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Netflix Releases Break Point Trailer: Game. Set. Match.

Game. Set. Match.

Meet the next generation of tennis giants in Netflix’s new tennis series, Break Point, which documents a game-changing year in the sport with unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to a select group of the world’s best players.

Netflix on Thursday released a trailer of the show, featuring some of the players as well as legends Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova, who provide insight. The series will premiere on 13 January.

“The hardest thing in sports is expectation,” Roddick said.

The trailer takes viewers through the pressure facing the world’s brightest young talents and the indescribable intensity of competing at the highest levels in tennis.

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Now Gen vs Past Gen: Sinner Hits With 99-Year-Old In Adelaide

Jannik Sinner has not dropped a set this week en route to the quarter-finals of the Adelaide International 1. But Kyle Edmund and Thanasi Kokkinakis have not been his only opponents.

The Italian on Wednesday enjoyed a battle of Now Gen against Past Gen at the ATP 250 event, where he hit with 99-year-old Henry Young, who on 11 January will compete in Melbourne against 98-year-old Ukrainian Leonid Stanislavskyi in the Battle of the Centurions, part of the Tennis Plays For Peace charity event.

“It’s obviously my pleasure. Seeing a man 99 years old playing incredible tennis, having such strength and willpower to stay on the court — yesterday was also hot — for me was a real pleasure,” Sinner told ATPTour.com. “I know he’s [playing] a very important match raising money in Melbourne, so it’s my pleasure obviously to play with him.

“I wish him all the best not only in the tennis court, but off court, which is most important. It was a lot of fun.”

Special moment to hit with Henry today, 99 years old and #1 in the world! Henry is playing against 98 year old Ukrainian Leonid Stanislavskyi on Rod Laver Arena next week to raise money for people in Ukraine. Both are an inspiration to us all! Good luck ??#ClashOfTheCenturions pic.twitter.com/91FUz1JX80

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SF Preview: Will Hurkacz & Swiatek Help Poland Surge In Sydney?

By winning the City Final on Wednesday night in Sydney with a tidy 4-1 score over Great Britain, the Americans soon made the short commute back to their hotels, looking forward to an off day. Meanwhile, in Brisbane and Perth, four nations battled to join them in Friday’s United Cup semi-finals in Sydney.

In the end, Poland defeated Italy and Greece upended Croatia — with both ties decided by mixed doubles featuring four of the world’s best singles players. Italy advanced courtesy of the country’s superior percentage of sets won over Croatia, and will join them. Poland and Italy made their way 500-plus miles down the east coast of Australia from Brisbane, while Greece had to navigate more than 2,000 miles from Perth, situated on the west coast.

The matchups and overall record after three ties: U.S. (13-2) vs. Poland (10-5) and Greece (11-4) vs. Italy (10-5).

Here’s a closer look at the two semi-finals:

United States vs. Poland

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The Best United Cup Photos: City Finals

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When The Going Gets Tough, Djokovic Goes Lockdown Mode

New season, same script for Novak Djokovic.

Trailing World No. 64 Quentin Halys 2-5 after a competitive first set at the Adelaide International 1 Thursday, did anyone really doubt that the Serbian would come back? With the Frenchman serving for the set at 5-3, Djokovic went into lockdown mode, breaking to love after teasing four consecutive unforced errors from the 26-year-old's racquet.

From there it was a business-like performance from the man who spent a record 373 weeks atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as he closed out a 7-6(3) 7-6(5) win to set a quarter-final clash with explosive Canadian shotmaker Denis Shapovalov. To his credit, Halys remained competitive throughout, but ultimately slipped to 0-12 in career meetings against Top 30 opponents.

"It was a great performance from my opponent today and I want to congratulate him for a great fight. He played like a Top 10 opponent," Djokovic said. "He was serving big, hitting his spots and on a fast court like this it's tough to break, so two tie-breaks is a realistic score in today's match. I'm glad to overcome the challenge."

Djokovic, who has won 20 of his past 21 matches, claimed the third title of his career in Adelaide in 2007. This week he seeks career title No. 92. He next faces Shapovalov Friday with a potential blockbuster semi-final with Daniil Medvedev on Saturday.

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Italy Claims Fourth United Cup SF Spot

Wednesday ended in celebration for Team Italy despite a narrow defeat to Poland in the United Cup's Brisbane City Final. Falling 3-2 in a tie decided by the mixed doubles finale, the Italians earned a place in the semi-finals with the best overall record among the day's three losing teams — beating out Croatia and Great Britain to join winners Poland, the United States and Greece in Sydney for the Final Four that begins Friday.

A 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win for Matteo Berrettini against Hubert Hurkacz put the Italians ahead early in the tie before Lorenzo Musetti powered past Daniel Michalski 6-1, 6-1. Musetti teamed with Camilla Rosatello for the mixed doubles decider, but the pair was turned back 6-1, 6-2 by the star Polish team of Hurkacz and WTA World No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

The loss finalised Italy's record at 10-5 across three ties in Brisbane — matching that of Team Croatia, which fell 3-2 against Greece in the Perth City Final. Great Britain finished at 8-7 after a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the United States.

With Italy and Croatia level on match records, the Italians advanced courtesy of their superior percentage of sets won. They will now travel to Sydney to take on Stefanos Tsitsipas, Maria Sakkari and Team Greece in the semis. The full semi-final schedule is below.

ORDER OF PLAY - FRIDAY, JANUARY 06, 2023
KEN ROSEWALL ARENA start 1:00 pm
[2] I. Swiatek (POL) vs [3] J. Pegula (USA) 
[2] D. Michalski (POL) vs [3] F. Tiafoe (USA) 

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Karatsev Edges Into Pune QFs In Two TBs

Aslan Karatsev has yet to drop a set in the 2023 ATP Tour season, but he had to save three set points on Wednesday at the Tata Open Maharashtra to maintain that perfect record. After erasing one in the opening set of a 7-6(7), 7-6(8) victory against Tim van Rijthoven, the eighth seed fought off two more in set two to advance to the quarter-finals at the ATP 250.

Karatsev broke serve for the first time on his sixth break point of the match midway through set two, but then dropped serve from 40/0 as van Rijthoven created his first chances on return. After Karatsev failed to convert two match points on return at 5-4 — his seventh and eighth break points of the contest — he closed out the match in an extended tie-break on his fourth opportunity. 

[ATP APP]

Next up for the 29-year-old is Spain's Pedro Martinez, who came from behind to upset fourth seed Sebastian Baez 3-6, 6-1, 6-3. France's Benjamin Bonzi also scored an upset on Wednesday, knocking off third seed and returning finalist Emil Ruusuvuori 6-1, 7-6(4).

Top seed Marin Cilic made a winning start to the new season with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win against Roberto Carballes Baena. The Croatian, seeking his third Pune title after back-to-back triumphs in 2009-10, fired 16 aces and won more than 80 per cent of points on first serve. He will next face Tallon Griekspoor for a place in the semi-finals.

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Sakkari Eases Past Martic To Give Greece 2-1 Lead Against Croatia

Maria Sakkari gave Greece a 2-1 lead over Croatia in the Perth City Final at the United Cup on Wednesday after defeating Petra Martic 6-3, 6-3 in the third match of the day.

Earlier, Donna Vekic had kicked off the tie with an emphatic 6-2, 6-0 defeat of Despina Papamichail in just 64 minutes, giving Croatia an early 1-0 lead. However, Stefanos Tsitsipas drew level at 1-1 after coming from 1-4 down in the third set to beat Borna Coric for the first time 6-0, 6-7(4), 7-5.

The clash of the two teams' top WTA players saw Sakkari deliver a fine serving performance to shut out Martic. The WTA No.6 landed 67 per cent of her first deliveries and won 73 per cent of those points — a recipe for success, as she was broken just once and only faced break points in two games. By contrast, Martic's serve was not the weapon it can be, with only 54 per cent of her first serves landing in.

[ATP APP]

Both players fired 19 winners apiece, but Sakkari demonstrated both more consistency and better execution on big points. A series of Martic errors paved the way for Sakkari to break for 5-3 in the first set, and the two-time major semi-finalist kept a firm grasp of momentum by unleashing on a sequence of forehands to capture Martic's serve again at the start of the second set.

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As An Ex-Pro, Your Mother Should Know! Sakkari, Tsitsipas Discuss Mums’ Influence

“Everything about how I play is from my mum.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas is in no doubt about the influence that his mother, former WTA pro Julia Apostoli, has had on his rise to the top of the game. Not just in terms of raising him and supporting him courtside since he was a junior, but also directly influencing the fundamentals of his game.

“Single-handed backhand, serve and volley sometimes, it’s from my mum,” the nine-time tour-level titlist told ATPTour.com this week. “My mum was a very aggressive player. Nowadays you don’t see many women with a single-handed backhand, but she had a beautiful one, it was her best stroke that she used very effectively. It’s something I consider a strength of mine as well. She has taught me so much about that particular shot and she gives me advice on the net game as well.”

This week in Perth, Tsitsipas has spearheaded Team Greece’s United Cup campaign alongside another Top 10 star who grew up as the child of a tennis player, WTA No. 6 Maria Sakkari. Her mother Angeliki Kanellopoulou reached a career-high No. 43 in the WTA Rankings in 1987.

“I think it’s very special that we [Stef and I] are two very good players and both have very special mums,” said Sakkari. “For us, it’s an inspiration having two very powerful women in our lives and supporting us.

Stefanos Tsitsipas/Julia Apostoli
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Berrettini Battles Past Hurkacz, Gives Italy Critical Lead Over Poland

Matteo Berrettini continued his hot start to the new season Wednesday when he earned a critical win against Hubert Hurkacz in the United Cup Brisbane City Final. The World No. 16 relied on his big serve and booming forehand to secure a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 triumph after one hour and 57 minutes

The win importantly gave Team Italy a 2-1 lead against Team Poland, putting his team within one win of a spot at the Final Four of the mixed-teams competition in Sydney. Lucia Bronzetti will try to clinch the tie for her country when she faces Magda Linette in the No. 2 women's singles match. A potentially decisive mixed doubles match will follow.

"I’m really happy for the performance, for my teammates obviously," Berrettini said. "I think the level was really high. Hubi is a great player. We fought in the past, I’m sure we’re going to fight in the future as well. So I’m really, really happy. A little bit tired, but really happy."

Berrettini made a quick start, breaking Hurkacz's serve immediately. However, the encounter turned into a heavyweight clash between the two 2021 Nitto ATP Finals contenders.

There was little to differentiate between the stars, with the critical moment coming at 3-2 in the deciding set. Berrettini hit two sensational passing shots in the game to give himself a break opportunity, which he converted when the Pole missed a forehand long. The Italian now leads their ATP Head2Head series 2-1.

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Pegula Fires United States Back In Front

World No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 11 Madison Keys gave the United States a 2-1 lead over Great Britain in the Sydney City Final at the United Cup.

Keys gave Team USA an early 1-0 lead after rallying from a set down to defeat No. 145 Katie Swan 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. No. 14 Norrie had the perfect response, putting Team GB on the board with a clutch 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win over No. 9 Taylor Fritz.

But a comprehensive masterclass from Pegula, winning 6-2, 6-0 over Harriet Dart in 57 minutes, edged the Americans ahead.

[ATP APP]

"I think Madi really set the tone with her match," Pegula said. "I think I did everything really well today. I could feel it. Some days you come out firing and you feel really good. I was honestly trying to settle myself down because I was seeing the ball really well today."

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Medvedev Magnificent To Reach Adelaide Quarter-finals

Daniil Medvedev had to scratch and claw in his opening match of the season, saving nine set points in his first set of 2023. The former World No. 1 faced no such difficulties on Wednesday.

Medvedev cruised past Miomir Kecmanovic 6-0, 6-3 to advance to the Adelaide International 1 quarter-finals. He will next play Karen Khachanov for a place in the last four.

"It's always better to win 6-0 than to win 7-6 saving nine set points and playing one hour, 20 [minutes]," Medvedev said. "But tennis is not as easy, otherwise everyone would be No. 1, but we have only one. So happy with my level today against a strong opponent. Second set was tougher, but managed to close it out at the end and looking forward to my next matches."

The third seed saved the only break point he faced to triumph after 67 minutes. Medvedev now leads the pair’s ATP Head2Head series 3-0, winning all seven sets they have played.

[ATP APP]

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Vekic Dispatches Papamichail To Give Croatia Lead In Perth City Final

Donna Vekic kicked off the United Cup Perth City Final on Wednesday with an emphatic 6-2, 6-0 defeat of Despina Papamichail in just 64 minutes, giving Team Croatia a 1-0 lead against Team Greece.

The No. 158-ranked Papamichail had impressed in her United Cup campaign so far, pulling out a three-set win over Isabella Shinikova on Day 1 and then delivering a superb performance in defeat against Alison Van Uytvanck. But the 29-year-old had few answers to Vekic's relentless power.

[ATP APP]

Papamichail showed off her trademark grit in the first game, saving four break points for an early hold. But Vekic converted her sixth break point of the day in the third game, winning a rally that featured net cords and a cat-and-mouse volley exchange before Papamichail put a smash wide.

Thereafter, Vekic settled and began to dominate. The former WTA No.19's return was in fiery form, particularly on the off forehand, one of which captured another break for 5-2. She leavened her power with finesse, too, with the drop shot proving increasingly successful.

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Musetti's Magical Performance Gives Italy Lead Against Poland

Lorenzo Musetti gave Italy a perfect start in the United Cup Brisbane City Final on Wednesday when he cruised past Poland's Daniel Michalski.

The two-time ATP Tour titlist and Next Gen ATP Finals alumnus was in full control on Pat Rafter Arena, showing his class in a 6-1, 6-1 win against the World No. 260. The Italian lost just three service points in his 58-minute victory.

"Of course the serve worked really good," Musetti said. "But I mean every shot [I] had a great feeling with the ball since the first hit on the court. I think I played for sure the best match of the year."

Poland will look to quickly strike back when WTA World No. 1 Iga Swiatek takes the court against World No. 27 Martina Trevisan, a lefty who made last year's Roland Garros semi-finals. That clash will be followed by the No. 1 men's singles match between 2021 Nitto ATP Finals competitors Hubert Hurkacz and Matteo Berrettini, which kicks off the night session not before 5:30 p.m.

Musetti oozed with confidence from the first ball against Michalski, waving his racquet like a wand on the court. Michalski struggled to find his rhythm early, which allowed the World No. 23 to play from the lead, which he never relinquished.

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Keys' Comeback Gives United States Early Lead Against Great Britain

Madison Keys gave Team United States an early 1-0 lead over Great Britain after rallying from a set down to defeat World No. 145 Katie Swan 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the United Cup Sydney City Final.

The tie continues with the battle of team No. 1s as Taylor Fritz is set to face Cameron Norrie and Jessica Pegula to face Harriet Dart. Frances Tiafoe will be ready to play Daniel Evans in the fourth singles tie.

If the teams are locked at 2-2 after singles, the match will come down to mixed doubles, which is scheduled to showcase Pegula and Tiafoe against Dart and Evans.

The winner of the tie will advance to the United Cup Final Four, which commences in Sydney on Friday. The best runner-up from across the three City Finals will also progress to the Final Four.

Great Britain has served as a fantastic underdog foil at the United Cup, having tallied upset wins over Australia and Spain in group play. Swan looked keen to continue the trend early, as she jumped on a slow-starting Keys to take the opening set.

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The Best United Cup Photos: Group Stage

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Nitto ATP Finals Champs Ram/Salisbury Open New Season With Pune Win

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury picked up where they left off in 2022 as they opened the new season with a doubles win Tuesday at the Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune.

Fresh off their maiden Nitto ATP Finals title in November, the American-British pairing defeated Sebastian Baez and Luis David Martinez 6-3, 7-6(1) to advance to the quarter-finals at the ATP 250. The top seeds will meet Ramkumar Ramanathan and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela next after the Indian-Mexican pair edged Rohan Bopanna and Botic van de Zandschulp 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 11-9.

French third seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul also advanced via a Match Tie-break on Tuesday, scoring a 6-7(1), 7-5, 10-7 win against the Indian duo of Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni.

[ATP APP]

Italian Success In Adelaide
Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego knocked off home favourites James Duckworth and Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-4 at the Adelaide International 1, with Sonego recovering to take the court after a second-set retirement in his matchup against Daniil Medvedev on Monday. Sinner earned two wins on Tuesday, beating Daniel Evans 6-3, 6-2 in singles play.

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United Cup City Finals Preview: Tiafoe, Fritz Look To Stay Perfect For Team USA

The United Cup began six days ago in three cities across Australia, with 18 nations competing in six groups. Now, it’s down to just six teams. Wednesday’s City Finals in Sydney, Perth and Brisbane will each feature five matches — two women’s and men’s singles and one mixed doubles — spread across two sessions.

Four of the top five seeded teams made the cut and are joined by Great Britain and Croatia. The team matchups are: United States vs. Great Britain in Sydney; Italy vs. Poland in Brisbane; and Greece vs. Croatia in Perth.

The three winning nations and the losing team with the best United Cup record will advance to Friday's semi-finals in Sydney.

[ATP APP]

Sydney, Ken Rosewall Arena
United States (2-0) vs. Great Britain (2-0)

Five singles players for these two teams bring perfect 2-0 records on the new season into the Sydney City Final.

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Van Rijthoven Makes Winning Start In Pune

Tim van Rijthoven became the third Dutchman into the second round of the Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune on Tuesday, when he sealed a 6-4, 6-4 first-round victory against Radu Albot.

The No. 111-ranked Van Rijthoven clinched the only break of each set in his maiden tour-level meeting against Albot, wrapping up an 86-minute victory behind some big serving in India. The 25-year-old, who lifted his maiden ATP Tour title on grass in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last June, struck 14 aces and saved two break points to set a meeting with Aslan Karatsev. The eighth-seeded Karatsev was a 6-1, 6-3 winner against Pablo Andujar.

Van Rijthoven joins countrymen Tallon Griekspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round in Pune. Van de Zandschulp is seeded second at the ATP 250 event, behind Marin Cilic.

[ATP APP]

Also on Tuesday, #NextGenATP Italian Flavio Cobolli notched his second tour-level win with a 6-4, 7-5 victory against home wild card Mukund Sasikumar. Cobolli will take on van de Zandschulp on centre court on Wednesday as he bids to reach the third round of an ATP Tour event for the first time.

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Captain Radwanska Praises 'Role Model' Hurkacz

Much of the discussion around Team Poland at the United Cup has centred around the the captain-player pairing of former WTA No. 2 Agnieszka Radwanska and current World No. 1 Iga Swiatek. While Swiatek has delivered in Brisbane with a pair of singles wins, so too has teammate Hubert Hurkacz, who entered 2023 at No. 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Hurkacz, who defeated Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan and Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland to help his country to a 2-0 Group B record, also paired with Swiatek for a mixed doubles win against Kazakhstan. 

Asked about her top male player, Radwanska pointed out the 25-year-old's professionalism as a standout trait.

"He's very professional. He's really focussed on the game," she said after Poland's 3-2 victory against Team Switzerland. "He's doing everything off the court to play the best tennis. I admire him that at a really young age he became a model for all the young kids, how to do everything to play the best tennis: how to eat, how to stretch, how to practise, how to be focused all the time, to really prepare for the match 100 per cent.

"That's something that you're not going to see very often at a young age. He did that since I know him. When you're a teenager, sometimes in your mind there are so many different things. He was always focussed on tennis. That's why he's here [in the Top 10], playing some of the best tennis in the world. It's good to see him playing better and better tennis, and I really hope he can do even better than that."

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