Looking for Tennis and Racket Sports International News?

Almaty’s staging of a first ATP tournament has proven to be a historic occasion for one of its residents, too.

Beibit Zhukayev contests his maiden ATP Tour quarter-final on Friday at the Almaty Open, with his parents expected to be in attendance again. 

“I’m really happy that I got through to my first ATP quarter-final, especially playing at home,” said the 24-year-old wild card, who advanced to the last eight when the surging Tomas Machac retired due to illness after four games Thursday. “It’s an incredible feeling. I’m very proud of myself.”

Zhukayev resides close to the mountains, about a 20-to-25-minute drive from the tournament venue without traffic, the No. 213 player in the PIF ATP Rankings said.

When traffic strikes Kazakhstan’s most populous city, the commute stretches to an hour.

Stan Wawrinka produced a vintage performance Thursday at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open to become the oldest quarter-finalist in Stockholm tournament history.

The 39-year-old dug deep to prevail 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and record back-to-back tour-level wins for the first time since reaching the third round of the 2023 US Open. Wawrinka twice trailed by a break in the deciding set, but found some gutsy tennis to advance in two hours, 12 minutes.

“I’m super happy to get through this match, it was a tough opponent today, but the level was good and it was great to win two matches here,” said Wawrinka. “It’s an amazing atmosphere, a full house. Thank you everybody for making so much noise.”

STAN THE MAN ?

A great week continues for @stanwawrinka as he rallies past Davidovich Fokina 6-4 3-6 7-5 to reach his 112th tour-level quarter-final!@EuroTennisOpen | #EuropeanOpen pic.twitter.com/qy9mFjAXt0

Wawrinka, the former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, capitalised on a lacklustre seventh game from the Spaniard before closing out the first set with ease. Davidovich Fokina then raised his level in a near-flawless second set, during which he won 89 per cent (16/18) of points behind his first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Stefanos Tsitsipas was forced to resort to defence mode Thursday in order to secure a thrilling opening-round win at the European Open.

The second seed was on the brink of defeat, but showcased his resilience to defeat Brazilian qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-5. Tsitsipas fended off three break points in the 11th game of the decider before finding a crucial break of his own to seal victory in two hours, 26 minutes.

“It was exhausting out here having to stay in the match,” said Tsitsipas, who improved to 40-19 on the season. “The comeback was crazy. When he was up in the score, I managed to stay in the points and defend well.

“It was all psychological at the end, I managed my nerves pretty well. I don’t usually like to build my game around defensive shots, but I had to fight, I had to do anything within my artillery to make it work.” 

Tsitsipas set up a quarter-final clash with fifth seed Jiri Lehecka, who earlier eased past Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 6-3 in one hour, 13 minutes. The Czech was imperious on serve throughout the contest, during which he won 91 per cent (30/33) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz never competed against one another on the ATP Tour, but now fans can see the next best thing. Last week at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, Federer joined the Spaniard for a special practice session that bridged the gap between two generations of greatness.

"What am I doing here?" Federer joked to the cameras as he made his grand entrance.

From the privacy of the practice courts, the 43-year-old showed he's still got game as he confidently traded baseline strokes with his 21-year-old sparring partner. The ATP Masters 1000 tournament's cameras documented the star-studded session, capturing footage as the players ripped forehands and backhands in a light workout.

While a Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between the pair remains a pipe dream, they did joke about playing a practice set while they wrapped up. Federer and Alcaraz also sat next to one another in the stands to watch the Shanghai singles final, with Jannik Sinner — who last week clinched ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours — beating Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 6-3.

Daniil Medvedev has withdrawn from the upcoming Erste Bank Open.

The World No. 5, who won the tournament in 2022 and reached last year’s final, has cited shoulder issues ahead of the 2024 edition, which will take place from the 21-27 October.

Alexander Zverev, already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, will headline the field in the Austrian capital. Alex de Minaur, Grigor Dimitrov, and Tommy Paul are set to compete at the ATP 500, all vying to make a late push to qualify for Turin.

Medvedev will be replaced by #NextGenATP Alex Michelsen in the main draw.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Frances Tiafoe dug deep to produce a thrilling comeback win Thursday and advance to the last eight at the Almaty Open.

The top seed rallied from a set down against qualifier Daniel Evans to triumph 6-7(10), 7-6(4), 6-3. Advancing to his 42nd tour-level quarter-final, Tiafoe improved to 6-3 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“I just kept going, my serve was a big part of it, I served a lot of aces today,” said Tiafoe, who slammed down 21 aces in the contest. “I started coming into the net and taking more risks, instead of being patient in the rallies.

“That was tough, I knew it was going to be a battle, so I was well prepared. I’m just happy to come out with the win.”

Top seed had to fight ?@FTiafoe | @ktf_kz | #AlmatyOpen pic.twitter.com/U88JfYM2cp

Alejandro Tabilo features in the draw at this week’s Almaty Open but it isn’t the first time the Chilean has found himself in Kazakhstan.

Tabilo distinctly remembers competing in back-to-back third-tier indoor tournaments in Aktobe in February 2019, just after he held no ranking due to a change in the ranking structure at those levels.

He reached the final of the first one — barely missing out on a clash with a teenaged Jannik Sinner — and won the second after starting with a victory against Tomas Machac.

“Those tournaments gave me my ATP Ranking back and just opened up the doors again to go up,” said Tabilo, who subsequently achieved semi-finals and quarter-finals of ATP Challenger Tour events on clay in Kazakhstan later in 2019.

Tabilo enjoyed his time to such an extent that he made an early decision this year to compete in Kazakhstan’s most populated city.

Tennis superstars Alex de Minaur, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Jasmine Paolini and more will headline the third edition of the United Cup.

The exciting innovative mixed team event will be staged in Perth and Sydney from 27 December to 5 January 2025.

Seven of the world’s Top 10 women and six of the world’s Top 12 men have committed to the tournament after entries from the top 16 countries were revealed today.

Team USA, led by 2023 US Open champion and world No. 3 Gauff and US Open finalist Fritz, have been named as the top seeds for the 2025 event.

Gauff, 20, who was the flag bearer for the United States at the Olympic Games in Paris, will make her United Cup debut.

Could Alex de Minaur be set to ignite a late charge to qualify for his maiden appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals?

The 25-year-old dug deep to survive a scare Wednesday at the European Open in Antwerp to claim a victory upon return to tour-level action. De Minaur got off to a sluggish start in his first match since the US Open quarter-finals but rallied from a set down to defeat Roberto Carballes Baena 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 to book his spot in the last eight.

“It’s never easy coming back from injury, so I am happy I was able to win today,” said de Minaur, who has been nursing a hip injury that forced him out of the Asian swing. “It took a lot of fight and effort, so I’m happy to get a first win here in Antwerp.

“The match is never over until the last point, that’s what I always tell myself. I’m always going to compete until the very end and it’s helped me win a lot of matches, so I better keep doing it.”

De Minaur is currently ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, 425 points behind eighth-placed Andrey Rublev, who is in action Thursday in Stockholm. The Australian, who reached the 2020 final in Antwerp, began to find his rhythm in the second set, during which he won 83 per cent (10/12) of points behind his first serve, but ultimately clicked into gear in a gruelling deciding set, prevailing in two hours, 18 minutes.

Casper Ruud marked his first appearance at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open since 2019 with a hard-fought win Wednesday against Lorenzo Sonego.

The second seed was dialled in throughout the contest, prevailing 6-3, 7-6(3) to become the first Norwegian player to record a match win in Stockholm tournament history. Ruud, who is currently seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, took another step towards qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals.

“I haven’t won many matches lately, so this was a nice win,” said Ruud, who improved to 5-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. “It was great to get my first win in Stockholm.”

QF bound ?@CasperRuud98 | @sthlm_open
| #bnpparibasnordicopen pic.twitter.com/TPpgfJ9jku

Ruud got off to a blistering start, winning 80 per cent (12/15) of points behind his first delivery in a 39-minute opening set, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Despite a second-set fightback from the Italian, Ruud held his nerve in a tie-break to advance to the quarter-finals.

Some thousand-odd kilometres away from tennis hotbeds such as California and Florida, where country clubs and academies come by the dozen, lies Carmel, Indiana; population roughly 100,000.

A northern suburb of the state’s capital city Indianapolis, Carmel is nestled amongst corn and soybean fields that dominate much of that region’s landscape. It might not seem like a natural cradle for tennis stars. But Carmel has charted an unlikely path as a small tennis spotlight.

Carmel is the hometown of not only Rajeev Ram, former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings, but also Nishesh Basavareddy, the fast-rising 19-year-old who recently won his first ATP Challenger Tour title.

Basavareddy’s family moved from southern California to central Indiana when Nishesh was eight. His father, Muralikrishna, was relocated for his job with Toyota Industrial Equipment, which is headquartered in Columbus, Indiana.

“I think it is obviously a much different setting in Carmel, Indiana than L.A. It was a huge move for us, but I really liked it from the start,” Basavareddy told ATPTour.com. “The people here were really welcoming and we found a great coach in Bryan Smith, who I have worked with since I was eight years old.”

Nostalgic feelings often arise from memories of home, drawing us back to cherished moments — some that feel like yesterday and others that seem like a lifetime ago. For Dominic Thiem, such fond recollections in his home country Austria are woven throughout his standout 13-year career.

The 31-year-old will bid farewell to professional tennis this week at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, where he won his first tour-level match as a teenager and later lifted the trophy in front of his home fans in 2019. It has been a key tournament filled with unforgettable moments for Thiem.

Prior to Thiem’s title run, he had not surpassed the quarter-finals at the ATP 500, but he arrived in Vienna in 2019 having already won four ATP Tour crowns for the year including his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown in Indian Wells. If his excellent form had created any extra pressure to perform in front of his home fans, the top seed handled it flawlessly.

Thiem eased past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in his opening match and then recovered after dropping the opening set to Fernando Verdasco in the second round, before Pablo Carreno Busta retired when 0-5 down to give the Austrian a semi-final spot. From there Thiem fought off two Top 15 stars in the semi-finals and final, respectively, rallying from a set down in both matches to eventually be crowned champion.

He overcame Matteo Berrettini 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in the last four, avenging his Shanghai loss to the Italian from just two weeks earlier.

Felix Auger-Aliassime, who has won the past two editions of the Swiss Indoors Basel, will this year try to become just the second player in tournament history to win the ATP 500 trophy three times in a row after Roger Federer (2006-08 and 2017-19).

The Swiss event is a happy hunting ground for Auger-Aliassime, who has won two of his five ATP Tour titles there. Ahead of the 2024 edition of the indoor hard-court tournament, ATP Tour.com reflects on his title runs in 2022 and 2023.

2022: Flying Felix hits a late-season hat-trick
Enjoying the best season of his career, Auger-Aliassime arrived at the 2022 Swiss Indoors Basel full of confidence from his back-to-back title runs in Florence and Antwerp. He dropped only one set en route to the trophy at each of those indoor ATP 250 tournaments.

The Canadian then pulled off a similarly dominant run at ATP 500 level in Basel, where he dropped his only set of the tournament in his opening-round match against Marc-Andrea Huesler. After next easing past Miomir Kecmanovic and Alexander Bublik, Auger-Aliassime set a semi-final showdown with Carlos Alcaraz.

Continuing his red-hot form, Auger-Aliassime lost only five games to the then-World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, who had just won his first major title at the US Open. It was his third consecutive Lexus ATP Head2Head victory against Alcaraz.

#NextGenATP 17-year-old Justin Engel made history on Monday at the Almaty Open where he became the first player born in 2007 or later to win an ATP Tour match. But his run at the ATP 250 grinded to a halt on Wednesday when fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo moved past the German wild card 6-4, 7-6(3).

Engel, who defeated Coleman Wong on his tour-level debut, put up a fight against Cerundolo in an absorbing 90-minute clash. He battled back from a break down in the second set to eventually force a tie-break and showed flashes of brilliance, striking 15 winners.

However, Cerundolo was the more consistent, committing nine fewer unforced errors (24-35) in the pair's first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting to seal his spot in the quarter-finals.

"It is always difficult to play a new guy," Cerundolo said. "I don't know how he plays and he is a young guy who has nothing to lose, so he plays freely. I think it was a controlled match from my side on my service games until 5-4 when I served and missed a few easy forehands.

"After that it was difficult to close the match because he started playing really well but luckily I finished it in the tie-break."

Fifth seed Nicolas Jarry saved a match point Tuesday at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open, where the Chilean edged home hope Elias Ymer 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(7).

In a dramatic finish, Jarry was leading 8/7 in the deciding-set tie-break when he surged forward and hit a backhand volley winner before balancing on his toes to avoid touching the net. The chair umpire confirmed that the ball had bounced twice before Jarry reached over.

The 29-year-old Jarry, who saved a match point at 6/7 in the deciding-set tie-break, tallied three consecutive points to advance after two hours, 26 minutes.

“The end was very difficult for both. We were playing great points,” said Jarry, who improved to 2-0 against Ymer in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. “We were both very mentally strong, not giving any chances. I’m happy that in the end, I was able to be a little bit more aggressive. I served very well in the tie-break and didn’t give him many opportunities.”

Making his tournament debut, Jarry trailed by a set and a break, but quickly rebounded and held his nerve in a six-deuce game at 3-3 in the second set. The World No. 34 in the PIF ATP Rankings confidently struck his hefty forehand in pressure moments and drew errors from Ymer’s backhand.

Thomas Muster’s iconic 1995 Roland Garros trophy is set to be auctioned off for charity as part of the ‘Champions of Vienna’ campaign. It marks a significant highlight of the ‘Official Tennis Experience’ at the Wiener Stadthalle, the home of the Erste Bank Open (21-27 October).

The ATP 500 tournament is celebrating its 50th anniversary, coinciding with the auction, running from October 9 to November 3, 2024. All proceeds will go towards the Ö3 ‘Christmas Miracle’ charity, which supports the LICHT INS DUNKEL emergency aid fund for families in need. 

“When I held the trophies in my hand again, many things came back to me. Now my trophies are going to someone who may have been watching at the time, and you can do something good at the same time,” Muster said. “It's not so easy to give it all away, because there are a lot of emotions and memories behind the trophies.”

Thomas Muster wins Roland Garros in 1995. Credit: Patrick Kovarik/Getty Images

The ‘Official Tennis Experience’ exhibition offers an exciting journey through the last five decades of tennis in Vienna, showcasing exclusive memorabilia from key players linked to the tournament’s history. In addition to Muster’s trophies, the exhibition features items from stars like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner.

Eighth seed Adrian Mannarino dug deep Tuesday to keep his title defence hopes alive at the Almaty Open.

Roman Safiullin served for a straight-sets win at 7-5, 5-3, but the Frenchman Mannarino relied on his brickwall consistency to mount a comeback. After two hours and 45 minutes, the 36-year-old secured his place in the second round with a 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-3 victory. In the second-set tie-break, Mannarino won all five of his return points.

Mannarino earned a record-extending 11th match win at the Kazakhstani ATP 250, which was previously held in Astana.

“Today was a tough match. I was down, I was about to lose the match actually,” said Mannarino, World No. 56 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “I don’t know — a little bit of luck maybe and I came back. That was really close.”

With his opening-round win, the five-time tour-level titlist improved to 3-0 against Safiullin in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Mannarino, who earned his 300th career match win last month in Beijing, will next meet an Australian: James Duckworth or Aleksandar Vukic.

Rafael Nadal’s storied playing career may be drawing to a close, but the Spaniard’s legacy will likely continue to inspire future generations of ATP Tour stars. Just ask Justin Engel.

On Monday, Engel defeated Coleman Wong at the Almaty Open to become the first player born in 2007 or later to win an ATP Tour match. The #NextGenATP German, who was making his tour-level debut as a wild card, saved nine of 10 break points he faced against Wong. It was a display of resilience under pressure that his tennis hero would have been proud of.

“Rafa was always my idol,” Engel told ATPTour.com ahead of his second-round meeting with Francisco Cerundolo at the Kazakhstani ATP 250. “I loved watching him play and also wanted to be like him on the court, mentally always pushing and fighting and everything. He was my favourite player since I was a kid.

“On court, mentally and everything, I would say I’m not [exactly] like Nadal, because we are all different, but I’m always fighting and pushing. I was always a fighter on the court.”

Making history ?

17-year-old Justin Engel becomes the first player born in 2007 or later to record an ATP Tour win!

Read all about it ?

Novak Djokovic did not leave the Rolex Shanghai Masters with his 100th tour-level title, but he departed China with critical points for the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.

The Serbian star arrived at the season's eighth ATP Masters 1000 event in ninth place in the Live Race. By reaching the final, he surged to sixth place, putting him in a qualifying position for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will take place from 10-17 November in Turin.

PIF ATP Live Race To Turin (as of 14 October)

Djokovic is 605 points ahead of Alex de Minaur, who in ninth place is currently the first player outside the cut for the season finale.

The 37-year-old Djokovic is trying to earn his place at the year-end championships for the 17th time. Only Roger Federer (18) and Rafael Nadal (17) have qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals that many times. Djokovic owns the record for most titles at the event with seven.

Mental toughness is a crucial aspect of sports performance, including tennis. It refers to the psychological attributes that enable athletes to maintain focus, resilience, and confidence under pressure. Here are some strategies to develop mental toughness in tennis: 1. Set Clear GoalsShort-Term Goals: Establish achievable goals for each practice se...