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Mahut/Roger-Vasselin Battle Past Murray/Soares In Washington

Three years ago Andy Murray and Jamie Murray defeated Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the first round of the Citi Open. On Wednesday, the Frenchmen earned their revenge.

Mahut and Roger-Vasselin eliminated Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 6-3, 6-7(7), 10-4 to reach the quarter-finals in Washington. They will next play Nick Kyrgios and Jack Sock.

The Frenchmen have claimed seven tour-level titles together, most recently lifting the trophy in Tokyo in 2019. 

In other doubles action in the United States' capital, fourth seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek defeated Emil Ruusuvuori and Luke Saville 6-4, 6-4 to set a clash against Daniel Evans and John Peers.

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Wolf's Shapovalov Upset Leads American Charge In Washington

Canada's Denis Shapovalov was known to have a stuffed animal wolf in his player box in his early days on the ATP Tour. But on Wednesday at the Citi Open, he had to contend with J.J. Wolf across the net.

The unseeded American won the battle of 23-year-olds 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3 to advance to the Washington third round, breaking serve on five of seven chances. Despite hitting three aces to Shapovalov's 20, Wolf was more successful on both first and second serve and posted a strong 81 per cent (46/57) win rate on his first delivery.

Fuelled by the home support, the former Ohio State Buckeye also found success at net, winning 13 of his 16 approaches in the two-hour, 17-minute contest.

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Entering the ATP 500 event as a newly minted member of the Top 100 for the first time, Wolf is up nine spots to No. 90 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this week. With a 6-4 record on the season, he has twice before reached the Round of 16 on the ATP Tour this year (Acapulco, Houston). He also picked up wins at the ATP Masters 1000s in Indian Wells and Miami after qualifying for both events.

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Ruusuvuori Clutch Under Pressure To Upset Hurkacz In Washington

Emil Ruusuvuori lost the first set of his Citi Open run 1-6 against Mackenzie McDonald. The Finnish star has not looked back since.

After rallying past McDonald on Tuesday, Ruusuvuori upset second seed Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-6(3) on Wednesday to reach the third round at the ATP 500 event in Washington. The 23-year-old saved all four break points he faced against the Pole to triumph after one hour and 44 minutes.

"I just was able to hang in there in the first couple games. He had an early break point, but then I was able to keep that service game and give myself a chance to break him and I was able to use it and then just try to keep my own serve," Ruusuvuori said in his on-court interview. "I didn't have many chances until the [second-set] tie-break and then I got a look at a couple second serves and [made] a couple deep returns, so that gave me the chance."

Hurkacz battled hard until the end, relying on all the skills in his all-court game, even winning a point in the second set with a backhand skyhook and trying to pump up the crowd with a forehand passing shot. But Ruusuvuori  won back-to-back points on his opponent's serve late in the tie-break and that proved decisive.

"I just tried to hang in there and tried to stay as tough as [I] can," Ruusuvuori said. "[The] long rallies, they really drain you and you start to feel dizzy during the points, so [it was] very tough. But it's a part of the game during this period of the year."

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Kyrgios On Fan Serve Tactic: 'I Think It's A Cool Experience For Someone'

With a bit of help from the crowd, Nick Kyrgios began his Citi Open campaign with victory on Tuesday, when he overcame Marcos Giron in straight sets.

The Australian lifted the trophy in Washington 2019 and during that run, he frequently asked fans where to serve on match point, with the entertaining strategy proving effective.

Three years on and in front of a packed crowd at the ATP 500 event, the 27-year-old was at it again, engaging with a supporter in the front row on match point to help him finish the job against Giron.

“In 2019 I was just doing that on match point, just asking someone in the crowd. I think it's a cool experience for someone that's paid money to come watch you play and potentially to go home with that memory,” Kyrgios said in his post-match press conference.

“If it's a young kid or an older lady like today, I think that's something that's pretty cool. I wish I had that experience when I was watching tennis matches.”

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#NextGenATP Nakashima Maintains Strong Los Cabos Record

#NextGenATP American Brandon Nakashima continued his love affair with the Abierto de Tenis Mifel on Tuesday, moving past Japanese qualifier Kaichi Uchida 7-6(1), 6-2 to reach the second round in Los Cabos.

The 20-year-old enjoyed a run to his maiden tour-level final in Mexico last year and quickly looked at home at the ATP 250 event against Uchida, pulling the World No. 175 around the court with his explosive hitting to advance after one hour and 56 minutes.

Nakashima, currently seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan, now holds a 7-0 record against players outside of the Top 100 this season. The World No. 61, who is aiming to win his maiden tour-level title this week, will next play Australian qualifier Max Purcell.

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Mexican wild card Alex Hernandez overcame Colombian lucky loser Nicolas Barrientos 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to capture his first tour-level win.

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Francisco Lindor's Visit To The Citi Open A Home Run

A trip to the Citi Open was a home run in more ways than one for Major League Baseball star Francisco Lindor.

The popular shortstop for the New York Mets met several ATP Tour stars at the ATP 500 event early Tuesday, including Tommy Paul, Hubert Hurkacz and Jack Sock.

“It was really cool meeting him. I haven’t met many baseball players, but I told him I might go to a game if I have time,” Paul said. “I actually played baseball a little bit when I was really young, same position as him, so it was cool. I’ll probably pay attention to him playing a little bit more now.”


Lindor chats with Frances Tiafoe in Washington. Photo Credit: Richard Kessler/Citi Open
Lindor also bumped into Frances Tiafoe, whom he met at last year’s US Open.

“We’ve been cool for a little bit and kept in touch,” Tiafoe said. “The main thing I like about him is I like his swag, how cool he is and how he supports players in other sports.”

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Kyrgios Makes Winning Return In Washington

Back on the singles court Tuesday night for the first time since last month's Wimbledon final, Nick Kyrgios picked up where he left off with a dominant Citi Open win. 

Still donning his tennis whites — at least his shirt and cap — Kyrgios rolled past Marcos Giron 6-3, 6-2 in just under an hour. The Aussie was a different class once he settled into the evening session match, saving an early break point before dominating from 3-3 in the opening set.

"I came out a bit slow, obviously very different conditions to Wimbledon," said Kyrgios, who later admitted it took him a long time to get over his four-set final defeat to Novak Djokovic. "I think it was just a bit of nerves as well. I won the tournament in 2019. Seeing my name up on the stadium and then knowing I didn't play well here at all last year — I lost first round and I was just going through such a dark time in my life.

"I'm just so happy to be here with my team, the love and support from the crowd. I'm just really happy to be out here playing some good tennis again."

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De Minaur/Tiafoe Take Out Washington Top Seeds In Team Debut

Playing together for the first time, Top 30 singles stars Alex de Minaur and Frances Tiafoe scored a big doubles upset on Tuesday at the Citi Open.

The Australian-American pair knocked off top seeds Rajeev Ram and Horacio Zeballos 6-4, 1-6, 10-2 to advance to the quarter-finals at the Washington ATP 500 event. With the defeat, Ram loses out on an opportunity to overtake his full-time partner Joe Salisbury at No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings.

De Minaur/Tiafoe struck late in the opening set but quickly lost the second after failing to convert from 15/40 at 0-2 down on return. But they used runs of four and five straight points to dominate the Match Tie-break.

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The new-look pair advances to face Mackenzie McDonald and Botic van de Zandschulp, who advanced past Ilya Ivashka and Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-7(5), 10-8 on Monday.

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Shapo Seeking Vote Of Confidence In D.C.

It’s May at the Foro Italico and Denis Shapovalov is locked in an epic quarter-final battle with Rafael Nadal, the 10-time champion at the ATP Masters 1000 clay-court event in Rome. After being handed a breadstick in the opening set, the Canadian keeps faith in his fearless brand of tennis to take the second 7-5.

The 23-year-old had held two match points against Nadal at the same venue one year prior and had pushed the Spaniard to five sets at January’s Australian Open. He had also famously beaten him as an 18-year-old on home soil in Canada in 2017.

Although Nadal was increasingly impeded by a foot injury in the third, there was no diminishing the worthiness of Shapovalov’s 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory. He produced breathtaking tennis and was a deserved winner.

Rising to No. 15 in the Pepperstone Rankings after his semi-final run, Shapovalov was full of confidence and looking at good times ahead. Earlier in the year he had made a remarkable recovery from Covid-19 to steer Canada to victory in the ATP Cup alongside close friend Felix Auger-Aliassime, before his deep run at the Australian Open, where he dismissed World No. 3 Alexander Zverev in straight sets in the fourth round.

But tennis can be a fickle sport.

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Rublev Proves Himself Wrong In Washington Opener

Despite being the top seed at the Citi Open, Andrey Rublev was not expecting a long stay in Washington, D.C., once he learned that #NextGenATP star Jack Draper was his opening opponent.

But with a nothing-to-lose mindset, Rublev dominated the Briton on Tuesday in a 6-4, 6-2 victory that enabled him to conserve energy during a hot week in the United States.

"To be honest, I was thinking today... for sure it was a tough match, but I was thinking most likely I would lose the match," he revealed after the win. "I had that feeling because in Madrid he almost beat me. Today I was just going on court to do my best and I said since the beginning that maybe, most likely, I'm going to lose the match."

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Draper left a lasting impression in their first ATP Head2Head meeting at the Mutua Madrid Open in May, when Rublev edged through 2-6, 6-4, 7-5. But there would be no late drama in the D.C. sun, as Rublev controlled the second-round matchup throughout.

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Korda Back On Track With Washington Win

Sebastian Korda earned a bounceback victory on Tuesday to reach the second round of the Citi Open.

The American snapped a three-match losing streak with a 6-4, 7-6(5) win against Ilya Ivashka, who reached the semi-finals last week in Atlanta. Korda will next play 12th seed Sebastian Baez of Argentina, whom he defeated in last year's Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals.

"He's an unbelievable player when it's in his strike zone," Korda said of Baez. "Just kind of [have to] mix it up and hope for the best."

There was little to differentiate the two players on Stadium Court, but Ivashka made two consecutive unforced backhand errors from 5/5 in the second-set tie-break to relinquish his chance to force a decider. Korda triumphed after one hour and 40 minutes.

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Murray Keen To Conquer Cramping Issues Following Washington Defeat

Andy Murray is determined to find a solution to his ongoing cramping issues after he struggled physically during his first-round defeat against Mikael Ymer on Monday at the Citi Open in Washington.

The former World No. 1, who also suffered cramping in Newport last month, battled against the Swede in the American heat for two hours and 50 minutes and looked physically drained in the deciding set.

“I [have] struggled a little bit with [cramping] the past two tournaments. I need to have a little look at that with my team and maybe see why that is, make a few changes,” Murray said during his post-match press conference.

“In terms of the training off the court and on the practice court, I'll have to look at that as well and see if there's more that I could be doing, maybe different ways of practising to help with that. Scheduling training more in the heat of the day at 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. rather than 10 a.m. when it's not quite as humid, not quite as warm, not quite as helpful. There are a few things I can look at.”

After losing the first set, Murray responded by taking his chances in the second set to level the match at the ATP 500 event. However, the Scot, who admitted he normally enjoys the humid conditions, was unable to match Ymer’s intensity in the third set.

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Kyrgios Joins Forces With Sock To Continue Winning Run In Washington

Nick Kyrgios may have changed his partner, but he tasted the same success to extend his winning run on Monday at the Citi Open.

The Australian captured his second tour-level doubles title of the season with countryman Thanasi Kokkinakis in Atlanta at the weekend, but showed little sign of tiredness in his opening match in Washington, teaming with American Jack Sock to reach the second round.

The unseeded tandem fired nine aces and broke three times to upset third seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-4, 6-4 in 68 minutes.

Kyrgios and Sock, who are joining forces for the second time this season, are aiming to clinch their second tour-level title as a team at the ATP 500 event, having won the crown in Lyon in 2018. They will next play Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin or Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares.

Mackenzie McDonald and Botic van de Zandschulp also advanced on the opening day in Washington, edging Ilya Ivashka and Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-7, 10-8. The American-Dutch tandem will next play top seeds Rajeev Ram and Horacio Zeballos or Alex de Minaur and Frances Tiafoe.

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#NextGenATP Star Tseng Makes Winning Start In Los Cabos

#NextGenATP star Chun-hsin Tseng earned his third tour-level win of the season Monday, moving past American qualifier Nick Chappell 6-4, 6-4 to reach the second round at the Abierto de Tenis Mifel in Los Cabos.

The 20-year-old produced a strong serving performance as he quickly found his range on debut at the ATP 250 event. Tseng of Chinese Taipei won 84 per cent (27/32) of points behind his first delivery, while he did not face a break point to advance after one hour and 31 minutes.

Tseng, who is up to No. 81 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, will next play third seed Cameron Norrie. The Briton captured the title in Mexico last season.

Earlier this season, Tseng lifted ATP Challenger Tour trophies in Bangalore and Murcia, before he made his debut at Roland Garros after coming through qualifying. The 20-year-old is currently eighth in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan as he aims to qualify for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals for the first time.

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#NextGenATP Draper Sets Rublev Rematch In Washington

#NextGenATP Briton Jack Draper has earned another shot at Top 10 star Andrey Rublev.

Three months ago, Rublev defeated Draper in a thrilling three-setter at the Mutua Madrid Open. They will meet again at the Citi Open after Draper eliminated American wild card Stefan Kozlov 7-5, 6-2 on Monday in Washington.

"I think Stefan plays a very awkward game. He's one of the guys who really disrupts your rhythm. The first four games of the match, I found it really hard to hit the court, actually. The conditions here, it's quite lively and you have to play with a bit more control," Draper said in his on-court interview. "I think I adjusted pretty well and in the end it became more of a physical battle out here in these conditions."

Draper lost the first three games of the match and almost went down a quick double break, but rallied past the home favourite in one hour and 53 minutes. The 20-year-old saved four of the five break points he faced and hit 10 aces in his victory.

The lefty is fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan and trying to qualify for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals for the first time. Entering the season, he had won two tour-level matches. The Briton has claimed eight this year alone.

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Ymer Battles Past Murray In Washington

There are roller-coaster matches, and then there is the clash between Mikael Ymer and Andy Murray on Monday.

After plenty of twists and turns, the Swede ultimately upset the former World No. 1 7-6(8), 4-6, 6-1 to reach the second round of the Citi Open. It was Ymer’s first match on a hard court since February.

"I'm excited," Ymer said in his on-court interview. "It was the first day [of the U.S. swing], so obviously a lot left to do, but it's a very good start of the American swing."

Both men showed physical issues at different points, but the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals alumnus surged through the third set to triumph after two hours and 50 minutes.

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Felix Hunting Second Career Title In Los Cabos

As he sets his sights on a second career title this week when he makes his tournament debut in Los Cabos, World No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime says that he is better prepared this year to contend for trophies.

The Canadian transitions into the summer hard court swing at the Abierto de Tenis Mifel in Mexico, where, as the second seed behind World No.1 Danill Medvedev, the 21-year-old will be satisfied with nothing less than the title.

Auger-Aliassime came into the season with an 0-8 record in Tour-level finals but exorcised his championship-match demons when he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-2 to win the ABN AMRO Open.

The Canadian credits his breakthrough title to a fresh mindset coming into the season, one that he is confident will continue to bring him success in the years ahead.

“Everytime I lost one of those finals, it was tough mentally but I thought this year I’m going to be a different player…That means I’m going to try to play a better match and when I get into those finals, I’m going to try to play better tennis,” Auger-Aliassime said.

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Sinner Surges Into Race Contention

Jannik Sinner’s victory at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag on Sunday did more than earn him a sixth ATP Tour trophy. The win also helped him surge into contention in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin.

Sinner climbed three places to 13th in the Race, putting him within 705 points of eighth-placed Felix Auger-Aliassime. Eight men will qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be held at the Pala Alpitour from 13-20 November.

The 20-year-old competed in last year’s season finale as an alternate after fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini withdrew due to injury. Sinner will now have an opportunity to earn even more points in the coming month, with ATP Masters 1000 events in Montreal and Cincinnati as well as the US Open.

VIEW PEPPERSTONE ATP RACE TO TURIN STANDINGS

There was no movement among the Top 12 players in the Race on Monday. However, several players competing this week will have an opportunity to secure or improve their standing as the qualification battle heats up.

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Stricker Boosts Milan Hopes With Second Challenger Title Of 2022

Swiss teenager Dominic Stricker strengthened his claim for a position at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals by winning his second ATP Challenger Tour title of the year on Sunday. The 19-year-old rallied from a set down to defeat former World No. 10 Ernests Gulbis 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 at the inaugural Finaport Zug Open.

In collecting his third career ATP Challenger Tour title, Stricker moves up to ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan. For the first time, he will also crack the Top 150 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as he climbs to a career-high 126.

The left-hander becomes the youngest player to win a Challenger title on both clay and hard in 2022 and joins Italy’s Luca Nardi as the only teenagers with multiple Challenger titles this season.

It was a gruelling week for the budding Swiss star, who came back from a set down in the first round against Jozef Kovalik. With rain halting play on Friday, Stricker was forced to play his quarter-final and semi-final on Saturday. On Sunday, in front of a packed crowd in Switzerland, the 2020 Roland Garros boys’ champion captured his first Challenger title on clay after another comeback from a set down.

Gulbis, 33, who reached the Cherbourg Challenger semi-finals in February, was looking for his first Challenger title since Pau in February 2020.

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Alcaraz Rises To No.4, Mover Of Week

Carlos Alcaraz’s run to the championship match at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag lifts the 19-year-old to a career-high No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Despite falling just short in his title defence with defeat to Jannik Sinner in a heavyweight #NextGenATP final in Croatia, the Spaniard’s upward trajectory shows little sign of slowing.

ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week, as of Monday, 1 August.

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No. 4 Carlos Alcaraz, +1 (Career High)
Playing as the defending champion at an ATP Tour event for the first time, Alcaraz again impressed at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag in defeating Norbert Gombos, Facundo Bagnis and Giulio Zeppieri to reach a Tour-leading sixth final of 2022. It was Sinner who prevailed in the first Top 10 championship match in tournament history at the clay-court ATP 250 event, but Alcaraz’s efforts see him rise one spot to a career-high No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Read Umag Final Report & Watch Highlights.

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