Looking for Tennis and Racket Sports International News?

Frances Tiafoe on Thursday alongside the USTA Foundation announced the launch of The Frances Tiafoe Fund. The American, who revealed the eponymous fund at his home tennis centre, the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland, hopes it will help serve as a source of positive social change.

“I’m so excited for this opportunity to work with the USTA Foundation and inspire kids who come from my hometown and beyond,” Tiafoe said in a statement. “One of my priorities has always been to show kids that dreams can come true and that success is in everyone – and this fund is just one step further toward that goal.”

Tiafoe led a clinic to interact with local youth at the facility where his father was a maintenance worker. The Frances Tiafoe Fund will help support National Junior Tennis and Learning chapters, like the JTCC, throughout the country.

Three years ago, Tiafoe received the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award in the ATP Awards. In a letter he wrote at the time, the American explained why it is important for him to give back to the next generations.

“It’s about more than just setting up my family for life. What about those kids?” Tiafoe asked. “I want to help them write their stories right the first time. If there are kids out there who do not think they can achieve their dreams, I want to change that. I really believe success is in everyone. I want to paint a picture for them that they did not know was possible. I want to help them make that a reality.”

Arthur Fils has long made his mark on the 2023 ATP Tour season. Yet his Hamburg European Open quarter-final win against Casper Ruud on Friday felt like a further significant leap for the #NextGenATP Frenchman.

Fils delivered a stunning display for a 6-0, 6-4 victory against the World No. 4 Ruud at the clay-court ATP 500, his first win against a Top 20 opponent. The 19-year-old Fils was in particularly devastating form on his forehand in Germany, striking with the sort of power and accuracy off that wing that Ruud himself has become renowned for.

“I’m really happy about it. Of course, it was a tough match,” said Fils in his on-court interview. “I had good tactics with my coach before the match. We talked before the match, that I have to believe I can win. Of course, I’m coming on court, I want to win, so I tried to play my game and I played my best today, so I’m happy about it.”

Fils made a lightning-fast start to his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with the Norwegian, unloading on his forehand at every opportunity and converting three of his six break points to charge to the opening set. Ruud settled into his groove in a closely fought second set, but Fils crushed four huge forehand winners to break to love in the 10th game and seal a famous 78-minute triumph in which he outhit Ruud by 35 winners (including 25 off his forehand) to six.

“I knew that he has a really good forehand, and when he uses his forehand during the point, it’s tough," said Fils. "He makes you run a lot. My goal was to play a lot of forehands and play a lot on his backhand, and I did it really well today.”

Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe arrive at the Mubadala Citi DC Open as Top 10 stars carrying the torch for American men's tennis. The 25-year-olds are the top two seeds, respectively, at the ATP 500 event and could face early tests in the nation’s capital.

World No. 9 Fritz, who is making his fourth appearance in Washington, D.C, is seeded to meet three-time major champion Andy Murray in the third round. The Scot Murray was a finalist at the hard-court tournament in 2006. Fourth seed Hubert Hurkacz and sixth seed Alexander Bublik are also featured in Fritz's half.

In a loaded part of the draw, Wimbledon quarter-finalist Christopher Eubanks could clash against top seed Fritz in the last eight. Eubanks must first get through his section that features seventh seed Adrian Mannarino, former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori and two-time major finalist Kevin Anderson. Should Nishikori beat Lloyd Harris, he will then meet Eubanks in the second round. 

Home hope Tiafoe may meet 14th seed and #NextGenATP star Ben Shelton in the third round, which would mark their first Lexus ATPHead2Head contest.

Making his seventh appearance at the ATP 500 event and looking to improve on his quarter-final result last year, Tiafoe is in the same half as third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and fifth seed Grigor Dimitrov. The Canadian Auger-Aliassime will open against Wu Yibing or Yosuke Watanuki.

Take notice: Former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori is playing at a high level in his first ATP Tour tournament in 21 months.

The 33-year-old defeated Chinese teen Shang Juncheng 6-4, 7-6(3) on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the Atlanta Open. The Japanese star Nishikori displayed vintage all-court coverage and absorbed the 18-year-old's firepower to advance. At 5/3 in the second-set tie-break, Nishikori won an exciting 21-shot rally to set up match point before sealing a spot in the last eight with an ace.

"It was a tough battle, but I was very excited on the court," Nishikori said in his on-court interview. "I felt pretty good, especially playing under [the lights]. I felt very good on the court today."

Nishikori will next look to extend his 3-0 Lexus ATPHead2Head series record against top seed Taylor Fritz.

The 12-time tour-level titlist Nishikori is competing in his first tour-level tournament since the BNP Paribas Open in October 2021. Nishikori underwent arthroscopic left hip surgery in 2022 and returned to the ATP Challenger Tour last month, immediately winning a title in Puerto Rico. Friday will be his first tour-level quarter-final since August 2021, when he made it to the last four of the ATP 500 event in Washington, D.C.

Taylor Fritz jumped out to an early lead Thursday against Wu Yibing and never looked back to reach the quarter-finals of the Atlanta Open.

The top seed relied on his hefty service delivery in key moments to defeat Wu 6-4, 7-6(5) after one hour, 30 minutes. Fritz started fast, gaining a 4-0 lead to kick off the evening session in Atlantic Station and won 81 per cent of his first-serve points to advance.

"Just a couple points here and there. I had some break chances, he had some break chances," Fritz said in his on-court interview. "It could have gone either way, I kind of just barely got out of the points I needed to win."

In the second set, the California-native saved two set points at 4-5. Fritz then fired three consecutive aces from 30/40 to close the game and later closed the match in a second-set tie-break. 

The 25-year-old Fritz avenged this year’s Dallas Open semi-final loss to Wu, who was eventually crowned champion at the ATP 250 for his maiden tour-level title. Their Lexus ATPHead2Head series is now tied at 1-1.

Have you ever sent a direct message to somebody famous? Jiri Lehecka has!

The 21-year-old revealed who it was in the latest edition of ATP Uncovered’s ‘I Am’ series.

“I sent a message to Petra Kvitova when she won her first Wimbledon [in 2011],” said Lehecka, who was a fan of the lefty's game from a young age.

Kvitova first lifted the Wimbledon trophy 12 years ago. Little did the lefty or Lehecka know they would compete at this season’s United Cup together.

Now Lehecka has fans just like he once was. The Top 40 star hopes to follow in Kvitova's footsteps and achieve several career ambitions he revealed later in the video.

Top seed at a tour-level event for the first time, Jiri Lehecka coped with the pressure on Thursday when he defeated former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem 6-3, 7-5 at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag.

The Czech won 82 per cent (31/38) of his first-serve points in his maiden meeting against Thiem, and rallied from a break down in the second set to advance after one hour and 41 minutes.

The 21-year-old, who is making his debut in Umag, will next play seventh seed Matteo Arnaldi in the quarter-finals. Lehecka and Arnaldi both competed at the 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, where the Czech defeated the Italian en route to the final.

[ATP APP]

Lehecka has used that result as a springboard this season, highlighted by his run to the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and fourth round at Wimbledon. The World No. 33’s best result on clay prior to this week was a third-round appearance at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo.

Casper Ruud recovered from a slow start against Cristian Garin on Thursday, when he battled back to earn a 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory at the Hamburg European Open.

The top seed, who reached the semi-finals at the ATP 500 clay-court event in his previous appearance in 2020, played with greater intensity and consistency as the one-hour, 41-minute clash progressed. Ruud gained a crucial break at 2-2 in the second set and then saved all five break points he faced across the second and third sets to reach the quarter-finals.

"Cristian played much better than me at the beginning," Ruud said. "He broke me right away and was returning from all corners. I had no answers, but just tried to stay in there in the second set and told myself to keep going, maybe I will get a chance. At 2-2 I was able to break him on my first break point and things started to change. A couple of points can decide a match. Even though the result in the end seemed kind of clear, it is always tough against Cristian."

With his 22nd clay-court tour-level win of the season, Ruud improved to 2-3 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Garin, who had won their previous two clay-court matches. Only Carlos Alcaraz (25), has most tour-level victories on clay in 2023.

The 24-year-old Ruud is chasing his second tour-level trophy of the season, having lifted his 10th ATP Tour crown in Estoril in April. He will continue his quest against #NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils.

“To not dwell on the past, to live in the present and have the memory of a goldfish!”

You will not find Alex de Minaur ruing the day. The 24-year-old revealed the importance of having a positive, forward-thinking mindset in the latest edition of ATP Uncovered’s ‘Note to Self’ series.

“You are going to lose a lot of tennis matches. The most important thing is that the next week there is another chance for you to compete and do well in the next tournament,” De Minaur explained.

The Top 20 star also discussed how he handles distractions, pressure and failure. Although professional athletes face plenty of pressure, De Minaur emphasised the value of enjoying life away from the court.

“Enjoy time with your friends, driving your classic car, playing golf, going to the beach, spending time with your dog,” the Australian said.

#NextGenATP Frenchman Arthur Fils reached his fourth tour-level quarter-final of the season on Thursday at the Hamburg European Open, where he overcame Serbian Dusan Lajovic 7-5, 7-5.

The 19-year-old Fils captured his maiden tour-level title in Lyon in May but arrived at the ATP 500 clay-court event in Hamburg off the back of four consecutive defeats. He has looked close to his best in Germany, though, backing up his first-round win against Daniel Elahi Galan with a controlled display against Lajovic.

Fils rallied from a break down in both sets, winning 48 per cent (23/48) of points on Lajovic’s first serve to triumph after one hour and 41 minutes. He will next meet top seed Casper Ruud or Chilean Cristian Garin.

"It is a big tournament, there are a lot of points," Fils said. "I am happy about reaching the quarter-finals, but I am looking at the semi-finals or final if I can.

"He has an amazing backhand. He was killing me crosscourt and then hitting down the line. I tried to play with my forehand to make him move, because he was making me move, so I wanted to change that."

Christopher Eubanks rode his towering serve to a come-from-behind victory over fellow American Brandon Nakashima to charge into the Atlanta Open quarter-finals Wednesday night.

With Nakashima adopting an aggressive service stance, the 21-year-old earned seven break points throughout the match - including three at 0/40 in the final game - but fifth-seeded Eubanks held firm each and every time en route to a 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-5 win.

Eubanks fired 21 aces but had not earned a break point on Nakashima’s serve until the ninth game of the second set when he caught fire, breaking the 21-year-old to love, helped by one explosive 99 mph forehand winner. He closed out the set in the next game and in the decider he fended off two break points in his opening service game before breaking to 15 in the 10th game.

Eubanks, who hit 51 winners, is through to his second quarter-final in Atlanta and will next play World No. 82 Australian Aleksandar Vukic, who upset fourth seed Yoshihito Nishioka 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(3) in brutally hot conditions during the day session.

[ATP APP]

The celebrity recognition continues to pour in for rapidly rising American Christopher Eubanks.

After the 27-year-old won his first-round match at the Atlanta Open on Tuesday, he met with 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player Cam Newton. The quarterback enjoyed the recent Wimbledon quarter-finalist’s victory.

“That was cool, that was cool. I knew he was coming [but] when I got on court, I didn’t know he was going to be there right at 7, which was really cool,” Eubanks said. “I looked up as soon as we walked on court and I could see, he’s a very distinguishable figure obviously. So when I looked up and I saw him I was like ‘Wow, he actually came.’ So that was really, really cool.”

Earlier this year, actor Jamie Foxx and another NFL star, Chad Johnson, watched Eubanks battle to the quarter-finals in Miami.

Less than a month ago, the American claimed his first ATP Tour title in Mallorca before enjoying a dream run to the last eight at Wimbledon, which captured the attention of new fans throughout the world.

Stock market investors looking to build long-term wealth are routinely told that smooth, consistent results over time will deliver better returns than making frequent trades chasing a home run. Time in the market is more important than timing the market, they say.

Tennis, however, has a way of rewarding volatility, and players typically have a 52-week time horizon (for rankings purposes) rather than a multi-year focus. Get hot during a few key weeks of the year and you can walk away with big paydays and a bunch of Pepperstone ATP Rankings points critical for tournament entry, seedings and year-end contract bonuses.

In 2022, Taylor Fritz caught fire at key moments and won three titles, including his first ATP Masters 1000 crown in Indian Wells and the ATP 500 in Tokyo (on the back of a week of hotel isolation due to Covid-19 protocols). He also qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals.

In 2023 the Californian is on pace to top the 46-match wins tally of last season, but he has just one title to show for his year and he has some work to do to hold onto his place in the Top 10 after reaching a career-high No. 5 in March. Boasting 34 wins year to date, Fritz has gone deep in many tournaments, but has reached just one final, at February’s Delray Beach Open, which marked his fifth career crown.

“The Tour doesn't reward consistency as much as it does kind of going boom or bust, winning titles and losing in the first round,” Fritz said.

Stan Wawrinka earned victory on his return to the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag on Wednesday, moving past Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic 6-3, 6-2 to reach the second round.

Competing at the ATP 250 clay-court event for the first time since 2007, the 38-year-old won 77 per cent (23/30) of his first-serve points to advance after 63 minutes.

Wawrinka, who lifted the trophy in Umag in 2006, will next play Federico Coria. The Argentine Coria beat Swiss Marc-Andrea Huesler 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 57 minutes.

"It is great to be back here in Umag," Wawrinka said. "I won my first title here and I have amazing memories. It is great to still be playing. I really enjoy what I am doing. I really enjoy playing in front of people. It is great for me to be back here."

In other action, seventh-seeded Italian Matteo Arnaldi defeated Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 7-6(5) to reach the third round, while Alexei Popyrin overcame Austrian Sebastian Ofner 6-4, 6-1 to advance to the same stage.

The world's best will compete at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, which is the fifth largest professional tennis event in the United States and the only combined ATP-WTA 500 level tennis tournament in the world. Co-founded by Arthur Ashe, Donald Dell, and John A. Harris, the tournament is the fourth-longest running pro tennis event in the U.S. and the longest-running tournament in a public park.

Among those in action at this year's edition are Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Andy Murray and wild cards Kei Nishikori, Gael Monfils and Kevin Anderson

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

[ATP APP]

When is the Mubadala Citi DC Open?

The 2023 Mubadala Citi DC Open will be held from 31 July-6 August. The hard-court ATP 500 tournament, established in 1969, will take place at the Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park, located in Washington, D.C. The tournament director is Dani Vallverdu. 

Daniil Medvedev and Nick Kyrgios on Wednesday withdrew from the Mubadala Citi DC Open.

Medvedev has competed at the Washington ATP 500 event on three previous occasions, tallying an 8-3 record. In 2019 he reached the final, losing to Kyrgios.

[ATP APP]

The 27-year-old has enjoyed a standout 2023 season, earning a 46-9 record and five titles. Only Carlos Alcaraz has more wins this year, with 47. Medvedev has triumphed in Rotterdam, Doha, Dubai, Miami and Rome.

The No. 3 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings last competed at Wimbledon, where he reached the semi-finals for the first time. Eventual champion Alcaraz stopped him there in straight sets.

The Mubadala Citi DC Open announced on Wednesday that Kevin Anderson will join Kei Nishikori and Gael Monfils as wild cards into the ATP 500 event.

Anderson returned from retirement last week in Newport, where he advanced to the quarter-finals. The 37-year-old earned two victories in his first action since Miami in 2022.

The South African has enjoyed success in Washington, where he made the final in 2017. Anderson owns an 11-8 record at the tournament.

? Men's Wild Card Announcement ?

Three former Top ? players add to a stacked men's singles lineup!

?? Kevin Anderson
?? Kei Nishikori
?? Gael Monfils#MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/QLmmalfXfA

Nishikori will also play the second tour-level event of his comeback at the ATP 500. The Japanese star owns an 18-7 record at the Mubadala Citi DC Open and claimed the title in 2015. He has reached at least the quarter-finals in five consecutive appearances.

Casper Ruud bounced back from his Bastad final defeat on Wednesday when he overcame Argentine Sebastian Baez 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 to reach the second round at the Hamburg European Open.

The Norwegian, who is making his fourth appearance at the ATP 500 clay-court event, won 46 per cent (33/71) of points on Baez’s first-serve to earn his 21st tour-level clay-court win of the season after one hour and 58 minutes.

"It was really tough," Ruud said. "Sebastian is a great fighter. He has taken big steps in the past year, so it was always going to be a tough challenge. It takes a little time to adjust to new conditions. Today we had to play indoors under the roof, so it makes a difference on clay. It makes it a lot more humid and the balls are heavier, it took a while to adjust.

"I started well but the second set was not great, but I fought hard in the last and I am happy to be through."

[ATP APP]

Andrey Rublev came back from the brink on Wednesday at the Hamburg European Open, where he saved three match points to claw past Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles 5-7, 6-1, 7-6(7).

The second seed recovered from a slow start at the ATP 500 clay-court event, finding his best level deep in the third set to fend off Zapata Miralles, who was chasing his first Top 10 win of the season. Rublev rallied from 4/6 in the third-set tie-break and saved his third match point at 6/7 with a blistering forehand winner. The 25-year-old raised his arms aloft after winning the two-hour, 53-minute first-round thriller.

"The feeling was that I was playing well and it was under control, but somehow I lost the first set and was frustrated," Rublev said. "I came back and recovered mentally and won a really good second set. The third set was tough. I started to get tired and nervous, because the score is going to the tie-break and I didn't have many chances to break him.

"The feeling was that he deserved to win. He was fighting like crazy from tough scores. When I went 0/3, I started to stress a lot. But then I played two amazing rallies and told myself to keep fighting, keep fighting... It is amazing I was able to win."

The World No. 7 has now won five consecutive matches after clinching his second tour-level title of the season at the ATP 250 in Bastad last week. He will aim to continue his run when he meets Yannick Hanfmann or Zhang Zhizhen in the second round.

There is nothing like returning home after a long trip.

Just ask Christopher Eubanks, who raced through his opening-round match Tuesday at the Atlanta Open. Playing his first match since his dream Wimbledon quarter-final run, Eubanks wasted no time to defeat Andres Martin 6-2, 6-4.

In a match of two Atlanta natives, Eubanks produced firepower and clean hitting from the baseline to dispatch the wild card after one hour, seven minutes. In the opening set, Eubanks did not a drop a point behind his hefty serve (16/16) and as the match wore on, the fifth seed continued to thrill the home crowd by striking one-handed backhand winners with ease.

[ATP APP]

"I knew it was going to be a fun atmosphere," Eubanks said in his on-court interview. "I knew college night, even the years that I played it and last year Andres had the privilege of playing on college night, Georgia Tech fans really come out and they show a lot of support.