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In the 45-year history of the ATP Challenger Tour, Lithuania had never hosted a Challenger tournament. That all changed this week, as the Challenger circuit turned its eyes to the country’s capital city, Vilnius.

Lithuania, located in the Baltic states, is the 91st country to host a Challenger tournament. Tournament director Ramūnas Grušas, who is the Lithuanian Tennis Federation president, spoke with ATPTour.com about the process it took to build the Vilnius Open by kevin.

“We started to think about having a Challenger in 2013,” Grušas said. “We made a trip to some Challengers in Europe and talked to the organisers there and finally, we are doing it. We are really happy and excited.”

The host venue, the SEB Arena, provides world-class facilities to the Challenger 80 event. Boasting 28 indoor tennis courts, the SEB Arena is the largest indoor tennis complex in central Europe. Squash and badminton courts can also be found at the state-of-the-art facility. A recent expansion project included the construction of a stadium court for the debut tournament.

 

Dominic Thiem produced an escape act of the highest order Friday at the European Open in Antwerp, where the Austrian saved three match points before downing top seed Hubert Hurkacz with a thrilling 3-6, 7-6(9), 7-6(4) victory.

Thiem saved those match points in a pulsating second-set tie-break, including one with a powerful backhand that crept over the net via a net cord at 5/6. The former World No. 3 then held his nerve to clinch the set and repeated the trick in the decider, surging to an unassailable 6/2 lead in the tie-break to claim his first win against Hurkacz in four ATP Head2Head meetings.

“This victory especially is unbelievable because it’s my first victory over an almost-Top 10 guy in my comeback process,” said Thiem, who returned to the Tour in March after missing nine months due to a wrist injury. “It was unbelievable to play, a great atmosphere and a great match.”

Despite his stroke of luck with the second-set net cord, Thiem kept a high level throughout the two-hour, 55-minute encounter. He struck 36 winners to Hurkacz’s 47, with his trademark backhand a particularly potent weapon.

“Indoors, especially against someone who is serving that great, it’s about little details and margins,” said Thiem. “Today the luck was on my side on that match point. The match could easily have been gone, but it’s like that at the highest level and I’m very happy in general to even get to those close situations again. Today it went my way and I have to enjoy it.”

Holger Rune notched another impressive win on the indoor hard courts of Europe on Friday, when the 19-year-old took out second seed Cameron Norrie in the quarter-finals at the Stockholm Open.

The World No. 27 responded strongly to dropping the first-set tie-break to charge to a 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3 win. He struck 38 winners, including 11 aces, to claim his first victory against the Briton in four ATP Tour meetings this year.

“It was an unbelievable match, I think we both played pretty well,” said Rune after the victory. “Obviously I’ve lost three times in a row to Cam, so I knew it was going to be difficult and the result today showed it was a lot of hard work, so I’m just super happy that after a tough and very long first set, I could stay composed and find a way.”

Having reached the final in Sofia three weeks ago, Rune's run in Stockholm so far has lifted him to No. 25 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as he prepares to meet Alex de Minaur in the semi-finals. The Australian notched an impressive win of his own in Sweden on Friday, downing Denis Shapovalov 6-2, 7-6(4) to reach his fifth tour-level semi-final of the season.

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Matteo Berrettini continued to look comfortable on the seaside hard courts of the Tennis Napoli Cup on Friday, when the home favourite delivered a dominant 6-2, 6-3 quarter-final victory against Taro Daniel.

The second seed picked up where he left off in his second-round win against Roberto Carballes Baena in Friday's quarter-final clash, breaking Daniel’s serve in the opening game. Berrettini barely looked back thereafter, cruising to an 84-minute win to reach his fifth tour-level semi-final of the season.

“I think I was aggressive [from] the very first game and I got the break early in the first set and I felt confident,” said Berrettini after the match. “I didn’t give him the time to organise or [let him] make me move too much. We played each other many times, so I kind of knew what to expect from him, and my plan worked really well.”

A FIFTH semi-final of the year for Matteo Berrettini! ?

The home favourite defeats Taro Daniel 6-2 6-3 in Naples.#TennisNapoliCupbyBCP pic.twitter.com/nKtJlnGLIo

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 21, 2022

Berrettini fired 36 winners, including seven aces, to extend his ATP Head2Head series lead against Daniel to 3-1. The Italian was particularly happy to put on a strong showing in front of his parents, who were watching on from the stands.

The best was saved for last on Thursday at the Stockholm Open, particularly for Frances Tiafoe. In the lone three-setter of the day across both singles and doubles, the American came back from a set and 0-4 down to edge home favourite Elias Ymer in a late-night thriller.

With the 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-6(2) victory, Tiafoe advanced to his seventh ATP Tour quarter-final of the season and denied the Ymer brothers a famous sweep of seeded opposition in their native Sweden. Earlier in the day, Mikael Ymer was a 6-2, 6-3 winner against eighth seed Tommy Paul.

"It was an unbelievable effort, a big growth win for me, to come back and win that," Tiafoe said post-match. "He got a little nervous there and I started upping my level. He still played well in the third. He served well, but I was able to get it done. Elias is a hell of a player."

[ATP APP]

From 0-4 in the second set, Tiafoe won five straight games to turn the tables, then raced out to a 6/0 lead in the tie-break as he forced a decider. The third seed flirted with danger again in the final set, saving a break point at 1-2 and 2-3 before once again dominating the tie-break.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame’s annual Fan Voting returns for 2022, with seven accomplished ATP and WTA players among this year’s candidates for the Class of 2023. From 20 October through 30 October, 2022, tennis fans around the world can cast their ballots for the candidates they believe are worthy of tennis’ ultimate honour: induction into the Hall of Fame.

The seven nominees in the Player Category for the Class of 2023 are:

Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain, 2003 Roland Garros champion and former World No. 1Carlos Moya of Spain, 1998 Roland Garros champion and former World No. 1Daniel Nestor of Canada, a 12-time Grand Slam champion in doubles and mixed doubles and former doubles World No. 1Cara Black of Zimbabwe, former doubles World No. 1 and an 11-time Grand Slam championAna Ivanovic of Serbia, former World No. 1 and 2008 Roland Garros championFlavia Pennetta of Italy, former doubles World No. 1 and 2015 US Open singles champion.Lisa Raymond of the United States, winner of 11 Grand Slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles, and a former doubles World No. 1

Fans can learn more and weigh in with their ballots at vote.tennisfame.com during the voting period. While fans can only vote once, they may vote for as many candidates as they deem deserving.

[ATP APP]

How The Vote Works:
The ITHF Player Voting Group, comprised of approximately 140 tennis journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers, will submit their vote.

Zhang Zhizhen is approaching history.

The 26-year-old on Thursday reached the quarter-finals of the Tennis Napoli Cup to climb to No. 96 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, putting himself in position to become the first Chinese man to crack the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973) on Monday.

“I think it is a tough road to be Top 100,” Zhang said. “I’m so happy for today because I played two matches today and it is a small step, but it’s also a big step for Chinese men’s tennis.”

[ATP APP]

If Zhang defeats Mackenzie McDonald on Friday in the quarter-finals, he will be break into the Top 100 on Monday regardless of other players’ results for the rest of the week.

Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara moved up one place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings on Thursday by reaching the Stockholm semi-finals. The British/Finnish duo climbed to sixth in the Race, one spot ahead of Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios, courtesy of a 6-2, 6-3 win against the Czech pair of Roman Jebavy and Adam Pavlasek at the Stockholm Open.

The third seeds won each set by a single break of serve, saving both break points against them in the contest. The victory sets a matchup against Maxime Cressy and Albano Olivetti, who earned a 6-4, 6-4 win against Colombians Diego Hidalgo and Cristian Rodriguez.

With 3,180 points in the Doubles Race, Glasspool/Heliovaara are 220 points clear of Tim Puetz and Michael Venus in eighth place, with a Top 7 finish needed to guarantee qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals. This year's Hamburg champions would finish the week on 3,340 points by claiming their second title of the season at the ATP 250 in Naples.

[ATP APP]

Dodig/Krajicek Advance In Naples
In need of a late surge to reach the Nitto ATP Finals, Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek progressed to the Naples semi-finals with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win against Pedro Cachin and Roberto Carballes Baena. The top seeds remain in 12th place in the Doubles Race, but could move into 10th with a title at the Tennis Napoli Cup. It would be their second ATP Tour trophy of 2022 (Lyon).

Following a six-year hiatus from professional tennis, Australian Li Tu decided to make a comeback to the sport. Just over two years after making his return, the 26-year-old won his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title and dedicated the victory to his mother, who recently passed away.

This past week, Tu advanced through qualifying en route to triumphing at the Seoul Challenger, where he defeated China’s Wu Yibing 7-6(5), 6-4 in the final. Following the match, the Adelaide native was overcome with emotion.

Tu’s mother, who passed away in September, would’ve celebrated her birthday the day after his title. Tu, who travelled to the Gwangju Challenger the day following his mother’s funeral, dedicated the Seoul title to her. 

“It’s been a tough couple months,” Tu told ATPTour.com. “My mom was very ill, she passed away on the 24th of September. On that weekend was the Seoul 250 event and I was in the qualifying list. I booked the flights and I was ready to go, but then I cancelled that so I could be with my mom, because I knew I’d regret it so much if I left and she passed away. So I cancelled that trip, she passed away that Saturday.

Li Tu celebrates winning the 2022 Seoul Challenger. Credit: Do Won Kim

The resurgent Dominic Thiem maintained his good form on the European indoor hard courts Thursday at the European Open in Antwerp, where the Austrian rallied to a tense 6-1, 1-6, 7-5 win against Francisco Cerundolo.

After Thiem made a blistering start to the pair’s second-round clash in Belgium, sixth-seeded Cerundolo appeared to have taken control when he broke Thiem’s serve for 4-3 in the deciding set. The former World No. 3 roared back in style, however, holding his nerve to clinch four of the next five games and seal a hard-fought two-hour, seven-minute victory.

“That’s why I work hard every day, to be able after two hours with a very close score, to play good shots, to play good tennis, because that is when it matters most,” said Thiem after the match. “At 6-5 in the third, you have to come up with good tennis to be able to bring the match over the finish line, and luckily today it was my turn.”

More of this, please...@domithiem ? @EuroTennisOpen pic.twitter.com/WDb7AB65uP

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 20, 2022

It was a second win against Cerundolo in the space of seven days for Thiem, who defeated the Argentine in straight sets in the quarter-finals in Gijon last week. Unlike on that occasion, Cerundolo found a way to halt Thiem’s early momentum and force a deciding set in Antwerp, but the Austrian finished strong to claim victory having converted four of his eight break point opportunities.

A new week. A new level from Matteo Berrettini.

The Italian kick-started his Tennis Napoli Cup campaign Thursday with a confident second-round performance to down Roberto Carballes Baena 6-4, 6-2. The pair’s meeting at the ATP 250 event in Naples came just eight days after Carballes Baena had upset Berrettini on the indoor courts in Florence, but the second seed put that previous disappointment to bed in style as he charged to a 91-minute second-round victory.

“The atmosphere, The conditions [were different to Florence] for sure,” said Berrettini after the match. “This is outdoor, way warmer, and I wanted to get revenge. I felt like I had a lot of chances last week and it was tough to digest, especially because I played in Florence, in Italy, so it was really tough. But today I stepped on the court, I think with even more will to win this match, and I think I played better.”

Berrettini struck his forehand cleanly throughout, crashing 36 winners to his opponent’s seven en route to his 30th tour-level win of the season. Carballes Baena showed early intent and carved out the first break point of the match in the second game, but once the Italian escaped via a big serve he assumed control. Berrettini converted three from five break points and sealed the win with a huge inside-out forehand to the delight of the home crowd.

Berrettini, who currently sits in 15th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, seeks a strong run this week in Naples to keep alive his outside chance of qualifying for November’s Nitto ATP Finals. His next opponent at the hard-court event will be Taro Daniel, after the Japanese overcame Pedro Cachin 6-4, 7-6(2).

Matteo Berrettini kicked a goal in Naples before taking the court at the Tennis Napoli Cup.

The Italian on Wednesday met countryman Fabio Cannavaro, a football legend who won the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 2006. Cannavaro was the captain of the Italian team that won the World Cup that year.

”Onorato di avert incontrato Capitano,” Berrettini wrote on Instagram, which means, “Honoured to have met you Captain!”

It was not the first time Berrettini has met with football royalty. After competing in the Wimbledon final in 2021, he joined his country’s football team to celebrate their victory at the European Championships.

When Stefanos Tsitsipas last competed on centre court in Stockholm four years ago, he lifted his first ATP Tour title. A lot has changed for the World No. 5 since then, but one thing remained the same on Wednesday — his perfect record at the Swedish ATP 250.

The top seed battled past serve-and-volleying American Maxime Cressy 7-6(5), 7-6(12) to reach the quarter-finals of the Stockholm Open. The 24-year-old will next face defending champion Tommy Paul or home favourite Mikael Ymer.

"I really had to hang tight in there and I delivered the shots that I had to in that second tie-break, which was very crucial," Tsitsipas said. "He was serving extremely well, catching the lines, being very precise and I really went for it in that one."

[ATP APP]

Cressy played aggressive, net-rushing tennis to apply plenty of pressure on his Top 5 opponent. But Tsitsipas remained calm in the critical moments to triumph after two hours and four minutes.

Sebastian Baez made a winning start to his Tennis Napoli Cup campaign on Wednesday when he moved past Italian Lorenzo Sonego 7-5, 7-6(3) to reach the second round.

In a tight match, the Argentine broke twice and struck 23 winners to advance after two hours and 15 minutes at the ATP 250 event, improving to 1-2 in his ATP Head2Head series against Sonego.

The sixth seed, who snapped an 11-match losing streak, will next face Chinese qualifier Zhizhen Zhang or Hungarian Marton Fucsovics.

[ATP APP]

In other action, Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena defeated Chilean Nicolas Jarry 6-4, 6-4, while Corentin Moutet edged #NextGenATP Italian Luca Nardi 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 6-2 in three hours and 32 minutes.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is the ultimate “closer” when serving this season.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the current Top 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings from the 2022 season identifies the Greek as the leading player who holds serve the most after building at least a two-point lead in his service games. Tsitsipas has surged to a 30/0, 40/0, and 40/15 lead 946 times this season and has only dropped serve seven times from these three specific point scores. It’s a jaw-dropping stat, especially considering it does not add up to getting broken even one percent (.007%) of the time.

A “closer” is a specialized baseball pitcher brought in toward the end of the game when his team is leading. His job is to convert the lead into a victory. Tsitsipas perfectly fits the bill from a tennis serving perspective.

Stefanos Tsitsipas: 2022 Season

• Holding from 30/0 - 4 service games lost from 366.
• Holding from 40/0 - 0 service games lost from 269.
• Holding from 40/15 - 3 service games lost from 311.
• Combined - 7 service games lost from 946.
• Combined Hold Percentage - 99.3%

Jack Draper will be the first Briton to compete in the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals. The lefty on Wednesday qualified for the 21-and-under season finale, which will be played in Milan from 8-12 November.

The 20-year-old entered the season with two tour-level wins, but has tallied a 16-9 tour-level record in 2022 to establish himself as a star on the ATP Tour. Draper joins Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune in the Milan field. BUY TICKETS NOW

The Briton was the No. 265 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings at the start of the year. He has climbed as high as World No. 46, a bigger jump than anyone else in the Top 50.

Draper won four ATP Challenger Tour titles early in the year and never relinquished his momentum. The lefty served his way to his first ATP Tour semi-final in front of his home fans in Eastbourne before bursting through at the ATP Masters 1000-level in August in Montreal, where he made the quarter-finals as a qualifier.

During his run in Canada, Draper stunned World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas. The 20-year-old continued his ascent at the US Open, where he made the third round with an upset of Felix Auger-Aliassime.

With his back against the wall Wednesday, Cameron Norrie found a way to reach the quarter-finals at the Stockholm Open.

The second seed trailed Aslan Karatsev 2-4 in the third set but rallied to advance 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-4 at the ATP 250 event. Norrie will next play #NextGenATP Dane Holger Rune or Cristian Garin. The 27-year-old is aiming to win his third tour-level title of the season in Sweden after triumphing in Delray Beach and Lyon.

"It was a tough match," Norrie said. "Every time Aslan was down he raised his level and he really stole that first set from me. I had a couple of set points and I didn't execute as well as I could have done in the tie-break. I stayed solid and I was a bit frustrated in the third set but I managed to claw it back. I feel good and fresh."

[ATP APP]

In a dramatic match, Norrie recovered from squandering a set point in the first set as he played consistently and patiently from the baseline in the second and third sets to turn the clash around and advance after three hours and two minutes.

Daniel Evans wasted little time reaching the quarter-finals at the European Open on Wednesday when he cruised past Frenchman Constant Lestienne 6-2, 6-1 in Antwerp.

The fifth seed looked in control throughout the 75-minute match, winning 82 per cent (18/22) of his first-serve points and breaking five times to earn his 27th tour-level win of the season.

[ATP APP]

The Briton now leads Lestienne 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series, after winning their previous meeting in San Diego in September. Evans, who is currently No. 24 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, will next face second-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime or Frenchman Manuel Guinard. Guinard defeated countryman Geoffrey Blancaneaux 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

The 32-year-old is making his second appearance at the ATP 250 event, having reached the semi-finals in 2020. Earlier this season, Evans enjoyed runs to the last four in Sydney, San Diego and an ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal.

Former singles World No. 19 Xavier Malisse retired in 2013 after winning three ATP Tour singles titles in a 16-year career. The Belgian also won nine doubles titles and reached a career-high of No. 25 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings.

The 42-year-old returned to the ATP Tour last year at the European Open in Antwerp, reaching the semi-finals alongside Lloyd Harris. Malisse is again competing at the ATP 250 event in his home nation this season, this time with Diego Schwartzman.

Malisse and Schwartzman made a strong start Tuesday with a 7-6(4), 7-5 win against Raven Klaasen and Marcelo Melo in the opening round. After taking a tight opening set that did not include a break of serve, Malisse and Schwartzman won the final four games of the match to storm through the finish line from 3-5 in the second set, saving four set points as part of the late surge.

They will next face Tallon Griekspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp, who scored a 6-2, 7-5 upset against top-seeded Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah.

Third seeds Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies also advanced on Tuesday in Antwerp, with the Germans defeating Austrians Lucas Miedler and Alexander Erler 5-7, 7-6(4), 10-6. The British team of Daniel Evans and Jonny O'Mara moved past Serbian twin brothers Ivan Sabanov and Matej Sabanov 6-3, 6-2.

Entering this week at a career high of No. 30 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Miomir Kecmanovic lived up to his lofty ranking with a dominant start at the Tennis Napoli Cup on Tuesday.

The fifth seed dominated Italian wild card Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 6-2 as he continued his strong hard-court form this season. Kecmanovic claimed victory in just under an hour, breaking on four of his five chances while not facing a break point on his own serve. He has earned a personal-best 35 wins on the year, including two semi-final runs.

Seeking a second straight ATP Tour quarter-final after he saved six match points to defeat Daniel Evans and reach that stage in Tokyo, Kecmanovic will next face the winner of the first-round matchup between #NextGenATP Italian Luca Nardi and France's Corentin Moutet.

[ATP APP]

The two other seeded players in action on Tuesday were both dismissed. Portugal's Nuno Borges downed seventh seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-5, 7-6(5), while Argentina's Pedro Cachin was a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 winner against eighth seed Adrian Mannarino.