Looking for Tennis and Racket Sports International News?

Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson charged into their second consecutive Grand Slam doubles final after edging Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 6-4, 7-6(4) in the US Open semi-finals Thursday night.

The Australians will now get a shot at redemption after squandering three championship points in the Wimbledon final in July. In Saturday’s final they will play Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz, who won a rollercoaster three-setter against Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic 

In a match of fine margins, two missed forehand volleys by Lammons and Withrow and a bold second-serve ace on match point by Purcell is what separated the teams in the tense tie-break.

“What makes it so special is that we’re such good mates. Every time we get a win I just feel overloaded with happiness,” Purcell said. “It’s not just the achievement, it’s who you do it with. We made it a goal this year to win a Grand Slam, so to be one match away again is special.”

“Back-to-back finals is incredible,” said Thompson, who reached the fourth round of the singles at Flushing Meadows. “This is my first full year of doubles and to go from the Wimbledon final to the US Open final… hopefully we can go one better here.”

Briton Jack Draper has stepped into the sun at the US Open, advancing to his maiden major semi-final in the first Grand Slam tournament since former World No. 1 Andy Murray’s retirement. But Draper is not the only Briton making his mark in New York.

Seventeen-year-old Charlie Robertson is into the semi-finals of the boys’ singles event and two victories from becoming the first British boys’ singles champion at Flushing Meadows since Oliver Golding in 2011.

“It’s obviously more impressive from Jack getting to the semi-finals of the men’s,” Robertson told ATPTour.com. “But I’m so happy for him. I also hit with him at Queen’s and he looked like he’s been working so hard and he’s a really nice guy, also. It’s just cool to see another Brit that’s doing so well.

“I think it’s just great for everyone in British tennis. For me when people are doing well, you go like, 'I want to get to what he’s like as well'. It’s going to be massive for British tennis in a positive way.”

Robertson grew up on a farm in the north of Scotland. His older sister, Kirsty (23), and older brother, Harry (21), were in a tennis class. Charlie was too young to participate, but from the age of four he would hit against the wall. His efforts were impressive enough to be placed in the class despite his age and he immediately loved it. But the Scot also enjoyed time at home.

Italians Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori capped a dream run to the mixed doubles title Thursday at the US Open, where the third seeds overcame home hopes Taylor Townsend and Donald Young 7-6(0), 7-5 in the championship match.

Errani and Vavassori held their nerve in pressure moments, including a trade of breaks at the tail end of the opening set that forced a tie-break, during which they did not drop a point. When Townsend and Young served to stay in the match at 5-6 in the second set, Errani and Vavassori jumped to 0/40 lead and converted their third match point.

The 35-year-old Young, who reached a career-high No. 38 in the PIF ATP Rankings in 2012, was competing in his final professional tournament.

Errani and Vavassori survived a difficult path en route to becoming the third Italian duo to win a major title in mixed doubles and first since 1986. They began the tournament by fending off a match point against Robert Galloway and Shelby Rogers. In the quarter-finals, Errani and Vavassori downed Hsieh Su-Wei and Jan Zielinski, who were chasing their third major mixed doubles title of the year (Australian Open, Wimbledon).

"It's very special. It's a dream come true for me," Vavassori said. "Being with Sara, an amazing person, an amazing player. I always watch her during her career. It was amazing to play with her at Wimbledon and the Olympics this year... We did it. We won a Grand Slam! It's amazing."

Top seed Jannik Sinner and 25th seed Jack Draper will meet in the first US Open semi-final on Friday afternoon before 12th seed Taylor Fritz faces 20th seed Frances Tiafoe in an all-American evening battle.

Sinner, who defeated 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday evening to make the last four, will try to reach his second major final of the season not before 3 p.m. EDT/9 p.m. CEST. Also a semi-finalist at Roland Garros and a quarter-finalist at Wimbledon, he won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

It will be the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings' second Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting against Draper, a first-rime major semi-finalist. The Briton defeated Sinner three years ago at The Queen's Club in two tie-breaks for his first ATP Tour main-draw win.

Fritz or Tiafoe, who will play not before 7 p.m. EDT/1 a.m. CEST will become the first American man to reach a Slam final since Andy Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009. This will be the first all-American men's singles semi-final at a Grand Slam tournament since Andre Agassi defeated Robby Ginepri at the 2005 US Open.

Fritz leads Tiafoe 6-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Their most recent meeting came last year in Acapulco (Fritz won 6-3, 6-4) and they have met in a major just once, at the 2022 Australian Open (Fritz won 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(5).

No American has reached the men’s singles final at the US Open since 2006. On Friday, Taylor Fritz or Frances Tiafoe will end that drought in New York.

The two players will step out onto Arthur Ashe Stadium in front of their home fans for an intriguing semi-final clash at the hard-court major. As well as a matchup between Fritz’s serve-dominated game and Tiafoe’s ability to redirect an opponent’s power to his advantage, it will also be a duel between two close friends that have played a major role in the resurgence of American men’s tennis in recent years.

“Taylor and I had a conversation about being No. 1, No. 2 Americans for a very long time,” said Tiafoe ahead of the first all-American Grand Slam semi-final since Andre Agassi defeated Robby Ginepri in 2005. “I remember we were sitting on a plane some years ago, and he's a pretty to-himself kind of dude, and he's, like, ‘Bro, I think me and you are going to be one, two Americans and leading the way.”

Competing at the US Open as the leading American in the PIF ATP Rankings, Fritz has expertly handled the pressure so far this fortnight as he bids to become the first home men’s singles champion since Andy Roddick in 2003. The 26-year-old has dropped just two sets across his five matches so far, eliminating Matteo Berrettini, Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev in the process.

After losing his first four major quarter-finals, the way Fritz held his nerve to overcome Zverev in four sets to reach his maiden semi-final was particularly impressive. However, the eight-time ATP Tour champion has no intention of resting on his laurels.

Head is a renowned brand in the tennis world, offering a wide range of tennis rackets designed for various playing styles and skill levels. Here's an overview of some of their popular models: 1. Head Radical SeriesHead Radical MPFeatures: Known for its versatility and balance, offering a combination of power, control, and spin. Ideal for intermedia...

Daniil Medvedev was dissatisfied and disheartened by his quarter-final exit at the hands of Jannik Sinner on Wednesday evening at the US Open. Yet in trademark fashion for one of the ATP Tour’s master tacticians, it did not take long for the World No. 5 to form a detailed assessment of his four-set defeat.

“[It’s a] tough loss,” said Medvedev after Sinner’s 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 triumph in New York. “I am definitely not happy with the way I played in general, because there were some very good moments and some not so good. So in general it's a tough feeling when you come out, and at the end it's rare that I get tight, but in the end I got super tight.

“When I was missing, I didn't feel why I was missing, so I couldn't correct it, and then I got super tight at the end, and it was even tougher. Not an easy feeling, not happy with myself, but that's tennis, it's okay. I lost. I go home.”

After dropping the opening set, Medvedev eased to the second in a topsy-turvy encounter inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. He was unable to maintain that momentum, however, and was ultimately defeated in four sets as Sinner avenged his five-set defeat in the pair’s Wimbledon quarter-final two months ago.

“The first set was horrible for me. I think almost even probably worse than the third one,” reflected Medvedev. “I managed to solve a lot of problems in the second set. Played better. Same in the fourth set, like I managed to start solving some problems that I had in the third set. So those are the positive things.”

Jannik Sinner’s standout 2024 continued on Wednesday night in New York, where the World No. 1 held off his rival Daniil Medvedev in four sets at the US Open. His reward? A semi-final matchup with his friend Jack Draper.

Sinner and Draper, who teamed up for some ATP Masters 1000 doubles action earlier this month in Montreal, have known each other since their junior days.

“I don't remember playing against him… But I do remember seeing him from outside,” said Sinner of Draper in his post-match press conference after defeating Medvedev. “Obviously lefty, it's also tough to see, as there are fewer lefties than righties. You know, his ball striking was always very, very good.

“It was nice to share the court with him in doubles in Montreal. We got to know each other even more. We text each other when we have good or bad times, trying to keep ourselves up. It's a great friendship. Obviously, we try to put this away for the hours we are on court. I think that's quite obvious. But whenever we shake our hands, it's again friendship and all is going to be good.”

Sinner revealed that his friendship with Draper really crystallised after the pair’s only previous Lexus ATP Head2Head clash, where Draper defeated the Italian in straight sets at the Queen’s Club in 2021. Struggles with injury have since hindered the Briton’s progress, but he will step on court against Sinner on Friday as the only semi-finalist yet to drop a set this fortnight in New York.

Jannik Sinner survived a series of unpredictable momentum shifts Wednesday at the US Open, where the top seed defeated 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach his third major semi-final of the season.

This year’s Australian Open champion, who holds a tour-leading 21 match wins at majors this season, has now reached the semi-finals at all four Grand Slam events. The 23-year-old is the first man born in the 1990s or 2000s to achieve that feat and first Italian man in the Open Era.

Sinner produced a great variety of tactics en route to a two-hour, 39-minute win. It was a chess match as much as a tug of war from the baseline. The 15-time tour-level titlist contested Medvedev’s deep return position with serve-and-volleys, drop shots and firepower directed to every corner of the court. The longer the rally, the harder Sinner pummeled the ball.

“It was very tough, we know each other quite well," said Sinner, who committed 38 unforced errors to Medvedev's 57. "We played in Australia this year and then London. We knew it was going to be very physical. It was strange the first two sets because whoever made the first break then started to roll.”

Active players to reach the semi-finals at all four majors

Jack Draper came bursting onto the scene in 2022 and looked poised to quickly rise to the top of the sport. But the 22-year-old has had to remain patient, overcome adversity and work hard to reach Wednesday’s breakthrough moment at the US Open, where Draper advanced to his first major semi-final.

“This is not an overnight thing for me. I've believed for a long time that I've been putting in the work and doing the right things, and I knew that my time would come,” Draper said in his post-match press conference. “I didn't know when it would be, but hopefully from here I can do a lot of amazing things. I'm very proud of myself.

“I've had times when I've maybe thought to stop or, ‘Am I cut out for this sport? Am I really good enough?’ And all these sorts of stuff.

“I kept on believing in myself, kept on working. Those are hard moments. This is not a hard moment compared to that. This is a privilege, and this is an honour to be in this position. This is why I work so hard, so I've got to just keep it going in my stride. I'm not afraid of being in these positions.”

Throughout Draper’s young career, injuries have routinely hindered the Briton’s progress. Even in his 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 quarter-final victory against Alex de Minaur, Draper encountered a brief injury scare. He began stretching out his right leg, which was wrapped by the physio at 2-1 in the second set, but it did not hamper Draper's march to victory.

If Alex de Minaur was asked prior to the US Open if he would be satisfied with a quarter-final run, the answer likely would have been, ‘Yes’.

Though the 10th seed suffered a straight-sets defeat in the last eight Wednesday against Jack Draper, De Minaur leaves New York proud of what he has accomplished in his first tournament since suffering a hip injury at Wimbledon, where he withdrew prior to his quarter-final against Novak Djokovic.

“I'd rather try and think about what I was doing six, seven weeks ago and where I am now and try to focus on that, instead of dwelling on what just happened and me potentially having one of the bigger opportunities of my career and it just slipping away from my hands,” De Minaur said in his post-match press conference. “So I'm going to stick with the positives that I'm proud of myself.”

Boasting a 40-13 season record, the Sydney native was aiming to become the first Australian man in the US Open semi-finals since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005.

Despite showing signs of being hindered by injury, De Minaur did not blame his ailments after the loss.

When Henrique Rocha was 15, he moved roughly 300 kilometres from his home in Porto, Portugal to begin training in Lisbon, at the Portuguese Tennis Federation. It was a big transition that forced the teenager to rapidly mature.

But the hard work and dedication is now paying off for Rocha, who is eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah and aiming for his maiden trip to the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. After spending much of the 2023 season on the ITF World Tennis Tour and enduring through an intense stretch of 85 singles matches last year, Rocha has made a seamless transition to the ATP Challenger Tour.

“Four years ago I would say I was still like a baby compared to now. Right now I feel way more mature, maybe more mature than others. I would say that's why I'm improving a bit faster,” Rocha told ATPTour.com. “That's helped me not only in matches to be more consistent, more focussed at certain points, but also during practice and putting in more effort, anything.”

Alongside Rocha in his first full Challenger season is his coach Pedro Sousa, who retired from his own playing career last October. Sousa immediately stepped into a coaching role at the Federation, spending some weeks with Rocha and other times with 21-year-old Jaime Faria.

Sousa remembers meeting Rocha and practising with him for the first time at the Federation. What stuck out to the eight-time ATP Challenger Tour champion?

Michael Russell has helped Taylor Fritz to his greatest heights, and the former No. 60 player in the PIF ATP Rankings was thrilled to see his charge reach his first major semi-final on Tuesday at the US Open.

“He’s been on the cusp of getting to the semi-finals, and then to do it here at the US Open, I mean, it's fantastic,” Russell said. “He’s super excited and so is the team. Obviously there's always a lot of talk of the next American to win a Grand Slam, and pretty far from it still, but one step closer. I thought he did a great job of managing his emotions today.

“We’re just really proud of the way he handled the situation. [We will have a] mini celebration, as you say, and then tomorrow, just get right back to work.”

Fritz and his team has worked hard to ensure he is physically ready for moments like these. The American won in straight sets in his first three matches, then battled through tight four-setters against eighth seed Casper Ruud and fourth seed Alexander Zverev.

The home favourite lost his first four major quarter-finals, but did not let slip his fifth opportunity against Zverev, who he also defeated at Wimbledon.

Just weeks after Andy Murray hung up his racquet, Jack Draper continues to remind British tennis fans that the future is bright.

The 22-year-old lefty breezed past 10th seed Alex de Minaur 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 on Wednesday evening at the US Open to reach his maiden Grand Slam semi-final. Draper produced a display full of booming serves and heavy, spinning groundstrokes to earn a two-hour, seven-minute victory and book a last-four meeting with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

“It’s amazing, honestly. To be out here for my first match on the biggest court in the world, honestly, it’s a dream come true for me,” said Draper, who is the first Briton to reach the semi-finals in New York since Murray's 2012 title run, in his on-court interview. “All the support means the world.”

Yet to drop a set. ❄️@jackdraper0 downs de Minaur 6-3 7-5 6-2 to advance into the #USOpen semi-finals!@usopen pic.twitter.com/02J7v9bMKG

Draper, who has not dropped a set across his five matches so far in New York, converted six of 20 break points he earned against De Minaur in his maiden major quarter-final. He is just the fourth Briton overall to reach a men’s singles semi-final at the US Open in the Open Era, after Greg Rusedski (1997), Tim Henman (2004) and Murray (2008, 2011-12).

The 48 nations competing in the 2024 Davis Cup World Group I and World Group II ties have announced their teams, with Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Norway’s Casper Ruud among those set to feature.

A total of 228 players have been nominated to represent their nations in the World Group I and World Group II ties. With 16 teams also competing at the Davis Cup Finals Group Stage next week, more than 300 athletes will represent their nations in Davis Cup action this month.

The 24 ties take place on a home-and-away basis on either 13-14 or 14-15 September, with home nations having determined the choice of dates. Ties will be played as best-of-five matches, with two singles matches on day one, followed by the doubles match and the two reverse singles matches on day two. All matches are played as best-of-three tie-break sets.

The 2024 Davis Cup Finals also take place next week, with Group Stage action across four cities on 10-15 September. Bologna (Group A), Valencia (Group B), Zhuhai (Group C) and Manchester (Group D) play host to the Finals Group Stage, with the winners and runners-up of each group advancing to the Final 8 Knockout Stage in Malaga on 19-24 November.

2024 DAVIS CUP WORLD GROUP I

Although Frances Tiafoe and Aryna Sabalenka were focused on important business on court during Tuesday's night session, both players admitted to being aware of the star presence of Roger Federer, who watched from the stands of the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Federer, who won five consecutive titles at Flushing Meadows from 2004 – 2008, was seen in one of the stadium boxes, speaking to former US Open semi-finalist Tim Henman, and Commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell.

The Swiss legend first saw Sabalenka overcome Zheng Qinwen 6-1, 6-2 in the women’s quarter-final. He then watched American hope Tiafoe defeat Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 4-1 to advance to the men’s semi-final as the Bulgarian retired with injury.

Tiafoe spoke about the feeling of having the 20-time Grand Slam champion watching: “Yeah, I mean, that was pretty sick. Obviously, I wasn't thinking about it that much. The last couple years of Laver Cup you kind of get used to that, seeing him in the stands.”

The No. 16 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings also joked about Federer’s trademark sophistication: “The way he looked in the suites is the same way he looked when he was playing. No sweat. Tees ironed perfect. What's up with this dude, man? Hair perfect.

Grigor Dimitrov’s quest to reach a fourth major semi-final and first since 2019 ended in disappointment on Tuesday at the US Open, where the former World No. 3 was forced to retire during his match against Frances Tiafoe in the fourth set.

The Bulgarian was trailing 3-6, 7-6(5), 3-6, 1-4 when he walked to the net. After the match, Dimitrov shared the details of his retirement.

“I think it's a combination of everything,” said Dimitrov, who won a gruelling three-hour, 39-minute five-set match in the previous round against Andrey Rublev. “Clearly my rehab process is a little bit slower than before. I mean, I felt a couple of things prior to the match. It's the game. It's just the game, and I need to keep my head up.

“As I said, I just need to reassess a little bit of certain things that I can change. Can maybe do a little bit better. Also physically to the way that I have been preparing. But again, given all the circumstances from Montreal up until now, I wasn't really sure I'd be even able to do as well as I wanted to do. And again, that's what I'm saying I take this quarter-final any time.”

Dimitrov suffered a third-round exit in Montreal and then lost in his opening match in Cincinnati. He bounced back in New York to reach his second major quarter-final of the season (Roland Garros).

Frances Tiafoe’s belief has grown at this year’s US Open with every victory. The American moved past Grigor Dimitrov on Tuesday night to reach the semi-finals in New York for the second time.

With his latest triumph, Tiafoe has put himself firmly in contention of becoming the first American man to win a major singles title since Andy Roddick lifted the US Open in 2003. The 26-year-old revealed that only now has he allowed himself to dream of what could lie ahead in the next five days.

“I just came from the final in Cincinnati. I'm coming here feeling pretty good. It always helps going to a place where you've had great success. But to be honest with you, I wasn't really thinking to make a semi or win the event,” Tiafoe said in his post-match press conference on Tuesday. “I just saw the draw and I was, like, man, I have got to play Ben [Shelton].

"I'm not as highly seeded like I was before, so I don't know where I'm going to sit at. Playing Ben, that's not something you're going to look past, are you? Once I kind of got through that, the draw shakes up, and then you're kind of, like, why not? Just day by day. Now my feet are in the semis.”

Tiafoe won a five-set thriller against Shelton in the third round before he eliminated Novak Djokovic's conqueror Alexei Popyrin in the fourth round. The 26-year-old then produced a consistent display to overcome Dimitrov, who was forced to retire in the fourth set when Tiafoe was leading 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 4-1.

Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev are the only major champions left at this year’s US Open. However, come Wednesday night just one will remain, with the pair set to meet in a blockbuster quarter-final clash in New York.

Their encounter at Flushing Meadows will be their third at a Grand Slam this year and if their previous matches are to go by, the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd and the fans watching globally will be in for a treat.

Back in January, the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Sinner rallied from two sets down to overcome Medvedev in a thrilling Australian Open final to clinch his first major. Sixth months later at Wimbledon, Medvedev gained revenge at the quarter-final stage, defeating the 23-year-old in five sets.

Medvedev takes a 7-5 Lexus ATP Head2Head series lead into Wednesday’s meeting and Sinner knows he will be pushed to his limit again.

"[It will be] a tough match. There is going to be a lot of rallies, so hopefully I'll be ready physically. It's going to be a physical match, also a mental match," Sinner said. "I won in Australia, he then won in Wimbledon. That was five sets. So hopefully it's going to be a good match. We'll try to do our best on court, hopefully you guys enjoy the next one and then we'll see how it goes."

Novak Djokovic will make his long-awaited return to China at the upcoming Rolex Shanghai Masters, where he is a record four-time champion.

The 37-year-old Serbian joins rivals including Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev on the entry list for the ATP Masters 1000 event, which will be held from 2-13 October. Djokovic, who has not competed in Shanghai since 2019, holds a 34-5 record at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena.

“I can’t wait. I’m super excited to see my Chinese fans, all the tennis fans,” said Djokovic of his return to Shanghai. “It’s one of the nicest tennis tournaments in the world. Five years has been too long to not visit China, so I’m really looking forward to [it].”

Having clinched his first tour-level title of 2024 last month at the Paris Olympics before reaching the third round at the US Open, Djokovic will next seek a deep run in Shanghai to boost his Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes. The record-40-time Masters 1000 titlist is currently eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin as he bids to qualify for the prestigious season finale for the 17th time in his career.

Hubert Hurkacz will compete as the defending champion at this year’s edition of the Shanghai event, while hopes will be lead by the No. 41 in the PIF ATP Rankings Zhang Zhizhen and #NextGenATP star Shang Juncheng.