Looking for Tennis and Racket Sports International News?

Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev both faced scares on Monday at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, but unlike Carlos Alcaraz found a way to advance.

Rublev continued his impressive European clay form when he defeated Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6(8), 6-3 to reach the fourth round in Rome.

Competing in front of a raucous crowd on Pietrangeli, the sixth seed swung freely and battled hard to earn his 25th win of the season. Rublev saved three set points in the first set, rallying from 3/6 in the tie-break, before he saved both break points he faced in the second set to advance after one hour and 48 minutes.

"I am happy. It was another tough battle against Alejandro," Rublev said. "Today I was 3/6 down in the tie-break and was really lucky I was able to win the first set. It gave me huge confidence and I think it brought him down mentally. That is why I was able to start the second set well. It took him time to recover and he was close to coming back, but I was lucky to hold my serve at the end."

[ATP APP]

Hungarian Fabian Marozsan is enjoying a breakthrough week at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia. The 23-year-old stunned second seed Carlos Alcaraz to reach the fourth round at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

ATPTour.com helps you get to know the No. 114 player in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

This Is His First ATP Tour Main Draw
The 2023 Internazionali BNL d’Italia is a tournament Marozsan will never forget. Entering the event, he had never competed in an ATP Tour main draw. Earlier in the year, he had lost in qualifying in four tour-level events. But he defeated Timofey Skatov and Felipe Meligeni Alves to earn his way into the field and then upset World No. 67 Corentin Moutet and World No. 39 Jiri Lehecka in the main draw.

The Hungarian then stunned the tennis world when he eliminated Alcaraz, who entered the match with a 30-2 record on the season.

Fabian’s Tennis Journey Began At 5
Marozsan recalls at age five watching his father playing tennis with a friend. The Hungarian told his father, “I’d like to try that sport”. He credits his father for teaching him everything about the sport, although his dad did not have a professional background in the sport.

Fabian Marozsan produced one of the biggest upsets in recent memory on Monday at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, where he downed World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 7-6(4) to reach the fourth round in Rome.

The No. 135-ranked Hungarian qualifier is playing in his first ATP Tour main draw but showed no signs of nerves as he outplayed Alcaraz with a quality display of clean hitting at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000.

“It’s not easy to say something, I’m very, very happy,” said Marozsan. “I couldn’t imagine this. it was my dream last night. Now it’s true, I am very, very happy about this… I just tried to do something special, maybe winning a few games or a set or something like this, and now I just beat the [World No. 2].”

Alcaraz entered the match with a 30-2 record for the 2023 season but was frequently undone by the depth of Marozsan’s groundstrokes, which gave the Spaniard few chances to take control of rallies. The Hungarian’s drop shot also matched the quality of his opponent’s throughout, and he clinched the biggest win of his career in one hour, 40 minutes to send shockwaves around the Foro Italico.

“Everything was perfect today,” said Marozsan. “The crowd, the weather, the court. I’m just happy I’m doing my job.

Roland Garros tournament organisers announced that prize money for this year's clay-court major will total €49.6 million, an increase of 12.3 per cent compared to 2022.

The men's and women's singles champions in Paris will each receive €2.3 million and the finalists will earn €1,150,000.

The prize money for first-round losers has increased more than 11 per cent year-on-year from €62,000 to €69,000. Prize money for losers in the second and third rounds has increased by nearly 13 per cent each.

Overall the prize money for the singles draws has increased by 9.1 per cent compared to last year. The men's doubles and women's doubles championship teams will claim €590,000 per pair.

The year's second major will be played from 28 May-11 June.

J.J. Wolf is competing in the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, where he has defeated Hugo Grenier and Hubert Hurkacz to reach the third round on his tournament debut in Rome.

Ahead of his third-round match against Alexander Zverev in the Italian capital, the American spoke to ATPTour.com about his hidden talent, ideal dinner guests and love for country music.

[ATP APP]

How would you describe your perfect day if you are not playing tennis?
I would go to bed early so I wake up rested, but not wake up too late. So maybe at 8 or 9 a.m., even though I never wake up that early. I would have breakfast, watch the sunrise. Go and do something fun and outdoors with my friends and girlfriend. Something active to get a sweat going.

Then [I would] come back, have some lunch and eat really good food. Then maybe go on a rollercoaster. Dinner, a few drinks and I love a bonfire, so we would have a bonfire by a lake. Then you could go waterskiing as well.

Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos held their nerve for a thrilling first-round upset on Sunday at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia.

The Spanish-Argentine pairing snapped the 10-match winning streak in Rome of fifth seeds and Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic with a 7-6(6), 3-6, 10-8 victory at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000.

Granollers and Zeballos appeared to have lost their momentum when they lost five straight points to let a 6/2 lead slip in the Match Tie-break, but they held firm for a one-hour, 46-minute win against the 2021 and 2022 champions.

There were no such problems for top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski or second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury. Koolhof and Skupski defeated Matwe Middelkoop and Andreas Mies 6-7(3), 6-3, 10-4 while Ram and Salisbury beat Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 6-3, 6-2.

After a busy Sunday at the Foro Italico, the third round will be completed on Monday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

Fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who reached the final in Rome last year, will try to hold off home hope Lorenzo Sonego. Carlos Alcaraz continues his first Foro Italico appearance against Hungarian qualifier Fabian Marozsan and 12th seed Frances Tiafoe and 18th seed Lorenzo Musetti meet in a clash of Next Gen ATP Finals alumni.

ATPTour.com previews Monday’s action.

[5] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs. Lorenzo Sonego (ITA)

Tsitsipas made a deep run in Rome last year when he advanced to the final. Will Italian Sonego stop the Greek early this year?

The pair have met twice previously, with both meetings coming on hard courts in 2021. Tsitsipas won on both occasions, but needed three sets to triumph at that year’s Western & Southern Open.

Casper Ruud’s best ATP Masters 1000 event has been the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. The Norwegian’s confidence at the Foro Italico proved helpful on Sunday when he overcame Alexander Bublik in a third-round thriller.

The magnetic Kazakhstani Bublik rallied the crowd to his side with his inimitable brand of shotmaking and shot selection. But Ruud was rock solid when it mattered most to triumph 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(0) for a place in the fourth round at an event where the 24-year-old has made the semi-finals in his past two appearances.

“It’s been a very good tournament for me in my career. I’ve reached the semis here twice and twice I lost to Novak in the semi-finals, so it sort of shows that I’ve been beating a lot of good players up until facing one of the best ever,” Ruud said in his on-court interview. “I have a lot of good memories from here and the Italian fans are incredible, even though today they were maybe cheering even more for Bublik. It’s an incredible experience playing out here on this court, Pietrangeli.

“It’s a very special court and you can see it’s full almost every single match no matter who plays, so it was really fun and it gives me good vibes being here in Rome.”

[ATP APP]

Novak Djokovic overcame second-set frustration with a high-class third-set showing on Sunday at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, where he overcame Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 in Rome.

The top seed and defending champion had appeared set for a routine third-round victory when he led Dimitrov by a set and a break at 6-3, 4-2. An inspired run of four games from the Bulgarian forced a decider at the Foro Italico, but Djokovic expertly raised his level to reach the fourth round with his 1050th tour-level victory.

“[I was] very solid. I think I could have won in straight sets,” said Djokovic. “I was a set and 4-2 up and had a pretty decent forehand in the middle of the court at deuce on his serve and missed that. He held his serve well, we had new balls the next game, I did a double fault, the crowd got into it and got behind him and of course the energy of the place and the of the match changed.

“I dropped my level a bit, but luckily I managed find it right away in the first game [of the third set], made that crucial break and kind of shifted the momentum to my side, so I’m really pleased with the way I closed out the match.”

With his two-hour, 20-minute win, Djokovic improved to 11-1 in his ATP Head2Head series against Dimitrov. The 35-year-old will next take on 13th seed Cameron Norrie or Marton Fucsovics as he bids to reach the quarter-finals for the 17th time in as many appearances in Rome.

Arriving at this year’s Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Daniil Medvedev had registered 76 ATP Masters 1000 match wins. Yet none of them had come in Rome.

The 27-year-old added a victory in the Eternal City to his collection in style on Sunday afternoon, when he overcame Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4, 6-2 to reach the third round at the clay-court event.

“It is a little bit [of a relief],” said Medvedev after tasting victory on the Rome clay for the first time in four main-draw appearances. “We can talk about all of the matches I lost here, they were different. The first one, I feel like I should have won, but it is [what it is]. Whenever I come to a tournament, I know that I can play well, so I’m happy to finally get the win here in Rome.”

Excellently crafted point ?@DaniilMedwed | @InteBNLdItalia | #IBI23 pic.twitter.com/sI8IwWFqKu

Medvedev managed a potentially tricky opening match with a typically resilient display of baseline hitting. He redirected Ruusuvuori’s powerful groundstrokes to great effect on Court Pietrangeli, where he broke the Finn’s serve five times en route to an 88-minute triumph.

The opening Sunday at the 2023 Internazionali BNL d'Italia sees all players in the top half of the draw at the ATP Masters 1000 event battling for a spot in the fourth round, as well as the conclusion of second-round action after rain suspended play on Saturday night.

Defending champion and top seed Novak Djokovic takes on Grigor Dimitrov for the 12th time at Tour level, while home hope Jannik Sinner meets Alexander Shevchenko. The local fans will also cheer on Fabio Fognini as the Italian seeks a third-round upset against seventh seed Holger Rune.

Among the remaining second-round matches, Stefanos Tsitsipas will look to see home his set-and-a-break lead against Nuno Borges, while Daniil Medvedev meets Emil Ruusuvuori and Alexander Zverev faces David Goffin.

ATPTour.com previews some of the standout matches on the Day 5 schedule in Rome.

[ATP APP]

Stefanos Tsitsipas led Portugal’s Nuno Borges 6-3, 4-3 at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome on Saturday before rain suspended play for the day.

The fifth-seeded Greek was in control throughout the first 65 minutes, hitting 15 winners and not facing a break point in the heavy conditions. Tsitsipas will return on Sunday leading by a break advantage in the second set.

Tsitsipas holds fond memories in Rome, having advanced to the championship match at the clay-court event in 2022. Aiming to go one step further this week and clinch his maiden title of the season, the 24-year-old could next play Lorenzo Sonego after the Italian defeated Yoshihito Nishioka 7-5, 6-3.

Tsitsipas has often produced his best tennis on clay, winning four of his nine tour-level titles on the surface. He won both his ATP Masters 1000 crowns on clay in Monte-Carlos in 2021 and 2022.

[ATP APP]

Borna Coric earned his 200th tour-level win on Saturday at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, where he clawed past Thiago Monteiro 4-6, 7-6(8), 7-6(5).

In a thrilling second-round clash, the Croatian saved one match point in the second-set tie-break, before he edged a tight decider to reach the third round in Rome for the first time after three hours and 34 minutes.

The 26-year-old claimed his first tour-level win in Umag in 2014, defeating Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-2, 6-4. He then captured his maiden tour-level title in Marrakech in 2017 before he won his first ATP Masters 1000 crown last season in Cincinnati.

The 15th seed will next play Roberto Carballes Baena in Rome after the Spaniard defeated 20th seed Daniel Evans 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-4. Coric arrives in the Italian capital in form, after advancing to the semi-finals in Madrid earlier this month.

Editor's Note: Story republished with permission from the International Tennis Hall of Fame

Australian legend Owen Davidson, the most accomplished mixed doubles male player in tennis history, has passed away. Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2010, Davidson was 79 years old and had been a long-time resident of Texas at the time of his death.

To use Aussie lingo, the man nicknamed ‘Davo’ was always regarded as a ‘first-rate mate’. Davidson maintained deep friendships with many people in all corners of the globe and across decades of tennis history. His crackling humor, warmth, and knowledge made him a keen source of wisdom for everyone, from corporate executives and agents, to journalists, television commentators, and fellow legends.

Crisp volleys, a superb overhead and a wickedly accurate lefty spin serve were Davidson’s trademark shots. In a career that lasted from the early 1960s into the mid-‘70s, Davidson won 13 Grand Slam titles—11 of them in mixed doubles and two in men’s doubles.

In 1967, Davidson became only the third player in tennis history to earn all four major mixed doubles titles in the same year. It started in Adelaide where Davidson and compatriot Lesley Turner won their homeland major. The next three were earned with Davidson’s most frequent partner, Billie Jean King.

Carlos Alcaraz lost the first two games of his debut at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia on Saturday, but he grew into the match against fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas and ultimately cruised to a 6-4, 6-1 victory in Rome.

By stepping onto the court at the Foro Italico, Alcaraz guaranteed himself a return to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on 22 May, following the ATP Masters 1000 event. But the 20-year-old showed his hunger for a third straight ATP Tour title, following his triumphs in Barcelona and Madrid, by extending his winning streak against Spanish opposition to nine matches.

With his 12th straight victory overall, Alcaraz improved to 30-2 this season, including a perfect 14-0 mark against players outside the Top 50.

"It wasn't easy. The first round of every tournament is really tough and of course Albert Ramos, especially on clay, is a really tough opponent," Alcaraz said of his debut performance, which was delayed by rain earlier in the day. "I had to adapt my game really quickly to be able to get though. The conditions weren't easy as well, the rain, the waiting all day. I didn't know if I was going to play or not. But I'm really happy with my performance at the end and really happy to be able to play in the next round."

The relentless power and depth off the 20-year-old's racquet wore down his opponent, and a run of five straight games from 4-4 in the opening set shifted the match decisively in Alcaraz's favour. After dropping serve in the opening game of the match, Alcaraz did not face another break point as he hit through the heavy centre-court conditions with ease, finishing with 28 winners.

A smile beams across the face of a tired but delighted Gregoire Barrere as he takes a seat at the Foro Italico on Friday night. An hour earlier, the Frenchman had earned the biggest win of his season, upsetting World No. 11 Karen Khachanov to reach the third round at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia for the first time.

Before this year, Barrere had never won a match at an ATP Masters 1000 event. He now has five victories at this level and is relishing the opportunity to compete each week on some of the biggest stages the ATP Tour has to offer.

“It's all completely new for me and I am enjoying it every week,” Barrere told ATPTour.com. “I am discovering every tournament right now. The facilities are amazing. It’s great to win big matches and to play big players, so I'm enjoying every moment right now on Tour.

“I am surprised I won against [Khachanov] because I'm not a clay player. I'm not thinking I'm a clay player and my coach is thinking the same. But it's a great feeling and I hope to keep going further.”

[ATP APP]

Facing a tough opponent in tricky conditions, Andrey Rublev got the job done on Saturday at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia.

The World No. 6 prevailed 6-3, 6-4 against Alex Molcan in a second-round match featuring two rain interruptions at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Using his heavy groundstrokes to good effect on the damp clay, Rublev clinched a break of his opponent’s serve in each set to seal an 80-minute win on Court Pietrangeli.

“I’m happy that I was able to finish just before the rain,” said Rublev, speaking as the bad weather returned soon after match point. “I can rest now, and I can rest tomorrow, and I don’t need to stress waiting until the afternoon, so it’s very lucky when you are able to finish before the rain and you know that most of the players still didn’t play.”

Rublev also defeated Molcan in straight sets in the Banja Luka semi-finals three weeks ago, and the 25-year-old delivered a commanding display to secure a repeat result in the Italian capital. The only real nervous moments for Rublev came on his serve at 0-1, 15/40 in the second set, but he found a series of big deliveries to save both break points and hold.

“It was tough conditions, but I think I played well,” said Rublev, who struck 17 winners and made just three unforced errors in the match. “I really like slower courts, especially when it’s weather like this, cold and rainy. I like it even more because I have more time.”

Rain in Rome has delayed Saturday’s play at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, where matches have been postponed until at least 11:30 am local time (CEST).

A host of big names are scheduled to start their campaign at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000, including second seed Carlos Alcaraz. By simply taking the court and making his Rome debut on Saturday against Albert Ramo-Vinolas, the 20-year-old will guarantee himself a return to No. 1 in the next edition of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Start of matches postponed to 11:30am

Check our social media accounts and official website to stay updated on today's schedule #IBI23 pic.twitter.com/RMfgNV2tz1

Monte-Carlo champion Andrey Rublev faces Alex Molcan in the opening match of the day on Court Pietrangeli, where third seed Daniil Medvedev later meets Emil Ruusuvuori and 2017 champion Alexander Zverev clashes with David Goffin.

On Grand Stand Arena, fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas will also be in second-round action. The Greek meets Rome debutant Nuno Borges.

Former Australian doubles legend Owen Davidson - who in 1967 completed the mixed doubles Grand Slam - has passed away, aged 79.

Below is a summary of his career courtesy of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, into which he was inducted in 2010. At full tribute will follow later this weekend.

When Owen Davidson stepped onto a doubles court, particularly with Billie Jean King in mixed, the message was abundantly clear: You’ll have to play your best game – and then some – to come away victorious.

A champion of 11 major mixed doubles titles, eight with King, Davidson was only the third player in history to win a calendar year Grand Slam in mixed doubles. Overall, Davidson won four mixed doubles majors at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships. His four Wimbledon triumphs are the most mixed doubles crowns at the All England Club for a male player.

After all the basketball, it was so great to visit with one of our dearest friends and my mixed doubles partner, Owen Davidson.

Owen Davidson and I won 8 Grand Slam Mixed Doubles titles, 4 of them at #Wimbledon (1967, 1971, 1973, 1974). pic.twitter.com/eGOYROxYBf

Top 5 stars Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas headline the Saturday action at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, with all three set to begin their campaigns at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Second-round singles play will be complete by the end of Day 4 in the Rome main draw, with the field to be narrowed to 32.

Medvedev will be in action on Court Pietrangeli, where Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev will also compete. Three Italians join Alcaraz on the centre court slate, with Lorenzo Sonego meeting 25th seed Yoshihito Nishioka in the afternoon before countrymen Lorenzo Musetti and Matteo Arnaldi square off to cap the evening session.

ATPTour.com looks ahead to some of the biggest matches across the men's singles draw and men's doubles draw on the Saturday schedule.

[ATP APP]

[2] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) vs. Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP)

By simply taking the court and making his Rome debut, Carlos Alcaraz will guarantee himself a return to No. 1 in the next edition Peppersone ATP Rankings. But the Spaniard no doubt has his sights set on a third straight ATP Tour title after completing a second consecutive Spanish double across Barcelona and Madrid.