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Zhang Zhizhen overcame fierce resistance from Ilya Ivashka to notch a first-round victory Sunday at the Winston-Salem Open.

The World No. 62 Zhang prevailed 4-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 against Ivashka on his debut at the hard-court ATP 250 in North Carolina. The Chinese kept his cool impressively despite letting slip 11 set points in a remarkable second set, ultimately claiming it in a tie-break before accelerating through the decider for a two-hour, 22-minute victory.

“It was a very tough match,” said Zhang in his on-court interview. “At the beginning he was playing very well. Even though he lost the second set in the end he was fighting back, and I’m just happy to survive in the end.”

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Ivashka lifted his only ATP Tour title in Winston-Salem in 2021 and came out confidently in Sunday’s clash at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex. However, despite dropping the opening set and repeatedly failing to close out the second, Zhang assumed control of the match. Ivashka fended off eight set points alone to hold for 5-5 in the second set but Zhang’s persistence ultimately told.

For the second time in two days, Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni snatched victory from the jaws of defeat at the Western & Southern Open. This time around, it earned the Argentine duo its maiden ATP Masters 1000 triumph.

Gonzalez and Molteni saved championship point to down Jamie Murray and Michael Venus 3-6, 6-1, 11-9 on Sunday in Cincinnnati for the biggest title of their careers. Having also saved two match points in their semi-final win against second seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek, it capped an emotional weekend for the unseeded pair, which has now won a Tour-leading five titles in 2023.

“It means a lot. We have worked very hard for many years, not only this year, so it’s a great accomplishment,” said Molteni. “It was a very tough week, final, everything, so we are very happy with this title. It’s the biggest title we have, so we are very happy.”

Argentina all-stars ???

Gonzalez/Molteni save Championship point for a captivating 3-6 6-1 11-9 triumph over Murray/Venus@CincyTennis | #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/SHZrQxxoE1

Gonzalez in particular thrived under pressure at the tailend of the 84-minute final. The 40-year-old sent down a second-serve ace when facing championship point at 8/9 in the Match Tie-break, and two points later he struck the decisive return off a Venus serve as the pair improved to 5-0 in tour-level finals for the year.

Arthur Fils will compete for the first time this week at the Winston-Salem Open, where he hopes a happy experience from earlier this year will benefit him at the hard-court ATP 250.

“The last time I played the week before a Slam, it was great for me,” Fils told ATPTour.com on Saturday. “I played in Lyon, and I won [the title] just before Roland Garros. So I want to do the same [in Winston-Salem] just before the US Open. It's a great tournament. I want to take all the experience I can.”

The #NextGenATP Frenchman has enjoyed a stunning breakthrough year on the ATP Tour. After starting 2023 at No. 251 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, the 19-year-old will step on court against Brandon Nakashima or Jason Kubler at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex at a career-high No. 46. Has the speed of his rise taken the 19-year-old, seeded seventh in North Carolina, by surprise?

“A little bit [faster than expected], but it was in my mind for a long time,” said Fils. “Last year, I was playing some Challengers, but I was felt that I had the level for playing some ATP tournaments. And with a good start of the year like [I had], I can dream of big things. So it's not in my mind that something crazy has happened to me.”

As well as claiming his maiden ATP Tour crown on the Lyon clay, Fils has reached semi-finals in Montpellier, Marseille and Hamburg this year. He is clear about the specific improvements in his game that have powered his improved results.

Was the Wimbledon final the passing of the torch from Novak Djokovic to Carlos Alcaraz? The Western & Southern Open championship match will be an opportunity for Djokovic to prove it was not.

All week, fans have waited for the potential of a blockbuster showdown between Alcaraz and Djokovic, the clear top two players in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. That is exactly what they will get Sunday in Cincinnati.

“It’s great. It’s amazing for the sport, No. 1 and No. 2 in the world facing each other again in the final of a big event,” Djokovic said after defeating two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals. “This is I guess what everybody wanted and expected in the beginning of the tournament, so here we are.”

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No matter who wins, Alcaraz will depart the Lindner Family Tennis Centre as World No. 1, having secured his standing by reaching the final. But another triumph over the 38-time ATP Masters 1000 champion will send a clear message — he is the standalone favourite heading into the US Open.

A Wimbledon final rematch is in the cards at the Western & Southern Open after Novak Djokovic defeated Alexander Zverev in the Cincinnati semi-finals on Saturday.

The 36-year-old overcame Zverev 7-6(5), 7-5 in a baseline slugfest under the lights at the ATP Masters 1000 event, where the 23-time major champion Djokovic will next clash against World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz for a fourth time (1-2).

"In very few of [Sascha's] service games where I had chances, I think I played well, particularly five-all [after] he broke my serve to stay in the match," Djokovic said in his on-court interview. "I managed to bounce back, played a great game to break him again and seal the deal in the 12th game of the second set.

"I'm pleased. I think there's a few things I could've done better, but overall it's a straight-sets win against a great player in form, so I'm really happy."

In Djokovic and Zverev’s first meeting since the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals, both players brought a high level throughout the semi-final. An entertaining opening set featured Zverev surviving a 10-minute service game at 4-5 and later forcing a tie-break, where second seed Djokovic found greater consistency from his groundstrokes, converting his sixth set point to gain an advantage.

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz saved a match point Saturday to survive a thrilling contest against Hubert Hurkacz in the Western & Southern Open semi-finals.

The Spaniard found his best level in pressure moments to down Hurkacz 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 and reach his eighth final of the season. Alcaraz fended off a match point on serve at 4-5 in the second set and later won six consecutive points from 1/4 in the tie-break to force a decider.

Despite failing to convert any of his first ten break points, the 20-year-old stayed focussed, earning a pivotal break in the fourth game of the third set and later closing the match after two hours, 16 minutes.

"It was a mental semi-final, I had to stay there," Alcaraz said in his on court-interview. "I had a lot of break points, it was really tough. Obviously saving a match point is never easy but with my coach, we were talking about staying positive all the time and to stay there. We knew I was going to have my chances and I tried to take it. Every match against Hubi is really, really tough but I'm really, really happy that I was able to win."

With his 53rd match win of the season, Alcaraz secured the top spot in Monday's Pepperstone ATP Rankings regardless of his result in the Cincinnati final, where he will meet World No. 2 Novak Djokovic or 16th seed Alexander Zverev.

Jamie Murray and Michael Venus moved to within one win of capturing their fourth tour-level title together this season on Saturday when they advanced to the Western & Southern Open final.

The British-Kiwi pair overcame Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-3, 6-4 to reach their first ATP Masters 1000 title match as a team. Murray and Venus were strong on serve in the crucial moments in Cincinnati, saving all six break points they faced to advance after 77 minutes.

With their victory, they have jumped two spots to 10th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings. Murray and Venus, who clinched trophies in Dallas, Banja Luka and Geneva earlier this year, can rise to seventh if they lift the title on Sunday.

Murray, 37, is aiming to triumph in Cincinnati for the second time, having won the crown with Bruno Soares in 2018. Venus, 35, is seeking his second Masters 1000 title. He lifted the trophy in Paris in 2021 with Tim Puetz.

Murray and Venus will face Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in the final.

Bradley Klahn’s career is a raw story of persevering in spite of obstacles to achieve a childhood dream.

Turning 33 on Sunday, the American retired from pro tennis this week at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Stanford, California. Klahn hangs up his racquets after soaking in every minute of his 11 years on Tour.

“It never felt like a job to me to have to go and hit tennis balls and try to improve,” Klahn told ATPTour.com. “I've been very lucky for 11 years to play professionally. Not many people get to take their childhood passion and turn it into a professional thing. I am fortunate that I can say I did it.”

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An eight-time ATP Challenger Tour champion, Klahn climbed to a career-high No. 63 in 2014. Some of the lefty’s fond memories include playing on Centre Court at Wimbledon in 2018 and the adrenaline rush he felt when a home crowd was chanting, ‘U-S-A!’ as he won a five-setter to secure his first major main-draw victory at the 2012 US Open.

The North American hard-court swing continues this week at the Winston-Salem Open, where Borna Coric is the top seed at the ATP 250 event.

After consecutive ATP Masters 1000 events in Toronto and Cincinnati, the Tour moves to North Carolina ahead of the US Open. ATPTour.com looks at five storylines to watch over the coming week.

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1) Coric Top Seed: Twelve months ago, Coric captured the biggest trophy of his career during the North American hard-court swing when he soared to his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati. This year, the Croatian is still searching for his best form on hard, having suffered a first-round defeat in Toronto and a second-round exit in Cincinnati. Making his third appearance in Winston-Salem, the top seed will be eager for a deep run to build confidence ahead of the US Open.

2) Griekspoor Targets Third Title Of Year: Second seed Tallon Griekspoor has enjoyed a career-best season. The Dutchman, who will compete in North Carolina at a career-high No. 25 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, has won tour-level titles in Pune and ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Having advanced to the final in Washington earlier this month, the 27-year-old will be eager to put aside disappointing first-round exits in Toronto and Cincinnati and get back to winning ways in Winston-Salem.

Jack Draper returns to the ATP Tour this week at the Winston-Salem Open after spending two months sidelined by a shoulder injury. The British lefty sustained the injury in his opening match at Roland Garros in May, forcing him to miss the grass swing.

“At the French Open I hurt my shoulder. I thought it was quite insignificant at the time but when I came back preparing for the grass it turned out it was a bit of a tear that went into my tendon, so I had to take about a month and a half out,” Draper told ATPTour.com ahead of the ATP 250 event.

“A tear in my shoulder isn’t the best. It didn’t take too long, but still one month to two months out of the Tour, so I am trying to come back and stay injury free from now.”

Draper reached the semi-finals at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Winnipeg last week in his first tournament back. The 21-year-old is eager to increase his match load in the coming weeks, but stressed the importance of managing expectations.

“I think with these sorts of injuries, especially the tendons, you need to be careful with them,” said Draper, who also missed large periods of the 2021 season with injury. “It takes time and you have to rehab them properly. I wouldn’t say I am completely out of the woods, I have to keep on doing the right things for it and hopefully it will be ok and keep improving week by week.

Novak Djokovic on Friday evening became the second player to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, joining Carlos Alcaraz at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 12-19 November. Djokovic guaranteed his spot at the season finale when he defeated Taylor Fritz in the Western & Southern Open quarter-finals.

The Serbian has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals 16 times, tied for third-most qualifications in tournament history with Jimmy Connors. Djokovic has only failed to earn his place in the prestigious event once since 2007 (in 2017).

One year ago, Djokovic tied Roger Federer’s record of six Nitto ATP Finals trophies. He will now have the opportunity to take the record by himself in Italy.

Djokovic has largely dominated at the majors this season, winning the Australian Open and Roland Garros, while also reaching the Wimbledon final, where only Alcaraz was able to stop him. The 36-year-old owns a 36-5 record in 2023, including an 8-3 record against Top 10 opposition.

A three-time titlist this season — he also triumphed in Adelaide — Djokovic is in contention to claim a record-extending eighth ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone honour. He is second behind only Alcaraz in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin.

After improving to 19-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head against Gael Monfils on Thursday, Novak Djokovic made it a perfect 7-0 against Taylor Fritz with a victory against the home favourite on Friday night at the Western & Southern Open.

The Serbian dominated early and late in a 6-0, 6-4 win against the American, battling back from an early break deficit in set two to advance to the Cincinnati semi-finals. The World No. 2 will next face Alexander Zverev on Saturday.

"Every match is a new match, a new challenge for both of us," Djokovic said of his perfect record against Fritz. "We never faced each other here. Obviously being the No. 1 American, he gets a lot of crowd support.

"I just managed to get off the blocks really strong, played an almost perfect, flawless first set. Then I started off really poorly in the second and handed him the break, but from 2-4 down I played really four solid games in the second. Just overall a great performance."

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Alexander Zverev extended his perfect Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Adrian Mannarino to 8-0 with a comfortable victory on Friday night at the Western & Southern Open. Zverev cruised through a 6-2, 6-3 win in just one hour, 12 minutes to set up a semi-final showdown with Novak Djokovic or Taylor Fritz.

"I feel like the matches that we played, we had a lot of tough battles. I've always played him at tournaments when I've been playing well," Zverev said of his unblemished record against the Frenchman.

"I know I have a pretty big game and when I'm feeling well on the court, there's just a lot of things I can do. That was maybe the reason. If I would have played him at a tournament where I'm not feeling well, if I'm not playing well, he's beaten a lot of great players in his career. It's just more about the days that I've played him."

The result also stretched Zverev's Cincinnati winning streak to eight matches following an 0-6 start in the Queen City, with the German back at the ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time since he won the 2021 title. After winning his first ATP Tour crown since the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals last month on home soil in Hamburg, Zverev is now through to his first Masters 1000 semi-final since the ankle injury he suffered last year at Roland Garros.

The 26-year-old's quarter-final win lifted him two places into the all-important eighth spot in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, though Fritz could reclaim the position with a win against Djokovic later on Friday evening. Zverev is also up five places this week to No. 12 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, and will re-enter the Top 10 with the Cincinnati title.

Jamie Murray and Michael Venus toughed out a narrow victory Friday to reach the Western & Southern Open semi-finals.

The British-Kiwi duo defeated Italian wild cards Lorenzo Musetti and Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(5), 7-6(7) after one hour, 59 minutes. Murray and Venus saved a set point in each set to reach the last four, where they will meet sixth seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin after the Mexican-French team stopped home hopes Christopher Eubanks and Ben Shelton 7-5, 6-7(5), 11-9 in front of a jam-packed Court 3.

Murray and Venus, who are aiming for their fourth tour-level title of the season, defeated Serbians Nikola Cacic and Novak Djokovic in the opening round before upsetting Wimbledon champions Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski. Should they capture their maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown as a team, Murray and Venus would rise inside the Top 8 of the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

In other doubles action, Argentines Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni cruised past Nikola Mektic and John Peers 6-4, 6-4 after winning 31 of their 35 first-serve points. They will face second seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek or Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev in the last four.

Carlos Alcaraz survived another three-set test at the Western & Southern Open on Friday, when he ended Australian qualifier Max Purcell’s dream run in Cincinnati.

After clawing past Jordan Thompson and Tommy Paul in deciding sets in his first two rounds, the World No. 1 was made to battle again in his quarter-final clash against Purcell, earning a hard-fought 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory in two hours and 11 minutes.

"It was really tough. It was tricky today. He served really well. I think he played well at the net, but I think I played well. I returned well on court and that was the key to getting the win today, to return very well and to focus," Alcaraz said. "It was not easy but I am really, really happy to reach my seventh Masters 1000 semi-final and first here in Cincinnati."

Alcaraz is now two wins away from capturing his third ATP Masters 1000 title of the season, while he improved to 52-5 on the year. The top seed is the only player to have earned more than 50 tour-level wins in 2023, with second-placed Daniil Medvedev recording 49.

Alcaraz, who triumphed at Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Madrid earlier this year, holds a 22-3 record at this level in 2023. The Wimbledon champion will continue the quest for his seventh title of the year when he faces Hubert Hurkacz in the semi-finals on Saturday. Alcaraz overcame Hurkacz in three sets in Toronto last week.

Hubert Hurkacz defied a remarkable late charge from Alexei Popyrin on Friday at the Western & Southern Open to complete a 6-1, 7-6(8) quarter-final triumph in Cincinnati.

The World No. 20 Hurkacz held five match points at 6/1 in the second-set tie-break before Popyrin reeled off seven straight points to bring up a set point of his own on centre court at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Hurkacz was able to overcome his late wobble, however, winning four of the next five points to complete a 77-minute victory and book a semi-final clash with top seed Carlos Alcaraz or qualifier Max Purcell.

Hurkacz had expertly capitalised on a nervous start by lucky loser Popyrin, who was competing in his first Masters 1000 quarter-final. Despite finding his feet after Hurkacz had raced to the opening set, Popyrin was unable to make an impact in return games. The Pole did not drop a break point and lost just nine points behind serve overall to extend his Lexus ATP Head2Head lead against Popyrin to 3-0.

“I’m really happy, especially with the way I played the first set,” said Hurkacz. “I was returning really well. Alexei raised his level and was serving really good throughout that second set, I just got to the tie-breaker. I got off to a good start, and then Alexei played some good points, but fortunately I battled through for that one.”

Dino Prizmic's standout season on the ATP Challenger Tour is promising news for the future of Croatian tennis. While what lies ahead may excite fans, his background is a story of its own. The 18-year-old started playing tennis at Tenis Klub Split, where Goran Ivanisevic, Mario Ancic and Mate Pavic also learned the game.

The #NextGenATP star Prizmic recalls being age nine when Ivanisevic told him he was impressed with his game and encouraged him to keep working on his forehand and serve. Not too bad to hear from a former World No. 2.

At age 14, Prizmic started to take his tennis more seriously and moved to the capital city Zagreb, where there were more players to practise with. 

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Now, the teen is boasting positive results at the Challenger level that has helped lift him to a career-high No. 175 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, a vast improvement from a year ago, when he was outside the Top 800.

Just after midnight Wednesday morning at the Lindner Family Tennis Centre in Cincinnati, Carlos Alcaraz battled Jordan Thompson on centre court for a place in the third round of the Western & Southern Open.

Outside the stadium waiting at the players’ entrance was Nkeiru Green, a 46-year-old fan from New York who was hoping to meet Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Canadian had lost his doubles match earlier in the evening. One of the perks of being a fan at the Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 event is that fans have several opportunities to be close to their favourite stars.

“The intimacy of it, it's not as vast as New York. And you get the chance to actually feel as though you're much closer to the players, and you get to see all of them,” Green said. “So it's hard to see that many stars in one location [elsewhere]. And like I said, the intimacy of it, and also the accessibility of it — it's not so difficult to get here.”

At about 12:30 a.m., Auger-Aliassime walked out of the players’ lounge and was happy to meet Green, who has family in Cincinnati and has been attending the event every year it has been held in Mason since 2014. Throughout the day, passers-by will see dozens of fans like her camped out at the same player walkway to ask for autographs and selfies.

Nkeiru Green poses for a photo near the players' entrance in Cincinnati.
According to Western & Southern Open Tournament Director Todd Martin, the professionalisation of athletes and the tennis business in general have seen an evolution of the stars’ relationship with the community. But the Lindner Family Tennis Centre is designed to encourage plenty of interaction.

Nineteen Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings. Nineteen wins for Novak Djokovic against Gael Monfils.

The Serbian extended his dominance in the matchup into historic territory on Thursday at the Western & Southern Open. Following his 6-3, 6-2 victory, Djokovic now owns the most wins without a defeat in any Lexus ATP Head2Head matchup — breaking a tie with Rafael Nadal, who is 18-0 against Richard Gasquet.

"It was kind of an evolution of both players over the past 15-plus years that we've been playing each other in different parts of the world, also in juniors," Djokovic said of their history. "I think early on I struggled a lot with him, I think physically as well. When you play on of the most athletic guys on the Tour, you have to be ready, every ball comes back. A couple of points today, especially in the first set he showed his athleticism."

After a second-set retirement by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina handed Djokovic a win in his first match on American soil since 2021, the World No. 2 played two solid sets to dismiss Monfils, dominating the baseline rallies in a one-hour, eight-minute victory. With victory in his first completed match since he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, Djokovic remains on course for a potential rematch with the World No. 1 Spaniard in the title round.

Now 17-1 on hard courts this season, Djokovic is seeking his third Cincinnati title. His first Western & Southern Open crown in 2018 earned him a Career Golden Masters, completing his box set of trophies at the ATP Masters 1000. He repeated as champion in 2020, when the event was held in New York.

Jamie Murray and Michael Venus booked their quarter-final ticket at the Western & Southern Open on Thursday after upsetting top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski.

Despite failing to convert any of their eight break point chances, Murray and Venus held their nerve to oust the Wimbledon champions 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 10-1. The British-Kiwi duo won 45 of their 49 first-serve points.

“I think that’s a big win for us,” Murray said. “This swing hasn’t been fantastic for us, but in doubles, any week can be your week. You just have to be ready with the scoring and everything and how it plays out. I think after Toronto we put a lot of good work in and it’s paid off so far. We’ve played two really good matches. That’s all we can ask for.”

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Currently 12th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, Murray and Venus defeated Serbians Nikola Cacic and Novak Djokovic in the first round and will next aim to continue their run against wild cards Lorenzo Musetti and Lorenzo Sonego after the Italians beat Toronto champions Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-4, 7-6(5).