Karen Khachanov Upsets Novak Djokovic To Win Paris - Mondays with Bob Greene

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Karen Khachanov beat Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-4 to win the Rolex Paris Masters in Paris, France

Ashley Barty beat Wang Qiang 6-3 6-4 to win the Hengqin Life WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai, China

Luksika Kumkhum beat Irina Khromacheva 1-6 6-2 6-3 to win the L&T Mumbai Open in Mumbai, India

SAYINGS

“To finish my season like this is a dream.” – Karen Khachanov, after upsetting Novak Djokovic to win the Rolex Paris Masters.

“I’m sure we’ll see a lot of great games from him in the future.” – Novak Djokovic, impressed with Karen Khachanov after losing to the Russian in the Paris Masters final.

“I’ve lost against Marcel so many times, I thought, ‘Finally, it is good to have him on my side.’ We have known each other for years. We’ve played against each other in singles and doubles. It was a really great chemistry. We felt comfortable right from the beginning and had some really great wins.” – Rajeev Ram, who teamed with Marcel Granollers to win the Paris Masters doubles.

“It feels amazing to win the last tournament of the year,” said Lyudmyla. “And now we’re going to enjoy our vacation even more.” – Lyudmyla Kichenok, after she and twin Nadiia won the doubles in Zhuhai.

“Roger (Federer) is in the race. Rafa (Nadal) is in the race. It depends who is going to play the ATP Finals in London. So, as I said, I can’t be too ecstatic about it.” – Novak Djokovic, who replaced Nadal as the ATP’s world number one, but notes there’s still one more tournament to play.

“These matches are the ones that really count. It’s long, it’s difficult, you have match points against you, you don’t lose your courage, you don’t lose your enthusiasm.” – Garbiñe Muguruza, after saving 8 of 12 break points to beat Anastasija Sevastova and advance to the semifinals of the WTA Elite Trophy.

“I think she wants it and I think when Serena puts her mind to something, it usually happens.” – Madison Keys, saying she has no doubt Serena Williams will win a record-tying 24^th Grand Slam tournament singles title.

SHOCKER IN PARIS

Karen Khachanov was touted as a future tennis star. The future is here. The 22-year-old Russian overpowered a sluggish Novak Djokovic to win the Paris Masters and end the Serbian’s remarkable run in the men’s game. Khachanov’s surprising victory snapped Djokovic’s three-month, 22-match winning streak. Despite the loss, Djokovic ended the tournament ranked number one in the world. Khachanov earned his spot in the final, beating four Top 10 players in a row: John Isner, Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem and Djokovic. “It means the world to me,” Khachanov said after the final. “I couldn’t be happier to finish the season like this.” The week in Paris ended with Khachanov reaching a career-high 11^th in the ATP Rankings. Djokovic was expected to win a record-extending fifth title in Paris, but was overpowered by 31 winners off the racquet of his Russian foe. “All credit to Karen, he did a great job today,” Djokovic said. “He deserves the trophy.” It was Khachanov’s third triumph of the year, all coming on indoor hard courts.

STANDING TALL

Ashley Barty’s convincing straight-set win over China’s Wang Qiang is a perfect way to begin her vacation. “It’s been a great finish in China this week,” Barty said. “It’s been a phenomenal year and I’m looking forward to a bit of holiday and then getting ready for the Australian summer.” Barty’s latest triumph came at the WTA Elite Trophy, an event for the 12 best-ranked players who failed to qualify for the WTA Finals. Barty beat defending champion and top seed Julia Goerges in the semifinals. Wang stopped Garbiñe Muguruza in the penultimate round. In the final, the 22-year-old Barty won the first four games before Wang pulled back to 3-4. That’s when Barty broke Wang for the third time, then served out the set. Barty led 4-3 in the second set before again winning two of the final three games. It was the Australian’s third WTA title, having won in Nottingham earlier this year and the Malaysian Open in 2017.

SINGULAR HONOR

Thailand’s Luksika Kumkhum claimed the biggest title of her career, the L&T Mumbai Open, when she defeated Russia’s Irina Khromacheva in three sets. Going into the USD $125,000 tournament, Kumkhum was ranked 103 in the world. Her triumph means she will finish the year in the Top 90. The left-handed Khromacheva won the opening set easily. After that, it was all Kumkhum, who raced to a 4-0 lead in the second set. The Thai player held for 5-3 in the third set, then broke Khromacheva on her second match point with a backhand winner that clipped off the netcord. It was Kumkhum’s biggest title of her career.

SISTERS IN EXTRA TIME

Not surprisingly, twin sisters Lyudmyla and Nadiia Kichenok won a match tiebreak in Zhuhai to capture their third career doubles title. After all, it was their third straight win in a match tiebreak during the week. “We won three super-tiebreaks, that’s a great percentage for us,” Nadiia said. The Ukrainian twins beat Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Lidziya Marozava of Belarus in the final. The 26-year-old twins won in Shenzhen in 2015 and Florianopolis in 2016. After trading sets, the sisters won four of the final five points in the match tiebreak.

SUCCESSFUL PAIRING

They began the week unseeded. Marcel Granollers and Rajeev Ram wound up their Paris trip with a Masters title, beating Jean-Julien Roger and Horia Tecau in the 71-minute final. Granollers and Ram did not lose a set during the week while defeating two of the top five seeded teams. “From the first match we felt very good on the court together,” said Granollers. “All the four matches we played, we played at a high level. We are very happy to end this week with the trophy.” It was the first time Granollers and Ram won as a team. And it was the first either player has won the Paris Masters. Granollers was in his third title match, losing alongside Tommy Robredo in 2009 and with Ivan Dodig last year.

SERB STOPS SWISS

Novak Djokovic may have lost the title, but he continued his mastery over Roger Federer at the Paris Masters. Djokovic’s 22^nd straight win was a 7-6 (6) 5-7 7-6 (3) nail-bitter over Federer in the semifinals. At three hours and two minutes, it was their longest three-set meeting. Federer had 54 winners and never dropped serve. But it was Djokovic who was too clutch in the big moments, including saving a set point at 6-5 in the first-set tiebreak. We had epic matches throughout our rivalry, but this one definitely ranks as one of the best matches we played,” Djokovic said. “High quality tennis. Next to the match played against (Rafael) Nadal in the semis of Wimbledon, this was definitely the most exciting match I was playing this year, and probably the best quality tennis match that I was part of.” It was the 47^th time Federer a Djokovic have met, with the Serb owning a 25-22 edge, having won their last four encounters since 2015.

SKIPPING LONDON

Because of his injured knee, Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro won’t be playing in the season-ending ATP Finals in London. “It’s frustrating for me not to be able to compete in London,” said del Potro, who has not played in the elite eight-player event since 2013 because of injuries. “It’s a very special tournament and I’ve tried everything possible to get my knee better. The rehabilitation is making good progress, but I need more time.” Del Potro’s spot in the ATP Finals was taken by Japan’s Kei Nishikori. Others in the field include Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Alexander Zverev, Kevin Anderson, Marin Cilic and Dominic Thiem.

STRANGE LINEUP

When the United States defends its Fed Cup title against the Czech Republic, spectators will need a scorecard to figure out who is on the American team when they battle this coming weekend. USA captain Kathy Rinaldi’s team will be missing Serena and Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys. So Rinaldi has called on Danielle Collins, who is ranked 35^th in the world, along with Sofia Kenin, Alison Riske and Nicole Melichar. Riske was on the USA team that won the Fed Cup title over Belarus last year.

The Czech Republic will be missing eighth-ranked Karolina Pliskova, who is suffering from calf muscle and wrist injuries. Leading the Czech team will be seventh-ranked Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, along with Katerina Siniakova, ranked number one in the world in doubles, and fifth-ranked Barbora Strycova. Pliskova’s spot on the team was given to rookie Barbora Krejcikova, who with Siniakova form the world’s number one-ranked doubles team. It’s the sixth final for the Czechs in eight years.

SIGNS CONTRACT

Cori Gauff may be the best-dressed 14-year-old on a tennis court. The young American has signed a multi-year endorsement contract with a leading sportswear manufacturer. “I want to be a role model to as many young athletes as possible,” Gauff said in a statement released by New Balance. “Still to this day, I watch my role models on TV and it motivates me to one day be able to play on the biggest stage.” New Balance also sponsors Milos Raonic, Sorana Cirstea, Danielle Collins and Heather Watson. Gauff became the youngest girl to reach a US Open junior final in 2017 when she was 13. She won her first junior Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in June and became the youngest junior world number one after Wimbledon.

SAID YES

It’s been a great year for Kiki Bertens. The 26-year-old Dutch player became only the third woman from her country to be ranked in the Top 10, following Brenda Schultz and Bette Stove. This year, Bertens enjoyed career-best runs at three of the four majors, including reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. She reached the semifinals of the WTA Finals in Singapore, where she lost to eventual champion Elina Svitolina in three tight sets. And to cap her year, she announced her engagement to Remko de Rijke. “I said yes to the love of my life,” Bertens posted on Instagram. The 31-year-old de Rijke is Berten’s physiotherapist, fitness coach and hitting partner.

STILL WAFFLING

Should they or shouldn’t they. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic say they are evaluating whether to play an exhibition match in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 22. The match was announced one day after journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi embassy in Turket. “I had a commitment since one year to play there,” said Nadal, who has been sidelined by injuries and missed the Paris Masters. Djokovic said: “It’s unfortunate that we are both drawn into this right now. I’m aware of what’s happening, and it’s said, of course. I’ve been always trying to be very professional and respectful towards people that I have commitments with. We have to get more information on what’s happening so we can make a rational decision whether it’s good to go or not.” The match, which is called the King Salman Tennis Championship, is named after the country’s monarch. Amnesty International has urged Nadal and Djokovic not to play. Roger Federer said he also was invited to play an exhibition, but turned it down. “I didn’t want to play there at that time, so, for me, it was a very quick decision.”

SOCK’S JOURNEY

It’s been a weird sort of year for Jack Sock. He began the year as America’s top male singles player, ranked eighth in the world at the Australia Open. He currently is out of the Top 100, having won just nine singles matches all year. The 26-year-old didn’t beat a single player ranked in the Top 25 and lost in the first round of three of the four Grand Slam tournaments. At the US Open, he reached only the second round, and lost to five players ranked outside the Top 100, including 316^th-ranked Daniel Brands. Sock is just the fourth player in rankings history to start the year in the Top 10 and finish outside the Top 100 without suffering a significant injury.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Mumbai: Natela Dzalamidze and Veronika Kudermetova beat Bibiane Schoofs and Barbora Stefkova 6-4 7-6 (4)

Paris: Marcel Granollers and Rajeev Ram beat Jean-Julien Roger and Horia Tecau 6-4 6-4

Zhuhai: Lyudmyla Kichenok and Nadiia Kichenok beat Shuko Aoyama and Lidziya Marozava 6-4 3-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Milan: https://www.nextgenatpfinals.com/en/

Bratislava: http://www.tennisslovakopen.sk/uvod.html

Mouilleron-Le-Captif: http://www.internationauxdevendee.com/

Limoges: http://www.engieopendelimoges.fr/

Prague: https://www.fedcup.com/

London: https://www.nittoatpfinals.com/en

Bangalore: http://www.bengalurutennisopen.com/