Looking for Tennis and Racket Sports International News?

Tomas Machac put an end to Carlos Alcaraz’s 12-match winning streak in emphatic fashion on Thursday to reach the last four at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Competing in his third tour-level quarter-final, the No. 33 in the PIF ATP Rankings ignited some of his most blistering tennis to neutralise the threat of the World No. 2, prevailing 7-6(5), 7-5. In a match in which both players produced high-quality tennis, Machac found another gear to record his second win over a Top-5 opponent (Djokovic, Geneva SF).

“I knew that the level of my tennis would be great because I am playing the best right now, for sure,” said Machac. “I beat Tommy Paul [in my] last match with an unbelievable performance. With these types of players, I have to play this level otherwise it’s 6-2, 6-3 [and] you go home, there is no other option. I am happy I managed to play like this for two sets.

“I knew that I had a chance [to beat Alcaraz], but you never know, even with a set and 5-4 [lead] it’s still so far from winning the match. I played great tennis against him in the Davis Cup [in September], but there was this level [for] only one set. Today it was [for] two, so it was enough.”

Czech this out! ?

Machac downs Alcaraz to reach the semi-finals in Shanghai, where he will face Sinner!@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/kabm9UMx6U

Rafael Nadal announced on Thursday that he will retire following this year’s Davis Cup Finals in November.

Stars from tennis and beyond quickly took to social media to congratulate the Spaniard on his unforgettable career. Roger Federer, who played his final match alongside Nadal at the 2022 Laver Cup, led the way with a message.

“What a career, Rafa! I always hoped this day would never come,” Federer wrote in an Instagram comment. “Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love. It’s been an absolute honour!”

Thank you for everything Rafa, it’s been nothing short of incredible ♥️#RafaSiempre

pic.twitter.com/CcussCL5LZ

Casper Ruud, who played doubles with the Spaniard in Bastad earlier this year, wrote: “RAFA Forever!!” Ruud wrote. “Thank you for everything legend.”

Rafael Nadal has announced he will retire at the end of the 2024 season.

The 38-year-old Spaniard will compete in his final professional event at the Davis Cup Finals, to be held in Malaga from 19-24 November.

“Hello everyone, I am here to let you know I am retiring from professional tennis,” said Nadal in Spanish in a video posted on X. “The reality is it has been some difficult years, these last two especially. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations.

“It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make, but in this life, everything has a beginning and an end, and I think it’s the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined.”

A 92-time tour-level champion who spent 209 weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Nadal has been one of the leading lights on the ATP Tour since turning pro in 2001. He is a 22-time Grand Slam titlist, a tally which includes a record 14 crowns at Roland Garros.

Jannik Sinner continued his momentum in his Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry against Daniil Medvedev on Thursday with a stylish quarter-final victory at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

The No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings eased to a 6-1, 6-4 victory against the fifth-seeded Medvedev to reach his fifth ATP Masters 1000 semi-final of the season. Sinner made a red-hot start inside Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena and barely looked back to overwhelm Medvedev, who received treatment on his shoulder from the physio midway through the second set.

“Obviously I’m very happy how I handled today and this match,” said Sinner. “It felt like he had a bit of shoulder pain and couldn’t hit his forehand as well as he wished to. Hopefully he can recover as fast as possible, but from my side it was a great match, a great battle, and let’s see what I can do now in the semi-finals.”

Sinner lost his first six tour-level meetings against Medvedev up until the 2023 Miami final. Since then, the Italian has prevailed in seven of the pair’s eight encounters to level their Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 7-7. His latest victory was earned with a confident, clean-hitting display in which he faced just one break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Into the semi-finals ?@janniksin takes out Medvedev 6-1 6-4 to reach his 10th career ATP Masters 1000 SF in Shanghai ?@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/1oAqBI6TLA

Richard Gasquet, the former No. 7 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, revealed in an interview with L’Equipe plans to retire next year after Roland Garros.

“I think that it is the best moment for me to do it,” Gasquet said in the French interview. “It is the best tournament to do it. It’s magnificent, we have the chance being French to be able to stop in these kind of incredible places. An end, it’s always complicated, all the former great players always told me it’s not easy to announce. You never know when, how, where. Here, in any case, it is obvious.”

The 38-year-old, who turned pro in 2002, has spent more than two decades in the spotlight. Having graced the cover of French Tennis Magazine at age nine, Gasquet won his ATP Tour debut match aged 16 at the 2002 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters against Franco Squillari.

[ATP APP]

Active Players With 500 Wins

David Goffin credits his resurgent form at the Rolex Shanghai Masters to the desire to prove to his three-week-old daughter, Emma, that the level of tennis that propelled him to No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings was still in reach.

Goffin produced a vintage performance on Wednesday to upset second seed Alexander Zverev, prevailing 6-4, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals of an ATP Masters 1000 for the first time since 2021. The 33-year-old Belgian, who is currently World No. 66, became the fourth-lowest ranked quarter-finalist in Shanghai tournament history.

An incredible moment for @David__Goffin as he stuns No. 2 seed Zverev 6-4 7-5.@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/nZU2LJq2e1

Having largely competed on the ATP Challenger Tour over the past two years, Goffin has recently begun to resurrect the form that drove him to the final of the Nitto ATP Finals in 2017.

“I wanted to show my daughter that I can be a good tennis player,” said Goffin, who will face Taylor Fritz for a spot in the last four. “We tried to find a few more years to show her that I can still play tennis, and that’s the case for the moment. Even if she doesn’t realise yet, hopefully she will come and watch a little bit.

Live electronic line calling will be used at Wimbledon from 2025, the tournament announced on Wednesday.

The officiating technology will be in place for all main draw and qualifying match courts, covering the ‘out’ and ‘fault’ calls that have previously been made by line judges.

The decision to adopt live ELC was made following the successful completion of extensive testing during this year’s Championships.

“The decision to introduce live electronic line calling at The Championships was made following a significant period of consideration and consultation,” said Sally Bolton, Chief Executive of the All England Club.

“Having reviewed the results of the testing undertaken at The Championships this year, we consider the technology to be sufficiently robust and the time is right to take this important step in seeking maximum accuracy in our officiating. For the players, it will offer them the same conditions they have played under at a number of other events on tour.”

Jamie Murray and John Peers headlined three teams who survived a Match Tie-break Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

The wild cards upset defending champions Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-7(6), 6-4, 10-6 to reach their third consecutive quarter-final. Murray and Peers reached the last eight in Hangzhou and the semi-finals in Beijing.

Up next for Murray and Peers is Adam Pavlasek and Jean-Julien Rojer, the Czech-Dutch duo who rallied past Luciano Darderi and Alejandro Tabilo 3-6, 6-3, 10-4.

Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow earned a hard-fought victory, escaping Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 6-7(4), 6-4, 10-5. Lammons and Withrow are striving to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, where last year they were alternates. They are currently ninth in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Race To Turin, 

Fourth seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori guaranteed their qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals by reaching the quarter-finals. The Italians downed home hopes Aoran Wang and Yi Zhou 6-2, 6-4.

Improving your return of serve in pickleball is crucial for gaining an advantage in the game. Here are some focused tips to help you enhance your return skills: 1. PositioningStand Back: Position yourself a few feet behind the baseline. This gives you more time to react to the serve and helps you read the ball better.Ready Stance: Adopt an athletic...

#NextGenATP star Jakub Mensik is quickly becoming a Top 10 menace. Will Novak Djokovic be the next player he stuns?

The 19-year-old from Czechia ousted No. 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 on Wednesday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters to earn his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Djokovic.

“[I am] more than excited. Exciting is really a small word [for how I feel]. But yeah, obviously a dream come true,” Mensik said. “Because of him, I started to play tennis. When I was young and starting to play tennis, he was already on the top. So I was like, ‘Wow, he's really good’.

“He [won] a lot of Grand Slams. And right now, when I'm 19 and he's still playing, I have this chance to play against him. Of course, when I started to play, there was one wish — to play against him. So I'm really happy that it came true, and that I can play with him. We'll see which level I am on Friday.”

Remember the name ?#NextGenATP star @mensik_jakub_ records his fourth consecutive Top 10 victory to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final.@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/g5Dvbktirt

Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori made history on Wednesday when they reached the Rolex Shanghai Masters quarter-finals to guarantee their qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals.

In the first three editions of the season finale held in Turin (2021-23), no Italian player competed in the doubles field. This year, there will be an all-Italian team in Bolelli and Vavassori. They will join countryman Jannik Sinner, who was the first singles qualifier for the year-end championships, at Inalpi Arena from 10-17 November.

In their first full season as a team, Bolelli and Vavassori have proven one of the most consistent duos on the ATP Tour. They have won three titles so far in 2024, lifting trophies in Buenos Aires, Halle and Beijing.

The Italians also performed well at the majors, reaching the final at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. They also advanced to the semi-finals in Indian Wells and Rio de Janeiro.

This will be Bolelli’s second appearance in the Nitto ATP Finals, having played with Fabio Fognini in 2015 in London. Vavassori will compete in the prestigious event for the first time.

Novak Djokovic finished with a flourish against Roman Safiullin on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the Rolex Shanghai Masters for a 10th time.

The record four-time champion was forced to dig deep in a 6-3, 6-2 win, remaining firmly alive in his quest for a 100th tour-level title. If Djokovic lifts the trophy in Shanghai, he would become the third man to achieve this feat in the Open Era (Connors, Federer).

“Both last night's match and tonight have been, maybe, some of the best matches I have played in a while, so I am just enjoying myself on the court,” said Djokovic, who improved to 35-8 on the season. “When you play well and feel good, there is obviously a lot of joy in striking a tennis ball on the court.

“These sensations I have on the tennis court are some of the reasons why I keep on playing and keep on competing because I really believe that I can play at a very high level. Now, it’s a matter of keeping that consistency and also having a good time off the court.”

Novak ? Shanghai@DjokerNole defeats Safiullin 6-3 6-2 to reach his 10th #RolexShanghaiMasters quarter-final.@SH_RolexMasters pic.twitter.com/jwkzo8QE9A

Carlos Alcaraz kept his winning streak alive on Wednesday as he earned a 12th consecutive victory to advance to the quarter-finals at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Alcaraz was forced to battle hard in a 6-4, 7-5 win over Gael Monfils, becoming the first Spaniard to reach the last eight in Shanghai since 2017 (Nadal, Ramos-Vinolas). In a display of bruising ball-striking paired with sumptuous touch from both players, Alcaraz held his nerve to improve to 3-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“The main thing I tried in this match was to stay calm, to control my emotions and wait for my chances,” said Alcaraz, who improved to 51-9 on the season. “I had a few opportunities to break his serve at the beginning of the second set [and] I couldn’t take them. In those times, I tried to stay calm and think ‘I am going to have more’.

”That helped me a lot to show my best tennis during the match. I am feeling the ball really well, much more than I was during the American swing. So, I am happy to be able to do it and keep going.”

The winning streak continues ?‍?@carlosalcaraz defeats Monfils 6-4 7-5 to make it 12 consecutive wins and book a spot in the Shanghai final eight.@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/awYDshGIr3

For the second straight year at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton met in the fourth round. On Wednesday, Sinner reversed last season's result to deny the American the biggest win of his career by PIF ATP Ranking on his 22nd birthday.

Sinner scored a 6-4, 7-6(1) win in an entertaining match full of electric shotmaking, improving to 4-1 in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The World No. 1 has not lost to Shelton since their first meeting last year in Shanghai, when the American came from behind to prevail in a third-set tie-break.

"It was very tough. He played only first serves, except one second serve," Sinner said, referring to Shelton's incredible 95 per cent first-serve percentage in the opening set. "I tried to wait a little bit. Obviously playing against him, even if it's a second serve, it's very tough to return.

"But if I look the positive picture, how I ended the match, I tried to stay a bit more aggressive, which I've done, and this hopefully can give me confidence for the for the next round."

The ATP Tour leader in wins (62) and titles (six) this season, Sinner is now through to his seventh ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final of the year — the most in a single season since Alexander Zverev's seven in 2018. The 23-year-old has reached the quarters in all 14 events he has entered this season.

One of the final ATP 250 events of the season is the BNP Paribas Nordic Open, which is held at the Kungliga Tennisshallen. Casper Ruud, Grigor Dimitrov and Tommy Paul headline the action, with Matteo Berrettini and Stan Wawrinka also in the field.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the Swedish tournament:

When is the BNP Paribas Nordic Open?
The ATP 250 event will be held from 14-20 October. Founded in 1969, the hard-court tournament is celebrating its 55th year. It will take place at the Kungliga Tennisshallen. The tournament director is Thomas Enqvist.

Who is playing at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open?
Ruud, Dimitrov, Paul, Berrettini, Wawrinka and Alexei Popyrin are among the players in the Stockholm field.

When is the draw for the BNP Paribas Nordic Open?
The Nordic Open draw will be made Saturday 12 October at 3 p.m. CEST.

After two successful editions in 2020 and 2021, the Astana Open in Kazakhstan became a permanent ATP Tour member in 2022. From 2024, the tournament will become the Almaty Open and be played in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city with a population of more than two million.

Headlining the event are Sebastian Korda, Frances Tiafoe and Alejandro Tabilo.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the Kazakhstani tournament:

When is the Almaty Open?
The ATP 250 event will be held from 14-20 October. The hard-court tournament, which begins its time in Almaty in 2024, is celebrating its fifth year. It will take place at Almaty Arena. The tournament director is Dmitriy Savchuk.

Who is playing at the Almaty Open?
Korda, Tiafoe and Tabilo are among the players in the Almaty field.

The ninth edition of the European Open will be held at the Lotto Arena in Antwerp. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime headline the action at the ATP 250.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the tournament:

When is the European Open?
The ATP 250 event will be held from 14-20 October. It will take place at the Lotto Arena. The tournament director is Dick Norman.

Who is playing at the European Open?
Tsitsipas, Auger-Aliassime, Sebastian Baez, Jordan Thompson, and Nuno Borges are among the field in Antwerp.

When is the draw for the European Open?
The European Open draw will be made on 12 October. 

From Jannik Sinner to Tommy Paul, 20-year-old Ethan Quinn has quickly developed relationships with the biggest stars on the ATP Tour in recent years.

The American trained with World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Jannik Sinner in the leadup to the 2023 US Open and has been close to countryman Paul since he was young.

As part of our Next Gen Influences series, Quinn caught up with ATPTour.com to talk about Sinner, Paul and other inspirations in his life.

We've had six Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champions at this point. Who do you look up to from that group?
I feel like Jannik is a good example. I got to share the court with him last year in the Hamptons leading up to the US Open. I got to get his insights and everything. He's accomplished so much for being just a year or two older than I am, but just hearing his process and just what should be important for me, it was really nice getting to just chat with him.

I actually walked into the locker room [during the US Open] and I saw him, and I was able to just give him a handshake, which I feel like a lot of the top guys, maybe they wouldn't do that for someone [like me]. I was ranked 250 in the world and I'm not from the same nation. To be able to be recognised by a guy like that is pretty nice, just to be able to get his thoughts. From a Grand Slam champion, I really appreciated it. 

Alexander Zverev survived a scare on Tuesday against Tallon Griekspoor in the third round of the Rolex Shanghai Masters, requiring eight match points to book his ticket to the last 16.

With the triumph, Zverev is into the fourth round of a ninth consecutive ATP Masters 1000, still alive in his quest for a second title in 2024. The World No. 3 regrouped from an out-of-sorts second set to prevail 7-6(6), 2-6, 7-6(5) and extend his lead in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series to 5-1.

“It was a tough match, going back and forth. I thought he was a bit lucky during the third set and I got very lucky in the tie-break, so we equalled each other out,” said Zverev, who is making his sixth appearance in Shanghai.

“It was an incredible match, he is someone that I always struggle against. We always have extremely tough matches and, for me, he should be a lot higher ranked than he is. He needs to look at why he is not playing like that every single week. He could be Top 15, Top 10 in the world.”

Moving ?@AlexZverev digs deep to get past Griekspoor 7-6(6) 2-6 7-5.@SH_RolexMasters | #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/GmESoEsB7a

Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos wasted little time getting back to winning ways in their opening match at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Having lifted the title at the Chinese ATP Masters 1000 last year, the Spaniard and Argentine began their 2024 campaign with a 6-4, 6-4 triumph against Miguel Reyes-Varela and John-Patrick Smith on Tuesday afternoon. Granollers and Zeballos won 85 per cent (35/41) of first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to a 77-minute win. They will next take on Jamie Murray and John Peers, who beat Ugo Humbert and Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-0.

The second and third-seeded pairs in Shanghai could not join Granollers and Zeballos in the second round. Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen upset second seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic 2-6, 6-3, 10-5. It was the Belgian duo’s first win in three Lexus ATP Head2Head clashes this year against Arevalo and Pavic, who lead the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

Toyko champions Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool continued their good form on the hard courts of Asia by downing third seeds Matthew Ebden and Lloyd Glasspool 7-6(6), 7-6(3). Their next assignment in Shanghai is a rematch against their Tokyo championship-match opponents, Ariel Behar and Robert Galloway.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]