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In the face of a brilliant serving display from Jan-Lennard Struff, Jannik Sinner held firm Friday to advance to the Terra Wortmann Open semi-finals. Struff hit 18 aces and saved 16 of 18 break points — including all 11 in the second and third sets — but could not pull off the upset against the new No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

The Italian's 6-2, 6-7(1), 7-6(3) result was his third consecutive three-set win in Halle, after earlier victories against Tallon Griekspoor and Fabian Marozsan. Sinner lost a tie-break in each of the three matches.

"It was a very tough match," Sinner said. "I had chances in the second, had chances in the third, but couldn't use them. It was 0/40 [in the first game of the third set]. I just try to accept these kind of challenges. Obviously it has been very tough, also mentally. I'm very pleased to be in the next round, I played a lot yesterday, I played a lot also today — two and a half hours on grass, it's a long time. I'll try to recover for tomorrow and hopefully show some good tennis."

[ATP APP]

Playing in his first event as World No. 1, Sinner has yet to meet a seeded opponent. That trend will continue in Saturday's semis, when he takes on Zhang Zhizhen.

Sinner is bidding to become the eighth man in PIF ATP Rankings history to win the title in his first event as No. 1, and the first to do it since Andy Murray at the 2016 Nitto ATP Finals.

Tommy Paul reached his second tour-level grass-court semi-final on Friday at the cinch Championships, where he snapped Jack Draper’s seven-match winning streak.

The American played aggressively throughout the two-hour, five-minute encounter in west London, attacking the Briton’s second serve at every opportunity to earn a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 victory. Paul hit his flat groundstrokes through the fast conditions and won 51 per cent (18/35) of points on Draper’s second delivery to improve to 2-3 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

"I played good tennis and I like the grass. I knew today was going to be a battle," Paul said. "It is never easy against Jack, he has been playing such good tennis, so I am really happy to get through that one."

Flying the flag ???@TommyPaul1 hits the semi-finals 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 past Draper@QueensTennis | #cinchChampionships pic.twitter.com/ljHnC1oqLy

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 21, 2024

The home favourite Draper lifted his maiden tour-level title in Stuttgart last week and then upset World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in the second round at Queen’s for the biggest win of his career by PIF ATP Rankings. However, he could not battle to an eighth consecutive victory, with Paul fresher in the third set.

Singles stars Taylor Fritz and Karen Khachanov continued their run at the cinch Championships on Friday when they upset top seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden 7-6(1), 7-6(3) to reach the semi-finals in London.

Fritz and Khachanov saved one set point in the first set and were impressive in the crucial moments in the second set, saving all five break points they faced to advance after 80 minutes.

The eighth seeds are teaming for the first time this week, having beaten Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry in their opening match. They will meet third seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic or fifth seeds Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic in the last four.

In other action, Neal Skupski and Michael Venus clawed past second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury 7-6(5), 7-6(6).

"I think we played very well and deserved it in the end," Skupski said. "We can take confidence in beating a very good team in Joe and Rajeev. They have won Grand Slams together and are a very dangerous team on the grass."

Is this the week Alexander Zverev captures his first grass title?

A two-time Halle finalist, the German is looking to go one step further at the Terra Wortmann Open, where on Friday he rallied past #NextGenATP Arthur Fils 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 in the quarter-finals.

The 27-year-old raised his level in the second set, breaking Fils to love at 3-2 amidst a run of winning eight consecutive points. Zverev, seeded second at the ATP 500, took free swings from the baseline and looked for opportunities to charge forward in the latter stages of the match.

[ATP APP]

With rain falling at the start of the third set, the roof at OWL Arena was closed for the decider. Cheered on by his home crowd, Zverev won 83 per cent of his first-serve points and was not broken across two hours, 30 minutes, improving to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Fils. The Rome champion is yet to be broken this week.

“After the French Open, I was hoping on grass I would play a bit quicker and not play for two-and-a-half, three hours every single match, but I’m continuing what I always do,” the Roland Garros finalist joked. “I’m happy to be winning and be in the semi-finals.”

Several tennis players are renowned for their exceptional volleying skills, an essential part of a strong net game. Here are some famous tennis players known for their volley prowess: 1. Rod LaverEra: 1960sAchievements: The only player to win the Grand Slam twice (1962 and 1969).Volleying Skill: Known for his extraordinary all-court game and deft t...

Who is better at cricket: Tomas Martin Etcheverry or Alejandro Tabilo?

That question was answered in the newest Lexus ATP Head2Head Challenge, which took place in London.

We're swapping rackets for wickets ?

It's time for the players to try their hand at some cricket in the latest #LexusChallenge ?@LexusUK | #Partner pic.twitter.com/RFsIzxibtr

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 20, 2024

The South American players joined England cricket stars Katherine Sciver-Brunt and Natalie Sciver-Brunt for a special tutorial and competition. Although they might not be the next Sachin Tendulkar, the tennis standouts picked up the sport quickly.

“It’s a tough sport. When I [made] the first swing, I didn’t hit any balls,” Etcheverry said. “I enjoyed it a lot, of course. I think I’m going to be a huge fan of this sport, cricket.”

Doubles player Marcelo Demoliner is organising a live auction that will benefit three charities and assist those affected by unprecedented flooding in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, his home region. The highlight of the auction, which takes place Tuesday, 25 June at 6:30 p.m. EDT, is an exclusive experience with Gustavo Kuerten. Equipment from Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin Del Potro, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud will also be up for auction.

In the past month-and-a-half, Brazil has received torrential rain, displacing hundreds of thousands and tragically killing nearly 200 people. The 35-year-old Demoliner is lending a hand in a time of desperate need for his home country. A native of Caxias do Sul, who has been as high as No. 34 in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings, Demoliner is teaming with his hometown club Recreio da Juventude and auctioneer Cristiano Escola Leilões to organise the event.

Three-time Roland Garros champion Kuerten, one of 29 men to reach World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, is offering a private tour of his Florianopolis museum and personal collection, which is filled with trophies. The highest bidder will meet Kuerten to hear stories and receive behind-the-scenes details of his successful career.

“Guga, our biggest idol, gave us an experience to have an afternoon with him and he will show his museum, his trophies to the person who will buy this experience,” Demoliner told ATPTour.com in excitement. “For me, it’s one of the greatest items we have. Imagine having an afternoon with your idol. For me, this is insane.”

Fans can log on to the Cristiano Escola Leilões website to view the catalog of items and begin bidding. The auction broadcast will be livestreamed on the Recreio da Juventude YouTube channel, Tuesday 25 June at 6:30 p.m. EDT. 

Jan-Lennard Struff is playing some of his best tennis on home soil this week at the Terra Wortmann Open.

The German downed sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday, setting a quarter-final clash against Jannik Sinner, World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The 34-year-old dropped just five points behind his first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and drew errors from Tsitsipas' backhand to advance after 67 minutes.

“It’s very special. The crowd was supporting me like hell and it was just an amazing feeling, amazing atmosphere,” said Struff, who did not face a break point. “It means really a lot to finally take this step.”

[ATP APP]

One day after saving a match point to defeat Luciano Darderi, Struff struck 22 winners to just five unforced errors to overhaul the Greek and avenge last month’s Rome loss to Tsitsipas. Their Lexus ATP Head2Head series is now tied at 4-4. Struff is 0-2 against Sinner with both meetings coming this season (Indian Wells, Monte-Carlo).

“I was very happy. Yesterday was a tough match. I was sick before and today in the morning, I felt good," Struff said. "I had good connection with the ball straight away and came in very well. I was serving pretty good, playing aggressive style. Very, very pleased with the way I played.”

In a big day for British tennis at the Cinch Championships, 29-year-old Billy Harris followed Jack Draper's upset of Carlos Alcaraz with a milestone result of his own at The Queen's Club. Behind a 6-4, 7-5 win against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, the English journeyman advanced to his first tour-level quarter-final in London.

Before he bids for his third win of the week on Friday, ATPTour.com brings you five things to know about the No. 162 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

[ATP APP]

Harris spent three and a half years travelling between tournaments in a van
Earlier in his career, Harris often travelled around Europe in a converted transit van to save money while competing primarily on the ITF World Tennis Tour — one step below the ATP Challenger Tour. In addition to driving from city to city in the van, Harris also used it for lodging.

"I was travelling around in my transit van for three and a half years, with a bed in the back, cooking on the roadside and parking up in McDonald's car parks," he said, as quoted in a 2023 BBC story. Harris owns five ITF singles titles, winning four in 2021 and one in 2022.

He picked up his first tour-level win last November in Sofia
Harris beat Switzerland's Marc-Andrea Huesler 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5) two months before his 29th birthday to record his first tour-level singles win. The ATP 250 was his only previous tour-level event before his appearance this week in London. He has tripled his career win total by reaching the Queen's quarters, improving to 3-1.

Carlos Alcaraz's title defence at the Cinch Championships came to an early end on Thursday courtesy of a 7-6(3), 6-3 defeat to home favourite Jack Draper. While the Spaniard was not happy with his performance, he is taking his first grass-court defeat since 2022 in stride.

"Of course it's tough to deal with the losses, but I think it's part of our lives," he said, crediting Draper for his play. "We have to [deal with it] as good as you can. After the losses, you have to take the positive things and of course the negative things just to improve to the next tournament."

 

For Alcaraz, that next tournament is Wimbledon, where — like at The Queen's Club — he will enter as defending champion. Prior to this week in London, Alcaraz had not competed on grass since his comeback victory against Novak Djokovic in last year's final at the grass-court major. While he was perfect on the lawns last season, Alcaraz remains a relative novice on the unique surface with a 17-3 record.

"I think the best way to be better on grass is to stay here, practise with players, physically doing good stuff on grass and the movement, really specific things," Alcaraz said when asked if he would return to Spain before Wimbledon, which begins 1 July. "In Spain or at my home, we don't have grass courts or really grass places just to practise.

Carlos Alcaraz’s second-round loss to Jack Draper Thursday at the cinch Championships could have a big impact on the battle for No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Jannik Sinner, who last week became the first Italian in history to reach World No. 1, has an opportunity at the Terra Wortmann Open to consolidate his standing for the weeks to come.

Sinner has 9,490 live points, putting him 1,130 points ahead of live World No. 2 Novak Djokovic and 1,360 points ahead of live World No. 3 Alcaraz.

PIF ATP Live Rankings (as of 20 June)

Player	Current Pts	Max Pts
1) Jannik Sinner	9,490	9,890
2) Novak Djokovic	8,360	-
3) Carlos Alcaraz	8,130	-

The 22-year-old Italian can add an additional 400 points if he lifts the Halle trophy at the end of the week, which would give him a 1,530-point margin over his competitors.

Jack Draper earned the biggest win of his career Thursday at the cinch Championships, where he stunned top seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(3), 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.

Both men entered the match on winning streaks. Alcaraz had won eight consecutive matches thanks to his victory at Roland Garros, but Draper snapped that streak by claiming his seventh straight win after earning his first ATP Tour title last week in Stuttgart.

“It was a really tough match," Draper said in his on-court interview. "I knew coming out here Carlos is defending champion here, obviously won Wimbledon last year. [He is an] incredible talent and so amazing for the sport. So I had to come out and play really well and luckily I did today, so thank you.”

British No.1 BRINGS it ?@jackdraper0 with the performance of a lifetime to topple defending champion Alcaraz@QueensTennis | #cinchChampionships pic.twitter.com/MDkFSbSaQN

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 20, 2024

The big-serving lefty thrilled his home fans with a dominant serving performance in which he did not lose a service game. The No. 31 player in the PIF ATP Rankings made good use of his wide serve in both courts to win 76 per cent of his service points according to Infosys ATP Stats and triumph in one hour and 39 minutes.

The world’s best players will compete in Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam event of the season. Jannik Sinner, the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz are among those in action.

Here's what you need to know ahead of the tournament:

When is Wimbledon?Wimbledon will be held from 1-14 July. The grass-court Grand Slam tournament, established in 1877, will take place at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in London, United Kingdom. The tournament director is Jamie Baker.

Who is playing at Wimbledon 2024?Wimbledon will feature Sinner, Alcaraz, seven-time winner Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and more. 

When is the draw for Wimbledon?The Wimbledon singles draw will be made on Friday 28 June at 10 a.m.
The Wimbledon doubles draw will be made on Friday 28 June at 12 p.m.

Jannik Sinner is quickly finding that being World No. 1 comes with its own set of challenges.

After fighting off an ultra-aggressive Tallon Griekspoor in a three-set first-round encounter, Sinner again found himself under siege from a free-swinging Fabian Marozsan Thursday before shaking off the Hungarian to win 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3 and reach the quarter-finals of the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle.

Understanding that playing within themselves was not going to get the job done, Sinner’s two opponents this week at the grass-court ATP 500 have red-lined their games. The Italian, so far, has met the challenge, but he has needed close to his best tennis at the start of his grass season to stay alive.

[ATP APP]

Indeed, a piece of inspired brilliance was the catalyst for Sinner’s decisive break in the second game of the third set. On the first point of the game, Sinner lunged for a diving forehand short in the court, rolling 360 degrees before jumping back to his feet to hit a winning crosscourt backhand on the dead run past a dumfounded Marozsan at net.

Sinner, who is spending his second week atop the PIF ATP Rankings, is chasing his first grass-court title this week. He improved to 35-3 on the season after winning his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Marozsan.

In 2022, ATP partnered with You Can Play, a nonprofit organisation committed to furthering LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport. This followed an ATP player survey that highlighted the need for more comprehensive education around topics such as inclusive language and social media use.

This month, we are excited to share an exclusive conversation between Brian Vahaly, the former World No. 64 in the PIF ATP Rankings, and You Can Play, ATP’s LGBTQ+ inclusion partner.

In 2017, Vahaly became the first ATP player to come out as gay. This followed a successful career on the ATP Tour in which he navigated an environment that both overtly and subtly challenged his mental strength and sense of belonging. Today, his fearless work to spearhead LGBTQ+ inclusion in the sport continues in his role as First Vice President of the USTA.

In this open conversation, Vahaly reflects on his unique journey. He advocates for authenticity, emphasises the importance of locker room language and encourages players to use their global platform to promote acceptance.

Looking back, how do you reflect on your journey and relationship with tennis?
I started playing tennis when I was two years old. I love this sport. I love the relationships I have built because of this sport. I love it because tennis challenges you mentally, spiritually, and physically. Tennis altered the course of my life, not just from playing great matches at Masters events and Grand Slams, but my experience with tennis is what ultimately shaped me into the man I’ve become today.

Grass court tennis is still very much a two-touch sport.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of Carlos Alcaraz’s undefeated run at the cinch Championships last year identified the vast majority of his points played at the grass court event were a maximum of just two touches for each player - four shots total. Three out of every four points (75%) were in the 0-4 shot rally length, where he carved out his most significant point-total advantage (+27) over his five opponents.

2023 Queen's: Alcaraz Rally Length

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Alcaraz played a dominant 75 per cent (521/696) of all points in the 0-4 shot rally length to win the first grass court title of his career last year at the cinch Championships. The first four shots include: serve, return, Serve +1 (first shot after the serve), Return +1 (first shot after the return)

Only one day remains until fans can relive the final 12 days of Roger Federer’s career. On Thursday, FEDERER: Twelve Final Days will be released on Prime Video.

Academy Award-winning director Asif Kapadia and his co-director Joe Sabia provide unprecedented access into the end of Federer’s career, from insight into the former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings’ decision to retire to his final moments on court.

In anticipation of the documentary’s release, ATPTour.com looks back at Federer’s final match at the 2022 Laver Cup.

The Swiss took to the court one final time alongside great rival Rafael Nadal.

The pair met 40 times in their legendary Lexus ATP Head2Head series and three more times in tour-level doubles matches. But this was their first time sharing the same side of the court in an official match.

Andy Murray retired from his second-round match at the cinch Championships against Jordan Thompson after five games due to struggles with his back. Afterwards, the Scot revealed how concerning the injury is.

“Obviously it wasn't great. I have been struggling with my back for a while,” Murray said. “I had loss of power in my right leg. So loss of motor control, had no coordination. Yeah, couldn't move.”

Dealing with the back was not new to Murray. The 37-year-old explained it was sore in the run-up to the Queen’s Club ATP 500.

“It was pretty sore in my match yesterday. Yeah, it was sore through today. But I was able to manage it. I wasn't comfortable playing, but I was able to manage it,” Murray said. “During my pre-match warmup, I was pretty uncomfortable, and then I walked up the stairs just before going on the court, I didn't have the usual, just normal strength in my right leg. It was not a usual feeling.

“I don't know how many of you were watching, but the first two balls I hit in the warmup, my right leg, it was so uncoordinated. I had no coordination. Right leg just was not working properly.”

Chinese No. 1 Zhang Zhizhen scored his second Top 5 victory Wednesday when he upset third seed Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(5) at the Terra Wortmann Open.

From 3/5 in the third-set tie-break, Zhang won four consecutive points to stun the World No. 5 and become the first Chinese player to reach the Halle quarter-finals.

“A really tough match. Last time I lost a third-set tie-break [in Stuttgart last week]. And today again, a third-set tie-break. I was thinking, ‘Okay, it’s time. The perfect moment to get revenge’,” Zhang said. “I’m super happy that today I handled it to the end.”

The 27-year-old dropped six consecutive games from 2-2 in the second set but recovered a break deficit early in the decider to pull within striking distance. Zhang, whose previous Top 5 victory came against Casper Ruud at last year's US Open, again fought off a challenge on serve at 4-5 in the third set, when Medvedev was two points away from victory.

ZZZ ON FIRE?

Zhang takes down No. 3 seed Medvedev 6-3 2-6 7-6(5)!@ATPHalle | #TERRAWORTMANN pic.twitter.com/5kdI3bKgBg

Sebastian Korda continued his impressive grass-court season on Wednesday at the cinch Championships, where he won a close second-round clash against Grigor Dimitrov.

The American, who is competing at a career-high No. 23 in the PIF ATP Rankings, battled hard to earn a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 victory against the 2014 Queen’s Club champion.

“It was a big struggle. We were both serving well and waiting for our chances and there weren’t many. But when they came, I tried to take them,” Korda said. “It is incredible playing at Queen’s, it is one of my favourite tournaments.”

?Korda on course?@SebiKorda takes out [3] Dimitrov to reach the quarter-finals@QueensTennis | #cinchChampionships pic.twitter.com/D0Mq4aT6zX

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 19, 2024

Korda was more consistent from the baseline than Dimitrov, committing nine unforced errors compared to 17 from the Bulgarian, according to ATP Infosys Stats. With his two-hour, one-minute win, the 23-year-old earned his seventh Top 10 victory and third on grass.