Tennis News

Fifth-seed Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas broke up the Argentine party at the Cordoba Open as he took down last year’s finalist Diego Schwartzman 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 on Friday.

Schwartzman was looking to become the fourth Argentine to advance and complete a home sweep of the semi-finals. But Ramos-Vinolas didn’t read the script, and won his third three-setter of the week to stun the World No. 9 at home.

“I’m really happy because it was my first win against him after five losses,” Ramos-Vinolas told ATPTour.com. “I think he’s a great player, and I did a great job to beat him today.”

It was the perfect revenge for Ramos-Vinolas, who fell at this stage to Schwartzman last year in Cordoba. That result extended the Argentine’s ATP Head2Head lead to 5-0, with Ramos-Vinolas unable to win a set in any of their encounters.

But this time around, Ramos-Vinolas raised his level to overpower Schwartzman and reel off the first four games of the match en route to taking a one-sided opening set. He had to weather a mid-match comeback from Schwartzman, who was drawing from the crowd’s energy as he sported taping on his left knee. 

Ramos-Vinolas needed two hours and 27 minutes to prevail and move into his first ATP Tour semi-final since 2020 Santiago. He will face another Argentine in his next match after qualifier Facundo Bagnis recorded a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Jozef Kovalik. 

Earlier in the day, Cancha Central witnessed back-to-back upsets as two more Argentine players claimed big wins over seeded players to advance in Cordoba. 19-year-old Juan Manuel Cerundolo continued his dream run with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 victory over No. 7 seed Thiago Monteiro to start Friday’s action. 

Sitting at No. 335 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Cerundolo qualified for his first ATP Tour event to join older brother Francisco in the main draw, becoming the first pair of Argentine siblings to feature at the same tournament since 1981. But Juan Manuel just kept winning, toppling third-seeded Miomir Kecmanovic in the second round before taking down Monteiro to reach the semi-finals.

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“It’s amazing, I can’t believe it,” Cerundolo told ATPTour.com. “I just feel very happy and I want to enjoy this moment… The most important thing is the confidence [from] these matches. Since the qualies, I have a lot of confidenc

Read more: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/schwartzman-paire-coria-cordoba-2021-friday

It wasn't much, but after a year, fans will take even a fleeting glimpse of Roger Federer.

On Friday, little more than a week out from his return to the ATP Tour, the Swiss legend tweeted a photo of himself from an undisclosed practice court, leaning on the net with a simple message: "The countdown to Doha begins"

The countdown to Doha begins
🦾😃👍#1weektogo pic.twitter.com/EDAgvqp2Md

Teasing fans just a little, Federer didn't reveal in which city he was practising, nor was he holding a racquet in his hand.

In the first hour after it was posted, Federer's tweet had more than 2,000 retweets, 20,000 likes and a number of creative memes.

"Looking forward to see you King Roger in my country," tweeted Fahad Imran Butt.

"This week better go by quickly," wrote Steven Ross. "So happy to see you again. One lovely pic can change your fan's day," tweeted "hanay".

The 39-year-old, 103-time tournament champion has been sidelined for the past 13 months following two surgeries on his right knee, but will make his long-awaited return 8 March at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.

His last match was a semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the 2020 Australian Open.

Read more: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/federer-teases-fans-ahead-of-doha-return

The last time that World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas and three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka clashed, they produced an epic and entertaining battle that went down to the wire. Now, they’re on track for another showdown at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.

Four of the Top 10 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings, led by World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev, are heading to Rotterdam for the first ATP 500 tournament of the season. There are several mouthwatering first-round matches to watch – not to mention the blockbuster action in store should the seeds win through.

Headlining a stacked bottom half of the draw, Tsitsipas and Wawrinka are on a quarter-final collision course. The pair contested one of the best matches of the 2019 season at Roland Garros, with Wawrinka coming away the victor after more than five hours, 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 8-6. But the eighth-seeded Swiss will have to overcome a major test right out of the gate as he drew one of the toughest first-round opponents: an unseeded Karen Khachanov.

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray has also landed in the bottom half of the draw. The 2009 champion returned to Rotterdam with a wild card, and will begin his campaign against Robin Haase. The winner would have to get through No. 4 seed Andrey Rublev in the second round. Rublev will face a qualifier, and could take on No. 6 seed David Goffin in the quarter-finals. 

Top seed Medvedev starts his own campaign against Dusan Lajovic as he seeks his first title in Rotterdam. But a trophy would just be the icing on the cake for the Russian, who is looking to overtake Rafael Nadal and rise to the No. 2 spot in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time.

Medvedev only has to make the final to become the first player outside the Big Four — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray — to hold a top two spot since Lleyton Hewitt was World No. 2 back in 2005. 

But he could face a stern test in the quarter-finals in the form of seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, should the Canadian get past former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori in his own first-round battle. An Australian will await the winner in the second round, either John Millman or Alex de Minaur. Third seed Alexander Zverev and fifth seed Roberto Bautista Agut have also landed in Medvedev’s half of the draw. 

Did You Know...  The Rotterdam honour roll includes Arthur

Read more: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/medvedev-tsitsipas-wawrinka-rotterdam-2021-draw-preview

When the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament draw came out Friday, Daniil Medvedev learned his path to becoming the No. 2 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time.

If the Russian reaches the final in Rotterdam, he will become the first player outside the Big Four — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray — to hold a top two spot since Lleyton Hewitt was World No. 2 the week of 18 July 2005. Nadal passed the Aussie the following week and the quartet has not looked back since.

Medvedev will begin his run against Dusan Lajovic, and may face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals, prior to meeting Alexander Zverev or Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-finals with World No. 2 on the line.

If Medvedev makes the championship match at this ATP 500, he will add 300 FedEx ATP Ranking points, which would replace the 90 points the 25-year-old earned in Vienna last year. The net gain of 210 points would propel the Russian ahead of Nadal, who currently leads him by 115 points.

FedEx ATP Rankings - 22 February 2021

Medvedev has been playing the best tennis of his career. The World No. 3 has won 20 of his past 21 matches, with his only loss coming against nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, the World No. 1, in the championship match at Melbourne Park. Twelve of Medvedev’s victories during that stretch came against Top 10 opponents.

The reigning Nitto ATP Finals champions owns a 5-3 record in Rotterdam. Medvedev’s best result at the ATP 500 came in 2019, when he reached the semi-finals before losing against Gael Monfils in three sets.

Did You Know?
The last time someone outside the Big Four held a top two spot in the FedEx ATP Rankings, Medvedev was only nine years old.

Read more: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/medvedev-rotterdam-2021-no-2-chase

David Goffin is one step away from reaching his 14th ATP Tour final after beating Lorenzo Sonego of Italy 6-4, 6-4 in 87 minutes on Friday at the Open Sud de France.

The second-seeded Belgian, who reached last month's Antalya Open semi-finals (l. to De Minaur) and entered the ATP 250 event on a two-match losing streak, will next challenge Belarus’ Egor Gerasimov.

Gerasimov, who beat Goffin 6-4, 7-6(5) at the 2020 Open 13 Provence in their only previous ATP Head2Head meeting, knocked out Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 in two hours and 28 minutes. The 28-year-old Gerasimov struck 16 aces for a place in his third tour-level semi-final.

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Later today, top-seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut takes on sixth seed Ugo Humbert of France, while Austria's Ugo Humbert meets qualifier Peter Gojowczyk of Germany.

Read more: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/bautista-agut-goffin-montpellier-2021-friday