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The action at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour 175 events heated up Thursday, when Aix-en-Provence top seed Tommy Paul advanced to the quarter-finals in southern France. Daniel Elahi Galan’s victory against World No. 34 Yoshihito Nishioka was one of several upsets at the Cagliari Challenger.

American Paul cruised past Frenchman Geoffrey Blancaneaux 6-2, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole.

“Tough conditions today, it was windy. But overall I’m happy with how I played, I wish I would’ve served better,” Paul said in his on-court interview. “More first serves in the court would’ve been better, but I'm happy to walk away with the win.”

World No. 17 Paul is the first Top-20 player to be competing at a Challenger Tour event since Stan Wawrinka played the Prague Challenger in 2020. The 25-year-old Paul will face Jurij Rodionov in the last eight. The six-time Challenger champion Rodionov advanced after outlasting Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(5).

Andy Murray escaped alternate Laurent Lokoli 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. Despite having four match points in the second set, three-time major champion Murray was pushed to a decider by the home hope before sealing victory after two hours, 42 minutes.

Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden rallied from a set down Thursday to reach their second ATP Masters 1000 final of the season.

The Indian-Australian duo ousted eighth seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 5-7, 7-6(3), 10-4 in the last four of the Mutua Madrid Open. In the Match Tie-break, Bopanna and Ebden won four of seven return points to book their ticket into Saturday’s final.

Bopanna and Ebden, seeded seventh, are aiming for their third title of the season (Doha, Indian Wells). Their strong start to the season has lifted them to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings. Bopanna and Ebden will next meet Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer or Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev.

Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin have won titles in Marseille and Miami this season. Their last two losses have come to Bopanna and Ebden, having suffered a defeat to the team in Barcelona.

The third clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event of the season will see the world's best players compete at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, and more in action.

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

When is the Internazionali BNL d'Italia?

The 2023 Internazionali BNL d'Italia will be held from 10-21 May. The clay-court ATP Masters 1000 tournament, established in 1930, will take place at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. The tournament director is Sergio Palmieri.

Who is playing at the 2023 Internazionali BNL d'Italia?

The Internazionali BNL d'Italia will feature stars such as 10-time champion Rafael Nadal, defending champion Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Monte-Carlo champion Andrey Rublev and more.

When is the draw for the Internazionali BNL d'Italia?

The Rome draw will be made at a time yet to be confirmed.

What is the schedule for the Internazionali BNL d'Italia ATP Masters 1000 event?

* Qualifying: Monday, 8 May at 10 a.m, Tuesday, 9 May at 11 a.m.
* Main Draw: Wednesday, 10 May – Sunday, 21 May at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.
* Doubles Final: Sunday, 21 May at 1 p.m.
* Singles Final: Sunday, 21 May at 4 p.m.
*View On Official Website

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

What is the prize money and points for the Internazionali BNL d'Italia?

The prize money for the Internazionali BNL d'Italia is €7,705,780 and the Total Financial Commitment is €8,637,966.

SINGLES
Winner: €1,105,265 / 1,000 points
Finalist: €580,000 / 600 points
Semi-finalist: €308,790/ 360 points
Quarter-finalist: €161,525 / 180 points
Round of 16: €84,900 / 90 points
Round of 32: €48,835 / 45 points
Round of 64: €27,045 / 25 points
Round of 96: €16,340 / 10 points

Aslan Karatsev reached his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final at the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday when he overcame China’s Zhang Zhizhen 7-6(3), 6-4 to become the second qualifier to advance to the last four in tournament history.

In an intriguing clash between two first-time Masters 1000 quarter-finalists, it was Karatsev who held his nerve at key moments inside Manolo Santana Stadium. The 29-year-old saved all three break points he faced in the first set and produced a clean-hitting display in the second set to triumph after one hour and 40 minutes.

"I am happy with my condition. Back to the top level," Karatsev said. "Playing well and feeling well. From the qualifying, match by match, it has got harder, so mentally you have to be there more. Because your opponent doesn't give you any free points so you have to be there yourself. The important thing is now recover well."

Having dropped as low as No. 129 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on 17 April, Karatsev has refound his best form in Madrid, defeating seeded players Botic van de Zandschulp, Alex de Minaur and Daniil Medvedev.

Playing with confidence against Zhang, Karatsev stuck his groundstrokes aggressively in the fast conditions, hitting 29 winners to improve to 1-1 in his ATP Head2Head series against Zhang. With his ninth tour-level win of the year, Karatsev has jumped to No. 51 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

In March 2011, 14-year-old Zhang Zhizhen played a junior tournament in Haikou, China against 15-year-old Cameron Norrie. The result was lopsided: Norrie eased past Zhang 6-2, 6-0. The lefty standout enjoyed a distinguished junior career, dominated college tennis for Texas Christian University and surged into the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

The path to stardom was not as direct for Zhang, who never climbed higher than World No. 166 as a junior. But it was almost fitting that just more than 12 years after that match in China, Zhang earned the biggest win of his professional career against Norrie, eliminating the Briton 2-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(2) on Monday at the Mutua Madrid Open to become the first player from his country to reach the fourth round of an ATP Masters 1000 event.

"Before the match I didn't even think I was going to be here in the second week of Madrid," Zhang said after that match. "Now I made it!”

[ATP APP]

The 26-year-old’s journey at the Caja Magica did not stop there. Zhang then won his third consecutive final-set tie-break on Tuesday when he upset eighth seed Taylor Fritz for a place in the quarter-finals. A win against Aslan Karatsev on Thursday will see him become the first Chinese player in history to crack the world’s Top 50.

Borna Coric ended Daniel Altmaier’s dream run at the Mutua Madrid Open on Wednesday evening. The 17th seed eliminated the lucky loser 6-3, 6-3 to set a semi-final clash against top seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.

“I always love to play here in Madrid. I have very, very nice memories from here and I knew I could play well,” Coric said in his on-court interview. “I came here very early to prepare myself for the tournament, as it’s, I would say, a little bit different to the next tournaments. I’m just very happy to be in the semi-finals.”

[ATP APP]

Coric’s experience on the big stage showed inside Manolo Santana Stadium. The 26-year-old, who lifted his maiden ATP Masters 1000 trophy last year in Cincinnati, earned a service break in his second return game and never looked back to triumph after one hour and 14 minutes.

Appearing in the Madrid quarter-finals for the second time — he did so in 2017 as a lucky loser — Coric took full advantage of his opportunity. The Zagreb-native dominated behind his first serve and did not face a break point against his German opponent.

The remaining two quarter-finals will light up the Caja Magica on Thursday at the Mutua Madrid Open, where fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas headlines the action in the bottom half of the draw at the ATP Masters 1000.

The Greek competes in his 19th Masters 1000 quarter-final while his opponent, Jan-Lennard Struff, will be appearing in just his third. First-time quarter-finalists Zhang Zhizhen and Aslan Karatsev are the other two players hoping to join Carlos Alcaraz and Borna Coric in the semi-finals.

ATPTour.com looks ahead to Thursday’s scheduled action on the clay of the Spanish capital.

[ATP APP]

[4] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs. [LL] Jan-Lennard Struff (GER)

A big-serving battle kicks off the night session on Manolo Santana Stadium as 2019 finalist Tsitsipas meets the former World No. 29 Struff for the first time since 2020.

The fire still burns within Carlos Alcaraz.

The Spaniard has accomplished historic feats in his young career. The 19-year-old, who turns 20 on Friday, became the youngest World No. 1 in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history last year. He won his first major title at the US Open and has already earned three ATP Masters 1000 crowns.

After defeating Karen Khachanov in the Mutua Madrid Open quarter-finals, the teen made clear he is still hungry for more.

“My dream in tennis right now is to become one of the best tennis players in history,” Alcaraz said. “I know that this is a big dream, [it] probably is too big. But in this world, you have to dream big and you have to think big, as well.”

Alcaraz played his 150th tour-level match on Wednesday, and is now 117-33 according to Infosys ATP Stats. He has won 78 per cent of his matches, which is better than the career marks of legends including Pete Sampras (77.4%), Boris Becker (76.9%), Guillermo Vilas (76.2%), Andre Agassi (76%), Arthur Ashe (75.4%), Andy Murray (75.2%) and Stefan Edberg (74.8%).

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Fans in Aix-en-Provence, France were treated to a blockbuster first-round match Wednesday, when Andy Murray and Gael Monfils met at the ATP Challenger Tour 175 event.

The three-time major champion Murray stayed steady from the baseline and drew errors from Monfils’ backhand to earn a 6-3, 6-2 victory at the Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole.

“I’m glad to be back on the court competing again at a high level,” Murray said in his on-court interview. “I’m hoping I can get some more matches here and keep building to get ready for Roland Garros.”

While the opening set featured three consecutive breaks of serve, Murray stayed in charge on the French clay to advance after one hour, 22 minutes. The former World No. 1 didn’t face a break point in the second set.

It was Murray and Monfils’ first clash since the 2014 Roland Garros quarter-finals, which the Briton won in five sets. All six of their tour-level meetings have been at ATP Masters 1000 events or higher.

Carlos Alcaraz engineered a stunning second-set turnaround to overcome an impressive display from Karen Khachanov and keep his title defence on track Wednesday at the Mutua Madrid Open.

The top seed trailed 2-5 in the second set of the pair’s quarter-final clash on Manolo Santana Stadium but rallied to a 6-4, 7-5 triumph to reach his third ATP Masters 1000 semi-final of the season. Frequently deploying drop shots to try and disrupt Khachanov’s heavy baseline hitting, Alcaraz hit 31 winners to prevail in what will be his final competitive match as a teenager.

“It was pretty tough. The first set as well, it was close,” said Alcaraz, who turns 20 on Friday. “I was in trouble in the second set, a break down and [he had] two break points to have the second break. So it was really tough for me to come back and he had his chances to win the second set.

“Luckily I knew I was going to have my chances. I just tried to take my opportunities and I’m really happy to get through.”

Khachanov had stuck with Alcaraz early in his bid for a first win in three attempts against the Spaniard. The top seed raised his level in the seventh game to break his opponent, however, and Alcaraz’s high-class retrieving along the baseline was a dominant feature of the first set. He dropped just two points behind his first serve en route to claiming the opener to the delight of the home crowd.

Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden delivered a commanding upset in Wednesday’s quarter-final action at the Mutua Madrid Open.

The Indian-Australian duo ousted top seeds and defending champions Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski 6-3, 6-2 to reach the last four at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Bopanna and Ebden won 23 of 29 points off their first serves and didn’t face a break point throughout the 60-minute contest.

Bopanna and Ebden, seeded seventh, move one step closer to capturing their third title of the season (Doha, Indian Wells). They will next meet Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who hold the top spot in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings. The Mexican-French duo will aim to avenge this year’s Barcelona loss to Bopanna and Ebden.

Daniel Altmaier is the first lucky loser to reach the Mutua Madrid Open quarter-finals since his opponent in the last eight, Borna Coric, in 2017. The German may have needed a slice of fortune to acquire his spot in the main draw in the Spanish capital, but his dream ATP Masters 1000 run can be seen as just reward for his years of hard work battling back from shoulder and hip problems.

As an 18-year-old in mid-2017, Altmaier climbed as high as No. 210 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings after reaching his first ATP Tour quarter-final in Antalya. Yet an injury-plagued 2018, during which he competed in just three professional tournaments, disrupted his progress. It was not until late 2020 that he reached that mark again, en route to his career-high of No. 53 in May 2022.

“I really got to know my body,” Altmaier told ATPTour.com last year when asked if any positives had come out of his difficult journey back. “I really put a lot of effort into doing my research and understanding the change of the body. For example, if your calf is hurting, where is the potential? Is your ankle wrong or is it coming from the hip?

“I really started to understand those changes and I really wanted to know what was happening. Now, I think I feel much better about understanding my body.”

An unforgettable moment for @daniel_altmaier ?@MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOpen pic.twitter.com/mBvopbsuWG

ATP has launched the ATP Business Programme, a new educational initiative in collaboration with LaLiga. The programme is designed to build ATP players’ knowledge of the sports industry and open professional opportunities following their playing careers.

This season the programme comprises 30 tuition hours, delivered online and in person over four months. In total, more than 20 ATP players have enrolled for its first edition. The programme launched with an in-person session at LaLiga's headquarters in Madrid, opened by ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi and LaLiga President Javier Tebas.

The programme will be taught by various industry experts with first-hand knowledge of both the tennis world and the wider sports industry. Topics covered will range from sports marketing, sponsorship and personal branding to social media, fan engagement, event management and governance. At the initial in-person session, players also had an exclusive opportunity to learn about the rebranding of LaLiga, which will be implemented this summer.

The course will also feature a two-day classroom session in New York during the US Open.

ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said: “This programme is something very close to my heart. When I reflect on my own journey, education helped me unlock career prospects post-tennis and took pressure off me as a player. It also gave me more insight into how to manage my career. We’re proud to collaborate with LaLiga to deliver this incredible opportunity to ATP players. It will no doubt be valuable for players, both during and after their time on Tour.”

Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin's red-hot start to 2023 keeps getting better.

The first-placed team in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings advanced to the semi-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open on Tuesday when they ousted Simone Bolelli and Fabrice Martin 4-6, 6-4, 10-7. The Mexican-French duo saved four of five break points to move on at the Caja Magica.

Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin's first full year as a team has been fruitful. They lifted the trophy in Marseille before earning ATP Masters 1000 glory at Miami. They are now two wins from claiming another Masters 1000 trophy, this time in Madrid. Next up will be top seeds Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski or Indian Wells champions Rohan Bopanna/Matthew Ebden.

Fourth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer reached the last four with a 4-6, 6-2, 12-10 victory against Canadian singles stars Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov. They saved one match point at 9/10 in the Match Tie-break.

The 2022 Turin competitors are off to another good start this season behind ATP 250 titles in Adelaide and Delray Beach. Arevalo will face Jamie Murray/Michael Venus or Karen Khachanov/Andrey Rublev in the semi-finals.

Stefanos Tsitsipas traded a great night on return with a modest night on serve to advance to the quarter-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The Greek conceded three service breaks to World No. 42 Bernabe Zapata Miralles but remained in charge throughout thanks to seven service breaks of his own in a 6-3, 6-1 victory in a match that ended at 12.35am.

Tsitsipas, whose victory was highlighted by a series of down-the-line backhand winners, has reached the quarter-finals or better of his past 10 clay-court events. He will next meet Germany lucky lose Jan-Lennard Struff.

The two-time Monte-Carlo champion dominated his opponent’s serve, restricting Zapata Miralles to a first-serve winning percentage of 38 per cent.

Attacking German Struff continued his hot clay-court, charging into his second consecutive ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final after a tight 7-6(7), 6-7(7), 6-3 win over Argentine Pedro Cachin.

Can anyone stop Carlos Alcaraz from successfully defending his Mutua Madrid Open crown?

Karen Khachanov will take his shot at eliminating the Spanish star on Tuesday at the Caja Magica. The 10th seed is fresh off a Top 10 win over Andrey Rublev in the fourth round.

Even with Alcaraz in the top half of the draw, there is opportunity for the other quarter-finalists in the half. Seventeenth seed Borna Coric and lucky loser Daniel Altmaier will meet for the first time for a spot in the last four.

ATPTour.com previews the first two Madrid quarter-finals.

[1] Carlos Alcaraz vs. [10] Karen Khachanov

Alcaraz produced a ruthless performance on Tuesday to dismiss former World No. 2 and defending Madrid finalist Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2. It was an even more lopsided victory than the one the Spaniard earned in last year’s 6-3, 6-1 final at the Caja Magica.

Zhang Zhizhen made history on Tuesday at the Mutua Madrid Open, where he became the first Chinese player to reach an ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.

The 26-year-old accomplished the feat in style, saving three match points to rally past eighth seed Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(8). It marked his first Top 10 win on his third attempt.

“I didn’t think about this. Didn’t really think about [his] ranking, because you just need to give the best you can,” Zhang said in his on-court interview. “Before the match, you know it’s a very tough player. There is no weakness, so [I] just tried what I can do. Then [after] losing the first set, [I was] thinking about trying to play a little bit closer match. In the end [that] I can win, that’s amazing.”

[ATP APP]

It has been a breakthrough week for the Chinese star, who upset World No. 13 Cameron Norrie in the third round. At the time, not only did that make him the first player from his country to reach the fourth round of an ATP Masters 1000 event, but it had been the biggest win of his career by Pepperstone ATP Ranking.

This week’s jam-packed ATP Challenger Tour 175 events began main-draw action Tuesday, with stars such as Thanasi Kokkinakis and Alexander Bublik among those who made a winning start.

The Australian Kokkinakis defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4, 6-3 in the opening round after winning 17 of 21 points off his first serve and converting seven of 11 break points at the Sardegna Open in Cagliari, Italy.

Kokkinakis will next meet Alessandro Giannessi or Francesco Passaro at the clay-court event, where Yoshihito Nishioka and Ben Shelton are the top two seeds.

It was a day for Italian Mattia Bellucci to remember, as he earned his first Top-100 win by upsetting fifth seed Diego Schwartzman 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. The 21-year-old will next face his countryman Giulio Zeppieri, who survived wild card Andrea Vavassori 7-6(0), 4-6, 6-4.

In other Cagliari action, Japan’s Taro Daniel downed American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-1, 4-6, 6-1. Daniel, World No. 109, will meet third seed Mackenize McDonald on Thursday.

A year on from their 2022 final clash, Carlos Alcaraz conjured a repeat result and a similarly scintillating performance against Alexander Zverev to charge into the quarter-finals at this year’s Mutua Madrid Open.

Alcaraz was dominant from the outset in Tuesday’s clash, barely putting a foot wrong in his 6-1, 6-2 triumph against the two-time champion Zverev on Manolo Santana Stadium. He dropped just eight points behind serve and was a constant menace on return as he broke the German’s serve four times in an emphatic 83-minute triumph

[ATP APP]

Stepping on court seeking his 18th straight ATP Tour victory on Spanish soil, Alcaraz immediately set about demonstrating his best level to the vocal home crowd at the Caja Magica. He struck the ball with power and accuracy from the first game to heap pressure on Zverev and broke the German’s serve in the second and sixth games en route to the opening set.

Zverev, who prevailed in the pair’s most recent previous ATP Head2Head meeting at Roland Garros last year, was unable to raise his level to match the 19-year-old Spaniard. Alcaraz reeled off five games in a row from 1-2 in the second set as his lightning-fast movement around the court enabled him to redirect his opponent’s heavy groundstrokes with ease.