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Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek advanced to their second straight ATP Tour final with a Saturday victory in Naples. After a deep run last week in Florence, the Croatian-American pair will now play for its second title of the season at the Tennis Napoli Cup.

The top seeds edged Italians Lorenzo Sonego and Andrea Vavassori 6-7(8), 6-3, 11-9 to reach their fifth tour-level final of 2022. The Lyon champions sit 12th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings as they chase a Top 7 place which would guarantee qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals.

Now on 2,500 points, Dodig/Krajicek will need to continue their strong form in Basel and Paris in order to close what is currently a 650-point gap to seventh place. They can add 100 points to their tally in Sunday's final, where they will met third-seeded Aussies Matthew Ebden and John Peers.

Ebden/Peers advanced to the final with a 6-3, 7-5 win against Nikola Cacic and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.

[ATP APP]

Sebastian Korda won a semi-final thriller at the European Open Saturday when he rallied from a break down in the third set to edge Dominic Thiem 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-6(4) at the ATP 250 event in Antwerp.

The American recovered from losing a tight first set as he held his nerve and maintained his focus in the crucial moments to advance to his second tour-level final of the season after two hours and 47 minutes.

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In his first ATP Head2Head meeting against the Austrian Thiem, Korda hit 49 winners, won 72 per cent (49/68) of his first-serve points and broke four times. The 22-year-old will face second-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime or Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the championship match.

Korda has now won eight of his past nine matches, having reached the final in Gijon last week. He is up to No. 33 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings and will rise to No. 30 if he wins the title in Antwerp.

#NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune reached his third tour-level final of the season Saturday when he edged Alex de Minaur 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-5 at the Stockholm Open.

The 19-year-old showed his fighting qualities as he battled from a set and a break down against the Australian to advance at the ATP 250 event after two hours and 52 minutes. Rune has now won his past five matches that have gone to a deciding set. He overcame Cameron Norrie in three sets in the quarter-finals in Stockholm.

“It was a brutal match from the beginning to the end,” Rune said in his on-court interview. “Super long rallies. Really exhausting. He takes the ball super early and puts you under a lot of pressure but I am super happy I was able to raise my level towards the end of the second set and I started a bit better than expected in the third. I am super happy with how I fought until the end.”

[ATP APP]

In an attacking performance, the Dane stepped inside the baseline and fired 45 winners to earn his 28th tour-level win of the season. Rune, currently No. 24 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, will face either top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or Finn Emil Ruusuvuori in the championship match.

With his back against the wall Saturday, Matteo Berrettini survived to reach the final at the Tennis Napoli Cup. After a slow start, the Italian raised his level on serve to overcome American Mackenzie McDonald 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-3.

In a hard-fought clash at the ATP 250 event, Berrettini struggled on serve in the first set and was troubled by a foot injury, receiving a medical timeout at 2-5 in the opener.

However, the second seed stuck to the task at hand and slowly turned the match around. He fired 10 aces across the second and third sets, striking 30 winners to advance after two hours and 25 minutes on home soil.

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With his victory, Berrettini has climbed to 13th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin on 2375 points. The 26-year-old, currently 690 points behind seventh-placed Felix Auger-Aliassime, will need a strong end to the season to give him a chance of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals for a third time.

The Nitto ATP Finals will award a record $14.75 million in prize money at this year’s season finale, which will be played at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 13-20 November.

The prize money pool reflects an increase of 103 per cent on the 2021 tournament and a 64 per cent increase on the 2019 event, the last pre-pandemic edition of the Nitto ATP Finals.

If the champion at this year’s tournament lifts the trophy with a perfect record, he will earn $4,740,300, a 105 per cent increase year over year. That would be a record prize money for a champion in all of tennis.

Three matches at this year’s Nitto ATP Finals will be worth more than $1 million. Each semi-final victory will be worth $1.07 million and the championship match will yield the winner $2,200,400.

Singles Prize Money (2022)
Alternate	$150,000
Participation Fee	$320,000*
Round-robin match win	$383,300
Semi-final match win	$1,070,000
Final win	$2,200,400
Undefeated champion	$4,740,300

*Singles Participation Fee Schedule (2022)
1 match: $160,000
2 matches: $240,000
3 matches: $320,000

Still riding high from his title last week in Florence, Felix Auger-Aliassime moved within two wins of a repeat run in Stockholm on Friday. But the second-seeded Canadian needed to dig deep to fend off Daniel Evans 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 in a two-hour, 40-minute match that concluded after midnight at the European Open.

"It was a really high-quality match from both of us and I couldn't regret too much, or anything really, in the first set. He just played a bit too good," the Canadian said post-match. "Then I started serving better, I was able to hold my serve a little bit easier, so that of course helped.

"From the tie-break and the third set, it was a great finish from me. I'm really happy I made the effort to dig deep and push hard until the end."

[ATP APP]

The victory further secured Auger-Aliassime's seventh-place position in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race to Turin, as the Canadian strives to clinch what may be the final qualification spot for this year's Nitto ATP Finals. With 3,065 points, he now holds a 180-point lead over Tokyo champion Taylor Fritz in eighth place.

In a highlight-filled and eventful matchup on Friday at the Stockholm Open, Stefanos Tsitsipas edged home favourite Mikael Ymer to reach his second straight ATP Tour semi-final.

The Greek saved 10 of 11 break points, including one at 5-5 in the opening set, as he did just enough to keep the Swede's charge at bay. Both men looked to attack early and often in the high-quality contest, combining for 57 net approaches, with each man winning roughly two-thirds of his ventures forward. The pair also combined for 56 winners, Ymer striking 29 to his opponent's 27.

"It was not easy playing out here," Tsitsipas said of facing the Swede in front of his home crowd. "I really had to play good tennis, come up with some creative shots, and I'm very happy with the result.

"I had to really work hard for it. He came very close, getting kind of a small lead, but I stopped him. I was there, insisting, and persevered in the first set. It was such a crucial moment to go through, and I did that and the rest came."

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In the 45-year history of the ATP Challenger Tour, Lithuania had never hosted a Challenger tournament. That all changed this week, as the Challenger circuit turned its eyes to the country’s capital city, Vilnius.

Lithuania, located in the Baltic states, is the 91st country to host a Challenger tournament. Tournament director Ramūnas Grušas, who is the Lithuanian Tennis Federation president, spoke with ATPTour.com about the process it took to build the Vilnius Open by kevin.

“We started to think about having a Challenger in 2013,” Grušas said. “We made a trip to some Challengers in Europe and talked to the organisers there and finally, we are doing it. We are really happy and excited.”

The host venue, the SEB Arena, provides world-class facilities to the Challenger 80 event. Boasting 28 indoor tennis courts, the SEB Arena is the largest indoor tennis complex in central Europe. Squash and badminton courts can also be found at the state-of-the-art facility. A recent expansion project included the construction of a stadium court for the debut tournament.

 

Dominic Thiem produced an escape act of the highest order Friday at the European Open in Antwerp, where the Austrian saved three match points before downing top seed Hubert Hurkacz with a thrilling 3-6, 7-6(9), 7-6(4) victory.

Thiem saved those match points in a pulsating second-set tie-break, including one with a powerful backhand that crept over the net via a net cord at 5/6. The former World No. 3 then held his nerve to clinch the set and repeated the trick in the decider, surging to an unassailable 6/2 lead in the tie-break to claim his first win against Hurkacz in four ATP Head2Head meetings.

“This victory especially is unbelievable because it’s my first victory over an almost-Top 10 guy in my comeback process,” said Thiem, who returned to the Tour in March after missing nine months due to a wrist injury. “It was unbelievable to play, a great atmosphere and a great match.”

Despite his stroke of luck with the second-set net cord, Thiem kept a high level throughout the two-hour, 55-minute encounter. He struck 36 winners to Hurkacz’s 47, with his trademark backhand a particularly potent weapon.

“Indoors, especially against someone who is serving that great, it’s about little details and margins,” said Thiem. “Today the luck was on my side on that match point. The match could easily have been gone, but it’s like that at the highest level and I’m very happy in general to even get to those close situations again. Today it went my way and I have to enjoy it.”

Holger Rune notched another impressive win on the indoor hard courts of Europe on Friday, when the 19-year-old took out second seed Cameron Norrie in the quarter-finals at the Stockholm Open.

The World No. 27 responded strongly to dropping the first-set tie-break to charge to a 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3 win. He struck 38 winners, including 11 aces, to claim his first victory against the Briton in four ATP Tour meetings this year.

“It was an unbelievable match, I think we both played pretty well,” said Rune after the victory. “Obviously I’ve lost three times in a row to Cam, so I knew it was going to be difficult and the result today showed it was a lot of hard work, so I’m just super happy that after a tough and very long first set, I could stay composed and find a way.”

Having reached the final in Sofia three weeks ago, Rune's run in Stockholm so far has lifted him to No. 25 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as he prepares to meet Alex de Minaur in the semi-finals. The Australian notched an impressive win of his own in Sweden on Friday, downing Denis Shapovalov 6-2, 7-6(4) to reach his fifth tour-level semi-final of the season.

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Matteo Berrettini continued to look comfortable on the seaside hard courts of the Tennis Napoli Cup on Friday, when the home favourite delivered a dominant 6-2, 6-3 quarter-final victory against Taro Daniel.

The second seed picked up where he left off in his second-round win against Roberto Carballes Baena in Friday's quarter-final clash, breaking Daniel’s serve in the opening game. Berrettini barely looked back thereafter, cruising to an 84-minute win to reach his fifth tour-level semi-final of the season.

“I think I was aggressive [from] the very first game and I got the break early in the first set and I felt confident,” said Berrettini after the match. “I didn’t give him the time to organise or [let him] make me move too much. We played each other many times, so I kind of knew what to expect from him, and my plan worked really well.”

A FIFTH semi-final of the year for Matteo Berrettini! ?

The home favourite defeats Taro Daniel 6-2 6-3 in Naples.#TennisNapoliCupbyBCP pic.twitter.com/nKtJlnGLIo

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 21, 2022

Berrettini fired 36 winners, including seven aces, to extend his ATP Head2Head series lead against Daniel to 3-1. The Italian was particularly happy to put on a strong showing in front of his parents, who were watching on from the stands.

The best was saved for last on Thursday at the Stockholm Open, particularly for Frances Tiafoe. In the lone three-setter of the day across both singles and doubles, the American came back from a set and 0-4 down to edge home favourite Elias Ymer in a late-night thriller.

With the 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(2) victory, Tiafoe advanced to his seventh ATP Tour quarter-final of the season and denied the Ymer brothers a famous sweep of seeded opposition in their native Sweden. Earlier in the day, Mikael Ymer was a 6-2, 6-3 winner against eighth seed Tommy Paul.

"It was an unbelievable effort, a big growth win for me, to come back and win that," Tiafoe said post-match. "He got a little nervous there and I started upping my level. He still played well in the third. He served well, but I was able to get it done. Elias is a hell of a player."

[ATP APP]

From 0-4 in the second set, Tiafoe won five straight games to turn the tables, then raced out to a 6/0 lead in the tie-break as he forced a decider. The third seed flirted with danger again in the final set, saving a break point at 1-2 and 2-3 before once again dominating the tie-break.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame’s annual Fan Voting returns for 2022, with seven accomplished ATP and WTA players among this year’s candidates for the Class of 2023. From 20 October through 30 October, 2022, tennis fans around the world can cast their ballots for the candidates they believe are worthy of tennis’ ultimate honour: induction into the Hall of Fame.

The seven nominees in the Player Category for the Class of 2023 are:

Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain, 2003 Roland Garros champion and former World No. 1Carlos Moya of Spain, 1998 Roland Garros champion and former World No. 1Daniel Nestor of Canada, a 12-time Grand Slam champion in doubles and mixed doubles and former doubles World No. 1Cara Black of Zimbabwe, former doubles World No. 1 and an 11-time Grand Slam championAna Ivanovic of Serbia, former World No. 1 and 2008 Roland Garros championFlavia Pennetta of Italy, former doubles World No. 1 and 2015 US Open singles champion.Lisa Raymond of the United States, winner of 11 Grand Slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles, and a former doubles World No. 1

Fans can learn more and weigh in with their ballots at vote.tennisfame.com during the voting period. While fans can only vote once, they may vote for as many candidates as they deem deserving.

[ATP APP]

How The Vote Works:
The ITHF Player Voting Group, comprised of approximately 140 tennis journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers, will submit their vote.

Zhang Zhizhen is approaching history.

The 26-year-old on Thursday reached the quarter-finals of the Tennis Napoli Cup to climb to No. 96 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, putting himself in position to become the first Chinese man to crack the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973) on Monday.

“I think it is a tough road to be Top 100,” Zhang said. “I’m so happy for today because I played two matches today and it is a small step, but it’s also a big step for Chinese men’s tennis.”

[ATP APP]

If Zhang defeats Mackenzie McDonald on Friday in the quarter-finals, he will be break into the Top 100 on Monday regardless of other players’ results for the rest of the week.

Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara moved up one place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings on Thursday by reaching the Stockholm semi-finals. The British/Finnish duo climbed to sixth in the Race, one spot ahead of Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios, courtesy of a 6-2, 6-3 win against the Czech pair of Roman Jebavy and Adam Pavlasek at the Stockholm Open.

The third seeds won each set by a single break of serve, saving both break points against them in the contest. The victory sets a matchup against Maxime Cressy and Albano Olivetti, who earned a 6-4, 6-4 win against Colombians Diego Hidalgo and Cristian Rodriguez.

With 3,180 points in the Doubles Race, Glasspool/Heliovaara are 220 points clear of Tim Puetz and Michael Venus in eighth place, with a Top 7 finish needed to guarantee qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals. This year's Hamburg champions would finish the week on 3,340 points by claiming their second title of the season at the ATP 250 in Naples.

[ATP APP]

Dodig/Krajicek Advance In Naples
In need of a late surge to reach the Nitto ATP Finals, Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek progressed to the Naples semi-finals with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win against Pedro Cachin and Roberto Carballes Baena. The top seeds remain in 12th place in the Doubles Race, but could move into 10th with a title at the Tennis Napoli Cup. It would be their second ATP Tour trophy of 2022 (Lyon).

Following a six-year hiatus from professional tennis, Australian Li Tu decided to make a comeback to the sport. Just over two years after making his return, the 26-year-old won his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title and dedicated the victory to his mother, who recently passed away.

This past week, Tu advanced through qualifying en route to triumphing at the Seoul Challenger, where he defeated China’s Wu Yibing 7-6(5), 6-4 in the final. Following the match, the Adelaide native was overcome with emotion.

Tu’s mother, who passed away in September, would’ve celebrated her birthday the day after his title. Tu, who travelled to the Gwangju Challenger the day following his mother’s funeral, dedicated the Seoul title to her. 

“It’s been a tough couple months,” Tu told ATPTour.com. “My mom was very ill, she passed away on the 24th of September. On that weekend was the Seoul 250 event and I was in the qualifying list. I booked the flights and I was ready to go, but then I cancelled that so I could be with my mom, because I knew I’d regret it so much if I left and she passed away. So I cancelled that trip, she passed away that Saturday.

Li Tu celebrates winning the 2022 Seoul Challenger. Credit: Do Won Kim

The resurgent Dominic Thiem maintained his good form on the European indoor hard courts Thursday at the European Open in Antwerp, where the Austrian rallied to a tense 6-1, 1-6, 7-5 win against Francisco Cerundolo.

After Thiem made a blistering start to the pair’s second-round clash in Belgium, sixth-seeded Cerundolo appeared to have taken control when he broke Thiem’s serve for 4-3 in the deciding set. The former World No. 3 roared back in style, however, holding his nerve to clinch four of the next five games and seal a hard-fought two-hour, seven-minute victory.

“That’s why I work hard every day, to be able after two hours with a very close score, to play good shots, to play good tennis, because that is when it matters most,” said Thiem after the match. “At 6-5 in the third, you have to come up with good tennis to be able to bring the match over the finish line, and luckily today it was my turn.”

More of this, please...@domithiem ? @EuroTennisOpen pic.twitter.com/WDb7AB65uP

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 20, 2022

It was a second win against Cerundolo in the space of seven days for Thiem, who defeated the Argentine in straight sets in the quarter-finals in Gijon last week. Unlike on that occasion, Cerundolo found a way to halt Thiem’s early momentum and force a deciding set in Antwerp, but the Austrian finished strong to claim victory having converted four of his eight break point opportunities.

A new week. A new level from Matteo Berrettini.

The Italian kick-started his Tennis Napoli Cup campaign Thursday with a confident second-round performance to down Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 6-2. The pair’s meeting at the ATP 250 event in Naples came just eight days after Carballes Baena had upset Berrettini on the indoor courts in Florence, but the second seed put that previous disappointment to bed in style as he charged to a 91-minute second-round victory.

“The atmosphere, The conditions [were different to Florence] for sure,” said Berrettini after the match. “This is outdoor, way warmer, and I wanted to get revenge. I felt like I had a lot of chances last week and it was tough to digest, especially because I played in Florence, in Italy, so it was really tough. But today I stepped on the court, I think with even more will to win this match, and I think I played better.”

Berrettini struck his forehand cleanly throughout, crashing 36 winners to his opponent’s seven en route to his 30th tour-level win of the season. Carballes Baena showed early intent and carved out the first break point of the match in the second game, but once the Italian escaped via a big serve he assumed control. Berrettini converted three from five break points and sealed the win with a huge inside-out forehand to the delight of the home crowd.

Berrettini, who currently sits in 15th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, seeks a strong run this week in Naples to keep alive his outside chance of qualifying for November’s Nitto ATP Finals. His next opponent at the hard-court event will be Taro Daniel, after the Japanese overcame Pedro Cachin 6-4, 7-6(2).

Matteo Berrettini kicked a goal in Naples before taking the court at the Tennis Napoli Cup.

The Italian on Wednesday met countryman Fabio Cannavaro, a football legend who won the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 2006. Cannavaro was the captain of the Italian team that won the World Cup that year.

”Onorato di avert incontrato Capitano,” Berrettini wrote on Instagram, which means, “Honoured to have met you Captain!”

It was not the first time Berrettini has met with football royalty. After competing in the Wimbledon final in 2021, he joined his country’s football team to celebrate their victory at the European Championships.

When Stefanos Tsitsipas last competed on centre court in Stockholm four years ago, he lifted his first ATP Tour title. A lot has changed for the World No. 5 since then, but one thing remained the same on Wednesday — his perfect record at the Swedish ATP 250.

The top seed battled past serve-and-volleying American Maxime Cressy 7-6(5), 7-6(12) to reach the quarter-finals of the Stockholm Open. The 24-year-old will next face defending champion Tommy Paul or home favourite Mikael Ymer.

"I really had to hang tight in there and I delivered the shots that I had to in that second tie-break, which was very crucial," Tsitsipas said. "He was serving extremely well, catching the lines, being very precise and I really went for it in that one."

[ATP APP]

Cressy played aggressive, net-rushing tennis to apply plenty of pressure on his Top 5 opponent. But Tsitsipas remained calm in the critical moments to triumph after two hours and four minutes.