Francisco Cerundolo Upsets Alexander Zverev to Reach Madrid Open Quarterfinals

Posted on April 30, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Francisco Cerundolo has reached his fourth ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal.

The 25-year-old Argentine professional tennis player earned his third Top 5 win on Tuesday at the Madrid Open, after upsetting World No. 5 Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4.

Cerundolo saved both break points he faced and won 79 percent (33/42) of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to overcome the two-time Madrid champ Zverev after 90 minutes.

Cerundolo is the first Argentine quarterfinalist in Madrid since Juan Martin del Potro reached the last eight in the Spanish capital in 2012.

Cerundolo, who captured a tour-level clay-court title in Bastad in 2022, will aim to reach his second ATP Masters 1000 semifinal (Miami 2022) when he takes on American Taylor Fritz.

If Cerundolo defeats Fritz, he will move to No. 17 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. He eached a previous career-high No. 19 in June last year.

Fritz defeated Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(2), 6-4 in 88 minutes to advance to his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal this season.

Cristian Garin Ousts Top Seed Alexander Zverev to Reach BMW Open Semifinals

Posted on April 19, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Cristian Garin is celebrating a major upset…

The 27-year-old Chilean professional tennis player defeated top seed Alexander Zverev on Friday in the BMW Open quarterfinals.

In the process, Garin picked up his fourth career Top 10 victory.

Two of those have now come against Zverev in Munich.

He previously ousted the German tennis star five years ago in three sets at the same 250-level event.

Playing in cold, windy and damp conditions, Garin saved both break points he faced in the opening set—one at 2-1 after breaking Zverev and one when serving for it at 5-4.

In a pivotal 18-point game midway through the second set, the world No. 5 dropped serve for the second time. Garin engaged the bulk of the finishing rally to Zverev’s backhand side, eventually getting enough weight behind an inside-out forehand to force an error.

Zverev, who opted to layer up with a long-sleeved undershirt and compression leggings, couldn’t warm up enough to combat his opponent’s ball-striking. Garin served out the contest on his second match point when Zverev shanked a forehand return.

“Maybe this weather’s good for my game,” laughed Garin during his on-court interview.

“I just tried to play my game, to be focused because it’s not easy to play in these conditions. I’m so happy with the way I’m playing this week. I’ve been fighting for every point.”

Garin will return to the Top 100 next Monday with his effort this week.

In 2019, Garin backed up his upset win over Zverev by riding the momentum to the title. Third seed Taylor Fritz stands between him and another championship match opportunity.

Fritz equaled his 2023 showing by rallying past sixth seed Jack Draper, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (1).

Alex de Minaur to Face Alexander Zverev in United Cup Semifinals

Posted on January 5, 2024 by Tom Castaneda

Alex de Minaur is preparing for another battle at this year’s United Cup.

The 24-year-old Uruguayan & Spanish Australian tennis player, who pulled off a major upset by beating ailing World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the mixed-gender tournament, will face Alexander Zverev in the semifinals as hosts Australia battle Germany.

de Minaur is looking to break Zverev’s dominance against him, with the Aussie holding a single win against the German Grand Slam finalist in their head-to-head record (6-1).

But de Minaur and the Aussies will enter the semis with supreme confidence, having beaten the defending champions, the United States, to win their group before knocking out Serbia in the quarterfinals, with de Minaur picking up his first win against Djokovic.

“I think he’s playing one of the best tennis of his life. Beating Novak in straight sets, that kind of always shows that you’re playing really well.” Zverev said of his upcoming opponent. “The last time we played was Rome 2022, so that’s a while back. Things have changed a little bit. I think he’s gotten a lot better, closing in on the Top 10 as well.

“Of course it’s better to have that kind of head-to-head record than the opposite, but I’m expecting a tough match. Especially here, I think he’s going to be very motivated and the whole team, Australia, is going to be very motivated — and the crowd definitely plays a factor in that. But I’m looking forward to another tough match.”

While both de Minaur and Zverev are in red-hot form, their singles counterparts have not matched their success so far at the United Cup. Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic brings a 1-2 singles record into the semis, while Germany’s Angelique Kerber is still seeking her first singles win of the event.

“Perth treated us pretty nicely,” de Minaur said. “We had a great time over there, we played some great tennis and obviously the goal was to make it to Sydney and I think we’re all very happy to be here.”

France will play Poland in the other semifinal match on Saturday.

The final is set for Sunday, at Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena.

Carlos Alcaraz Defeats Daniil Medvedev to Advance to Semifinals at ATP Finals

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Carlos Alcaraz has advanced to his first ATP Finals semifinals…

The 20-year-old Spanish tennis player beat Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-4 on Friday to secure a spot in the semifinals of the ATP Finals in his tournament debut, setting up a match against top-ranked Novak Djokovic.

“It’s one of the most difficult challenges that I’m going to face, facing Novak in the ATP Finals, where he has won six times,” Alcaraz said. “Novak is Novak. He is the best player in the world right now. He’s lost just six matches this year. He’s unbelievable.”

Alcaraz and Djokovic have played each other four times and won two each. Djokovic won their most recent encounter in the final in Cincinnati in August, while Alcaraz was victorious in the Wimbledon final.

“I’m going to play my best tennis and enjoy it the same way I did the past few matches,” Alcaraz said. “I’m excited to face Novak.”

Alcaraz is the youngest ATP Finals semifinalist since Rafael Nadal in 2006.

After missing last year’s tournament because of an abdominal injury, Alcaraz got off to a shaky start at the season-ending event for the year’s top eight players.

He lost his opening match to two-time champion Alexander Zverev before getting back on track with a straight-sets win over Andrey Rublev.

That left him needing to beat Medvedev, who had already qualified for the semifinals, to advance. The Russian player didn’t make it easy.

Medvedev had two break points in the fourth game, but Alcaraz came out on top of a 33-shot rally and then produced another big serve before going on to hold.

In the seventh game, Alcaraz broke Medvedev to love for the lead. He then held three set points but needed only one to take the opener with a powerful, crosscourt backhand.

After wasting two break points in the third game of the second set, Alcaraz got the decisive break when Medvedev double-faulted to allow him to serve for the match.

“This match was really, really tough … but everything I did before this match I did almost perfectly so I’m really happy,” Alcaraz said.

With Alcaraz advancing, the top four players in the world have qualified for the semifinals. Medvedev will face Jannik Sinner. Since the ATP formed in 1990, it’s the fourth time the top four players all reached the semifinals at the ATP Finals, along with 1990, 2004 and 2020.

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.

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