Looking for Tennis and Racket Sports International News?

Stefanos Tsitsipas advanced to his first tour-level semi-final since winning the Los Cabos title in August with a clean performance on Friday night at the European Open in Antwerp. The top-seeded Greek beat Yannick Hanfmann 6-3, 6-3 to record back-to-back tour-level singles wins for the first time since that Los Cabos run.

The victory saw Tsitsipas through to the 47th tour-level final of his career and his fifth of the season. The result also boosts the Greek's bid to return to the Nitto ATP Finals next month by further cementing his position in sixth place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. He is now 290 points ahead of Alexander Zverev in seventh and 595 points in front of Holger Rune in eighth.

[ATP APP]

Tsitsipas is also through to the Antwerp doubles semi-finals with brother Petros Tsitsipas. He is set for double duty on Saturday, when he will compete on both fronts.

"When you play on the Tour, you don't get to do this very often," Tsitsipas said post-match. "It has its own satisfaction, getting to do both. It's good that I can play so good in both draws. I'm happy I'm doing it with Petros. I think we can really enjoy out there and take this opportunity to play good tennis."

The 37-year-old Gael Monfils advanced to his first tour-level semi-final in 21 months with a 7-5, 7-6(3) victory against fellow Frenchan Adrian Mannarino on Friday at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open in Stockholm.

With the win, Monfils became the oldest semi-finalist in the tournament's history. Ken Rosewall previously owned that record, having reached the semis at 36 in 1970.

"That's great," Monfils said when told of that statistic. "I know my coach, my wife and even my mom, they will tell you we will back it up next year, no worries!"

[ATP APP]

The Frenchman lost the opening set of his Stockholm campaign but has now won six in a row after his straight-sets win against the second-seeded Mannarino. Breaks were exchanged midway through both sets in the quarter-final, before Monfils powered through the finish with a closing burst in each.

Aslan Karatsev continued to demonstrate just how dangerous his big-hitting game can be Friday at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships.

The World No. 50 downed fourth seed Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-2 to add a third straight-sets victory to his Tokyo run after earlier wins against Frances Tiafoe and Zhang Zhizhen. Karatsev converted three of five break points he earned and saved all five he faced to wrap a 96-minute win inside Ariake Coliseum.

“[I’m] playing well. I kept to my plan and kept my head clear,” said Karatsev. “[I stayed] calm in important moments. He had a few chances to break me. He’s a dangerous player. He always gives you the ball back deep and low. I think the key was to stay focused and keep my plan.”

Making a statement ?@AsKaratsev moves past De Minaur to book his spot in the @japanopentennis semi-finals.#kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/xsIeBxW1o6

Karatsev’s raw baseline power proved too hot to handle for De Minaur, who was the last seed standing at the ATP 500 event. Despite De Minaur deploying plenty of typically stout defence, he was unable to disrupt Karatsev’s rhythm frequently enough as the 30-year-old powered 21 winners, including 15 off his forehand wing, to his Australian opponent’s five.

After a season of Grand Slam success, Ben Shelton can add ATP Tour semi-finalist to his list of 2023 breakthroughs.

The #NextGenATP American overcame his countryman Tommy Paul 7-6(4), 6-3 on Friday in the quarter-finals at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships. The big-serving lefty delivered a rock-solid display in Tokyo, where he saved six of seven break points he faced to seal a one-hour, 38-minute triumph and set a semi-final clash with another American, Marcos Giron.

“It was definitely a difficult challenge, as it is whenever you play against a guy as talented and as tough as Tommy Paul,” said Shelton. “To be able to get through that with a win, it took a lot of mental toughness. I had to stay calm in the first set, serving for the set and then getting broken and having to finish it in the tie-breaker. It was a difficult task but I’m happy to be moving on.”

Back in the final four ?@BenShelton defeats compatriot Tommy Paul to reach his second tour-level semi-final in as many months.#kinoshitajotennis | @japanopentennis pic.twitter.com/YUJhvPjVC7

Shelton converted both break points he earned in his third Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with the No. 12-ranked Paul. The pair had split their first two clashes at the Australian Open and the US Open earlier this year, but it was Shelton who found something extra at key moments to improve to 5-8 against Top 20 opponents.

Players who began the week well outside of Nitto ATP Finals contention could be in the thick of the battle in a few days.

Twelfth-placed Tommy Paul and 13th-placed Alex de Minaur would soar to ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin by winning the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, where they have advanced to the quarter-finals.

None of the players between seventh and 11th places in the Live Race — Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz — moved past the Round of 16 this week across events in Tokyo and Stockholm. That has given players with a seemingly slim chance to qualify for Turin a huge opportunity.

Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin Standings (19 Oct)

Holger Rune’s team confirmed on Thursday that the Dane has hired Boris Becker as his coach.

The former No. 1 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings has coached before, having helped Novak Djokovic reach some of his greatest heights. As a player, the German won 49 tour-level titles and 713 matches, including 121 victories against Top 10 opponents.

Less than one week ago, Rune posted a team photo, which included Becker, following a training session.

Rune is looking to rejuvenate his 2023 season, which has faltered after an impressive first half that included ATP Masters 1000 finals in Monte-Carlo and Rome, his fourth tour-level title in Munich and quarter-final runs at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Grand Slam giants Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek will headline a stellar field at the new-look United Cup, held in Perth and Sydney from 29 December to 7 January 2024.

Five of the world’s top 10 women and nine of the world’s top 20 men will feature at the exciting innovative mixed team event in 2024, with the draw to be revealed on Monday 23 October.

Tickets go on sale Wednesday 25 October at 5:00 local time. 

Team Poland, led by four-time major champion Swiatek and 11th-ranked Hubert Hurkacz, have been named as the top seeds for the 2024 edition after the entries from the top 16 countries were confirmed.

Top-10 stars Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari will lead No.2-seeded Greece, while defending champions United States – represented by world No.4 Jessica Pegula and 10th-ranked Taylor Fritz – are seeded third.

What a difference six years makes...

In his previous appearance at the European Open in Antwerp, Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the 2017 semi-finals as a 19-year-old qualifier. On Thursday, he returned to the ATP 250 as the top seed and lived up to that billing with a 7-5, 6-3 win against Botic van de Zandschulp.

"It took some time. I didn't have the best start that I would have expected but what a great way to end it," Tsitsipas said after recovering an early break in the pair's first Lexus ATP Head2Head matchup. "I was trying to get in there despite the early break and found a really good way through towards the very end. I felt like every point was a fight; every game there was an opportunity to do something. I was trying to maintain that consistency and work towards the victory."

Sharp Stef ⚔️

Top seed @steftsitsipas ousts van de Zandschulp 7-5, 6-3 for a QF ticket with play like this@EuroTennisOpen | #EuropeanOpen pic.twitter.com/OoJJQB2zm8

It was a welcome win for the Greek, who has not recorded multiple singles victories at a tournament since he won the Los Cabos title in August. He will bid to break that streak when he takes on Dominic Thiem or fifth seed Yannick Hanfmann in Friday's quarter-finals.

Gael Monfils broke Richard Gasquet's record for most hard-court tour-level wins by a Frenchman by beating qualifier Filip Misolic 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open in Stockholm. Monfils' 356th hard-court victory set up a quarter-final showdown with second seed and countryman Adrian Mannarino.

The 37-year-old has now won four consecutive sets at the ATP 250, having battled back from a set down to defeat Marton Fucsovics in the opening round. Against Austria's Misolic, Monfils hit 11 aces and lost just four points on first serve (31/35). He saved the only break point he faced in the one-hour, 13-minute win.

"Filip is playing a little bit more loopy than Marton," Monfils said after advancing to his first indoor quarter-final in more than two years. "Of course he's a solid player on both sides. But Marton was very aggressive, so today was about me controlling the points and mixing up the speeds. I think I've done good. I was in control so I'm very happy to win this match in two sets."

Team Monfils approves ??@Gael_Monfils earns a 6-4, 6-3 scoreboard against Misolic ?? next up Mannarino ??#StockholmOpen pic.twitter.com/SySThEUcYY

Monfils will next face the 35-year-old Mannarino, who opened his Stockholm campaign with a 6-4, 6-4 win against Roman Safiullin. Mannarino, who entered Stockholm two spots off his career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking at World No. 24, was broken twice in the match but made up for it with four breaks of his own.

Japanese wild card Shintaro Mochizuki continued his dream run at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships on Thursday when he stunned World No. 10 Taylor Fritz 0-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) to reach the quarter-finals.

The 20-year-old rallied from 2-5 in the third set, breaking Fritz’s serve to love when the American was trying to close out. Roared on by vocal home support, Mochizuki then raced to a 3/0 lead in the tie-break before sealing victory on his first match point after two hours and three minutes.

"I don't really know what is happening right now," Mochizuki said. "I lost the first set so easy, so quick. Everyone knows he is a great player but I kept fighting and that is all I could do. I am so happy. I don't know how, but I won the match.

"I was a bit nervous at the start, not swinging. I was scared to miss. Then I tried to forget about everything and just started playing my game from the second set and that is how it went."

FIRST TOP 10 WIN ?@ShintaroMOCHIZU stuns the No. 1 seed, Taylor Fritz, 0-6 6-4 7-6, to secure his place in the Tokyo quarter-finals! ⚡️@japanopentennis | #kinoshitajptennis pic.twitter.com/LCqHRMTIzH

Alex de Minaur became the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004 to reach 10 tour-level quarter-finals in a season on Thursday at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships.

The fourth seed produced a consistent display to overcome Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-0, 7-5 at the ATP 500 hard-court event in one hour and 30 minutes.

De Minaur struck the ball with his flat deadly precision from the baseline, outlasting Schwartzman in a series of lengthy exchanges to improve to 2-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

"I am always happy [to win]," De Minaur said. "Especially against a tough competitor like Diego. I am most proud of how I stay composed out there. I was up a bit in the second set and could have let that slip but I kept my head together, told myself I would get more chances and I was able to sneak through in two sets."

With his 41st win of the season, the Australian set a quarter-final showdown against Zhang Zhizhen or Aslan Karatsev.

Miomir Kecmanovic earned his first Top 10 win since last season in Miami with a dominant display against Holger Rune at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open. The Serbian knocked off the top seed and defending Stockholm champion 7-6(3), 6-2, dealing Rune his second opening-round defeat in as many weeks to advance to the quarter-finals.

"I thought I played pretty well today after a long period this year," said Kecmanovic, who was 0-5 against the Top 10 this season prior to the win. "I'm very happy. It means a lot to finally be able to play like this.

"It makes it special [to beat the World No. 6]. I was close with some other [top] guys this year but I'm happy that I was finally able to do it."

Into the quarter-finals ?@MioKecmanovic upsets the No. 1 seed, Holger Rune, 7-6 6-2 in Stockholm!@sthlm_open | #StockholmOpen pic.twitter.com/erz2jZ5OnF

Kecmanovic snapped an 11-match losing streak against Top 10 opposition to improve to 4-17 against players of that status in his career. Prior to Wednesday's result, his most recent Top 10 win came against Felix Auger-Aliassime in March 2022 in Miami.

Novak Djokovic will headline a star-studded doubles field at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he will compete alongside fellow Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic for the first time.

The six-time Paris singles champion has played doubles at Bercy on three previous occasions (2008, 2016, 2021) with three different partners. It will be Djokovic’s fourth doubles appearance of the season (also Adelaide-1, Cincinnati, Davis Cup).

The 36-year-old is not the only singles star who will take to the doubles court at the season’s final ATP Masters 1000 event. Karen Khachanov will play with Andrey Rublev, Jannik Sinner will compete with Stan Wawrinka, Felix Auger-Aliassime will partner Sebastian Korda and Jiri Lehecka will team with Ben Shelton.

[ATP APP]

The three doubles teams that have already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals will lead the field. Defending champions Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski, Roland Garros winners Ivan Dodig/Austin Krajicek and US Open finalists Rohan Bopanna/Matthew Ebden will try to secure the title.

Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Swiss Indoors Basel due to a left foot injury and muscle fatigue to his lower back, he confirmed on social media Wednesday.

"Unfortunately I will not be able to play in Basel this year! ?" Alcaraz posted on Instagram. "I have a problem with the plantar fascia in my left foot and muscle fatigue in my lower back which need treatment so I can play the rest of the season. I hope to see you all soon! @swissindoorsbasel_official"

One year ago, Alcaraz made his Basel debut. He earned three wins before losing to eventual champion Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-finals.

Alcaraz owns a 63-9 record this season including six titles, with two coming at ATP Masters 1000 events (Indian Wells and Madrid) and another at Wimbledon. The 20-year-old last competed in Shanghai, where he lost in the Round of 16 to Grigor Dimitrov.

A typical part of almost every player's daily routine is listening to music. But can the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Carlos Alcaraz and Andrey Rublev identify which of their colleagues listen to what?

"Tell me man!" Rublev told a producer as he tried to figure out one playlist in particular.

"Guys, I'm a disaster!" Jannik Sinner said, cracking a smile as he struggled to come up with correct answers.

[ATP APP]

Some of the artists your favourite players listen to include The Weeknd, Linkin Park, Avicii, Eminem and Imagine Dragons. Who listens to which artists and songs?

Jamie Murray and Michael Venus defeated the Japanese team of Takeru Yuzuki and Seita Watanabe to begin their crucial campaign at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships on Wednesday. The British-Kiwi pair earned a 6-2, 6-7(8), 10-3 victory against the home favourites but were pushed to a Match Tie-break despite creating 12 break chances.

Murray and Venus are in 10th place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings. The team is just 85 points behind the current eighth-placed pair, Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow, who are also into the Tokyo quarter-finals.

Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer, currently in ninth place, also advanced on Wednesday at the ATP 500 with a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Austrians Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler.

In addition to Murray and Venus, two other teams advanced to the quarter-finals via Match Tie-breaks. Australians Rinky Hijikata and Max Purcell edged Japan's Shintaro Mochizuki and Rio Noguchi 5-7, 7-6(4), 10-5, and Ben McLachlan and Yoshihito Nishioka won an all-Japanese matchup against Taisei Ichikawa and Masamichi Imamura 6-3, 6-7(5), 10-7.

[ATP APP]

Arthur Fils is up and running at the European Open in Antwerp.

The Frenchman overcame Estonia wild card Mark Lajal 7-6(4), 7-6(2) on Wednesday to reach his fifth tour-level quarter-final of the season after one hour and 59 minutes.

In a tight clash, Fils was impressive in the crucial moments, saving all eight break points he faced to earn victory on his debut at the ATP 250 hard-court event.

Fils, who is currently fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Jeddah, has enjoyed a breakthrough season on Tour, highlighted by his first ATP Tour title in Lyon in May. The 19-year-old will continue the quest for his second trophy when he takes on Juan Pablo Varillas after the Peruvian defeated Alexander Shevchenko 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

The 20-year-old Lajal clinched his first tour-level win in the first round against Jaume Munar.

A bold new marketing campaign, On the Rise, has set the stage for the next era of the ATP Challenger Tour, the global launchpad of men’s professional tennis.

Developed by ATP and London-based marketing agency MATTA, the On the Rise campaign brings fans closer to the raw entertainment and drama of the world’s local tennis Tour. Headlined by an electrifying launch film, released today, the campaign combines stunning aesthetic design, colour palettes and photography treatment to hero the rise of the game’s next generation. This is paired with a tone of voice that is raw, intimate and optimistic — celebrating the hustle of players aspiring to reach the game’s highest levels.

On the Rise will provide Challenger Tour events with a full suite of new promotional assets, elevating the Tour’s diverse global calendar. Players too will be provided with custom assets to enhance their storytelling and boost their profiles. This is underpinned by record investment in Challenger Tour social, editorial and marketing resources delivered centrally by ATP.

Watch Launch Film:

The campaign builds atop a Challenger Tour rebrand earlier this season, which introduced a new logo. Its simplified, minimalistic design, inspired by distinctive lines of a tennis court, is optimised for usage across digital and social content, at-event and out-of-home branding.

Tommy Paul boosted his Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes on Wednesday when he earned his 39th win of the season at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, matching his previous-best tally (2022).

The American overcame countryman Mackenzie McDonald 6-4, 6-2 at the ATP 500 event to reach his ninth quarter-final of the season and sixth on hard courts.

Paul was strong on serve throughout the 86-minute clash, winning 21 of 22 points behind his first delivery. The fifth seed did not face a break point and showed his athleticism by winning a series of lung-busting rallies where both pulled each other from corner to corner.

Paul will continue the quest for his first title of the season when he takes on Ben Shelton or Jordan Thompson in the quarter-finals. The 26-year-old is 12th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, 515 points behind Rune. If Paul wins his second tour-level trophy, he could rise to ninth if his direct rivals fall early in Tokyo.

One of those rivals, Casper Ruud, lost on Wednesday in Japan. The Norwegian is 10th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race, 220 points ahead of Paul.

Is this the week Felix Auger-Aliassime finds his form?

The Canadian backed up his first-round win against Aleksandar Vukic with a 6-4, 6-1 triumph against Sebastian Ofner at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships on Wednesday.

Auger-Aliassime arrived in Tokyo having won just twice in his past 11 outings. The last time he won consecutive matches was in Indian Wells in March, when he reached the quarter-finals.

The 23-year-old ensured that run would end in Japan, though, producing a clean-hitting display to down Ofner after one hour and 35 minutes. Auger-Aliassime rallied from a break down in a tight first set before he raced away in the second set, winning the final six games of the match.

Into his fifth tour-level quarter-final of the season, the World No. 17 will next face second seed Casper Ruud or American Marcos Giron.