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Mackenzie McDonald caused one of the biggest upsets of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers on Wednesday when he eliminated sixth seed Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-3 in Toronto.

The American will now have a chance to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final when he plays former World No. 3 Milos Raonic on Thursday. ATPTour.com caught up with the former UCLA star last month to learn more about his interests off the court.

If you could have dinner with three people, who would they be and why?
I wish I could go Kobe Bryant. Kobe, Bob Marley and John Wooden, UCLA legend.   

What did you admire about Kobe?
Everything. The guy is one of my favourite competitors of all time.   

If you could switch places with one person for a day who would it be?
LeBron James.

Gael Monfils in full flight can be a hard juggernaut to stop — as Stefanos Tsitsipas found out Wednesday at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

The Frenchman delivered a dazzling second-round display to upset the fourth-seeded Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-3 at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Toronto. An energised Monfils, playing just his 11th match of the year due to injury, produced several moments of breathtaking power and skill en route to a one-hour, 25-minute triumph.

Wednesday’s win was Monfils’ 350th tour-level triumph on hard courts and can be seen as a statement that the 36-year-old is getting back to his crowd-pleasing best after limited appearances in 2023. The Frenchman converted three of six break points he earned to down Tsitsipas, an ATP 250 champion in Los Cabos just four days ago.

“I knew that Stef had a lot of confidence,” said Monfils after the match. “He would try to go for his shots. I tried to put a lot of balls in, tried to hit quite heavy and not let him dictate too much. I think I did it well.”

Highlights of Monfils’ performance included a trademark jumping forehand in the eighth game of the first set and a 188 km/h forehand winner to bring up set point two games later. It was Monfils’ first win against a Top 5 opponent since he defeated then-World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in Indian Wells last year.

Former champion Daniil Medvedev continued his impressive record in Toronto on Wednesday when he defeated Italian Matteo Arnaldi 6-2, 7-5 at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

The second seed is now 8-1 in Toronto, having lifted the title in 2021. Competing for the first time since his run to the semi-finals at Wimbledon, Medvedev looked in control in his opening match at this year's event, standing deep behind the baseline to outlast Arnaldi in the baseline exchanges.

”Yeah I felt great,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview. “I could have done a little bit better in the second set, but at the same time I saved break points in two or three games, so pretty good match. From here I need to improve.

“Pretty hot conditions like usual in US summer, so I need to get used to it. In the second set I was already tired, but that is normal. Two or three matches and you are used to it. I looking forward to the next days.”

He saved all three break points he faced, struck 29 winners and fended off an Arnaldi resurgence in the second set to improve to 2-0 in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series after one hour, 26 minutes. In the third round the 27-year-old will meet Lorenzo Musetti, after the Italian downed Thanasi Kokkinakis 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.

Before players enjoy glory on the ATP Tour, they must first pass the ATP Challenger Tour. One of the longest-running Italian Challenger tournaments, the Serena Wines 1881 - Acqua Maniva Tennis Cup, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this week, has witnessed this first hand. The Challenger 75 event has hosted world-class players before they became household names. 

World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz was a finalist in Cordenons just three years ago as a 17 year old. In 2013, Pablo Carreno Busta was crowned champion two weeks after he cracked the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time.

Though fans have seen a plethora of talent come through Cordenons, tournament director Serena Raffin has also endured through hardship to continue the tournament. In 2013, her father and tournament founder Eddi Raffin suffered a heart attack, passing away aged 61. While the event celebrates the 20-year milestone this week, the memory of Eddi lives on.

“It is special because I feel he is with me. It’s a strange feeling. I feel he is proud of me,” Serena said. “I thought it was impossible, but nothing is impossible. You can always try to find a different solution. We found it and I think my father is happy.”

Eddi casted a vision to host tournaments in Italy and little did he know how much the Cordenons Challenger would impact the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. It is now seen as the big event in that region and fans can catch a glimpse of pro tennis for just six euros.

Milos Raonic backed up his first-round upset of Frances Tiafoe in style on Wednesday at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, where the hometown favourite eased past Taro Daniel 6-4, 6-3 in Toronto.

The 32-year-old Raonic powered 42 winners, including 15 aces, to wrap a 90-minute win and improve his Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Japan’s Daniel to 3-0. Having pulled through a dramatic three-setter with Tiafoe on Monday with the help of 37 aces, Raonic did not face a break point against Daniel as he secured back-to-back wins at his home ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time since 2016.

Raonic did not compete between July 2021 and June 2023 due to a series of injuries, and the Canadian has admitted he is unsure if this week’s event in Toronto will be his last on home soil. He nonetheless demonstrated few nerves on centre court at Sobeys Stadium as he notched a break of Daniel’s serve in each set to win consecutive tour-level matches for the first time since 2021 in Miami.

The fourth-lowest player by Pepperstone ATP Ranking to reach the last 16 in ATP Masters 1000 history (since 1990), the World No. 545 Raonic will take on Mackenzie McDonald next in Ontario. The American earlier upset sixth seed Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-3.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Taylor Fritz continued his push to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals on Wednesday when he moved past Frenchman Ugo Humbert 7-6(7), 3-6, 6-3 at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

The American, who is currently ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, was made to work hard against Humbert at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Fritz saved one set point at 5/6 in the first set, before he played with intensity and aggression in the third set to triumph after two hours and 30 minutes.

Fritz now holds a 28-7 record on hard courts in 2023, highlighted by title runs on home soil in Delray Beach and Atlanta. The eighth seed, who suffered first-round defeats in his previous two appearances in Toronto in 2016 and 2021, will next meet Gabriel Diallo and Alex de Minaur.

[ATP APP]

In other action, Mackenzie McDonald earned his fourth Top 10 win when he upset World No. 7 Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-3.

Ben Shelton remembers first hearing about Carlos Alcaraz when he was 14. The American did not travel internationally as a junior, but word was spreading about the Spanish teen.

“Some of the Americans in the United States were talking about, ‘This is the best 14-year-old in the world’, and I hadn't really gotten into tennis yet. I was no good,” Shelton, who is the same age as Alcaraz, told a small group of media on Tuesday evening in Toronto.

“But I definitely watched a few clips of him at that age and couldn't believe how polished of a player [he was], how many skills he had at such a young age. He's been out here grinding on the international tour for a few years now. and this is my first [full] year out here. So I'm looking forward to playing a little bit of catchup.”

The lefty will have that opportunity on Wednesday evening when he faces World No. 1 Alcaraz in the second round of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers. It will be the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head clash.

Shelton has established himself as an aggressive, energetic player who enjoys involving the fans in his matches. Having competed in college tennis at the University of Florida, the American has plenty of experience in raucous atmospheres.

Last July, Aleksandar Vukic sat at home in Australia unsure if he would continue playing professional tennis. The Sydneysider was in the midst of a four-month hiatus as he recovered from an elbow injury. Still yet to crack the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, he had doubts about his future. The Aussie remembers speaking to his parents and University of Illinois head coach Brad Dancer among others.

“They were the ones who supported me and have been through the thick and thin… It's just in those tough conversations that I think you really just look within yourself and really see what you want to do in life,” Vukic told ATPTour.com. “[Playing tennis] is like with any job, it comes with its ups and downs. And I think, for me, there's no limit to what I can do. There's no expectation of what I can do. It's just trying to do my best. I think I'm trying to do as much of that as I can.”

Vukic had been dealing with his elbow injury on and off for six months. He remembers sitting home watching Wimbledon instead of pursuing his dream.

“It was very tough. It gave me a lot of admiration for other guys that have gone through injury, and have had other problems that have been able to come back,” Vukic said. “I couldn't have done it without everyone that has supported me.”

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“He runs like literally there’s no tomorrow!”

Stefanos Tsitsipas was clear, if he could build a perfect player, he would select the movement of… Carlos Alcaraz!

“I’ve never seen a player run like this!” Tsitsipas said in the latest edition of ATP Uncovered's 'Build Your Player' series.

For groundstrokes, the Greek cracked a laugh when he answered whose forehand he would select, stating, “Have you seen his forehand? It’s a hammer!” Who did he say? The 24-year-old then selected one of his rival’s backhands.

Only one player received more than one nomination from Tsitsipas. Watch the full video above to find out who it was, how Tsitsipas' own celebrations fit into his perfect player, his surprise physical stamina pick and more.

Casper Ruud battled through a tricky test from Jiri Lehecka on Tuesday to reach the third round of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

A semi-finalist at last year’s ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal, Ruud defeated the 21-year-old Czech 7-6(6), 6-4 in a tale of two sets.

Ruud struggled to find his best level in the opening set, committing 21 unforced errors, including six double faults. Despite having a set point on return at 5-6 that Lehecka fended off with a deft backhand drop shot, the World No. 5 kept his cool to rally from 0/4 in the first-set tie-break and later winning four consecutive points from 4/6. 

[ATP APP]

"I just kind of said to myself, 'Don't give up,'" Ruud said in his on-court interview. "Honestly the last couple of losses I've had in the last month have been going away from me too quickly, I've lost a couple sets 0-6, which is not a good feeling.

Jamie Murray and Michael Venus are looking to continue their standout season this week at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, where they made a winning start to the ATP Masters 1000 event on Tuesday.

The British-Kiwi duo, who are aiming for their fourth title of the year, defeated Argentines Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(5), 6-3 after one hour, 29 minutes to set a second-round clash against fourth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden.

All six of Tuesday’s doubles matches in Toronto were completed in straight sets. Hubert Hurkacz and Mate Pavic downed Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara 6-2, 7-5. The Polish-Croatian pair fended off all four break points faced and will next meet top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski, who are aiming to defend their title.

Sixth seeds Kevin Krawietz cruised past home hopes Peter Polansky and Adil Shamasdin 6-3, 6-2. Wild cards Nicolas Mahut and Vasek Pospisil defeated Benjamin Sigouin and Kelsey Stevenson 7-5, 6-4.

Almost exactly two years ago, ATPTour.com spoke to Andy Murray about tennis' future stars. Who would be the next new World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings?

“Of the current ones, Medvedev would be the guy I would expect to get there first. I think maybe he will need to be a little bit more consistent on the clay to get there, but I think he’s got a good chance,” Murray said at the time. “From the young, young ones, I think [Carlos] Alcaraz is really, really good. I think he’s got a good chance at it.”

The Scot’s words proved prophetic. Just a few weeks later, Medvedev won his first major at the US Open and in February 2022 became the first World No. 1 since the start of the Big Four’s reign. Medvedev was No. 2 at the time of Murray’s declaration, so that was not far-fetched.

However, Alcaraz had not yet cracked the world’s Top 50 and had less than a month earlier claimed his maiden ATP Tour title in Umag. Murray last week told ATPTour.com that he had good reason to believe in the Spaniard. The Scot had spoken to his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Murray admittedly did not know Alcaraz "really well" and had not seen much of him on the practice court or in the gym. He recalled: “I asked Ferrero, ‘Does he love tennis? Does he work hard?”

Gabriel Diallo will never forget his first ATP Tour win.

The 21-year-old Canadian stunned Washington champion Daniel Evans 7-6(4), 7-5 on home soil Tuesday to reach the second round of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

The No. 141 player in the Pepperstone ATP Ranking entered the match with an 0-4 tour-level record. But he showed nerves of steel under pressure to close out the in-form Briton after two hours.

“Words cannot really describe how I feel right now. I hope that everyone in this planet can feel what I'm feeling right now, this level of happiness,” Diallo said in his on-court interview. “But obviously it doesn't come without hard work behind the scenes. People don't know us as tennis players, we travel, we lose first round, we go to crazy places losing first round, it's so tough.

“But it shows that hard work eventually pays off and hopefully this can be the start of something.”

Alex de Minaur’s remarkable mid-match surge proved the difference on Tuesday at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers as the Australian upset 11th seed Cameron Norrie 7-5, 6-4 at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Toronto.

De Minaur won seven of eight games from 3-5 down in the first set to notch a one-hour, 43-minute triumph in his third Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Norrie. In the first of those games, Norrie let slip a set point at 40/30 and then dropped serve with a double fault after repeatedly struggling with his ball toss in the strong Toronto wind.

“It was definitely not easy conditions out here. It was blowing a gale, it didn’t make for pretty tennis,” said De Minaur. “So I think we both struggled a bit out here today, but I’m happy I was able to get the win over an incredible opponent.”

De Minaur is now 18-8 on hard courts for the season, a tally that includes his run to a maiden ATP 500 crown in Acapulco. The 24-year-old last week reached the championship match in Los Cabos, and he will take on Washington winner Daniel Evans or home wild card Gabriel Diallo next as he looks to continue his strong recent form.

“I’m just finding my game,” said De Minaur, who also reached a final on grass this year at The Queen’s Club in June. “I’ve always thought I’ve had this level, and now I’ve just put a couple of good matches together and that gives you confidence. So you build on that, and hopefully we can keep it going.”

There are four ways a point starts in tennis. Carlos Alcaraz is the best-performing player in more than a decade in one of them. Which one do you think it is?

The four ways a point starts are:

Alcaraz is currently No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and has amassed a formidable 47-4 record this season, including six titles, coming into the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in Toronto.

So, where is he currently the peak performer so far in 2023? An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis uncovers precisely where the 20-year-old Spaniard sits alone at the top of the mountain.

[BREAK POINT]

The seventh ATP Masters 1000 event of the season is the Western & Southern Open, which is held at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati.

Here is everything you need to know about the hard-court tournament:

When is the Western & Southern Open?

The 2023 Western & Southern Open will be held from 13-20 August. The hard-court ATP Masters 1000 tournament, established in 1889, will take place at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The tournament director is Todd Martin.

Who is playing at the 2023 Western & Southern Open?

The Western & Southern Open will feature stars including World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

When is the draw for the Western & Southern Open?

The Cincinnati draw will be made Friday, 11 August at a time to be confirmed.

After Holger Rune lost in the third round of last year’s US Open, the Dane took a couple of days off. He had just fallen in straight sets to Cameron Norrie and was outside the Top 30 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. For a player who has been clear he has ambitions of winning majors and reaching World No. 1, it was simply not enough.

“I just really told myself, ‘Okay, I don't want to be No. 30 in the world and just stay here,” Rune told ATPTour.com this week in Toronto. “I feel like I can be better and do better things, and I don't want to waste my potential. So I worked really hard.”

Ever since, Rune has been on the ascent. By the end of the season, he had won two more titles, including his first ATP Masters 1000 in Paris, made another two finals, served as an alternate at the Nitto ATP Finals and cracked the world’s Top 10.

This year, the Dane has made Masters 1000 finals in Monte-Carlo and Rome, earning wins in 2023 against stars like Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Casper Ruud.

“I improved a lot, both mentally, physically. I really took everything much more serious I would say and I was really determined to push every single day, every tournament I played,” Rune said. “I feel like after the [2022] US Open swing, I really worked even harder and I got to the level where I wanted to be.”

Andy Murray notched his second victory of 2023 against Lorenzo Sonego on Tuesday at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers. It could hardly have been more different than the first.

The three-time champion Murray charged to a 7-6(3), 6-0 triumph to reach the second round at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Toronto. The former World No. 1 produced a masterclass in controlled hitting in blustery conditions to overwhelm Sonego and book a second-round meeting with home hope Felix Auger-Aliassime or Max Purcell.

“It really wasn’t pleasant to play in,” said Murray of the conditions after his win. “It was really blustery, changing direction during the point, and we knew coming in it was going to feel uncomfortable. We hit on this court this morning and it was really breezy.

“So I was expecting it but it still adds a bit of stress to the match and it was a really tight first set. There were lots of opportinties each way, I managed to sneak through the tie-break and after that he was obviously a bit disappointed, and I relaxed a little bit.”

In Doha in February, Murray saved three match points before rallying to a remarkable two-and-a-half-hour win against Sonego. In contrast, he rarely looked out of command in the pair’s second Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, even when the Italian saved three break points across as many different service games to force a first-set tie-break in Toronto.

“I just felt alive again.”

Matteo Berrettini said that last month at Wimbledon. After several months of injury struggles that prevented the Italian from thrilling fans with his powerful game, the 27-year-old finally felt like himself. A former finalist at the grass-court major, a run to the fourth round was a victory.

“Just feeling alive, it means that it's you. You're doing it for [yourself] and you're not thinking about anything else," Berrettini told ATPTour.com. "This is what you love to do.

“That's what I lost a little bit [with the] many injuries that I had. I lost the joy for the sport. I lost everything… That's for me what makes me feel alive.”

At his best, the Rome native is a force on the tennis court. His serve and forehand are among the biggest in the sport. But as he struggled physically, those traits meant little.

One of the most stunning moments of Wimbledon came in a third-round match between Holger Rune and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Serving at 8/8 in a final-set tie-break, Davidovich Fokina was tight. Out of nowhere, the Spaniard used an underarm serve, which backfired. Rune quickly won the point before closing out the match for a place in the fourth round.

Davidovich Fokina, Rune, the fans at the All England Club and viewers from around the world were shocked by the Spaniard’s decision to resort to an underarm serve in one of the most important moments of his career. It was a selection that could have made a painful loss even more difficult.

But Davidovich Fokina revealed on Monday at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers that while he was disappointed, he shrugged it off by the time he reached the locker room. The Spaniard bantered with his opponent that they had split two crazy matches after defeating Rune in a final-set tie-break earlier in the year in Madrid.

“I was dead, because it was a tough match. But I was okay. Life continues,” Davidovich Fokina told ATPTour.com. “I was a little bit sad obviously, because I wanted to play the next round. I was feeling very good and playing very good. But in the end, I'm here in Toronto and growing my game.”

That attitude is the culmination of a mindset shift Davidovich Fokina has made in the past couple of months. Instead of spending his free time on social media — “I saw that I was wasting a lot of time,” he said — the 24-year-old has turned his attention to reading.