Looking for Tennis and Racket Sports International News?

A busy Thursday at the Arizona Tennis Classic saw Alexander Shevchenko score a win that he won’t soon forget. The 22-year-old ousted French wild card Gael Monfils in the first round of the Phoenix Challenger 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-3.

Post match, the qualifier Shevchenko posted on Instagram a message sharing his admiration for the former World No. 6.

“Such an emotional match for me,” Shevchenko said. “[Gael] was the reason I fell in love with the game.”

Shevchenko is coached by Gunter Bresnik, who has worked with prominent players such as Boris Becker, Patrick McEnroe, Dominic Thiem, and fittingly—Monfils.

Top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski continued their smooth sailing at the BNP Paribas Open with a convincing quarter-final win on Thursday night. The Dutch-British duo's 6-3, 6-3 win against Jamie Murray and Michael Venus closed the evening's play on the Indian Wells stadium court, after Carlos Alcaraz beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in singles action.

Koolhof/Skupsi saved the lone break point against them and converted on three of six break chances in the victory, including one that doubled as match point. With two aces, the top seeds were dominant on first serve, winning 85 per cent of points behind their first delivery.

[ATP APP]

They will face Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in Friday's semi-finals, after the Mexican-French pair came from behu=ind to upset fifth seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara 2-6, 6-2, 10-7 on Stadium 2. The teams combined to create 19 break points in an eventful match, with both teams breaking four times.

Friday's other semi-final will see defending and two-time champions John Isner and Jack Sock take on Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden.

As he continues to gain steam in his bid for a maiden BNP Paribas Open title, Carlos Alcaraz crossed off another first on Thursday night in Indian Wells. For the first time in four ATP Head2Head meetings with Felix Auger-Aliassime, the Spaniard emerged victorious with a 6-4, 6-4 result in the desert.

In a thoroughly entertaining quarter-final, two of the brightest young stars in the game delivered a non-stop reel of highlight points. The power, athleticism and shotmaking on display kept the stadium crowd enraptured for two hours, with both players producing magic from all parts of the court.

"Today, the goal was to stay there," Alcaraz said, noting that he faded in the final set of their Basel meeting last October. "I knew that I was going to have my chances. [I had to] try to take it. Probably I played one of my best matches this season, in 2023. I'm really happy and [want to] keep going."

The victory, Alcaraz's first against a Top 10 opponent since he beat Casper Ruud in the US Open final, moves the Spaniard within two wins of a return to the top of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Into the Indian Wells final for the second straight year (l. to Nadal in 2022), he will next meet Jannik Sinner, with Daniil Medvedev or Frances Tiafoe potentially beyond that in the final.

While the top-seeded Alcaraz dominated early and late, Auger-Aliassime matched him blow for blow for much of the match. The Spaniard fought off the first break point against him to serve out the opening set, but could not deny his opponent's charge as the eighth seed broke to level the second set at 1-1.

Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz both entered their Thursday BNP Paribas Open quarter-final with lengthy winning streaks in the desert, defending champion Fritz on a nine-match tear and and Sinner on a run of five victories, excluding his fourth-round withdrawal last year.

The comfort level of both men in Indian Wells was apparent in a high-quality matchup, with Sinner's huge hitting making the difference in the crucial moments of a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win. Already the first Italian man to reach the quarters in the event's 47-year history, Sinner extended his historic tournament by improving to 3-3 in his past six matches against Top 5 opposition.

"I just tried to play quite aggressively, which I've done," Sinner said. "I'm obviously very happy about the performance. Playing against Taylor is never easy. I lost against him two years ago here. He loves the conditions here so I'm very happy that I found a way today."

[ATP APP]

Sinner is now through to his second ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, after his run to the 2021 Miami title match (l. to Hurkacz). He will meet Carlos Alcaraz or Felix Auger-Aliassime on Saturday in the last four.

In the first round of the all-new Challenger 175 category, fans can enjoy a rematch of two players who have previously met in the fourth round of a Grand Slam.

In 2021, Matteo Berrettini ousted Ilya Ivashka in the round of 16 at Wimbledon, where the Italian went on to reach the final (l. Djokovic). Two months later, the Italian and Ivashka met again in the US Open third round, with Berrettini prevailing in five sets.

This week, after suffering losses at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells, Berrettini and Ivashka made their way to the Arizona Tennis Classic, where they will clash Thursday afternoon at the Phoenix Country Club.

Top seed Berrettini earned a wild card into the Phoenix Challenger. Gael Monfils, Alexander Bublik, and Richard Gasquet are also among the strong field.

The US Open is a major tennis tournament that takes place annually in New York City, typically during the last two weeks of August and the first week of September. It is one of the four Grand Slam tournaments, along with the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon. The US Open was first held in 1881 and has been played on several different surf...

After a comeback win kickstarted their title defence, Americans John Isner and Jack Sock have improved with each passing round at the BNP Paribas Open. The home favourites scored their most decisive win of the tournament on Wednesday night, beating Italians Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini 6-2, 6-4 under the lights on the Indian Wells stadium court.

The two-time desert champions saved all three break points against them in the victory and converted on three of their five chances, much to the delight of the Southern California crowd. Isner/Sock stamped their authority on the match early on, when Sock whipped a backhand return winner on a deciding point to secure their first break of the match.

They will next meet Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden, who earned a 6-4, 7-5 victory against Canadian singles stars Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov earlier in the night. The Indian-Australian duo won both sets behind a single break and saved all four break points against them.

The remaining two quarter-finals, in the top half of the draw, will be played on Thursday. Top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski will meet Jamie Murray and Michael Venus, while fifth seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara meet Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

The doubles semi-finals are scheduled for Friday, with the champions to be crowned on Saturday.

Despite rain cancelling much of Wednesday’s action, Chinese star Zhang Zhizhen rallied from a set down to advance to the second round of the Arizona Tennis Classic, where he will next clash against fourth seed Alexander Bublik.

The star-studded action got underway four hours after initially scheduled, but the World No. 93 Zhang prevailed against lucky loser Rinky Hijikata 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4 before heavy rain again halted play at the Phoenix Challenger.

Only two other matches were completed in Wednesday’s opening-round action. Third seed Richard Gasquet downed American qualifier Emilio Nava 7-6(5), 6-3 and Mikael Ymer defeated Radu Albot 6-1, 7-5.

When rain cancelled play at around 7:30 p.m., Gael Monfils and Alexander Shevchenko were locked in a three-set battle. Shevchenko, 22, advanced through qualifying and was leading the French wild card 6-4, 6-7(2), 2-0 when the match was suspended.

Daniil Medvedev entered his first BNP Paribas Open quarter-final with one health concern and exited Wednesday's match with another, to go along with his 18th straight victory.

After rolling his right ankle in a match-of-the-season contender against Alexander Zverev on Tuesday, Medvedev was not able to walk that evening. But he surprised himself by moving well a day later in a 6-3, 7-5 win against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Then late in the second set, on a break point at 3-3, the fifth seed added to his worry list when another fall caused him to slice open his right thumb.

"I absolutely cut it open. It was like fully open," said Medvedev, who twice required treatment to stop the bleeding. "I never cut myself with a knife even like this because I don't cook much. Now it's getting black. I don't know if it's a good sign."

In his post-match press conference, he later added: "The moment I cut it, I saw, I don't know if I should say it, kind of the meat. That was not nice to see. They cleaned it now. I have a small tape. Should be fine."

The untimely tumble could have been a turning point in the match, as Medvedev lost six straight points beginning with his missed break chance. He tried to play on without taping his thumb, but quickly realised that was not an option.

The two remaining semi-final spots at the BNP Paribas Open are up for grabs on Thursday in Indian Wells, where top seed Carlos Alcaraz continues his bid for the title and the No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

The Spaniard must defeat Felix Auger-Aliassime for the first time in four attempts if he is to keep alive his chances of that double prize, while defending champion Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner go head-to-head in a clash between two of the hardest hitters on Tour.

ATPTour.com previews the quarter-final matchups from the bottom half of the BNP Paribas Open draw.

View Singles Draw | View Doubles Draw | View Schedule

[ATP APP]

There has been nothing to question about Daniil Medvedev's game in recent weeks, but uncertainty around the health of his right ankle surrounded his BNP Paribas Open quarter-final clash with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Wednesday. After rolling his ankle in a thrilling fourth-round victory against Alexander Zverev on Tuesday, Medvedev said he was having trouble walking but that he hoped to play in the quarters.

In a 6-3, 7-5 victory against the 23rd seed — his 18th straight match win — Medvedev moved well in a fast start to alleviate any concerns. He added a new worry late in the second set when another fall required treatment on a bloody right thumb, but after escaping 0/40 at 3-4, the four-time ATP Masters 1000 champion did just enough in windy conditions to finish the job in straight sets.

"I'm actually happy the ankle didn't hurt much because when I warmed up, it was hurting pretty bad," Medvedev said post-match. "I knew I was going to play, I knew I was going to try. But I couldn't move well on the warm-up. I tried to warm it up as long as possible, took one painkiller so that probably helped. I was actually feeling better and better during the match.

"The match was absolutely crazy. I could talk about this for 15 minutes, but just really happy to go through such a tough match with such tough conditions with the wind."

It was business as usual in the first set once he opened up a 3-0 lead and nearly broke again for 4-0, with his patient and prodding baseline game frustrating Davidovich Fokina on the Indian Wells stadium court.

Richard Gasquet views the ATP Tour just like a tennis ball with which he has won a point: He goes back to it for more.

The 36-year-old Frenchman has spent more than 20 years on tour and is showing no signs of slowing down. After reaching a career-high ranking No. 7 almost 16 years ago, Gasquet is still performing at a high level and residing in the Top 50 of Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Boasting a famed one-handed backhand that he can easily change direction with in the blink of an eye, the World No. 43 is also a little superstitious on court.

[ATP APP]

“I have a superstition with the ball, I use the same ball when I’m winning points,” Gasquet told ATPTour.com. “With [changing my] grip [every changeover], it’s because I’m sweating so much, not superstition. It feels more fresh.”

Frances Tiafoe soared into his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final at the BNP Paribas Open Wednesday when he overcame Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4 to end the Briton’s eight-match winning run.

After a rain-disrupted start, the clouds cleared and Tiafoe started to fire. The American combined flair with power, timing the ball cleanly and moving forward effectively to earn the 13th – and biggest – win of his season after one hour and 25 minutes.

Tiafoe, who is making his seventh appearance in Indian Wells, will face fifth seed Daniil Medvedev or Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina for a place in Sunday’s championship match.

"I am really happy. I feel like when I am there mentally, I am one of the best players in the world," Tiafoe said. "Today it is not just about getting to the semis, I am happy to beat a guy like that, who has been playing so well. To be able to come out here and beat him in straight sets, is relatively comfortable. At the end, it got a little tricky, but it was pretty one-way traffic and I am really happy with where my game is at."

Norrie lifted the title in Rio de Janeiro last month and entered the quarter-final clash off the back of a victory against sixth seed Andrey Rublev. However, he was unable to replicate that level against Tiafoe, frequently dropping the ball short to allow the 14th seed to dictate.

Thanasi Kokkinakis upset fifth seed Jiri Lehecka in straight sets Tuesday at the Arizona Tennis Classic. A few hours after the Aussie’s victory, he attended the Phoenix Suns vs. Milwaukee Bucks NBA game.

The 26-year-old has been a longtime fan of the NBA and most notably the Suns’ point guard Chris Paul.

“I pretty much follow Chris Paul wherever he goes. He’s my favourite player. Until he retires, I’ll stick with him,” Kokkinakis told ATPTour.com. “I saw him play when I was younger for Team USA and New Orleans and I just liked the way he played. He wasn’t someone that was a lot of people’s favourite player, I wanted to go a little different from the mainstream. He’s real smooth, real smart.

“We had the same agency a while back, so I’ve met him a few times. We keep in touch on social media sometimes. It’s pretty cool, he’s a nice guy. Him and Tracy McGrady were my favourites.”

Kokkinakis attended the game alongside his coach Todd Langman and countryman Alexei Popyrin, who also earned a first-round victory at the Phoenix Challenger on Tuesday. The Bucks, who are leading the NBA’s Eastern Conference, defeated the Suns 116-104. Milwaukee’s forward Giannis Antetokounmpo finished as the leading scorer with 36 points.

This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es

Carlos Alcaraz produced yet another demonstration of his precociousness this week at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. At 19, he has become the second fastest player to reach 100 wins among the 28 World No.1s in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

ATPTour.com looks back at some of the defining moments of a career that is progressing at breakneck speed.

[ATP APP]

Dominant on every surface
In a sport that requires mastering different court types, with a range of different ball speeds, spins and bounces, Alcaraz has shown from the beginning of his career that he has a natural talent for adaptation. The Spaniard has managed to find solutions wherever he has played, at the very least finding the path to victory more often than his opponents on each surface.

After an action-packed first seven days at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, the 2023 BNP Paribas Open has reached the quarter-final stage. On Wednesday, four of the remaining players in the draw will step out on Stadium 1 aiming to prolong their stay in ‘Tennis Paradise’.

They include the two players that own the most and second-most match wins on Tour, respectively, in 2023 — Daniil Medvedev (22 wins) and Cameron Norrie (21). They seek to add to their tallies on Wednesday in order to book a semi-final spot at the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the season.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina stands in the way of fifth seed Medvedev, while one of two Americans left in the draw — Frances Tiafoe — will hope to ride home support to victory against Norrie. ATPTour.com previews the quarter-final matchups from the bottom half of the BNP Paribas Open draw.

View Singles Draw | View Doubles Draw | View Schedule

[ATP APP]

With all eight fourth-round matches played on Tuesday at the BNP Paribas Open, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Tommy Paul might have saved the best for last. In one of two three-setters on the day — the other a thrilling win for Daniil Medvedev against Alexander Zverev — Auger-Aliassime fought off six match points to edge the American 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6).

Next up for the eighth seed: a Thursday showdown with Carlos Alcaraz, who moved past Jack Draper via a second-set retirement earlier in the night.

With the stunning victory, Auger-Aliassime has now reached the quarter-finals at each of the past six ATP Masters 1000 events he's played, including his current run in Indian Wells. He has advanced to that stage at seven of the nine Masters 1000s on the calendar, with Monte Carlo and Shanghai the lone exceptions.

"I always stayed positive, I kept my hopes up, I kept thinking, 'OK, I'm not that far, I can come back,'" a relieved Auger-Aliassime said of his great escape against Paul. "At the end, when you're down 0/40 on your serve, you know that... 'OK if I win this first one, serve well, then again, then again, and we're back on even terms.'

"You just kind of take it one by one. It's very cliche to say but it still works; that's the proof. I'm really happy to get through. It's a crazy feeling."

Main-draw action at the Phoenix Challenger got off to a roaring start Tuesday as two of the Top-5 seeds were upset in the opening round. Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis ousted Jiri Lehecka before World No. 80 Nuno Borges got past second seed Diego Schwartzman under the lights at the Arizona Tennis Classic.

Fresh off an Indian Wells clash against World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, Kokkinakis made the trip to Arizona after falling to the Spaniard. On Tuesday, the 26-year-old won 37 of 45 first serve points to defeat fifth seed Lehecka 7-6(5), 6-4.

“Stoked to get it done,” Kokkinakis said. “He’s going to be a very good player for years to come. He’s explosive, has a lot of firepower, very athletic. He’s playing some great tennis this year, he made the quarter-finals at the Australian Open. I had to kind of weather the storm, the conditions are very slow here. I just tried to stay patient and out grind him.”

Borges stayed consistent from the baseline and punished World No. 38 Schwartzman’s deep court positioning to earn the highest-ranked win of his career and upset the second seed 7-5, 6-3. The Portuguese No. 1, who won last month’s Monterrey Challenger, awaits the winner of Pedro Martinez and Roman Safiullin.

Jannik Sinner broke new ground at the BNP Paribas Open Tuesday night, progressing to the quarter-finals for the first time after fourth-round runs in each of the past two years. The Italian won a big-hitting battle with Stan Wawrinka 6-1, 6-4, though the match was much closer than the score suggests.

"The scoreline is wrong today," Sinner said of its one-sided nature, alluding to Wawrinka's nine break points in the match. "I felt like we both were playing very well, long rallies, and he was getting every time very close. I got lucky a little bit there at 4-3 [in the second set] when I was serving, he [barely] missed the return.

"Things can change so quickly. I'm very happy to be in the next round but obviously it was a very, very tough match today."

[ATP APP]

Now 15-3 on the young season, Sinner has reached the quarter-finals or better in four of his six 2023 events, including his title run in Montpellier. With perfect six-for-six record in sets this tournament, he is bidding for his eighth ATP Tour trophy and his first at the ATP Masters 1000 level. A Thursday matchup against defending champion Taylor Fritz is up next.

Carlos Alcaraz moved to within three victories of a return to World No. 1 after advancing to the BNP Paribas Open quarter-finals for the second straight year on Tuesday night. The Spaniard led Jack Draper 6-2, 2-0 when the Briton was forced to retire with an abdominal injury that first affected him late in his Monday win against Andy Murray.

After wishing his opponent a speedy recovery, Alcaraz gave a positive review of his performance in the 46 minutes of play on the night: "I felt the ball really well. I'm really happy with that part," he assessed. "I would say I returned well, I hit great shots. I finished the match with confidence in my shots, to come into the next round with more confidence."

The pair's second ATP Head2Head meeting started with all the fireworks of their previous matchup, which Alcaraz narrowly won in a tight third set last October in Basel. Both men produced highlight-reel shots early, but Alcaraz had more success in the routine points as he took an early 2-0 lead, escaping 0/40 in his opening service game with timely power plays.

As the match wore on, Draper's abdominal issue hampered his serve — which dropped well below 100 mph — and his movement. After a visit from the physio in between sets, he won just one point in the first two games of the second set before retiring to give Alcaraz his 101st tour-level win.

After a respectful handshake and some warm words at the net, Alcaraz wrote well-wishes on the TV camera: "Get well soon Jack!!" He will face Felix Auger-Aliassime or Tommy Paul next in his bid to return to the desert semi-finals.