boost for his title at Wimbledon because the WTA and ATP stripped that tournament of any points over the All England Club‘s ban on players from Russia and Belarus.

Carlos Alcaraz & Rafael Nadal Make ATP Rankings History

Posted on October 4, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz and his childhood idol have combined for a ranktastic moment…

The 19-year-old Spanish tennis player, currently ranked No. 1 in the world, and No. 2 Rafael Nadal are the first countrymen to top the ATP rankings in 22 years.

And Alcaraz and Nadal are the first men from somewhere other than the United States to sit at 1-2 since the tour introduced computerized rankings in 1973.

Alcaraz rose to the top spot by winning the US Open last month for his first Grand Slam title, becoming the youngest man ever to be No. 1.

Nadal is a 36-year-old Spaniard who has spent 209 weeks atop the rankings and owns a men’s-record 22 major championships, including at the Australian Open in January and the French Open in June. He rose from No. 3 to No. 2 on Monday, swapping places with US Open runner-up Casper Ruud.

The last time players from the same country held Nos. 1 and 2 in the ATP rankings was in August 2000, when Americans Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras did it.

“Proud to share this historic moment with @RafaelNadal, the best player of all-time,” Alcaraz wrote in Spanish on Twitter.

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