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Evans/Peers Battle Back For Montreal Doubles Win

Daniel Evans and John Peers beat the rain on Monday at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers to down Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 4-6, 6-3, 10-5.

The British-Australian team completed their comeback with a dominant performance in the Match Tie-break, capitalising on a 4/0 lead to close out the victory. After dropping serve three times in the opening set, the pair claimed the lone break of the second as they turned the match around.

Evans/Peers will next face fifth seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic or the French team of Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.


Bruno Soares and Jamie Murray saved six of nine break points in their Montreal defeat. Photo Credit: Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour

In the only other doubles match to be completed on Monday, Poland's Hubert Hurkacz and Jan Zielinski scored an upset win against sixth seeds Tim Puetz and Michael Venus.

In a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory, the unseeded pairing dominated the opening set then recovered a mid-set break in the second before taking the final three points of the tie-break from 4/4. The Polish duo converted three of six break chances, including two as they opened up a 5-1 lead in the first set.

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Khachanov Earns 200th Match Win In Montreal

Karen Khachanov earned every bit of his 200th tour-level singles win on Monday at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers. After splitting two sets of razor-thin margins against Francisco Cerundolo, the 26-year-old powered through the decider in a 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-3 victory.

The World No. 28 improved to 200-154 with the result, hitting 22 winners and five aces in the two-hour, 43-minute contest. Khachanov was six of nine on break chances and claimed the only break of the final set in its fourth game. After moving ahead 3-1, he dropped just two points on serve the rest of the way, closing out the win with a love hold.

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A two-time semi-finalst at the ATP Masters 1000 event (2018-19), Khachanov earned his first ATP Tour win in St. Petersburg in 2013 and rose to a career-high of No. 8 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in 2019. He won three of his four tour-level titles in 2018, including his trophy triumph at the Rolex Paris Masters.

His best result of 2022 is a run to the Adelaide-1 final in January. Now at 26-18 on the season, he will next meet Marin Cilic or Borna Coric in the second round.

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The Stats Behind Kyrgios' Untouchable Serving Week In Washington

Nick Kyrgios made history at the Citi Open on Sunday by becoming the first man to sweep the singles and doubles titles in the 53-year history of the ATP 500 event. But the Aussie also made a bit of history with his flawless serving performance in the singles competition.

With 64 consecutive service holds, Kyrgios was never broken on his title run, saving all 10 break points against him. He hit 96 aces on the week, including a tournament-high 35 in the quarter-finals against Frances Tiafoe — a 6-7(5), 7-6(12), 6-2 victory in which Kyrgios saved five match points.

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The last time a player won an ATP Tour title without dropping serve was in June, when Taylor Fritz won Eastbourne with 51 straight holds. The last player to do so with at least 64 service holds was Kenneth Carlsen, who claimed the 2002 Tokyo title behind 70 consecutive service games won. Ivo Karlovic was the last man to win an ATP Tour title with at least 60 service holds and no breaks; he held 61 times in winning the 2013 Bogota crown.

For the 2022 season, Kyrgios leads the ATP Tour with a hold rate of 94.42 per cent, winning 423 of his 448 service games across 34 matches, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Only John Isner (91.52%), Reilly Opelka (90.83%) and Hubert Hurkacz (90.13%) join him above the 90 per cent threshold.

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Ruusuvuori Rolls Past Wawrinka In Montreal

Emil Ruusuvuori backed up his third-round run in Washington with another impressive performance at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers on Monday, moving past Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the second round in rainy Montreal.

The Finn defeated World No. 11 Hubert Hurkacz in Washington last week to earn the biggest win of his season and he played with confidence against Wawrinka, outmanoeuvring the Swiss star to advance after two hours and 12 minutes.

The 23-year-old recovered from squandering a break advantage in the second set as he raised his level in the decider, saving the one break point he faced in the third set to triumph in his first ATP Head2Head meeting against Wawrinka.

“I grew up watching Stan and have huge respect for this guy,” Ruusuvuori said in his on-court interview. “He is still such a tough competitor and he has inspired so many people, so I hope he can continue and bring this level. I really enjoyed this match and it was a dream come true.”

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Shang and Zhang Create History On ATP Challenger Tour

Shang Juncheng and Zhang Zhizhen etched their names in the history books on Sunday when they became the first Chinese duo to win ATP Challenger Tour titles in the same week. Following the success of Wu Yibing, who’s won three Challenger titles this year including two weeks ago in Indianapolis, China now has three male players in the Top 250 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Shang, 17, triumphed on Sunday to become the youngest Chinese champion in Challenger Tour history. The teenager defeated Emilio Gomez, who was on a nine match winning streak, 6-4, 6-4 to capture the Lexington Challenger presented by Meridian Wealth Management title.

En route to the trophy, Shang took out the top seed and recent Nur-Sultan titlist, Roman Safiullin, recovering from a 0-6 first-set shutout to advance to the semi-finals, where he again rallied from a set down to defeat Aleksander Kovacevic. Two weeks ago the American had six championship points against Wu in the Indianapolis final but could not close out the match.

Coached by former World No. 1 and fellow lefty Marcelo Rios, who was in Lexington, Shang is the youngest player to win a Challenger title since Carlos Alcaraz at Alicante in 2020.

Shang Juncheng celebrates his Lexington Challenger title with coach Marcelo Rios.

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Rain Suspends Start Of Play In Montreal

Rain has halted the start of play at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers on Monday.

The action was due to commence at 12:00 p.m. local time on all courts, but has yet to begin due to the weather in Montreal. Stan Wawrinka, Taylor Fritz and three-time champion Andy Murray are among the stars in action on Day 1 of the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 event, where Daniil Medvedev is the reigning champion.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Fresh Data INSIGHTS Provide Fans With Stronger Understanding & Narratives

Tennis Data Innovations (TDI) has partnered with TennisViz to develop a series of next-generation data insights, set to enhance the tennis fan experience.

Following the successful launch of In Attack, Conversion and Steal insights earlier in the season, TDI and TennisViz have revealed their latest tranche of co-developed insights. These leverage TDI’s industry-leading match and tracking data and TennisViz’s next generation Artificial Intelligence, to provide fans with deeper understanding and richer narratives around the action on court.

Designed to present fans with the right data at the right time, insights will be fully integrated into the broadcast of ATP Masters 1000 tournaments and the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

What are INSIGHTS?

We’ve aggregated five key fundamentals of every player’s game:
- Type of shot played (more than 60 different shot types)
- Quality of shot (ranked on a 0-10 scale)
- The situation of player (serving, returning, both back, at the net)
- Phase of play (attack, neutral, defence)
- Tactics and patterns of play (7 tactics and 48 patterns of play)

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Kyrgios Back In Top 40, Mover Of Week

Nick Kyrgios’ charge to his second crown at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. propels the Australian to No. 37 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, his highest position since February 2020. Yoshihito Nishioka and Mikael Ymer also make big jumps off the back of strong showings in the U.S. capital.

ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week, as of Monday, 8 August.

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No. 37 Nick Kyrgios, +26
An impressive week in Washington saw Kyrgios lift his seventh tour-level trophy at the Citi Open and the triumph lifts the Australian 26 spots to No. 37 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Kyrgios downed four home favourites at the ATP 500 event — including Frances Tiafoe in a quarter-final thriller during which the Australian saved five match points — before dismissing Ymer and Nishioka to claim his first Tour title since 2019. Read Washington Final Report & Watch Highlights.

View Latest Pepperstone ATP Rankings

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Preview: Three-Time Champ Murray To Face Fritz; Shapovalov Aims For Reset On Home Turf

As Day 1 action gets underway at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, Andy Murray finds himself back on familiar ground, both in terms of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and the hard courts of the Great White North.

In June, the Scotsman returned to the Top 50 for the first time since 2018, the year he underwent the first of his two hip surgeries. The former No. 1 is looking to continue that resurgence with a deep run in Canada, where he has raised the ATP Masters 1000 trophy on no fewer than three occasions, most recently in 2015. There’s plenty of incentive with the US Open looming and a chance to be among the 32 seeds at the year-end Grand Slam.

“It’s still possible to do it. I would just need to have a good run in Canada or Cincinnati,” said Murray, whose summer has included a final in Stuttgart and a quarter-final showing in Newport. “It’s pretty straightforward, if I was to make a quarter-final or a semi-final there. I do feel like if I play very well that I could do that.”

[ATP APP]

The 35-year-old wild card will have his work cut out for him in the opening round on Monday in a first-time encounter with rising American Taylor Fritz. At No. 13 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, the baseliner is riding high after defeating Rafael Nadal to capture his maiden Masters 1000 title earlier this year in Indian Wells, and breaking through to his first major quarter-final last month at Wimbledon.

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History-Making Kyrgios Reaping Rewards For Hard Yards

Nick Kyrgios left the Citi Open with two trophies on Sunday as he became the first man to sweep the singles and doubles titles in the 53-year history of the Washington event. The Aussie defeated Yoshihito Nishioka in the singles final before teaming with Jack Sock to win the doubles crown, both in straight sets and without dropping serve in either match.

"I'm extremely proud of myself and my team," he said in his post-tournament press conference. "It was a really, really good week. It was hard-fought. [I] had some incredibly tough matches. Every practice was really good. I tried to be as professional as I could. I'm just happy to be sitting here, making history along the way."

[ATP APP]

Kyrgios' toughest test came in the singles quarter-finals, when he saved five match points against local favourite Frances Tiafoe before outlasting the American in the third set of a Friday evening thriller. It was the only singles set he dropped on the week as he improved to 11-1 in his past 12 matches dating back to his Wimbledon final run. Now a two-time singles champion in Washington (2019), Kyrgios has reached singles finals in consecutive tournaments for the first time.

"I think it's a reflection of the last six months of how hard I have been working," he added. "I'm just really happy to continue the form after Wimbledon. I think you have got a small window after a Grand Slam that people kind of fear you before they step out on the court. I feel like I made the most of it this week. I'm really happy with my performance."

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ATP 50: Longform Features On A Game-Changing 50 Years

Game-changing. That is one way to describe the impact of the ATP since its inception nearly 50 years ago.

With the organisation's 50th anniversary rapidly approaching — the ATP was launched as a players' association at the 1972 US Open — ATPTour.com is looking back at a half-century of game-changing finals and comebacks, legends and entertainers, and plenty more, including looks at the evolution of fashion in the sport and the many locations the ATP has travelled to.

From the sport's early rockstars, including Bjorn Borg, to the legends who are carrying the torch today, including Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, the ATP has changed the game.

Learn more in the immersive longform features below. Check this page every Friday for the newest installation in the ATP 50 longform series.

Fantastic Finals: 10 Memorable Title Matches In ATP History

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What Medvedev Must Do To Fend Off Alcaraz's World No. 1 Push

Daniil Medvedev will retain his No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings regardless of how he performs in Montreal this week. However, the ATP Masters 1000 event will play a crucial role in how the battle for World No. 1 develops.

Medvedev arrives in Canada in good form after winning his first title of the season at the Abierto de Tenis Mifel. But he has work to do if he is to prevent Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal from mounting a challenge to his hold on top spot in Cincinnati.

If Medvedev reaches the final of the Canadian event, he will retain World No. 1 through at least the US Open. If he falls before Sunday's final, he will open the door for the Spaniards to put pressure on him in Cincinnati.

Alcaraz must reach the Montreal final to have a chance of climbing to World No. 1 after the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. If the 19-year-old wins his third Masters 1000 title of the season in Canada and Medvedev does not reach the championship match, the battle for World No. 1 will be live between the pair in Cincinnati. If Medvedev fails to reach the Round of 16 in Montreal, Alcaraz will have a shot at No. 1 in Cincinnati by reaching the final in Canada this week.

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Alcaraz To Push Closer To Race Lead In Montreal

Rafael Nadal leads the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, but Carlos Alcaraz can make a significant dent in his countryman’s advantage this week in Montreal.

The 19-year-old Spaniard enters the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in second place in the Race as he tries to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. But with Nadal missing the year’s sixth ATP Masters 1000 event due to an abdominal injury, Alcaraz has an opportunity to close the gap on his countryman for the top spot.

If Alcaraz (4,270 points) claims his third Masters 1000 title of the season (also Miami, Madrid), he will claw to within 350 points of the 36-year-old (5,620). That would give Alcaraz an opportunity to pass Nadal in the Race in Cincinnati.

Fans can track the latest Race movements in real time this week following the launch of the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, which updates after each completed match. The Race is now available in the ATP/WTA Live App, which for the first time also features the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin Standings

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Kyrgios Lifts Doubles Title With Sock To Complete Washington Sweep

Nick Kyrgios has owned the spotlight at the 2022 Citi Open, and the Washington singles champion finished the week in style by claiming the doubles title with partner Jack Sock on Sunday evening.

The Aussie brought the event to a fitting conclusion as he served out a 7-5, 6-4 victory against Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek, firing the pair's ninth ace of the contest on match point. With the victory, Kyrgios became the first player to sweep the singles and doubles titles in the 53-year history of the Citi Open.

"I'm really happy to take home both titles," Kyrgios, who improved to 4-0 in tour-level doubles finals, said during the trophy ceremony. "Hopefully I can keep this momentum going."

[ATP APP]

Kyrgios and Sock revelled in the evening atmosphere as they produced a series of show-stopping points to claim the title against this year's Lyon champions and Roland Garros finalists. The fan-favourite duo claimed a late break in the opening set when a Kyrgios passing shot caught the edge of the baseline, then struck early in the second set on a Sock return winner — both breaks coming on a deciding point.

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'Transformed' Kyrgios Claims 2nd Washington Title

From the lows of his struggles with mental health this time one year ago, Nick Kyrgios has once again risen to become a champion on the ATP Tour. The Aussie claimed a well-deserved reward for arguably the most consistent season of his career by winning the Citi Open title against Yoshihito Nishioka on Sunday.

Playing in the singles final for the second straight event after his breakthrough Wimbledon run, Kyrgios outclassed his Japanese opponent in a 6-4, 6-3 victory, claiming his first title since his 2019 Washington triumph. In an efficient display, Kyrgios converted on his first two break chances to take an instant lead in both sets and broke again on his third match point to secure his seventh tour-level title.

[ATP APP]

"It's just very emotional for me," he said in a post-match interview. "To see where I was at last year to now, it's just an incredible transformation. I just came out with great energy. I knew that I had experience on my side today. I love this court, I've played so many good matches here, so I'm just really happy with myself.

"I've been in some really dark places. Just to be able to turn it around... There are so many people who have helped me get there, but myself, I've shown some serious strength to just continue and persevere and get through all those times and be able to still perform and win tournaments like this one."

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Alcaraz: 'I Grew Up So Fast'

Carlos Alcaraz is ready to break more ground at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers as he looks to build on his whirlwind year in Montreal.

The second-seeded Spaniard, who was ranked outside the Top 50 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings last August, will be targeting a Tour-leading fifth title and third ATP Masters 1000 crown of a dream season on debut in Canada.

“I grew up so fast. To be the second seed at a Masters 1000 is amazing and I didn’t expect this at the beginning of the year. Honestly I still can’t believe it right now,” Alcaraz said during his pre-tournament press conference on Sunday. “It is something I wanted at the start of the year, when I was aiming to be at the top and be one of the favourites to win one of the most important tournaments.”

The 19-year-old, who will face Tommy Paul or Vasek Pospisil in his opening match in Quebec, has enjoyed a remarkable rise. Last month, he became the second-youngest player in the 21st century to crack the Top 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, with only countryman Rafael Nadal reaching the landmark faster.

[ATP APP]

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Medvedev Returns To The Winners' Circle In Los Cabos

Daniil Medvedev claimed his first title of the season on Saturday when he defeated Cameron Norrie 7-5, 6-0 to win the Abierto de Tenis Mifel in Los Cabos.

The World No. 1 did not drop a set all week at the Mexican ATP 250 event to earn his 14th tour-level trophy. It is the 26-year-old’s first triumph since last year’s US Open.

“Every match was very good, but the final is always special,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview. “In the final you play the best player of this week, so it’s always a high-level match and I’m really happy that I managed to show some good level, some good shots in such an important match.”

Entering the match, Medvedev was on a five-final losing streak dating back to last year’s Rolex Paris Masters. But the top seed did not show any nerves, converting six of his 10 break points to storm to a one-hour, 23-minute win.

“It was not easy. Cam is an amazing player, so it was really intense,” Medvedev said. “When you play against Cam, you know that you have to fight for every point.”

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Nishioka Stuns Rublev, Sets Kyrgios Clash For Washington Title

Yoshihito Nishioka’s week to remember keeps getting better.

The Japanese lefty continued his impressive run in Washington on Saturday evening when he stunned top seed Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-4 to reach the Citi Open final. The 26-year-old will play 2019 champion Nick Kyrgios for the trophy.

"I love to play here, I have been here many times. But for tomorrow, everyone loves Nick as well. Hopefully still they... the crowd, [cheers for] me, but just [going to] enjoy the day tomorrow," Nishioka said in his on-court interview. "[It is my] first time [in a] final in a 500, so [I will] just [try to] play my best and [I am] excited."

Entering the week, Nishioka had not won a tour-level match since Miami in March. But in July, he won five of his seven matches on the ATP Challenger Tour and carried that momentum into the United States’ capital, where he is now one victory from the biggest trophy of his career.

Nishioka has lost all three of his previous ATP Head2Head matches against Kyrgios. Their most recent clash came in the Round of 16 three years ago, a meeting the Australian won 6-2, 7-5 en route to the title.

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Blumberg/Kecmanovic Make Dream Debut, Win Los Cabos Title

William Blumberg and Miomir Kecmanovic will never forget their team debut on the ATP Tour.

The American-Serbian pair defeated fourth seeds Raven Klaasen and Marcelo Melo 6-0, 6-1 on Saturday to win Abierto de Tenis Mifel title in Los Cabos.

"I'm happy to do it with Miomir," Blumberg said. "We've been friends for a really long time. I've known him since 14, 15, we were juniors. It's nice to link up again."

Blumberg has been Klaasen and Melo’s kryptonite in recent weeks. The former University of North Carolina star teamed with Steve Johnson to defeat the veterans 6-4, 7-5 in the Newport final in July.

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Kyrgios Serves Past Ymer To Reach Washington Final

Three years after one of the best tournaments of his career, Nick Kyrgios is back in the Citi Open final.

The 2019 Washington champion battled past Mikael Ymer 7-6(4), 6-3 on Saturday to reach the championship match of the ATP 500 for the second time. He will play top seed Andrey Rublev or Japanese lefty Yoshihito Nishioka for the title.

On Friday, the Australian won two matches and saved five match points in the second of those clashes, in the quarter-finals against Frances Tiafoe. Kyrgios did not have his back up against the wall again, but he did have to work hard to oust Ymer.

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The Swede, who ousted former World No. 1 Andy Murray in the first round, used his speed and defensive skills to great effect throughout the week and did so against on Saturday, finding small openings with sublime backhand passing shots. 

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