Looking for Tennis and Racket Sports International News?

American tennis has been surging this season, with a title run at the inaugural United Cup followed by a strong showing at the Australian Open from the nation's men. Taylor Fritz was part of that victorious United Cup team, but he was up against a countryman in Jack Sock to begin his Dallas Open campaign on Thursday evening.

The top seed lived up to his status as the ATP Tour's No. 1 American with a 7-6(5), 6-4 victory, winning a rematch of his most recent meeting with Sock one year ago at the same event. With that result, Fritz moved up one place to No. 7 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, setting himself up for a new career high on Monday.

"I thought I played pretty well," Fritz said of his first match since a second-round Australian Open exit. "He served well and when I got chances on his serve he played the points well, so it was pretty tight. I wasn't really able to find that break, but I played well, I protected my serve well, and I'm pretty happy with the match."

[BREAK POINT]

The World No. 8 converted only one of his seven break chances, but he did not face a break point on his own delivery behind 10 aces and a 91 per cent win rate on first serve.

Only three doubles matches were played on Thursday at the Cordoba Open, but there was no shortage of drama, with two thrillers decided in Match Tie-breaks.

Nicolas Barrientos and Ariel Behar earned a 6-7(5), 6-4, 11-9 win against Hugo Dellien and Guido Pella, clawing back from 2/7 in the deciding tie-break and saving a match point at 8/9. The Colombian-Uruguayan pair won the final three points to advance to the quarter-finals, where they will meet top seeds Rafael Matos and David Vega Hernandez.

Barrientos/Behar dropped serve just once in the one-hour, 47-minute contest, when they failed to serve out the opening set at 5-4. They saved five of six break points, including two in the second set.

[ATP APP]

In quarter-final action, third seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul also staved off a match point in a 6-2, 4-6, 12-10 victory against Spaniards Roberto Carballes Baena and Pedro Martinez. After leading 9/6 in the Match Tie-break, the Frenchmen faced that match point at 9/10 before claiming the win on their fourth opportunity.

Rafael Nadal welcomed a special guest to his academy this week. Felix Auger-Aliassime is preparing for his upcoming events on the hard courts of the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar in Mallorca under the supervision of Frederic Fontang and Toni Nadal.

Before setting off for Rotterdam, where he will form part of the field for the first ATP 500 of the season at the ABN AMRO Open, the Canadian was keen to get a look at the museum where the 22-time Grand Slam champion keeps his trophies.

During his visit to the Rafa Nadal Museum, they had time to enjoy the interactive experiences and take in all the trophies and objects donated by great athletes on the lower floor. In addition, they commemorated their visit with two photos in front of the Grand Slam and ATP Masters 1000 trophy cabinets.

As on his previous visits, Auger-Aliassime stayed in the residence for adults at the academy and had the chance to train for the first time both on the indoor courts and in the new players’ gym. In addition, he sampled the Roland Garros restaurant, where he ate every day.

Auger-Aliassime enjoyed the best season of his career 2022, picking up his first four ATP Tour titles in Rotterdam, Florence, Antwerp and Basel, helping him reach his career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of No. 6. The icing on the cake was his Davis Cup victory with Canada in the finals played in Malaga.

Andrey Rublev is one of the most powerful players on the ATP Tour, always locked in and focussed on the court. It's a combination that has led the 25-year-old to 12 tour-level titles and a career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of No. 5.

But off the court, Rublev's endearing nature and light-hearted disposition make for plenty of funny moments in front of our cameras.

"They call me Picasso!" he joked while presenting his holiday wrapping job on his tennis racquet, complete with bows and all.

Whether its wrapping gifts or completing tennis-themed challenges, Rublev is all smiles in this compilation of off-court moments captured by the ATP Tour. His charming personality has earned him many fans around the globe... even if he's too humble to accept their praise.

"I am shy," he said after reading some flattering YouTube comments. "I start to feel red!"

It took Francisco Cerundolo some time to find his clay-court bearings after a long stretch away from the surface, but he did so in the nick of time on Thursday to advance to the quarter-finals at the Cordoba Open.

In a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 victory against fellow Argentine Federico Delbonis, the second seed trailed 2-5 in the third set and saved a match point on return at 3-5 before claiming victory on his sixth match point. Cerundolo won the final five games of the two-and-a-half-hour contest.

"I think after 2-5 in the third I played my best tennis of the match," the 24-year-old said in his on-court interview. "I was more solid, more patient. I was used to playing on hard [courts], faster points, two or three balls. I had to grind here, play more balls. I figured it out at the end of the match and I think that was a key."

Cerundolo's most recent clay match was last July, when he reached the Hamburg semi-finals. With Thursday's win, he advanced to his second tour-level quarter-final since that event.

The World No. 31 created 18 break chances against Delbonis, converting six of those opportunities. Cerundolo claimed the decisive break, to lead 6-5 in the third, with a majestic forehand winner that was perfectly placed, hit inside-out with authority. After he served out the match in a four-deuce game, the countrymen shared a warm embrace at the net.

It has been a standout year for Quentin Halys. In the past 12 months, the Frenchman has won three ATP Challenger Tour titles and climbed from outside the Top 150 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings to a career-high No. 61.

Now Halys is making his mark on the ATP Tour. The 26-year-old pushed Novak Djokovic to two tie-break sets in Adelaide last month before he reached his maiden tour-level quarter-final in Auckland.

Halys received praise from Djokovic following their match, when the Serbian said the Frenchman "played like a Top 10 opponent". The World No. 1’s words have given Halys a boost this week, with the 26-year-old into the quarter-finals at the Open Sud de France – Montpellier.

“It gave me some confidence hearing that,” Halys said when discussing Djokovic’s comments. “At the end I was a little disappointed because I lost. But It is a nice comment. It is always great to hear that. I know I can perform against those players and I am trying to keep training hard and I know where I want to be.”

[BREAK POINT]

Third seed Borna Coric is up and running at the Open Sud de France – Montpellier.

The Croatian produced a dominant performance on Thursday when he moved past Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals at the ATP 250 event.

Coric, who is making his third appearance in Montpellier, was strong on serve throughout the one-hour, 30-minute clash. He did not face a break point and won 79 per cent (34/43) of points behind his first delivery to earn his fifth win of the season.

“In the second set, I just managed to break him and that was the key to the match. I also served very well today,” Coric said during his on-court interview. “I am very happy to be here again today.”

[BREAK POINT]

For any teen looking to make progress on the ATP Challenger Tour, being coached by a former Top-25 player is a good place to start.

Lithuanian Vilius Gaubas is just getting his pro career started. The 18-year-old is working with former World No. 23 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who Gaubas even convinced to play doubles with him at the 2022 Vilnius Challenger.

This week, the home hope Gaubas pushed World No. 168 Elias Ymer to a three-set battle at the Vitas Gerulaitis Cup. Despite the loss, the teenager, who is No. 760 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, is drawing on positives from Tuesday’’s performance and is keeping his sights on a strong showing in 2023.

ATPTour.com spoke with Gaubas and Garcia-Lopez to learn more about their partnership, the teen’s background, and the Spaniard’s memories of his early days on the Challenger Tour.

Wu Yibing entered the Dallas Open as the newest member of the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. After becoming the second Chinese man to achieve that milestone, the 23-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down.

On Wednesday in Dallas, Wu upset third seed Denis Shapovalov 7-6(1), 6-4 to advance to his first tour-level quarter-final. The victory against the World No. 27 is the biggest win of the Chinese star's career by the measure of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

"I've been playing great tennis the past few months," Wu said in his on-court interview. "Hopefully I can keep playing good. Thanks for all the fans [coming to] watch, especially Chinese fans. I can hear you guys!"

[ATP APP]

Wu was the steadier player against Shapovalov, and he put the Canadian under pressure from the first ball, winning the first seven points of the match en route to an early 3-0 lead. Shapovalov battled back and had a look at break point at 4-4, but Wu held firm and then ran away with the tie-break.

Wednesday's play at the Cordoba Open was not kind to the home favourites, as three Argentines suffered first-round defeats on the ATP 250's stadium court. 

Joao Sousa opened the day's play with a 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 win against Tomas Martin Etcheverry, before Marco Cecchinato defeated Facundo Bagnis 6-2, 7-6(4) and qualifier Hugo Dellien downed fifth seed Pedro Cachin 6-3, 6-4. 

Fourth seed Sebastian Baez salvaged the day for the Argentine fans by closing the evening's play with a 6-3, 6-4 second-round win against Italian qualifier Luciano Darderi. It was the World No. 47's first win of the 2023 season.

[ATP APP]

Italy's Cecchinato did well to finish off his victory against Bagnis in straight sets after he missed out on two match points on return at 5-3 and failed to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set. The former World No. 16 raced out to a 5/0 lead in the tie-break before sealing his place in the second round with his second tour-level victory of the season.

Top seeds Jamie Murray and Michael Venus made a quick start to their Dallas Open on Wednesday. The British-Kiwi duo defeated Jonny O'Mara and John-Patrick Smith 6-2, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals at the Texas ATP 250.

The veterans saved the only break point they faced while converting three of their four opportunities to advance in pursuit of their first title as a duo.

Murray and Venus will next play William Blumberg and Miomir Kecmanovic, who eliminated American wild cards Mitchell Krueger and Thai-Son Kwiatkowski 7-6(1), 6-3.

In other Dallas action, second seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow also moved on with a 6-7(5), 6-3, 10-7 victory against Luis David Martinez and Cristian Rodriguez.

[BREAK POINT]

Guido Pella leaves the training courts at the Córdoba Open and immediately makes his way to the players’ lounge to see if his daughter Arianna, not yet one year old, is still having her nap or has woken and been taken to the hotel by her mother to enjoy the pool. When he sees her, his face lights up immediately. The Argentine stops being a tennis player and is simply ‘dad’.

This constant switching of roles is now a daily routine for Pella, who reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 2019 and has now opened with a win in Cordoba. He is playing on a wild card at the ATP 250, where he finished runner-up in the event’s first edition four years ago.

In fact, for Pella, the 6-2, 6-2 victory over Italian Andrea Vavassori was his first win on the Tour in the past sixteen months because of a chronic right knee injury.

“I feel like crying, like suffering again, continuing to compete well, fighting for it and being a tough player. Winning the first match of my return here in my country is really special, and even more so with my family around,” Pella said. “I don’t want to be corny, but I’m here again because of my family. I was beaten and ready to pack it all in.”

[BREAK POINT]

Arthur Fils’ big game is causing quite a stir this week at the Open Sud de France – Montpellier.

After notching his first ATP Tour victory Monday against three-time champion Richard Gasquet, the #NextGenATP Frenchman delivered another top-class, all-around performance on Wednesday night to take out fourth seed Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3, 6-4 at the indoor ATP 250 event.

“I had one plan… I was playing with no mistakes, a lot of winners, and sometimes a big serve,” said Fils after firing eight aces and converting four of eight break points in his 86-minute second-round win. “I respect him [so much] and I’m really happy about it… I will recover, see my dad, see my coach, and my manager, and then I will sleep!”

The 18-year-old Fils, who lost to Fabio Fognini in three sets on tour-level debut at November’s Rolex Paris Masters, has risen 22 spots to No. 141 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his Montpellier run. His opponent in his maiden ATP Tour quarter-final will be fifth seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or fellow Frenchman Quentin Halys.

[ATP APP]

Jack Sock is competing in his first tour-level event of 2023 this week at the Dallas Open. The 30-year-old Nebraska native has done a lot in his ATP Tour career, highlighted by his standout 2017 season during which he reached e a career-high Pepperstone ATP Ranking of World No. 8 after reaching the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals.

But when was the last time he missed a flight, or strung his own racquet?

Before Sock plays countryman Taylor Fritz on Thursday in the second round in Dallas, we caught up with the four-time ATP Tour champion for the latest edition of our 'Last Time' Q&A series.

[ATP APP]

When was the last time you missed a flight?
That's a good question. I feel like i have a pretty good track record going right now. It's been years. Other than the airline or something changing, I haven't missed one for my own reasons. I've been on point.

“I’ve known Ugo since we were kids. I’m going to cry because I was watching him cry.”

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina had just won a crucial point in a tense first-round clash on Wednesday at the Open Sud de France – Montpellier when a misstep from his opponent Ugo Humbert led to the Frenchman suffering a nasty fall. Despite the heat of the moment, the Spaniard’s only concern was the welfare of his long-time friend as he immediately rushed to Humbert's side.

“I’ve known him since we were kids and I know him very well. It’s never easy to see a friend like this,” said a visibly emotional Davidovich Fokina in his on-court interview after Humbert was forced to retire with the resulting injury to his right leg. “He just flew on the court, and I was like, ‘Something happened’, because he was crying and [it was] tough.

“Then the match was over. He fought [very well], with all the crowd... I was doing my best. I wanted to play the third set, but it is never easy to play injured.”

"I'm going to cry because I was watching him cry"

Everyone needs a friend like @alexdavidovich1 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/U2hJkIZ7Pf

The NBA announced on Monday that Frances Tiafoe will compete in the 2023 All-Star Celebrity Game, which will be played on 17 February in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“It’s awesome, it’s awesome,” Tiafoe told ATPTour.com. “Heard the news a little while ago but [it's] going public now, so I’ve just been trying to gear up for it and get ready. It’s an honour man, it’s an honour.”

Ahead of last year’s Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, Tiafoe attended an exhibition NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and his hometown Washington Wizards. The American spoke with players including Stephen Curry, but he also enjoyed a conversation with NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, who mentioned there was a chance he would be selected for the celebrity game.

“I was like, ‘Yeah right!’” Tiafoe said. 

But when he visited the NBA offices in New York during the offseason, Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed ‘Big Foe’ would get his big chance on the basketball court.

The ATP Challenger Tour has long been an essential breeding ground for the game’s future stars to gain experience and make their initial professional breakthrough.

The Challenger Tour has also proven to be a great stepping stone for college players who have ambitions of turning their dreams into reality, like Ben Shelton, who won three consecutive Challenger titles to finish this past season and was a quarter-finalist at this year’s Australian Open.

The former University of Florida standout, who captured the 2022 NCAA singles title, is just one rising star whose roots are in collegiate tennis. Since Shelton claimed his college crown, the 20-year-old has made quick progress at the pro level.

The #NextGenATP star became the fifth player to win the NCAA Singles Championship and a Challenger title in the same season, marking the first time since Steve Johnson in 2012. The lefty has continued to build upon his momentum and is at a career-high No. 41 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

There's no place like home for John Isner.

After an empty trip Down Under to start his season, the American earned his first win of 2023 at the Dallas Open, just a short drive from his home in the Texas city. The fifth seed defeated Chun-Hsin Tseng 7-6(5), 7-6(1) on Tuesday night to get off the mark on the year.

"I would love to win some tennis matches in Australia. It just never happens," said Isner, who has reached the Australian Open fourth round twice. "I normally play my best at home, in the United States, and this is actually home.

"I'm a homebody and very lucky to, of course, have this tournament here in my backyard. I'm happy to move on. I've got to keep improving, and I think I can."

[ATP APP]

Cristian Garin earned his first tour-level win of the 2023 on Sunday, beating Alexander Bublik to send Chile to the Davis Cup Finals.

On Tuesday, he continued his winning run with a 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-0 victory against seventh seed Pedro Martinez at the Cordoba Open. Prior to this month, Garin had not played a clay-court match since last July; he had not won on the surface since Roland Garros last June.

"This is my first ATP match on clay after six months, so it's tough to get back to the rhythm of this surface," the Chilean said post-match. "It's nice to have another match tomorrow or Thursday... great week."

[ATP APP]

In the two-hour, 30-minute match, Garin attacked the Martinez second serve to great effect, winning 66 per cent of points on the Spaniard's second delivery and breaking serve five times in 14 chances. After Martinez won five straight games to snatch the second set, Garin raced through the third set without allowing his opponent a game point.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame recently launched the TennisWorthy Podcast, a new series of podcasts featuring conversations with Hall of Famers and tennis legends. Among the icons featuring in the first season will be Lleyton Hewitt, Tracy Austin, Ivan Lendl and Mary Pierce.

“The individuals featured in the TennisWorthy Podcast have set themselves apart by achieving the ultimate honour in tennis - induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame,” said Julianna Barbieri, Senior Vice President of Content & Partnerships at the ITHF. “These thoughtful episodes reveal what it takes to reach the top of the game, both on and off the court. Whether it be in competition, in your career or in daily life, listeners and tennis fans alike will discover the qualities that translate to success.”

The conversations featured in the podcast will examine the mindset of champions through the experiences of some of the best players in tennis history. The TennisWorthy Podcast is hosted by Chris Bowers.

The first four episodes will be released as follows:

• Episode 1 (Jan. 25) – Australian great Lleyton Hewitt discusses the drive, intensity and “never say die” attitude that he credits for his achievements.