World Tennis Magazine

Unique Tennis Perspectives

Daniil Medvedev

Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic Wouldn’t Yield In Wimbledon Semifinals

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BY JAMES BECK

Carlos Alcaraz seemed to be on his own against a vastly improved Daniil Medvedev. The defending Wimbledon champion appeared to be out of tricks.

And Medvedev sensed it.

Alcaraz still scored a 6-7 (1), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Medvedev. It may look rather easy on paper, but there was nothing easy about Alcaraz’s victory. The young Spaniard just came through when he needed it to advance to what he hopes will lead to his fifth Grand Slam title.

MEDVEDEV APPLIED ENDLESS PRESSURE

Medvedev was always there, ready to pounce on any mistake by Alcaraz. But mistakes didn’t happen that often after Medvedev took the first set in a tie-breaker.

Alcaraz hadn’t served that well in the first set that Medvedev had taken in a tiebreaker. But it was a different story once Alcaraz found the mark on his serves. He just kept holding service until the match was his.

Remember, he’s only 21 years old. But now he faces someone in this Wimbledon final almost twice as old in 37-year-old Novak Djokovic.

NOVAK DIDN’T LET INJURED KNEE STOP HIM

Early in the match, Djokovic looked like he might have problems against Lorenzo Musetti. He appeared to have a slight limp in the right knee that was covered by a band. Of course, it’s been less than six months since Novak underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in that knee.

Djokovic didn’t always chase after balls in situations where his service game wasn’t in jeopardy. He just hit winners when the opportunities came along, and his serve was always ready to win a point, a game or the match.

MUSETTI WASN’T THE SAME

Young 25th seed Musetti had been so strong and talented in his quarterfinal upset of Taylor Fritz. The 22-year-old Italian had looked like he might be a threat to the likes of Djokovic and Alcaraz in the last two rounds in London.

Musetti appeared to be able to run down everything against the speedy Fritz, until Fritz seemed to grow tired in a fifth set that Musetti won easily.

The Italian wasn’t the same against Djokovic.

Djokovic was just too good and too consistent to allow Musetti to stop his bid for another title.

NOVAK THE VIOLINIST

The setting was completely different this time with Djokovic looking questionable at the start. But Musetti could hardly push Djokovic, and ended up losing by a 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-4. Once Novak charged through the second set tiebreaker, dropping only two points, Musetti couldn’t get back into the match.

And then Novak came out pretending to play a violin on his racket for his precious 6-year-old daughter Tara, whom Novak said has been learning to play the violin for about six months.

Some fans apparently didn’t like this, but then there probably were others who became Novak Djokovic fans. Novak obviously is a great guy and dad these days.

After all, Novak has just played his 97th Wimbledon match, and he’s hoping in his 37th Grand Slam final to tie Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles.

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James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award  for print media. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.

Daniil Medvedev Maybe Could Have Been Defaulted From His Wimbledon Semifinal With Carlos Alcaraz

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

Could Daniil Medvedev been thrown out of Wimbledon in the first set of his semifinal match against Carlos Alcaraz?

It appears there was at least some discussion about it.

Midway through the first set, Medvedev was running for a short ball and, in the opinion of chair umpire Eva Asderaki, he did not get to before the second bounce and it was not up. (Replays of the shot concluded the ball did hit the ground twice) Medvedev angrily protested the call and appeared to have used so direct choice language towards Asderaki, allegedly at least the “F” word directed at Asderaki.

On the changeover, there was discussion between Asdareki with Wimbledon referee Denise Parnell and Grand Slam supervisor Wayne McKewen and Grand Slam officials, likely discussing what she heard said to her and how to interpret it and discuss what the penalty should be. This is described here: https://talksport.com/sport/1959873/daniil-medvedev-unsportsmanlike-behaviour-wimbledon-umpire-supervisor/

I suggested on X/Twitter that, based on the circumstances (the first set of a Wimbledon semifinal) that it would have to be something really terrible for a default to happen at that point in this circumstance with a full stadium of people who spent, by reports, as much as $5,000-plus per ticket, as well as millions watching around the world. James Blake of ESPN, also the tournament director of the Miami Open and who brought up a possible default in the broadcast, responded to my comments saying “Depends on what was said. That’s the judgment call and I don’t think it should be influenced by the round or event. Rules should be consistent.”

This is true but, as many know, it is an unfair world and there are people and circumstances that are not treated equally, such as top-ranked player getting to play matches under the Wimbledon roof and have extra days off and more rest because of their status. Or higher-ranked players receiving byes in certain tournaments as well as extra badges and passes for their coaches/teams, extra preferences for practice courts, etc. It has to be a clear and obvious, vile and disgusting, over the top violation for a default to happen in that circumstance, which was the first instance, in a circumstance that lasted about five seconds. Novak Djokovic getting defaulted in the fourth round of the 2020 U.S. Open for hitting a ball that hit and injured a linesperson was such a case, and he was, rightfully, defaulted.

At the 2009 U.S. Open, in a semifinal match between Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters, Williams was called for a foot fault and said vile and threatening things to the linesperson (perhaps similar to what Medvedev said to Asdareki). The linesperson then reported what Williams said to her to the chair umpire, who reported it to the U.S. Open referee, who agreed that a code violation would be issued. However, it was the second code violation of the match and thus Williams was given a point penalty and it just happened to be match point for Clijsters, so the match was then over.

No one wants to be called a “Fxxx Bxxxx” in any circumstance and the tennis world is a professional workplace. How would one react if you were called this in your professional workplace by a co-worker or by a superior? You certainly would be at the very least called into the Human Resources Department. I’ve always said in casual conversations that chair umpires should be treated like judges in a court room and should only be addressed as “your honor.” It wasn’t until the era of Ilie Nastase, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors in the 1970s when chair umpires were treated with a degree of disrespect, but became part of the vernacular or culture of how tennis was perceived.

Asderaki is one of the best chair umpires and she did the right thing to report what she heard Medvedev say to her superiors (McKewen and Parnell). As bad what was allegedly said by Medvedev to Asderaki, it’s my view that the one incident didn’t deserve a default, and that was the wise decision made by officials, but it was diligent of Asderaki to report it. Medvedev received a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct and will likely get a fine. Had another incident happened later in the match, Medvedev would subject to a point penalty and potential game penalties and default had the bad behavior continued.

Medvedev eventually lost the match 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 and as Chris Fowler pointed out on ESPN, Medvedev did shake Asderaki’s hand following the match.

According to the Grand Slam Rule Book, the ruling on “Audible Obscenity” is as follows….

K. AUDIBLE OBSCENITY

Players shall not use audible obscenity within the precinct of the tournament site.  Violation of this Section shall subject a player to a fine up to $50,000 for each violation. In addition, if such violation occurs during a match (including the warmup), the player shall be penalised in accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule hereinafter set forth. In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to the success of a tournament, or are singularly egregious, a single violation of this Section shall also constitute the Major Offence of “Aggravated Behaviour” and shall be subject to the additional penalties hereinafter set forth.

For the purposes of this Rule, audible obscenity is defined as the use of words commonly known and understood to be profane and uttered clearly and loudly enough to be heard by the Chair Umpire, spectators, Line Umpires or Ball persons.

What Medvedev allegedly said, however, was more than an audible obscenity, but is more along the lines of Verbal Abuse, which is defined in the Grand Slam Rule Book as follows.

VERBAL ABUSE

Players shall not at any time directly or indirectly verbally abuse any official, opponent, sponsor, spectator or other person within the precincts of the tournament site. Violation of this section shall subject a player to a fine up to $50,000 for each violation. In addition, if such violation occurs during a match (including the warmup), the player shall be penalised in accordance with the Point Penalty Schedule hereinafter set forth. In circumstances that are flagrant and particularly injurious to the success of a tournament, or are singularly egregious, a single violation of this Section shall also constitute the Major Offence of “Aggravated Behaviour” and shall be subject to the additional penalties hereinafter set forth.

For the purposes of this Rule, verbal abuse is defined as a statement about an official, opponent, sponsor, spectator or other person that implies dishonesty or is derogatory, insulting or otherwise abusive.

One could argue that what Medvedev allegedly would potentially fall on the category of “Major Offence”

POINT PENALTY SCHEDULE

The Point Penalty Schedule to be used for violations set forth above is as follows:

FIRST offence WARNING

SECOND offence POINT PENALTY

THIRD AND EACH SUBSEQUENT offence GAME PENALTY

However, after the third Code Violation, the Referee in consultation with the Grand Slam Chief of Supervisors shall determine whether each subsequent offence shall constitute a default.

The following is the rules relating to Defaults from the Grand Slam Rule Book.

DEFAULTS

The Referee in consultation with the Grand Slam Supervisor may declare a default for either a single violation of this Code or pursuant to the Point Penalty Schedule set out above. In all cases of default, the decision of the Referee in consultation with the Grand Slam Supervisor shall be final and unappealable. Any player who is defaulted as herein provided shall lose all ranking points earned for that event at that tournament and shall lose all prize money earned at the tournament in addition to any or all other fines levied with respect to the offending incident

DETERMINATION AND PENALTY

The Referee in consultation with the Grand Slam Supervisors shall make such investigation as is reasonable to determine the facts regarding all Player On-Site Offences and upon determining that a violation has occurred shall specify the fine and/or other punishment therefor and give written notice thereof to the player. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, the Referee may, at his discretion, limit the fines levied during any tournament Qualifying competitions to a maximum of $20,000 for each violation.

ARTICLE IV: PLAYER MAJOR OFFENCES

  1. AGGRAVATED BEHAVIOUR

No player or Related Person at any Grand Slam Tournament shall engage in “Aggravated Behaviour” which is defined as follows:

1. One or more incidents of behaviour designated in this Code as constituting “Aggravated Behaviour”.

2. One incident of behaviour that is flagrant and particularly injurious to the success of a Grand Slam Tournament, or is singularly egregious, including submitting a falsified Covid-19 vaccination record.

3. A series of two (2) or more violations of this Code within a twelve (12) month period which singularly do not constitute “Aggravated Behaviour”, but when viewed together establish a pattern of conduct that is collectively egregious and is detrimental or injurious to the Grand Slam Tournaments. In addition, any Player or Related Person who, directly or indirectly, offers or provides or receives any money, benefit or consideration to or from any other Covered Person or third party in exchange for access and/or accreditation to the tournament site shall be deemed to have engaged in Aggravated Behaviour and be in violation of this Section. Violation of this Section by a player, directly or indirectly through a Related Person or others, shall subject a player to a fine of up to $250,000 or the amount of prize money won at the tournament, whichever is greater, and a maximum penalty of permanent suspension from play in all Grand Slam Tournaments.

Novak Djokovic Beats Daniil Medvedev In Giorgio Armani Grass-Court Wimbledon Warm Up

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The all-time longest ATP World No. 1 and 24-time Grand Slam Singles Champion, Novak Djokovic beat Daniil Medvedev at the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic at the Hurlingham Club on Friday as he prepares for his knee-injury comeback appearance at Wimbledon.

Djokovic won the first set 6-3 after breaking Medvedev early with an unstoppable forehand down the line to win the game. He took the second set 6-4 with the match point being a glorious back hand volley that landed inches over the net. The highly anticipated match did not disappoint, as eager fans watched the tennis stars get in some final competitive grass court time ahead of Wimbledon next week. 

Speaking with event host, Jenny Drummond, after the match Djokovic said “I can tell you that I enjoyed myself really really much today. Thank you all for coming out, for supporting tennis and this event. I can tell you that pain free tennis is the best tennis.

“I was pain free and it was a great test yesterday as well, playing against the best players in the World… I really wanted to come out and test my knee and see how I feel, move around you know, try to stay low, you know the ball bounces very low on grass, especially here and the test was very successful so I’m obviously really glad.

Responding to Drummond on whether he thought he passed his on test he said, “Yeah I think so, I think the team will be happy, it’s been an intense three weeks after surgery, you know spending a lot out of hours rehabbing and trying to get myself ready for Wimbledon, I always wanted to give myself a chance to be in London.”

Thanking his surgeon and knee specialist he said, “Without them this whole thing today wouldn’t have been possible and I wouldn’t be playing Wimbledon, so I’m trying to take it day by day and see how far it goes.”

Earlier in the day, fans were treated to a brilliant opening game and saw World No. 25 and rising star Lorenzo Musetti defeat World No. 21 Karen Khachanov. Both players got the crowd up on their feet with trick shots though the legs and long lasting rallies. Musetti came out victorious after beating Khachanov 6-4, 7-6 (5).

The event is returning to The Hurlingham Club for its 30th edition this year, with Italian luxury fashion house Giorgio Armani as its title partner for the third year in a row. Fans can look forward to watching the world’s top players, showing off their world-class skills as they look to get some final competitive court time before Wimbledon.

Tournament Director, Nikhil Waugh said: “It is an incredible feat to be celebrating our 30th edition at the illustrious Hurlingham Club. It’s been an unbelievable journey, combining world-class tennis with the pinnacle of luxury, and we’re honoured to continue this tradition of excellence.”

Practice Retrieving Drop Shots, Says Lindsay Davenport

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

Lindsay Davenport gave out some great advice for competitive tennis players while commentating the third round match between Ons Jabeur and Clara Tauson on Tennis Channel from Roland Garros.

Practice retrieving drop shots.

“That is something that should be practiced more,” said Davenport. “They don’t do it enough…what to do when they get drop shotted. Very rarely do you see a practice where a player is drop shotted and they have to play that shot. Tauson is just not sure what to do with some of those. If you’re going to win tournaments, you’re going to have to come up against someone that might use that, like Ons.”

Davenport continued, “And it’s not even just getting there (to the drop shot). So then what do you do when you do get there? What grip do you have? What’s your mentality? So many players run with the slice grip then they are stuck when they get up there If they get up there in time, they have the wrong grip.”

Davenport is not only a former Wimbledon, U.S. and Australian Open winner, an Olympic gold medalist and an inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, but a certified Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) coach and the new captain of the U.S. Billie Jean King Cup team. Probably her most cherished coaching job, however, might be to her son Jagger Leach, competing in the French Open junior championships and a commit to play college tennis for Texas Christian University.

Davenport’ television booth partner Brett Haber then relayed that 2022 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who has a penchant for playing way back behind the baseline and more susceptible to drop shots, told Jim Courier in a post-match on court interview at the Australian Open that he actually does practice running up to retrieve drop shots.

“The only player I’ve heard recently talk about practicing what to do when they’re drop shotted is Daniil Medvedev,” said Haber. “He told Jim in Australia during that great conversation they had on court that they spent practice time because he plays so deep in the court to return. That he spent chunks of his practice time working on the sprint up to the net.”

Haber pointed out in the first game of the Jabeur vs. Tauson match that they should have a drop-shot meter to count the number of drop shots that Jabeur would hit. Davenport pointed out that Tauson was known for her hard ball-striking, but that she was not as adapt with her movement, especially on clay courts. To boot, as a young player, Davenport said players like Tauson may not be used to the variety of shots that a player like Jabeur hits, whether it be slices, drop shots or other speed and arc of shot.

Jabeur, who is coached by PTR coach Issam Jellali, defeated the 21-year-old Tauson 6-4, 6-4.

Jannik Sinner Writes His Own Story In Dramatic Australian Open Win

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BY JAMES BECK

It’s been the same old story at the Australian Open for a long time in the men’s game.

One of the greats almost always would take the top prize Down Under. Either Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer or even Stan Wawrinka always prevailed since 2006 at Melbourne.

And then came Jannik Sinner in 2024.

None of the other superstars were still around for Sunday’s final.

A DIFFERENT AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Yes, this time it was a different Australian Open.

But actually Sinner may have written his own story when he upended Djokovic in the semifinals. Without that experience, the slender Italian may not have been able to handle the pressure that Daniil Medvedev sent his way in the final.

Sinner was ready for the finish line after shocking Djokovic in the semifinals. It just took time to get there.

Sinner played within himself most of the last three sets of the final. A first-time Grand Slam finalist, Sinner played as if he belonged there in those three sets.

But, oh, those first two sets when Medvedev dominated play with his backhand from the middle of the court. Backhands usually are reserved for the backhand side of the court, but not with the tall Russian on the court.

SINNER DIDN’T PLAY HIS GAME AT FIRST

In a similar manner as women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka, Sinner followed up a big semifinal win with his own Australian Open title. Only, Sinner had to fight for five sets to accomplish his dream Down Under with a 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Medvedev.

Sinner appeared to play far differently from his victory over Djokovic when he controlled the court with his aggressive play and power.

This time, Sinner started things conservatively with few aggressive winners, repeatedly leaving the corners wide open for Medvedev’s crafty, but hard hit strokes. Medvedev made Sinner  pay a price with a style of play that was just the opposite.

Medvedev played close to the baseline and aggressively hopped on balls with his backhand in whip-lash fashion. He hardly had to move as he conserved energy.

THE STRATEGY ALMOST WORKED TO PERFECTION

Medvedev’s strategy worked like a charm until Sinner served the ninth game of the third set as Medvedev once needed only six points for a possible Grand Slam title. Sinner managed to overcome a deuce score to win that game.

Medvedev fell behind 30-0 serving the 10th game of the set and then Sinner got his first set point. Sinner made it stand up and it was a new game after that.

Sinner didn’t appear to be ready for Medvedev’s game the first two sets, but the Italian then came alive. He became prepared for Medvedev, even after losing the first two sets.

Of course, Sabalenka got her boost from a surprising, but solid win over talented Coco Graff in the women’s semifinals. Sabalenka then was never really challenged by Qinwen Zheng in the final.

Sinner’s final was much different.  He was somewhat lucky to escape with  a win.

Medvedev almost wrapped up the title in the ninth game, but it didn’t happen. As a result, Sinner may have started his own success story in Grand Slam finals.

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James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award  for print media. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.

Emma Navarro USTA STORY BY BECK LINK

https://www.usta.com/en/home/stay-current/southern/emma-navarro-s-quick-rise-to-no–31.html#tab=tournaments
Jannik Sinner

Love Him Or Hate Him But Respect Him: Novak Djokovic Proves His Greatness With 2023 U.S. Open Win

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By JAMES BECK

Love him, or hate him.

But respect him.

No tennis player has ever been better than Novak Djokovic.

Even Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer have to take their hats off to Novak, and admire him.

Now that Rafa and Roger have left Djokovic on his own stage at least for now, tennis fans love Novak.

DJOKOVIC WENT ONE STEP FURTHER

Djokovic’s performance on Sunday evening in the U.S. Open final was simply amazing. Daniil Medvedev also played his heart out, but Djokovic went one step further. He was sensational.

It was a thrill-a-minute three-set match. It lasted well into the night after starting at mid-afternoon. The second set alone lasted 104 minutes

Djokovic was the winner, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3, but New York still loves 2021 champion Medvedev.

A FOURTH AND 24TH TITLE, AND A 24 TRIBUTE

At 36, the oldest U.S. Open men’s champion ever, Djokovic obviously has a special place in his heart for the number four. It’s the number of times he has won this tournament and the 24th time he has won a Grand Slam title.

The number 24 also was displayed prominently on the white jacket Novak, his team members and family wore for the victory celebration as a tribute to the No. 24 jersey of deceased friend Kobe Bryant of NBA fame.

Djokovic lost his footing at least three times in the tight second set, stumbling to the surface once,  apparently due to the length of the rallies.

Djokovic could look like he was almost completely wiped out of it physically one minute, and then play like Superman the next minute.

THREE POINTS MAY HAVE BEEN DECISIVE

Both men played great tennis, especially in the thrill-a-second second set in which Medvedev gained one set point in the 12th game before Djokovic recovered to force a tiebreaker.

Medvedev appeared to be in charge after out-playing Novak to win one of his drop shots to take a 5-4 lead in the tiebreaker. The match may have been decided on the next three points, all won by Djokovic on errors by the 6-6 Russian.

The big question now is what happens next January in the Australian Open. Right now, Djokovic probably wants to play . . . and win what has been his favorite tournament as far as success. But things can change quickly for players in their mid-30s. Just ask Roger or Rafa.

— James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com

Rafael Nadal Hits Blackjack for Record-Breaking 21st Major In Dramatic Australian Open Comeback

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

Blackjack for Rafael Nadal.

The ferocious Spanish left-hander won a record-breaking 21st men’s singles title at a major championship with a superbly tenacious 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 victory in five hours and 24 minutes.

It marked the first time Nadal came back from two-sets-to-love down in 15 years and it was the first time a player came back from 0-2 down in an Australian final since Fred Stolle turned the trick on Roy Emerson.

The tournament victory separates Nadal from his chief rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, who now both stand in second place all-time among men with 20 majors each.

Nadal’s hand of “Grand Slam” blackjack now consist of a “2” in Australia (he also won in 2009) and a “2” at Wimbledon and “ace” and a “2” at Roland Garros (13 titles) and a “4” at the U.S. Open.

Medvedev seemed poised to win his second straight major title after his U.S. Open victory leading two sets to love and looking at 2-3, 0-40 advantage on Nadal’s serve. Medvedev, however, seemed to tighten up on the cusp of the title and Nadal squeezed out the third set and continued his momentum into the fourth and fifth sets. Nadal actually served for the title at 5-4 in the fifth set, but faltered. However, he quickly gathered himself to break Medvedev right back and serve out the match at love.

Medvedev denied Djokovic his chance to win a 21st major – and the Grand Slam sweep of all four majors in a singles calendar year – in the U.S. Open and hoped to again be the tennis history spoiler. Djokovic, a nine-time Australian Open champion, was unable to play the event due to Australia’s COVID-19 vaccination rules for entry into the country. Federer has struggled with knee injuries over the last two years and, at age 40, will appear to be a long-shot to again contend for major singles titles.

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

Russia (Technically RTF) Beats Croatia For 2021 Davis Cup Title

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Russia, playing as the Russian Tennis Federation due to sanctions related to doping violations on the Olympic platform, won their third Davis Cup by Rakuten title – and their first since 2006 – after victories for Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev fended off a spirited challenge from the Croatian team in Sunday’s final in Madrid. Rublev defeated Croatia’s star player this week, Borna Gojo, before Medvedev sealed the title with a straight-sets triumph over Marin Cilic.  

The victory for RTF comes just four weeks after they won the Billie Jean King Cup title in Prague – making RTF the fourth nation to win both the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup titles in the same year, and the first since Czech Republic achieved the feat in 2012. With the RTF boys team having won the Junior Davis Cup in October, they also become the fifth nation to win both the Davis Cup and Junior Davis Cup titles in the same year, and the first since Spain in 2004.
DAVIS CUP FINAL RESULTS
Davis Cup final – Russian Tennis Federation defeated Croatia 2-0 Andrey Rublev (RTF) d. Borna Gojo (CRO) 6-4 7-6(5) Daniil Medvedev (RTF) d. Marin Cilic (CRO) 7-6(7) 6-2 Aslan Karatsev/Andrey Rublev (RTF) v Nikola Mektic/Mate Pavic (CRO) – not played
FIVE-CITY MODEL FOR DAVIS CUP BY RAKUTEN FINALS 2022
The International Tennis Federation and Kosmos Tennis confirmed details of the Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals 2022 at a press conference in Madrid ahead of the 2021 Davis Cup final between Croatia and the Russian Tennis Federation.   Following the success of this year’s multi-city format, the 2022 edition of the Davis Cup Finals will feature a group stage of 16 nations competing in four groups across four cities. The top eight teams from the group stages will advance to the knock-out stages in a neutral fifth host city. The duration of the Finals will be extended by one day to 12 days.  
2021 Davis Cup Champions - Russia
2021 Davis Cup Champions – Russia

Lucky Loser Teenager Coco Gauff Captures First WTA Title – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Daniil Medvedev beat Alexander Zverev 6-4 6-1 to win the Shanghai Rolex Masters in Shanghai, China

Rebecca Peterson beat Heather Watson 6-4 6-4 to win the Tianjin Open in Tianjin, China

Coco Gauff beat Jelena Ostapenko 6-3 1-6 6-2 to win the Upper Austria Ladies Linz in Linz, Austria

Juan Pablo Varillas beat Federico Coria 6-3 2-6 6-2 to win the Santo Domingo Open in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Christopher O’Connell beat Steve Johnson 6-4 6-4 to win the Northbay Healthcare Men’s Pro Championships in Fairfield, California, USA

Mikael Ymer beat Mathias Bourgue 6-1 6-4 to win the Internationaux de Tennis de Vendée in Mouilleron-Le-Captif, France

 

SAYING

“Everybody is talking that they need new guys, something new, so I gave them something new.” – Daniil Medvedev, after winning Shanghai, his second straight ATP Masters title.

“In the past few months, he’s probably the best player in the world, making it to six finals in a row, winning a Masters (1000), making it to the US Open final.” – Alexander Zverev, speaking about Daniil Medvedev.

“I’ll remember this day for the rest of my life.” Coco Gauff, the 15-year-old American lucky loser who won her first WTA title in Linz, Austria.

“Well done today to Coco. You have a bright future. It was a pleasure to share the court with you today.” – Jelena Ostapenko, who lost to Coco Gauff in the Linz final.

“I got my first title in Nanchang just a couple of weeks ago, and now I’ve got my second title, so I’m obviously enjoying my stay here in China.” – Rebecca Peterson, after winning the Tianjin Open.

“The young guys are knocking on the door big time. It’s exciting, it’s great.” – Roger Federer, noting that four young players – Germany’s Alexander Zverev, Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas and Italy’s Matteo Berrettini – reached the semifinals at the Shanghai Masters.

“I honestly feel like they are more threatened than I am, and that makes me more relaxed on court. I know I just have to hang in there and be able to be more aggressive. Once you get aggressive and they see you going for it, I might even say they get scared. – Stefanos Tsitsipas, saying he isn’t intimated by the Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

“Yes.” – Novak Djokovic, when asked if Stefanos Tsitsipas has the potential to be ranked number one in the world.

“I think I will be able to put more of my emotion into it by playing for the pride of the country.” – Naomi Osaka, who kept her Japanese citizenship in order to represent Japan in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

 

SHANGHAI CHAMPION

Capturing his second consecutive ATP Masters 1000 trophy and reaching his sixth straight final, Daniil Medvedev is showing off credentials that could take him to the top of the men’s rankings. The Russian’s first victory over Germany’s Alexander Zverev gave Medvedev the Shanghai Masters crown to go with the Cincinnati Masters title. “This one is also amazing because Shanghai, I think, is one of the most prestigious Masters on the Tour,” Medvedev said. “Especially in the past 10 years there were only three players who managed to win this so, so it’s really special to have my photo in the corridor over the next many years.” After splitting the first six games, Medvedev won eight of the next nine to go up 6-4 5-0. Two games later, he fired an ace on his first match point. “It’s something outrageous that I’ve done in the past few months and I have been working for it,” Medvedev said of his winning ways this year, including a runner-up result at the US Open. It was the first Masters 1000 final between two players under the age of 24 since Novak Djokovic defeated Gael Monfils at the Paris Masters in 2009.

This was the first Masters 1000 final featuring two players under the age of 24 since Novak Djokovic (22) defeated Gael Monfils (23) in the 2009 Rolex Paris Masters championship match. “He’s a different player now,” Zverev said of Medvedev. “You can’t compare.”

 

SWEET BEGINNING

Lucky loser, indeed. Coco Gauff, who got a second chance after losing in the opening round of qualifying, capped her week by stopping Jelena Ostapenko and winning her first WTA title. “I’m still overwhelmed and shocked,” Gauff said. The 15-year-old American became the youngest player to win a WTA event since Czech Nicole Vaidisova won her first title in 2004, also at the age of 15. “I guess it’s crazy to say it’s my first WTA title,” the winner said. “This was definitely not on the calendar at the beginning of the year because I didn’t think I’d have a chance to get in, and now I’m the champion, so it’s crazy.” The week didn’t begin well as Gauff lost in the first round of qualifying. But she learned she was in the main draw 40 minutes before her match. She made her opportunity count by beating Stefanie Vogele, Kateryna Kozlova, top-seeded Kiki Bertens and Andrea Petkovic before stopping Ostapenko, the former French Open champion. “My dad told me when I got in, before the first main-draw match, ‘You can’t lose twice in the same tournament.’ I’m sure he never thought it would come this far, to being the champion, but I guess he was right,” the teenager said. Gauff is the youngest American to win a WTA tournament since Jennifer Capriati at Toronto in 1991.

 

SECOND TITLE

Rain forced the Tianjin Open final to be played indoors, which was just fine for Rebecca Peterson. The Swede won her second title in China in two months by beating Britain’s Heather Watson in straight sets. After a five-hour rain delay, the two players took to the court only to have rain begin again during the warmup. Officials then moved to an indoor facility where Peterson rallied from a break down in each set, falling behind 0-2 both times. The winner committed only 26 unforced errors while Watson had 38. Peterson began her Asian swing last month by winning the Jiangxi Open in Nanchang, China. She began her title run in Tianjin by beating Venus Williams. “I think the challenge of this week was just to keep going and try to play my game in every match,” Peterson said. “I think I had some really tough matches, like yesterday, the day before, even in my first round.”

 

SELECTING JAPAN

Naomi Osaka is Japan’s highest-ranked player. Now she’s giving up her American citizenship in order to represent Japan in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Osaka was born in Osaka, Japan, to a Japanese mother and Haitian father, and was raised in the United States. Until now, she had dual citizenship with the United States and Japan, but Japanese law requires that she choose one or the other by her 22nd birthday. That’s this week, so she chose Japan, saying it will give her “a special feeling to try to go to the Olympics to represent Japan.” She currently lives in the USA. A two-time Grand Slam tournament champion, Osaka has won her last two tournaments, the Pan Pacific Open in Osaka, Japan, and the China Open in Beijing.

  

SURPRISE, SURPRISE

Maybe Shanghai was a peek at the changing of the guard. First, 21-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece upset top-ranked Novak Djokovic 3-6 7-5 6-3. Then, almost immediately following that shocker, 22-year-old Alexander Zverev of Germany knocked off Roger Federer 6-3 6-7 (7) 6-3. In one unexpected quarterfinal day, the top two seeded players and two-thirds of the Big Three, were eliminated from the Shanghai Masters. Since 2010, only three players – Djokovic, Federer and Andy Murray – had won the hard court tournament in China’s biggest city.

 

SAYONARA

Belgium’s Steve Darcis has confirmed that he plans on retiring after next year’s Australian Open. “I made a successful comeback in 2019, but after Wimbledon I got problems again with my shoulder,” Darcis said. “Mentally and physically, I’m no longer at my best.” Darcis upset Rafael Nadal in the opening round at Wimbledon in 2013. Two years ago, he reached a career-high in the ATP Rankings at 38th in the world. But he missed the 2018 season due to an elbow injury. He returned this past January and reached his first ATP Tour semifinal in seven years in Pune, India. After 16 years on Tour, Darcis spoke of his retirement plans at the draw ceremony for the European Open, which will be held in Antwerp, Belgium. For his final tournament on home soil, Darcis received wild card entries into both the man draw singles and doubles. “Plenty of strong career moments will stay with me forever and I hope to end the year in a nice way,” he said. “This also goes for my last tournament here in Antwerp.”

 

SWISS FURY

The normally cool demeanor displayed on court by Roger Federer went missing during his three-set quarterfinal loss to Alexander Zverev. The veteran Swiss star twice hit the ball out of the court in anger, engaged in a row with the umpire and was given a point penalty. After saving five match points to force a decisive third set, Federer became engaged in a continual war of words with the chair umpire. He was trailing 3-0 30-15 in the third set when he was assessed a point penalty. When asked in his post-match news conference about his conversation with the umpire, Federer shrugged his shoulders and said: “So you can write something on Twitter, yeah? Next question.”

 

SEES CHALLENGERS

According to Roger Federer, there are eight young players who are ready to challenge the top three men – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Federer himself. Since Nadal won his first Grand Slam tournament at Roland Garros in 2005, the Big Three have accounted for 51 of the last 59 major titles. They have won the last 12 Grand Slam tournaments, the second longest streak won by the trio. The last player not named Federer, Djokovic or Nadal to win a Grand Slam tournament title was Stan Wawrinka, who captured the US Open in 2016. But Federer now feels the challengers are ready and able. “Not like there were none beforehand, but now they are playing with the big boys, you know, and really able to challenge us, beat us, having good rivalries also within each other, which I think is important for them to improve as players,” the 38-year-old Swiss star said. “I remember when I was coming up and I had (Marat) Safin and (Andy) Roddick and (Lleyton) Hewitt and (Wayne) Ferreira and everybody. You don’t want to be the last guy of that group. … So, I think it really creates good intentions to actually wanting to improve faster, and I see that right now.” Federer named Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Andrey Rublev, Matteo Berrettini, Karen Khachanov, Denis Shapovalov and Nick Kyrgios. “Yeah, they’ve got our attention, no doubt about that,” Federer said.

 

SAYS BABY COMING

Andy Murray and his wife Kim are expecting their family will grow almost any day now. Murray said that while he’s playing at the European Open this week, there’s a possibility he will have to return home in time for the birth of their third child. The Murrays have two daughters, 3-year-old Sophia and one-year-old Edie. After the European Open he is taking four weeks away from the tour before playing in the Davis Cup finals in Madrid, Spain, November 18-25.

 

SMASHED

The USD $300,000 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon belonging to Nick Kyrgios was badly damaged when it crashed into a pole. Australian police said Kyrgios was not driving the car at the time of the crash, and it’s not known if he was a passenger. Kyrgios has not played since Zhuhai and is currently recuperating a shoulder injury.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Fairfield: Darian King and Peter Polansky beat Andre Goransson and Sem Verbeek 6-4 3-6 12-10 (match tiebreak)

Linz: Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova beat Barbara Haas and xenia Knoll 6-4 6-3

Mouilleron-Le-Captif: Jonny O’Mara and Ken Skupski beat Sander Arends and David Pel 6-1 6-4

Santo Domingo: Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar beat Orlando Luz and Luis David Martinez 6-7 (5) 6-4 12-10 (match tiebreak)

Shanghai: Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares beat Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-4 6-2

Tianjin: Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara beat Nao Hibino and Miyu Kato 6-3 7-5

 

 

SURFING

Moscow: https://kremlincup.ru/

Antwerp: http://europeanopen.be/

Stockholm: https://www.stockholmopen.se/

Luxembourg: https://www.bglbnpparibas-open.com/

Suzhou: www.tennis.org.cn

Vienna: https://www.erstebank-open.com/

Basel: https://www.swissindoorsbasel.ch/de/index.php

Brest: http://www.openbrestarena.fr/

Zhuhai: https://www.wtaelitetrophy.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$922,520 VTB Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia, hard

$780,567 European Open, Antwerp, Belgium, hard

$780,567 Intrum Stockholm Open, Stockholm, Sweden, hard

$162,480 Yinzhou International Men’s Tennis Challenger, Ningbo, China, hard

 

WOMEN

$1,032,000 VTB Kremlin Cup, Moscow, Russia, hard

$250,000 BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open, Luxembourg, Luxembourg, hard

$100,000 ITF Suzhou, Suzhou, China, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN

$2,696,460 Erste Bank Open, Vienna, Austria, hard

$2,449,490 Swiss Indoors, Basel, Switzerland, hard

$101,556 Open Brest Credit Agricole, Brest, France, hard

 

WOMEN

$2,419,844 Hengqin Life WTA Elite Trophy, Zhuhai, China, hard

$100,000 ITF W100, Suzhou, China, hard

 

Coco Gauff in Linz
Coco Gauff in Linz

Daniil Medvedev Continues Hot Play, Captures St. Petersburg – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

Daniil Medvedev beat Borna Coric 6-3 6-1 to win the St. Petersburg Open in St. Petersburg, Russia

Naomi Osaka beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2 6-3 to win the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Osaka, Japan

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga beat Aljaz Bedene 6-7 (4) 7-6 (4) 6-3 to win the Moselle Open in Metz, France

Sofia Kenin beat Samantha Stosur 6-78 (4) 6-4 6-2 to win the Guangzhou International Women’s Open in Guangzhou, China

Karolina Muchova beat Magda Linette 6-1 6-1 to win the KEB Hana Bank Korea Open in Seoul, Korea

John Millman beat Marc Polmans 6-4 6-2 to win the Kaohsiung Challenger in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Team Europe beat Team World to win the Laver Cup for the third consecutive year.

 

SAYING

“I came here to win and I did it.” – Daniil Medvedev, who became the first Russian to win the St. Petersburg Open since 2004.

“I just wanted to win this really bad.” – Naomi Osaka, after winning the Pan Pacific Open in her hometown, Osaka, Japan.

“Mentally, I was very strong. I served really well when I needed to.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who won the Moselle Open for a record fourth time.

“This has to be one of the biggest wins of my career. It means so much more when you’re playing for other people as well.” – Taylor Fritz, after beating Austria’s Dominic Thiem in the Laver Cup, giving Team World a temporary lead.

“Sometimes you have to win ugly.” – Danielle Collins, after beating Venus Williams in the first round in Wuhan, China.

“My goal next year is to be in the Top 10.” – Sofia Kenin, after winning Guangzhou, her third title of the year.

“I still made the final, so there’s lots to be proud of.” – Samantha Stosur, who lost to Sofia Kenin in the final at Guangzhou.

“Mentally, I was very strong. I served really well when I needed to.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, after winning the Moselle Open for a record fourth time.

“It’s always a goal of mine to qualify for the WTA Finals, and I’m proud to have done it for my fourth time.” – Karolina Pliskova, who joins Ashleigh Barty as the first two players to qualify for the season-ending tournament in Shenzhen, China.

 

STREAKING

Daniil Medvedev’s appearance in the US Open final wasn’t a fluke. Playing in his fifth consecutive final, the 23-year-old became the first Russian to capture the St. Petersburg Open crown since Mikhail Youzhny 15 years ago. And it wasn’t close as he broke Croatia’s Borna Coric four times, twice in each set, to dominate the match. It was Medvedev’s sixth career title and third of this year. “It’s an amazing feeling,” said Medvedev, who has won 24 of his last 27 matches. He has already qualified for the season-ending ATP Finals, where he will be making his debut about the top eight players. Medvedev is currently ranked fourth in the world behind Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. “After the match you could see how happy I was,” the winner said. “Especially beating Borna, who is an amazing player. I lost three times to him last year in a row.” Coric used slices off both sides to keep Medvedev off balance. But the Russian was too consistent. “I tried pretty much everything, all the tactics, all that I could think of,” Coric said. “It didn’t work. He had answers to every question of mine.”

 

SHE DID IT

Naomi Osaka was named for the city where she was born. It is probably proper, then, that her first tournament title that the world’s former top-ranked player should win would be in her hometown. The Pan Pacific Open is her first trophy since she captured her second consecutive Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open in January. “I have played finals here,” Osaka said. “This is my third time. So, I am really glad that I was able to win, and for it to be in the city where I was born makes it really special.” Osaka needed just over an hour to overwhelm Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, dropping just five games, and become the first Japanese player to win the Pan Pacific title since Kimiko Date in 1995. “I think my serves have been doing really well the last two matches,” Osaka said. “I think that definitely helped me out, especially today since she (Pavlyuchenkova) is such a great returner.” It appeared as if Osaka has closed out the victory with an ace. But a Pavlyuchenkova challenge showed the ball was out. It made no difference. Osaka’s wide-angled backhand when the point was replayed was unreturnable. “I think what I learned from this tournament is just to focus every point, and just to have really positive energy,” Osaka said.

 

SUCCESS CONTINUED

When Alexander Zverev beat Milos Raonic in a singles match, it sealed a Laver Cup victory for Europe over Team World in Geneva, Switzerland. It was the third straight time Team Europe has won the competition in the three years it has been held. Team World began the final day in the lead, but Roger Federer beat John Isner, setting the stage for Zverev’s 6-4 3-6 10-4 victory over Raonic for the title. “Team World came once again very close, but we won the right points and had maybe a little bit of luck,” said Team Europe captain Bjorn Borg. “I’m very proud of my team, they did a hell of a job. I’m a very happy captain.” Borg passed over Stefano Tsitsipas of Greece and Italy’s Fabio Fognini, instead selecting Zverev to play the final match. “It’s very special, especially playing in front of those guys and them trusting me to play the last singles game,” Zverev said. “This event is something I hope to play in every single year of my career.”

 

STRAIGHT-SETS WIN

Considering the outcome, Karolina Muchova didn’t mind waiting six hours for the rain to stop. When she finally took to the court, she crushed Magda Linette to capture the KEB Hana Bank Korea Open title, her first WTA tournament crown. The Czech used her forehand to dictate the pace and direction of the rallies, finishing by losing just six points on her serve in the match. She never faced a break point. The result was reversed from their only previous meeting, which Linette won in a tough three sets last month.

 

SIDELINED BY INJURY

Reigning US Open champion Rafael Nadal pulled out of the final day of the Laver Cup because of inflammation in his hand. “I’ve had an amazing time playing at the Laver Cup and I’m so disappointed I’m not able to play again today, but I have some inflammation in my hand and I need to rest,” Nadal said in a statement. He had been scheduled to play a singles match against Australian Nick Kyrgios and partner Roger Federer in a doubles match against Americans John Isner and Jack Sock. Austria’s Dominic Thiem replaced Nadal in the singles, but he was upset by American Taylor Fritz, who had replaced Kyrgios. “Nick’s shoulder has been bugging him. He was talking about it last night,” said Team World captain John McEnroe. “I don’t know what to tell you other than we wanted him to come out 100 percent and he didn’t feel like he could. So that means we’ve got to put somebody else in.”  That somebody was Fritz. Federer played doubles with Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece and they lost to the Americans.

 

SOFIA STOPS STOSUR

Sofia Kenin won her third WTA singles title of the year when she outlasted Australian Samantha Stosur in the final of the Guangzhou International Women’s Open. “Sam is such a tough player to play, and the match was not easy,” Kenin said. “I’m just really happy with the way I fought. I knew it was going to be a tough match and I needed to leave everything on the court.” Stosur, a former US Open women’s singles champion, came from behind to take the opening set. Kenin was just two game from defeat in the second set when she won seven straight games, then boosting her third-set advantage to 5-1. Kenin lost just six points in four service games in the final set, four of which came in the sixth game. “I feel proud of myself. It was a very tough match today,” Stosur said. “She played very, very well for the whole match, and really picked it up in that second and third sets.”

 

SOMETHING ABOUT METZ

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has this winning touch whenever he plays in Metz, France. The Frenchman lost the opening set before coming back to beat Aljaz Bedene and win the Moselle Open for a record fourth time. Playing in his fifth final in Metz, the 34-year-old fired 19 aces in the battle, that saw him trade tiebreak sets with Bedene. In the decisive third set, Tsonga raced out to a 3-0 lead and was never in trouble after that. Tsonga is the ninth Frenchman to win the Moselle Open in the last 11 editions of the tournament Ten of Tsonga’s 18 ATP Tour titles have come on French soil. “The match was not easy at all,” Tsonga said. Aljaz was playing really well and it was a long match. I am definitely happy to win here again.”

 

SNAPS TIE

Novak Djokovic has been number one in the ATP rankings for 269 weeks, which moved him into fourth place on the all-time list, snapping a tie with Jimmy Connors. In two weeks, the Serbian will break Ivan Lendl’s record of 270 weeks, making him trail only Pete Sampras (286 weeks) and Roger Federer (310 weeks). Djokovic is in his fourth stint atop the men’s professional tennis rankings.

 

STOPS VENUS

American Danielle Collins has joined the ever-growing list of players who have beaten seven-time Grand Slam tournament champion Venus Williams. Collins joined the group in the opening round of the Wuhan Open, stopping Williams 7-5 7-6 (5). Williams led 5-3 in the opening set before losing nine straight games. The veteran failed to convert two set points while leading 5-4 in the first set. Collins took a 5-0 lead in the second set before Venus rallied to send it into a tiebreak, which Collins won 7-5. “I didn’t really play great the entire way through, so I wasn’t too happy with my performance even though I got the win,” Collins said.

 

SURGERY

French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic underwent surgery on her left wrist and is through for the rest of this season. “Surgery done,” Vondrousova said in an Instagram post. “All went really good so I need to rest now. So, season 2019 is over for me but can’t wait to be back.” The left-hander reached the final in Budapest, then the quarterfinals at both Indian Wells and Miami. She got to the final in Istanbul and the quarterfinals in Rome before fighting her way to the title match at Roland Garros, where she lost to champion Ashleigh Barty. Vondrousova injured her left wrist while practicing at Wimbledon and has not played since losing in the first round of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.

 

SECOND QUALIFIER

The Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova is the second player to qualify for the year-ending 2019 Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen. The elite eight-player event will take place October 27-November 3. Pliskova secured her spot after winning her tour-leading fourth WTA title of the year at the ICBC Credit Card Zhengzhou Open. The first player to qualify for Shenzhen was French Open champion Ashleigh Barty of Australia. Pliskova will be playing in her fourth WTA Finals, having reached the semifinals in the last two years. In 2016, Pliskova qualified in both singles and doubles.

 

SPANISH STOP

Beginning next year, the ATP Tour will stage a grass-court tournament in Mallorca, Spain. replacing the event previously held in Antalya, Turkey. The Mallorca Championships will be held at Santa Ponca June 20-27, 2020. “Spain remains a key market for the ATP Tour and we are delighted to see the return of an ATP 250 tournament to Mallorca,” said Chris Kermode, executive chairman and president of the ATP. “The Spanish island has contributed so highly to the history of tennis, notably producing two ATP world number one players, Carlos Moya and Rafael Nadal.” Nadal’s uncle and former coach, Toni, will be the tournament director of the Mallorca Championships. “We expect to offer the fans a strong line-up in the final week before Wimbledon,” Toni Nadal said. “After four successful women’s tournaments, we are now starting a new, exciting tennis era in Mallorca with this men’s event.”

 

SWISS STAR

Former world number one Martina Hingis will be a Legend Ambassador to the WTA’s season-ending tournament, the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen. In that role, Hingis will participate in community and fan engagement activities, host tennis clinics and interact with fans and guests. Her 1997 Australian Open triumph made her, at age 16 years 3 months, the youngest Grand slam tournament winner in the Open Era. She soon became the youngest to be ranked number one in the world, tallying 209 weeks at the top. She won 43 singles titles, including five Grand Slam tournament crowns, at a teenager. She also won 64 doubles titles, including 13 majors, as well as five mixed doubles Grand Slam titles. She spent 89 weeks as doubles number one and is one of just six women to reign on top of the rankings in both singles and doubles at the same time.

 

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Guangzhou: Peng Shuai and Laura Siegemund beat Alexi Guarachi and Giuliana Olmos 6-2 6-1

Kaohsiung: Hsieh Cheng-Peng and Yang Tsung-Hua beat Evan King and Hunter Reese 6-4 7-6 (4)

Metz: Robert Lindstedt and Jan-Lennard Struff beat Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 2-6 7-6 (1) 10-4 (match tiebreak)

Osaka: Chan Hao-Ching and Latisha Chan beat Hsieh Su-Wei and Hsieh Yu-Chieh 7-5 7-5

Seoul: Lara Arruabarrena and Tatjana Maria beat Hayley Carter and Luisa Stefani 7-6 (7) 3-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)

St. Petersburg: Divij Sharan and Igor Zelenay beat Matteo Berrettini and Simone Boleti 6-3 3-6 10-8 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

Zhuhai: http://www.zhuhaichampionships.cn/

Orleans: https://www.opendorleans.com/

Tiburon: http://tiburonchallenger.com/

Wuhan: https://www.wuhanopen.org/en/

Tashkent: http://www.tashkentopen.uz/en/

Beijing: http://www.chinaopen.com/

Tokyo: https://rakutenopen.com/index.php

 

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

MEN

$1,213,295 Chengdu Open, Chengdu, China, hard

$1,000,000 Huajin Securities Zhuhai Championships, Zhuhai, China, hard

$152,379 Open d’Orleans, Orleans, France, hard

$108,320 First Republic Tiburon Challenger, Tiburon, California, USA, hard

 

WOMEN

$2,828,000 Wuhan Open, Wuhan, China, hard

$250,000 Tashkent Open, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, hard

 

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN

$3,666,275 China Open, Beijing, China, hard

$2,046,340 Rakuten Open Tennis Championships, Tokyo, Japan, hard

 

WOMEN

$8,285,274 China Open, Beijing, China, hard

 

Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev

Nadal – Medvedev U.S. Open Final: From “This F*%*ing Match Is So Boring” To “One For The Ages”

by

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

 

What are some of the most lackluster and boring U.S. Open men’s finals of all time?

I was trying to think of the answer to this question while absorbing the beginning stages of the 2019 U.S. Open men’s singles final between Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev. With Nadal the overwhelming favorite, going for an historic major title No. 19, having lost only one set en route to the final and no nagging injuries bothering him, he seemed certain to steamroll the newbie Medvedev, playing in his first major final, seemingly exhausted from a long grueling summer of tennis and fighting injuries and soreness during a difficult route to the final. Many players of his level sometimes seem satisfied with the overachieving result and this looked as though it would also be the case. To boot, Nadal dominated Medvedev 6-3, 6-0 in the Montreal final five weeks earlier.

In the U.S. Open media room before the final, International Tennis Hall of Fame member and “Greatest Tennis Matches of All Time” author Steve Flink and I discussed the final and we both thought maybe Medvedev could sneak out a set. Flink told me that he spoke with 1988 U.S. Open champion and Eurosport commentator Mats Wilander just minutes earlier who said he didn’t think Medvedev would even get that close.

The least interesting U.S. Open men’s final I could remember was 1986 when Ivan Lendl defeated Miloslav Mecir 6-3, 6-2, 6-0. Nadal’s 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win over Kevin Anderson in 2017 was also pretty boring as was the Pete Sampras win over Cedric Pioline in 1993 by a drama-free 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 margin. The Nadal – Medvedev final seemed headed in this direction as the Spaniard took the first two sets 7-5, 6-3. “There’s no danger of this becoming an instant classic,” quipped John McEnroe on ESPN early in the match.

A few text messages came into my phone from friends watching the final. “This f*%*ing match is so boring” came one text. “This match is so bad” came another. “It’s all over. Now what? Do I have to watch the Giants?” read another after the first two sets from a friend who was now dreading that he would have to watch the dismal National Football League game between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants.

At 4-4 in the third set, also bored, I thought I should get an early start on beating the crowd to the subway. I started to pack my bag to leave from the upper broadcast area high above Arthur Ashe Stadium. As I stuffed the three copies of “Racquet” magazine that Ben Rothenberg from the New York Times gave me earlier in the day, Nadal had 0-30 on Medvedev’s serve and was ready to feast on a second serve from the Russian. Medvedev was able to get to 30-30, but then after an exhausting 28-ball rally, he faced break point to allow for Nadal to serve for a routine straight-set win. Medvedev painted the line with a ground stroke to save that break point and then two points later, when faced with another break point, he lucked out when Nadal netted a relatively easy overhead off the bounce. Almost miracously, Medvedev held serve for 5-4. This would be a good time to escape to beat the crowds. It was a good thing I stayed.

What unfolded was one of the greatest U.S. Open men’s finals ever. Hanging on by the Kinesio tape skin of his teeth, Medvedev put together a few slap winners to break Nadal to win the third set 7-5. Medvedev fed off the energy of the New York City crowd who roared for him in their thirst to watch more tennis. The irony in the crowd screaming for the Russian was that he was booed like no one other player in the history of the event in his wins over Feliciano Lopez in the third round and Dominik Koepfer in the fourth round, stemming from him violently grabbing a towel from a ball person and giving the middle finger to the jeering New York crowd. He then trolled the booing crowd in his on-court post-match interviews, saying the boos inspired him to fight harder. “I won because of you!” he trolled while outstretching his arms and tilting his face to the sky to embrace the shower of boos. It was U.S. Open theatre at its best and Medvedev was immediately cast as a tennis villain worse than early Jimmy Connors or Ilie Nastase. Now, because of the desire of these New York fans wanting to see more tennis – and impressed by his effort – these fans were cheering at the top of their lungs for this 23-year-old Russian.

“Open crowds often do this, trying to will an underdog to make it a competitive match,” wrote Jason Gay in the Wall Street Journal of the final. “But there’s a difference between ‘I paid $300 for this ticket and I want to see more tennis’ cheering and ‘We actually love this guy’ cheering. What Medvedev got Sunday was the latter.”

“He’s gone from middle finger to standing ovation,” said Patrick McEnroe on ESPN.

In the middle of the fourth set, one of my friends texted me again. “Medvedev doesn’t look tired” he wrote. “A fifth set would be amazing. Does he have the stamina?” Medvedev kept fighting and showed that he could hang with the uber-fit Nadal. Incredibly, it was Nadal who started to show fatigue with more and more misses and controversial stalls before returning and serving. After Nadal incredibly mishit an easy forehand at deuce serving at 4-5, Medvedev struck an laser backhand return-of-serve down the line for a winner from way off the court off a curving lefty Nadal serve out wide. The match was tied at two sets apiece. The Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd erupted and an instant U.S. Open epic was at hand.

“Can you believe we are going five, because I can’t” said Jim Courier on Tennis Channel’s live-to-tape TV coverage of the final.

Medvedev had never won a five-set match in his life, but Nadal had never won the U.S. Open when he was extended to five sets at Flushing Meadows. His record when up two-sets-to-love at majors was 202-1, the one loss coming at the U.S. Open in this very court in 2015 against Fabio Fognini, a mercurial player not unlike Medvedev.

Down 0-1 early in the fifth set, Nadal saved two break points, one with a shot on the line and one after losing a first serve after a being penalized a first serve for not serving within the 25-second serve shot clock time frame. However, Nadal broke Medvedev to take a 3-2 lead in the final set and then again to take a 5-2 lead. The previous day, Serena Williams broke eventual champion Bianca Andreescu’s serve twice in a row when she served for the championship at 5-1 and 5-3 and Medvedev nearly did the same. He broke Nadal when serving for the match at 5-2 and had a break point when Nadal served for the match again at 5-4, but the Spaniard held on and finally closed out the match 7-5, 6-4, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4.

The match time was four hours and 49 minutes marking the third-longest U.S. Open final of all time, only eclipsed by Andy Murray’s 2012 U.S. Open final win over Novak Djokovic and Wilander’s 1988 win over Ivan Lendl, curiously both timed at 4:54, the longest finals in U.S. Open history.

“One for the ages,” tweeted Billie Jean King, certainly one who has seen her fair share of matches through the ages.

“There was nothing genteel about this match,” wrote Larry Brooks in the New York Post. “This turned into a brawl, no quarter given by either side featuring hours of intense, physical tennis. Medvedev got breaks and would not break. Nadal, the same. After two straight years of straight-set finals, this was one that will be remembered for ages.”

“Amazing” was the text I received from one of my earlier disgruntled tennis-watching friends.

It certainly was amazing and one for the ages. I’m glad I stuck around to witness it.

 

 

Rafa Nadal and Daniil Medvedev
Rafa Nadal and Daniil Medvedev

 

Rafael Nadal, Bianca Andreescu Reign as US Open Champions – Mondays with Bob Greene

by

Mondays with Bob Greene

 

STARS

US Open

Men’s Singles: Rafael Nadal beat Daniil Medvedev 7-5 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-4

Women’s Singles: Bianca Andreescu beat Serena Williams 6-3 7-5

Men’s Doubles: Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah beat Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-4 7-5

Women’s Doubles: Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka beat Victoria Azarenka and Ashleigh Barty 7-5 7-5

Mixed Doubles: Jamie Murray and Bethanie Mattek-Sands beat Michael Venus and Chan Hao-Ching 6-2 6-3

Junior Boys’ Singles: Jonas Forejtek beat Emilio Nava 6-7 (4) 6-0 6-2

Junior Girls’ Singles: Maria Camila Osorio Serrano beat Alexandra Yepifanova 6-1 6-0

Junior Boys’ Doubles: Eliot Spizzirri and Tyler Zink beat Andrew Paulson and alexander Zgirovsky 7-6 (4) 6-4

Junior Girls’ Doubles: Kamilla Bartone and Oksana Selekhmeteva beat Aubane Droguet and Selena Janicijevic 7-5 7-6 (6)

Men’s Wheelchair Singles: Alfie Hewett beat Stephane Houdet 7-6 (9) 7-6 (5)

Women’s Wheelchair Singles: Diede De Groot beat Yui Kamiji 4-6 6-1 6-4

Men’s Wheelchair Doubles: Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid beat Gustavo Fernandez and Shingo Kunieda 1-6 6-4 11-9 (match tiebreak)

Women’s Wheelchair Doubles: Diede De Groot and Aniek Van Koot beat Sabine Ellenbrock and Kgothatso Montjane 6-2 6-0

Quad Wheelchair Singles: Andy Lapthorne beat Dylan Alcott 6-1 6-0

Quad Wheelchair Doubles: Dylan Alcott and Andy Lapthorne beat Bryan Barton and David Wagner 6-7 (5) 6-1 10-6 (match tiebreak)

 

OTHERS

Anna Blinkova beat Usue Maitane Arconada 6-4 6-2 to win the Oracle Challenger women’s singles in New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Zhang Zhizhen beat Go Soeda 7-5 2-6 64 to win the Jinan Open in Jinan, China

Tommy Paul beat Marcos Giron 6-3 6-3 to win the Oracle Challenger men’s singles in New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Lorenzo Sonego beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-2 4-6 7-6 (6) to win the Aon Open Challenger in Genova, Italy

 

SAYING

“This victory is so important for me. Especially as the match became more and more difficult. I was able to hold the serves. They were so high. It was a crazy match and I’m just very emotional.” – Rafael Nadal, after winning the US Open men’s singles title.

“Because of the crowd, I was fighting like hell. In the third set, in my mind I was already thinking what to say in the speech. I was fighting and I didn’t give up, but unfortunately it didn’t go my way.” – Daniil Medvedev, after losing the US Open final to Rafael Nadal.

“I’ve been dreaming of this moment for the longest time.” – Bianca Andreescu, after becoming the first Canadian — man or woman — to win a Grand Slam singles title.

“I’m so close, so close, so close, yet so far away.” – Serena Williams, after losing to Bianca Andreescu in the US Open women’s singles final.

“She just proved that she’s a true athlete. For me, the definition of an athlete is someone who on the court treats you like your worst enemy, but off the court can be your best friend.” – Coco Gauff, talking about Naomi Osaka, who beat Gauff in the third round.

“I fell in love with tennis again, so I appreciate the competition, I appreciate the stadium matches.” – Bethanie Mattek-Sands, after teaming with Jamie Murray to win the US Open mixed doubles.

“The way Colombia received us when we came back from Wimbledon was really breathtaking, and I think that – I mean, I don’t even want to think about how crazy it’s gonna be now that we come back from the US Open.” – Robert Farah, after he and Juan Sebastian Cabal became the first Columbians to win the US Open men’s doubles title.

“Congratulations @Bandreescu_! You’ve made history and made a whole country very proud. #SheTheNorth” – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a tweet to Canada’s first Grand Slam singles champion.

“CONGRATS GIRL! Canadian history.” – Eugenie Bouchard, who was the first Canadian woman to reach a Grand Slam tournament final, losing the 2014 Wimbledon title to Petra Kvitova.

“SHE THE CHAMP! Congrats, @Bandreescu_#WeTheNorth x #SheTheNorth” – The reigning NBA champion Toronto Raptors who transmuted their slogan “We the North” to “She the North” in tribute to Bianca Andreescu.

“You’re #1!!! Congrats @Bandreescu_!#ShetheNorth #USOpen.” – The NHL’s Vancouver Canucks with a photo of a number one jersey bearing Andreescu’s name.

“What a performance! Congratulations @Bandreescu_ #SheTheNorth.” – The Toronto Maple Leafs, who last won the Stanley Cup in 1967.

“HISTORY Congratulations to @Bandreescu_ on becoming the first (Canadian) to win a Grand Slam singles title! #USOpen.” – Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays, who last won the World Series in 1993.

“Congratulations @Bandreescu_ on an amazing performance and your first grand slam! Romania is very proud of you.” – Simona Halep, the reigning Wimbledon champion, knowing that Andreescu’s parents are from Romania.

“I think she’s going to be number one soon. I mean, not too soon but in the future, because she has everything that’s needed to be number one.” – Patrick Mouratoglou, the coach of Serena Williams.

“I honestly don’t think Serena showed up. I have to kind of figure out how to get her to show up in Grand Slam finals.” – Serena Williams, after losing her fourth consecutive Grand Slam tournament final.

 

SPANISH GOLD

Beating back the upset bid by Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, Rafael Nadal won his 19th Grand Slam men’s singles title at the US Open. The thriller lasted nearly five hours as Medvedev, after dropped the opening two sets, won the next two to force the battle into a decisive fifth set. Medvedev broke in the last game of both the third and fourth sets to knot the score at two sets each. But Nadal broke to lead 3-2 in the fifth, then broke again for 5-2. The Russian refused to concede and broke Nadal again as the Spaniard was serving for the match. Medvedev held to pull to 5-4, but Nadal finally held serve, converting his third championship point to win his fourth US Open. Add to his 12 Roland Garros titles, two at Wimbledon and one at the Australian Open and Nadal is just only major title behind Roger Federer for the most by a man in tennis history.

 

SUPER CANADIAN

Serena Williams was after her record-tying 24th Grand Slam tournament singles title. Instead, Bianca Andreescu got her first. The 19-year-old Canadian handed Williams a fourth consecutive defeat in the final of a major and became the youngest Grand Slam tournament winner since Svetlana Kuznetsova at the 2004 US Open. “It’s so hard to explain in words, but I’m just beyond grateful and truly blessed. I’ve worked really, really hard for this moment,” Andreescu said. Before the US Open, the teenager had won just two Grand Slam tournament matches in her career. But, in eight attempts she has never lost to an opponent ranked in the Top 10 this year, and with the victory she moves to fifth in the world. “This year has been a dream come true,” said Andreescu. “Being able to play on this stage against Serena, a true legend of the sport, is amazing.” It was Andreescu who was amazing on this day. “It wasn’t easy at all,” she said. “I tried to prepare my best like I do every match, I tried not to focus on who I’m playing. I’m really proud of how I dealt with everything.” Serena Williams has to wait until next year in her attempt to tie Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam tournament singles titles.

 

SMART TACTICS

Belgium’s Elise Mertens teamed up with Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus to capture the US Open women’s doubles title, beating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and Australia’s Ashleigh Barty in the final. The champions lost only one set in the tournament to capture their first Grand Slam tournament title as a team. Barty won the title last year when she teamed with American CoCo Vandeweghe. Mertens and Sabalenka also won the doubles in Indian Wells and Miami earlier this season. This is the first Grand Slam doubles title for both.

 

SAME CHAMPIONS

Great Britain’s Jamie Murray and American Bethanie Mattek-Sands captured their second straight US Open mixed doubles title by stopping New Zealand’s Michael Venus and Taiwan’s Chan Hao-Ching in the final. “We have a lot of fun,” Mattek-Sands said. “He keeps me pretty grounded.” The winners finished with just 11 unforced errors while firing 23 winners. Mattek-Sands, who suffered a grisly knee injury at Wimbledon two years ago and underwent more knee surgery in March, picked up her ninth career Grand Slam doubles title. Her partner is the older brother former world number one Andy Murray. Jamie Murray also won the US Open mixed doubles in 2017 with Martina Hingis.

 

SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD

When top-seeded Naomi Osaka ended Coco Gauff’s run at the US Open, she hugged the 15-year-old and invited her to share the spotlight given to the winner. That gesture was one of the reason Osaka was given the women’s 2019 US Open Sportsmanship Award. Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman was the men’s honoree. Both received a trophy and a USD $5,000 donation to a charity of their choice. Todd Martin, a former player who co-chairs the committee that chooses the recipients, said Osaka and Schwartzman “demonstrated a level of sportsmanship that is even more impressive than their play on the court.

 

SUCCESS

Colombia’s Maria Camila Osorio Serrano crushed American qualifier Alexandra Yepifanova to win the junior girls’ singles title in the year’s final Grand Slam tournament. “It’s unreal,” Osorio Serrano said. “It’s been a really great week for me. I’m just so happy and thankful for this. I can’t believe I won.” She did, in a dominating performance. The fourth-seeded Osorio Serrano began the match with an ace and never let up until the winner’s trophy was secured.

 

SUCCESS DOLLAR-WISE

After dropping the first set, fourth-seeded Jonas Forejtek of the Czech Republic roared past Emilio Nava to win the US Open boys’ singles title. Forejtek lost the first set in a tiebreak, but dropped only two games after that as he overpowered his American opponent. He is the first Czech to win the US Open boy’s singles title since 2006 and only the fourth Czech male to capture a major junior singles title. “They won it (and) I have to work hard to get at least close to them,” Forejtek said. “So, I think it’s motivation, too, and I got a lot of confidence from this.”

 

SPREAD THE WEALTH

Winning has become habit-forming for two Colombians. Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah added the US Open to their trophy case after becoming the first players from their nation to win a men’s doubles Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in July. They became the first South American duo to win the US Open by downing Marcel Granollers of Spain and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina. “This whole Colombian tennis power thing started with a dream of one guy who owned this huge business called Colsanitas, Farah said during the on-court trophy ceremony. One special guy who started it all was Roberto Cocheteux, who passed away 17 or 18 days ago. We couldn’t go to his burial because we had to stay here, and it was very tough for us. We said we would dedicate this tournament to him and there is no better way to dedicate something than to win it.”

 

SET OF BOYS

Great Britain’s Andy Lapthorne halted Dylan Alcott’s bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam in the wheelchair quad singles. Alcott had won the title at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon. And the Australian had bested Lapthorne in the round-robin portion of the competition, although he needed three sets. This time, it was Lapthorne who came out on top, dropping just one game in the final.

Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina also saw his bid for history stopped in the men’s wheelchair singles. Top-seeded, Fernandez lost in the semifinals to unseeded Stephane Houdet of France 3-6 6-2 7-5. In 2014, Houdet became the first man to complete the calendar-year Grand Slam in men’s wheelchair doubles. But his bid for another title ended when he lost in the final to defending champion Alfie Hewett of Great Britain.

Diede De Groot pulled off her second straight double at the Open, winning the women’s wheelchair singles over Japan’s Yui Kamiji, then teaming with fellow Dutchman Aniek Van Koot to stop Sabine Ellenbrock of Germany and South Africa’s Kgothatso Montjane in the women’s wheelchair doubles final.

 

SWISS PAIN

Gérard Pique is hoping to persuade Roger Federer to take part in the new Davis Cup format. With Pique at the forefront with a team of wealthy backers, the Davis Cup has undergone a major overhaul this year. The international team competition final will take place November 18-24 in a week-long tournament. Switzerland failed to qualify for the final, but Federer may be forced to play Davis Cup if he wants to compete at the Tokyo Olympics next year. Eligibility for the Olympics tennis competition is dependent on playing a Davis Cup match within the four-year Olympic cycle and at least once in 2019 and 2020. However, Federer and other top players could apply for an exemption if they don’t meet those requirements. Pique said Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic have committed to playing Davis Cup.

 

SLEW OF OFFENSES

Russia’s Anna Blinkova won the biggest singles title of her career when she captured the Oracle Challenge in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Blinkova stopped American Usue Maitane Arconada in the final. The seventh-seeded Blinkova dropped the first set she played in the hard-court tournament, that to Japan’s Mayo Hibi. But Blinkova didn’t lose another set in her march to the title.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Genova: Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar beat Guido Andreozzi and Andres Molteni 3-6 6-4 10-3 (match tiebreak)

Jinan: Matthew Ebden and Divij Sharan beat Nam Ji Sung and Song Min-Kyu 6-7 (4) 7-5 10-3 (match tiebreak)

New Haven (men): Robert Galloway and Nathaniel Lammons beat Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 7-5 6-4

New Haven (women): Anna Blikova and Oksana Kalashnikova beat Usue Maitane Arconada and Jamie Loeb 6-2 4-6 10-4 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

New York: https://www.usopen.org/index.html

New Haven: http://ww1.oracelchallengerseries.com/

Genova https://www.challengergenova.com/

Szczecin: www.pekaoszczecinopen.pl

Hiroshima: https://www.jta-tennis.or.jp/jwo/tabid/549/Default.aspx

Nanchang: http://www.jxopen.net/

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com

Pekao: http://pekaoszczecinopen.pl/

Zhengzhou: https://cubingchina.com/competition/Zhengzhou-Open-2019

Osaka: https://cubingchina.com/competition/Zhengzhou-Open-2019

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$151,601 Pekao Szczecin Open, Szczecin, Poland, hard

 

WOMEN

$1,000,000 Zhengzhou Open, Zhengzhou, China, hard

$250,000 Hana-cup Japan Women’s Open, Hiroshima, Japan, hard

$250,000 Jiangxi Open, Nanchang, China, hard

 

DAVIS CUP

First Round

Group I, Americas: Brazil vs. Barbados at Criciuma, Brazil, clay; Venezuela vs. Ecuador at Miami, Florida, USA, hard; Uruguay vs. Dominican Republic at Montevideo, Uruguay, clay

Group I, Asia/Oceania: Lebanon vs. Uzbekistan at Jounieh, Lebanon, clay; China vs. Korea at Guiyang, China, hard

Group I, Europe/Africa: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Czech Republic at Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, hard; Sweden vs. Israel at Stockholm, Sweden, hard; Finland vs. Austria at Espoo, Finland, hard; Hungary vs. Ukraine at Budapest, Hungary, clay; Slovakia vs. Switzerland at Bratislava, Slovakia, clay; Belarus vs. Portugal at Minsk, Belarus, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$1,248,665 St. Petersburg Open, St. Petersburg, Russia, hard

$586,140 Moselle Open, Metz, France, hard

$162,480 Kaohsiung Challenger, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, carpet

 

WOMEN

$823,000 Toray Pan Pacific Open, Osaka, Japan, hard

 

Daniil Medvedev and Rafael Nadal
Daniil Medvedev and Rafael Nadal