Looking for Tennis and Racket Sports International News?

Former US Open champion and World No. 1 Andy Murray remains determined to keep working his way back to the top of the men’s game, inspired by some positive signs in a gruelling four-set loss to Matteo Berrettini at Flushing Meadows Friday.

“I want to push and see how far I can go,” Murray said after the 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-3 loss.

“I think I'm improving this year. You know, my ranking, I don't even know what I was at the beginning of the year, but I'm now around 40-ish in the world and still going hard.

“That will be motivational for me and interesting to see, because lots of people told me I wouldn't be able to play again, and lots of people told me I'd be able to hit tennis balls but not compete professionally again. That was nonsense, and I want to see how close I can get back to the top of the game. That's what the motivation is.”

[ATP APP]

Rafael Nadal has dominated many opponents during his illustrious career, but no player moreso than Richard Gasquet.

“Let that be a lesson to you all. Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row!"

Vitas Gerulaitis said that after snapping a 16-match losing streak against Jimmy Connors at the 1979 year-end Masters at Madison Square Garden. Gasquet will hope to say, “Nobody beats Richard Gasquet 18 times in a row” on Saturday when he faces Nadal in the third round of the US Open.

Based on history, the Frenchman will have a lot to overcome against the 22-time major winner. Nadal has not just won their 17 ATP Head2Head clashes — he has done so convincingly.

The Spaniard has not lost a set against Gasquet since 2008 in Canada, and has claimed 31 consecutive sets in their rivalry. Only two of those sets have gone to a tie-break, and 20 of the 31 have been decided by a margin of 6-3 or greater.

Third seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer strengthened their claim for a spot at the eight-team Nitto ATP Finals Friday, needing just 64 minutes to cruise to a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi in the second round of the US Open.

Dutchman Rojer and El Salvador’s Arevalo have captured three titles this season, including triumphing at Roland Garros to capture their first Grand Slam as a pair. During an 11-match winning streak earlier this season, the pair also collected the title at the ATP 250 events in Dallas, Texas and Delray Beach, Florida.

The duo is second in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings and will face Frenchmen Quentin Halys and Adrian Mannarino in the third round.

[ATP APP]

Defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury backed up their comfortable first-round victory with another dominant performance Friday, defeating Aslan Karatsev and Luke Saville 6-4, 6-3. 

Top seeds Ram and Salisbury have collected two titles this season: Monte-Carlo and Cincinnati. Should they claim back-to-back titles at Flushing Meadows, the duo would claim its third major title (Australian Open ‘20, US Open ‘21). They will meet Italians Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini in the third round.

Carlos Alcaraz’s popcorn clash against Jenson Brooksby headlines the third-round action on Day Six at the US Open, where Spaniard Rafael Nadal and a host of #NextGenATP stars are also in action.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch on Saturday in New York.

[ATP APP]

1) Alcaraz & Brooksby Showdown: Alcaraz was outside the Top 50 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings when he enjoyed his breakthrough run to the quarter-finals at the US Open last year. Fast forward 12 months and the third-seeded Spaniard is the World No. 4 with title ambitions in New York.

On Saturday, the 19-year-old will face his biggest test yet when he takes on 21-year-old Jenson Brooksby in the third round on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The American has cruised past Serbian Dusan Lajovic and Cincinnati champion Borna Coric in straight sets and will look to use his momentum to upset Alcaraz and claim his second Top 5 win.

The tennis world is remembering longtime ATP chair umpire and tournament supervisor Paulo Pereira, who passed away earlier this month.

After 32 years with the ATP, including 2,540 professional matches officiated and more than 360 tournaments supervised, the Brazilian stepped down from his position as supervisor in 2013 but remained involved in the sport.

"I do not want to stop working with sports, mainly tennis, but I'm looking for new challenges, because to stop would be to leave behind a piece of myself with each passing year," Pereira said at the time. "I want to stay active, looking for opportunities to help others with everything I have learned in all my years on the Tour."

Internationally known and highly regarded for his work on behalf of the sport of tennis, he was a popular figure in his travels and considered the strong relationships he developed the most meaningful aspect of his tenure.

"Throughout my time with ATP, I’ve made many friends, among them my colleagues, tournament directors, players and coaches, and this means more to me than any other accomplishments that I have attained from the sport," he added.

Fifth seed Casper Ruud held his nerve in a five-set battle against home favourite Tommy Paul Friday, punching his ticket into the fourth round of the US Open after claiming a 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-0 victory.

Ruud, 10-2 in his past 12 matches, is the first Norwegian man to reach the round of 16 at Flushing Meadows and is one of four players (Medvedev, Nadal, Alcaraz) who can claim the World No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking on 12 September.

“We both were playing well,” Ruud said. “Whenever someone broke, the other guy seemed to break back right away, so it was tough to get the lead and keep going with it. We were always close on the scoreline. It seemed like the only time I could break him was when I was broken first, so that’s not a good sign, but in the fifth set I played some of my best tennis this year and the best tennis I’ve played this tournament.”

Needing four hours, 23 minutes to outlast the American, Ruud emerged as the fresher of the two, as Paul was playing his third consecutive five-set match (d. Zapata Miralles, Korda).

“It’s not everyday you surpass playing four hours on court, but that’s what we train for, we work hard for it,” Ruud said. “I will try to be fresh for Sunday.”

A pumped-up Matteo Berrettini made a statement of intent Friday at the US Open, where he held his nerve to battle past former World No. 1 and 2012 champion Andy Murray 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-3.

The Italian produced a dominant serving display to lay the foundations for his three-hour, 46-minute victory. He struck his aggressive forehand through the court to force Murray back and recovered from a mid-match dip, rallying from a break down in the fourth set to reach the fourth round in New York for a fourth consecutive year.

“You learn from the past and learn from mistakes. I wasn’t aggressive enough with the break points [in the third set] but that is tennis. I think Andy played a really good set in order to not get broken, but I was feeling better,” Berrettini said when reflecting on the match in his on-court interview. “I had more chances and I thought the same thing in the fourth set. I had my chance and I took it.”

[ATP APP]

Berrettini now leads Murray 3-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, having defeated the Scot in the Stuttgart final in June. The 13th seed, who reached the semi-finals in Flushing Meadows in 2019, holds a 15-4 record at the hard-court Grand Slam. The 26-year-old will look to taste more success when he next faces Alejandro Davidovich Fokina after the Spaniard defeated Colombian qualifier Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

The ATP Challenger Tour takes over the world-class facilities at Rafael Nadal’s tennis academy in Mallorca, Spain for one week to host the Rafa Nadal Open by Sotheby’s.

The tournament site is on an island of tennis paradise. The academy is home to 26 tennis courts (hard and clay), multiple pools, an on-site hotel, a full service restaurant, squash courts, padel courts, a state-of-the-art gym, physio rooms, and the Rafa Nadal Museum.

The tournament’s facilities stand out to Challenger Tour players, including Belgian Zizou Bergs, who is seeded fourth at this week’s tournament.

"It's my second time here, at the Rafa Nadal Academy. Honestly, I would pay money to be here,” Bergs said. “I see tourists coming in and I'm thinking how special it is to stay here and compete. They are here to see the museum in the day and come to watch you play tennis in the evening. Seeing all the facilities they have, it's a privilege to be here. I think a lot of players think this way too.”

Since the event began in 2018, Joan Suasi has been the tournament director. Though the work is hard, Suasi knows how vital hosting a Challenger at the Academy is.

Tommy Paul is one of the most laid back players on the ATP Tour. The American describes himself as “super chill”.

But before his first-round match at the US Open, something was different about the 25-year-old. Entering the tournament with an 0-4 main draw record at his home Grand Slam, he was nervous.

“Leading into the tournament I just felt so overwhelmed. I feel like I was late for everything, I couldn’t get the timing right with transportation, getting from the city to the site. I was just always stressed,” Paul said. “My team really felt it and they sat me down and were like, ‘Dude, you need to chill out.’ Usually that’s not me. I’m super laid back and super chill with everything. [The] US Open’s always gotten the best of me.”

Paul’s coach, Brad Stine, recalled that last year before Paul’s first-round match, he did a better job of hiding his stress from his team. This year, Paul and Stine were able to recognise the jitters.

“He was very aware last year that he was 0-4 going into the match against [Roberto] Carballes Baena and last year he played absolutely horrible in that match, probably the worst match he played the entire year,” Stine said. “He was nervous again going in here. He and I both did a much better job recognising he was nervous again this year.

Matteo Berrettini and Andy Murray will meet in a blockbuster clash on Day Five at the US Open, where the top half of the draw will take to court in third-round action.

Reigning champion Daniil Medvedev will look to continue his title defence when he faces history-maker Wu Yibing, while #NextGenATP Briton Jack Draper aims to build on his standout win against sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime when he plays Karen Khachanov.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch on Friday in New York.

[ATP APP]

1) Berrettini & Murray Clash: Berrettini and Murray have tasted success at the hard-court major over the years. The Italian reached the semi-finals in 2019, while Murray lifted his maiden Grand Slam trophy at the event in 2012.

Rafael Nadal on Thursday became the first player to qualify for the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals, which will be played from 13-20 November in Turin. The Spaniard has now earned his spot at the season finale 17 times, the second-most qualifications in event history. The lefty guaranteed his place at the Pala Alpitour after he defeated Fabio Fognini in the second round of the US Open.

Nadal, the leader in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin, is in pole position to finish year-end No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the sixth time (2008, ’10, ’13, ‘17, '19), which would tie him for the second-most year-end No. 1 finishes in history (since 1973) with Pete Sampras. The 36-year-old will try to lift the Nitto ATP Finals trophy for the first time when he makes his debut in Turin.

The Spaniard has enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career in 2022, winning the season’s first two Grand Slam championships at the Australian Open and Roland Garros in the same year for the first time. Nadal has also triumphed at an ATP 250 in Melbourne and an ATP 500 at Acapulco en route to a 37-4 record on the season.

Nadal has not yet lost at a major in 2022, reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon, where he was forced to withdraw due to an abdominal injury. The Spaniard also reached the final at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he lost to Taylor Fritz in the championship match.

The Manacor-native earned a record 16 consecutive qualifications for the Nitto ATP Finals from 2005-20. Nadal has claimed 20 wins at the year-end championships, good for eighth-most in the tournament’s history.

Rafael Nadal was left bloodied but unbeaten after a freak accident late in his four-set win over Fabio Fognini at the US Open Thursday night.

Seeking a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam title, Nadal was cruising towards a comfortable win when he stretched for a wide backhand. His racquet rebounded off the court and onto the bridge of his nose, immediately drawing blood and prompting the Spaniard to walk back to his chair and lay down.

"A little bit dizzy, a little bit painful," Nadal said of how the incident impacted him.

After having a physio apply tape to his nose, Nadal returned to the court a few minutes later to close out the 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 victory inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. 

It was a dramatic moment in a dramatic match between the longtime rivals. Fognini led by a set and moved ahead by a break on three occasions in the second set before Nadal found his game to surge ahead. The Spaniard will play former World No. 7 Richard Gasquet on Saturday.

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares cruised through their opening match at the US Open Thursday, defeating Americans Hunter Reese and Max Schnur 6-3, 6-3. Needing just one hour, 13 minutes to seal the victory, Murray and Soares won 24/32 points off their first delivery to advance.

The 10th seeds have fond memories at Flushing Meadows. In 2016, the duo claimed its second Grand Slam title when they triumphed in New York. The pair will next meet Poland’s Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski in the second round. Murray paired with Australian Matthew Ebden in Winston-Salem this past week to defeat the Polish duo in the championship match.

Sixth seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic also produced a strong first-round performance, ousting home favourites Brandon Holt and Govind Nanda 6-3, 6-4. The four-time titlists in 2022 face American teenagers Ethan Quinn and Nicholas Godsick in the second round.

Two seeded duos were upset in Thursday afternoon’s action. Italians Lorenzo Sonego and Andrea Vavassori upset ninth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop 7-6(2), 6-2, while Wimbledon champions Max Purcell and Matthew Ebden ousted 14th seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 7-6(7), 6-7(8), 6-1.

Both pairs will meet American duos in the second round. Sonego and Vavassori will meet Christopher Eubanks and Ben Shelton, while the Australian duo Purcell and Ebden face Robert Galloway and Alex Lawson.

Wu Yibing made history on Wednesday evening when he reached the third round of the US Open, becoming the first male Chinese singles player to advance that far in tournament history (since 1881). No Chinese man had made the third round at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 1946..

You would never know it by how relaxed Wu was during his press conference after the match. When told by a reporter he was the “hot-trending topic” on Chinese social media, he reacted with a joke.

“I'm a good-looking guy, I guess,” Wu said, drawing laughs from the room.

The world is watching Wu, especially his fans in China. This is a big moment not only for Wu, but his country.

The 22-year-old was not always destined for stardom, though. Wu’s start in tennis came as a means to lose weight. His father Kang, a boxer, knew a track-and-field coach at a training facility. That coach sent four-year-old Wu to a badminton court for exercise.

Abdullah Shelbayh made tennis history Wednesday, when he stunned top seed Dominic Stricker 6-2, 7-5 at the Rafa Nadal Open by Sotheby’s. The 18-year-old became the first player from Jordan to win a match in ATP Challenger Tour history.

Shelbayh converted his third match point to upset the World No. 127 and collect his maiden win over a Top-200 player at the Challenger event in Mallorca, Spain. When the adrenaline started to wear off Wednesday night, the 2021 Wimbledon boys’ doubles finalist (w/ Daniel Rincon) began to replay the match in his head.

“I went in with the mentality to win,” Shelbayh said. “He was a tough opponent, he just won a Challenger right before the US Open. My coaches were just like ‘Give it all and try to enjoy the moment!’ But when I went to sleep, after the adrenaline and everything, I started thinking about every single point of the match. It's a great feeling, and gives me a lot of confidence for upcoming matches.”

Now in the quarter-finals of the Mallorca Challenger, Shelbayh didn’t realise before his first-round match that a win would seal Jordan tennis history. The Amman native hopes this week’s run will inspire other Jordanians to follow.

“It’s surreal,” Shelbayh said. “To do something for your country is a big achievement. I come from a small country where tennis is not a big sport and to do that, it means a lot to me to be in the history of my country. I actually never thought about that entering the match, but it feels amazing. I hope many players from Jordan show their talent in the near future and I can inspire them as much as possible.”

It was 50 years ago that the ATP was formed at the US Open in 1972, little more than four years after tennis entered the Open Era. Much has changed during the past five centuries, including the move of the American major from the grass of Forest Hills to the hard courts of Flushing Meadows and its cavernous Arthur Ashe Stadium, named after one of the ATP's most influential pioneers.

As part of ATP’s anniversary celebrations, ATPTour.com has identified 50 game-changing moments of the past 50 years, beginning with the formation of the ATP at Forest Hills, and collated them in an immersive feature.

Here’s how it all began…

[ATP APP]

The Association of Tennis Professionals was formed when around 70 players convened under the centre court stands of West Side Tennis Club at Forest Hills, in September 1972 at the US Open. With the inspirational Jack Kramer at the helm, the former player and pro tour promoter accepted the role of chief executive officer on one condition: no pay.

Carlos Alcaraz demonstrated his US Open title credentials Thursday when he cruised past Argentine Federico Coria 6-2, 6-1, 7-5 to reach the third round in New York.

The Spaniard produced a dynamic and ruthless display as he entertained the crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The third seed blasted 42 winners. He also moved forward effectively throughout, winning 78 per cent (36/46) of points at the net to level their ATP Head2Head series at 1-1.

“It is never easy to close [out] a match. Federico started to play very well. I had to stay calm to think [about] what I had to do at that moment. I stayed calm and focused in the tough moments,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview.

The 19-year-old now holds an 8-1 record against Argentines, having moved past Sebastian Baez in the first round. Alcaraz enjoyed an impressive run to the quarter-finals on debut in Flushing Meadows last year and will be aiming to better that this fortnight to strengthen his chances of becoming the youngest player to rise to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in history (since 1973).

He is one of four players – Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev and Casper Ruud - who have the opportunity to finish the US Open as the World No. 1. All but Nadal must reach the championship match to have a chance of leaving New York in top spot. More On Key Matches In Battle For No. 1.

Jannik Sinner was pushed to the limit in his opening match at the US Open, but the Italian got back on track Thursday.

The 11th seed eliminated American Christopher Eubanks 6-4, 7-6(8), 6-2 to reach the third round at Flushing Meadows for the second consecutive year. He will next play American Brandon Nakashima after the 21-year-old #NextGenATP star defeated former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov 7-6(5), 7-5, 6-3.

In the first round, Sinner needed three hours and 35 minutes across five sets to claw past German Daniel Altmaier. Against Eubanks, he needed two hours and 24 minutes.

[ATP APP]

It was by no means a stress-free win for the Italian, who was tested in a lengthy second-set tie-break, in which he needed four set points. But once the 2019 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion escaped that tie-break, he surged to the finish line.

Daniil Medvedev is the defending US Open champion and the World No. 1. Yet quietly, the 26-year-old is marching through the draw.

The top seed ousted Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 to reach the third round at Flushing Meadows for the fifth consecutive year. He has now won 20 of his past 22 matches at the year’s final major.

“In general I'm happy with my level in the third set, so that's great. At the end of the match it was getting better and better,” Medvedev said. “At the same time a win is the most important, three sets. Try to get out as early as possible even if it is pretty late. Looking forward for [the] next round.”

[ATP APP]

Medvedev will next play China’s Wu Yibing, with the prospect of a fourth-round blockbuster against Australian Nick Kyrgios if they both win their next match.

Fast-rising Briton Jack Draper has stunned US Open sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in a result that has implications for their respective Milan and Turin qualification hopes.

Draper's 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win over the Canadian Wednesday night further strengthens his commanding lead in fifth spot in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Milan as he closes in on a debut appearance at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals from 8-12 November.

The result also deals a blow to 2021 US Open semi-finalist Auger-Aliassime's quest to make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals. The 22-year-old is sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin and had the opportunity to put distance between himself and rivals, including Andrey Rublev and Hubert Hurkacz, with a deep run at Flushing Meadows. Now he is at risk of seeing last year’s Turin qualifiers pass him in the Race this fortnight.

"Obviously Felix is an incredibly tough opponent, that's why he's at the top of the game,” Draper said. “I played a really good match today, a special occasion out here."

Making his US Open debut, Draper claimed his second win over a Top-10 player Wednesday, backing up his victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas in Montreal earlier this month.