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Home hope Eliot Spizzirri advanced to his first major main draw Thursday when he survived #NextGenATP star Joao Fonseca 7-6(8), 6-7(5), 6-4 in the final round of US Open qualifying. The American squandered four match points in the second set, but quickly rebounded and held his nerve in a thrilling back-and-forth battle.

Spizzirri won 75 per cent of his first-serve points as he defeated the Brazilian in two hours and 36 minutes.

The American let slip a 0/40 lead on Fonseca's serve at 5-4 in the second set and again held a match point later that game after Fonseca brought it to deuce.

Spizzirri, a native of nearby Greenwich, Connecticut, let out a sigh of relief and a loud roar after converting his sixth match point to close out the match in the decider.

The 22-year-old finished as No. 1 in the ITA final singles ranking in May for the second consecutive year. In 2023, the University of Texas graduate reached the third round of US Open qualifying.

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are on a semi-final collision course at the US Open, it was revealed on Thursday afternoon when the draw was released.

Sinner and Alcaraz played in one of the most memorable matches in recent memory in the 2022 US Open quarter-finals, when they battled late into the night for more than five hours before the Spaniard prevailed. Alcaraz went on to lift the trophy and become World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

If they meet this year, it will be in the last four. Top seed Sinner will begin his tournament against American Mackenzie McDonald, against whom he owns a 3-0 Lexus ATP Head2Head record. They most recently met in last year’s Rolex Paris Masters, where the Italian prevailed in three sets.

Second seed Novak Djokovic and third seed Alcaraz will both begin their tournament against a qualifier.

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The ATP and WTA, in collaboration with NACON and Big Ant Studios, are thrilled to announce the official release of TIEBREAK: The Official Game of the ATP and WTA. Available now on multiple platforms, TIEBREAK offers tennis fans an unparalleled gaming experience, featuring over 120 of the world’s greatest players and 90 official tournaments.

TIEBREAK brings the world of professional tennis to life with realistic gameplay based on real-world analytics. Players can compete in various game modes, including Career mode, where they can set out to conquer the PIF ATP and WTA Rankings at tournaments including ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 events, the Nitto ATP Finals and the WTA Finals Riyadh.

TIEBREAK features more than 120 current and former stars, playable with their distinctive styles, including Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Coco Gauff, Rafael Nadal, Jasmine Paolini, Aryna Sabalenka, Maria Sharapova, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek and many more. Additionally, the unique Novak Djokovic Slam Challenge mode lets fans relive some of the most memorable moments from the legendary player’s career.

View Trailer:

Daniele Sanò, Chief Business Officer, ATP, said: “TIEBREAK offers tennis and gaming fans a thrilling way to experience the ATP Tour and Hologic WTA Tour. This collaboration also marks an important milestone in our shared storytelling – and mission to create compelling unified experiences for our global community. We’re proud to continue that journey of digital innovation together, with this captivating game now in the hands of our fans.”

In tennis, the closing bell is when the chair umpire calls, “Game, set and match”. Hubert Hurkacz and Ons Jabeur participated in a different version of it Wednesday in Manhattan.

The ATP and WTA star visited the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square to ring the Closing Bell alongside USTA Chairman of the Board and President Dr. Brian Hainline and USTA CEO Lew Sherr.

“It was so cool. Didn't know what to expect coming here. That was just so much fun,” Hurkacz told ATPTour.com. “Obviously Nasdaq is so big. To take part in such an event that is really well known around the world is special. To see your face in Times Square is a little bit surreal.”

Hurkacz and Jabeur spoke to Nasdaq representatives, conducted social media interviews and did a dress rehearsal for the Closing Bell before the real thing. As they performed the task at 4 p.m. local time, people from around the world watched on television and streams.

"It was super fun being here today to ring the closing bell at Nasdaq,” Jabeur said. “It was a fun experience, I'd never done that before. There is always fun stuff to do [for] the first time. It was very nice to start the week in New York here."

#NextGenATP Joao Fonseca celebrated his 18th birthday Wednesday in style. The Brazilian advanced to the final round of qualifying at the US Open, where he dropped just three points behind his first serve en route to a 6-4, 6-2 victory against Frenchman Calvin Hemery.

Last year's US Open boys' singles champion's birthday gift was the constant chants from the Court 8 crowd, “Jo-ao Fon-seca!”, “Jo-ao Fon-seca!”

Now one win away from competing in his maiden major main draw, Fonseca will face American Eliot Spizzirri in the third round. Spizzirri in May finished No. 1 in the ITA final singles rankings for the second consecutive year. The University of Texas graduate beat Belgian Joris De Loore 7-5, 7-6(5) to advance.

Fonseca, sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, won his first ATP Challenger Tour title this month in Lexington, Kentucky. He is aiming for his maiden trip to the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which runs from 18-22 December. 

Fellow #NextGenATP star Vilius Gaubas also advanced to the final round of qualifying. The Lithuanian defeated French veteran Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-4. After the match, there was an on-court presentation to honour Gasquet in his farewell US Open.

Past US Open champions and fans' favourites treated an Arthur Ashe crowd to superstar matchups and hilarious mic'd-up interactions during Wednesday evening's Stars of the Open at Flushing Meadows.

If bright smiles could have secured a victory, Carlos Alcaraz and Andre Agassi could have easily stated their case, but it was the pair of four-time US Open singles champions, Novak Djokovic and John McEnroe, who defeated the Spaniard-American duo 10-8 at the Fan Week exhibition. Italians Matteo Berrettini and Jasmine Paolini began the night by defeating Sebastian Korda and Iga Swiatek 11-9.

This point literally had everything ? pic.twitter.com/sNe10aTTTR

Juan Martin del Potro, former World No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, made a grand return to Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 2009 titlist, who earlier practised with Djokovic, partnered fellow Argentine Gabriela Sabatini to an 11-9 win against Andy Roddick and Caroline Wozniacki.

Home favourites Sloane Stephens and Frances Tiafoe closed the night with a 10-6 victory against actor Boris Kodjoe and Taylor Townsend.

#NextGenATP Alex Michelsen led a teenage American charge Wednesday at the Winston-Salem Open, where the 19-year-old raced past Belgian Zizou Bergs 6-1, 6-2.

Competing this week at a career-high No. 52 in the PIF ATP Rankings, the 11th seed is into his sixth quarter-final of the season. Michelsen fended off the three break points he faced, all of which came in the opening set, and dropped just three points behind his first serve in the second set to advance.

"It was a good match. I played very well, didn't get broken, which for me is always a plus," said Michelsen, who next faces Christopher Eubanks. "I'm returning well right now, so hopefully I can give [Chris] some trouble tomorrow.

"I've been playing well the last couple weeks. The last match I lost was to Jannik [Sinner], so I feel like I'm playing pretty well right now."

The California native, who celebrates his 20th birthday Sunday, is second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. He is aiming for a return trip to the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, which runs from 18-22 December. Last year Michelsen did not advance beyond the round-robin stage. 

Richard Gasquet bade farewell to more than two decades worth of US Open memories on Wednesday. The Frenchman, who reached the semi-finals in 2013, was celebrated with an on-court presentation following his second-round qualifying loss to #NextGenATP Vilius Gaubas.

During the ceremony, US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster presented the former World No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings with a symbol of thanks and Gasquet addressed the crowd. The 38-year-old was aiming to reach his 20th consecutive US Open main draw.

“I will keep these memories for my life,” Gasquet said. “It's a little bit sad for me to finish this year [like this], but I'm really happy with how I've played here in New York... to be here with the crowd, to feel this emotion, these feelings. You play tennis to feel these kind of feelings. It's electric, it's incredible for me to play in New York.”

Gasquet is continuing to work hard on Tour, with no official retirement date set. The 16-time tour-level titlist earned his 600th match win last year in Stuttgart. This season in Madrid, Gasquet competed in his 1,000th match.

"I'm so lucky," Gasquet added. "I played on the best court here with a lot of crowds. It was the most incredible atmosphere you can face on a tennis court, playing with 20,000 people on a centre court. I played [Roger] Federer, [Novak] Djokovic, [Rafael] Nadal, the best players on this court, and I'm proud with the way I played here in New York.”

Filip Krajinovic called the situation he was in Monday evening “strange”. The former No. 26 player in the PIF ATP Rankings was emotional during his first-round qualifying match against Jurij Rodionov at the US Open to the point that he struggled to play.

Rodionov won 6-4, 6-2 in a straightforward 71 minutes. His Serbian opponent was not emotional because he was losing, but because the 32-year-old knew it was the end of his tennis journey. The defeat marked the final match of Krajinovic’s standout career.

“I was struggling for the past year and a half, thinking what to do. I was not happy with my form. I was not happy with my body, and I didn't play the level I wanted. I dropped a lot. I decided to finish after the US Open,” Krajinovic told ATPTour.com. “I was really, really sad [Monday]. I couldn't really even play. I was crying on the court because the whole life you're playing and you're competing, so it was not easy to say goodbye, but at the same time, I'm happy that now I'm free.”

Krajinovic set high standards for himself. It was one of the reasons he cracked the world’s Top 30, reached five ATP Tour finals and defeated four Top 10 opponents. But in the past couple of years he has not been able to maintain the level he has been used to for much of his career.

The Serbian struggled with a wrist injury, broke a finger and dealt with “a couple of little things”. As that happened, he realised that physically he was not quite as quick, which made a difference on court. With that came a slide in the PIF ATP Rankings.

The ATP Tour has announced record sponsorship revenues for the 2024 season, headlined by the signing of nine new global partners and multiple partnership renewals. The Tour’s unprecedented commercial success reflects its focus on strategic growth under OneVision.

Fast-growing partnerships portfolio
New global partners signed since 2023 include PIF, Lexus, Yokohama, Haier, Waterdrop, LONGi Solar, Sense Arena, OFX and most recently Fitline. During this same period the ATP Tour renewed longtime partnerships with Infosys, Lacoste and Dunlop, along with Asti Docg. These partners join an array of leading global brands including the ATP Tour’s Premier Partner, Emirates, along with Nitto, Rolex, Nilox and Sense Arena. The ATP and WTA also entered a joint licensing partnership with game maker Nacon for the TIEBREAK tennis game. This season’s commercial success has seen the ATP Tour grow its sponsorship revenues by 50% vs. 2023, with an 89% increase projected by 2026.

“We are thrilled that leading brands are increasingly seeking to align with the ATP Tour, our globally recognised athletes and world-class tournaments,” said Massimo Calvelli, ATP CEO. “Our partners are committed to enhancing the promotion of the sport, attracting new fans and supporting our members and communities through ATP Serves. They have also bought into our OneVision strategic plan. This has laid the foundation for growth through more premium events, rights aggregation, and a game-changing profit-sharing agreement creating a true partnership between players and tournaments.”

OneVision: a key growth engine
The ATP’s OneVision strategic plan has been the central driver of commercial success, creating new sponsorship inventory through the expansion of several ATP Masters 1000 tournaments from eight to 12-day events. It has attracted direct support from brands, most notably PIF, which signed a major multi-year partnership in 2024 supporting the ATP in growing the game globally for players and fans. In total, ATP has doubled its annual sponsorship distributions to tournaments since 2021.

OneVision is also unlocking new investment at the tournament level, with multi-million dollar infrastructure upgrades and sell-out partnership portfolios underpinned by long-term category protection. Learn more about OneVision here.

The best tennis seasons are often characterized by dominant performances, record-breaking achievements, and memorable moments. Here are some standout seasons in tennis history: 1. Rod Laver's 1969 SeasonAchievements: Rod Laver won all four Grand Slam titles (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open) in a single calendar year, completing...

#NextGenATP American Learner Tien had never competed in an ATP Tour main draw entering the week. Now the 18-year-old is into the third round of the Winston-Salem Open.

The teen stunned ninth seed Fabian Maroszan 6-2, 6-7(1), 7-6(2) in two hours and nine minutes to advance at the ATP 250 event. The lefty rallied from a break down in the deciding set, took a 5-3 lead and then surged to victory in the tie-break despite failing to serve out the match.

Tien has played the past two main draws of the US Open and will compete in the season’s final major again next week. But for now, he is focused on the task at hand in North Carolina.

Watch Extended Tuesday Highlights:

This year’s Bloomfield Hills ATP Challenger Tour champion converted six of his 14 break points according to Infosys ATP Stats to earn his fourth win of the tournament including qualifying. He will next play Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild, who ousted eighth seed Nuno Borges 7-6(2), 6-2.

One year on from Borna Coric's marathon semi-final loss to Sebastian Baez at the Winston-Salem Open, the Croatian avenged that defeat Tuesday with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against the top seed and defending champion. 

"I learned from that match, I was watching that match last night," Coric said of last year's loss at the ATP 250. "I was prepared for the match and also it was much better for me that we played today while it was sunny. Last year we played in the evening, which was actually much, much slower."

The 27-year-old dropped just four points behind his first serve and held the advantage in lengthy baseline rallies to improve to 1-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Baez. Just days after their three-hour 19-minute Winston-Salem meeting in 2023, Baez again defeated Coric in the US Open first round.  

Into the Round of 16, the three-time tour-level titlist will next face 16th seed Rinky Hijikata.

Earlier, American lucky loser Zachary Svajda earned the highest-ranked win of his career when he upset World No. 29 Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 6-4. The 21-year-old Svajda is up to No. 101 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings as he aims for his Top 100 debut.

Hamad Medjedovic moved one step closer to competing in the US Open main draw for the first time on Tuesday. The champion of last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF kept his hopes alive with a gutsy qualifying performance, rallying past Oriol Roca Batalla 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the opening round.

Each time the 21-year-old has competed in a major, he has advanced through qualifying, a good omen for the Serbian who next faces Duje Ajdukovic. Medjedovic qualified for Roland Garros for the second consecutive year in May and also reached the Wimbledon main draw in 2023.

Abdullah Shelbayh advanced to the second round after his 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory against Brandon Holt. The 20-year-old Jordanian, who last year competed in Jeddah and fell to Medjedovic in round-robin play, converted five of his six break points to defeat the 26-year-old Holt.

Shelbayh is seeking his first major main draw appearance. He reached the third round of qualifying at this year’s Australian Open, where he beat Medjedovic in the penultimate round.

Third seed Aslan Karatsev raced past Enzo Couacaud 6-3, 6-1 after winning nine of 10 net points across his 57-minute victory. Karatsev was clinical from the baseline too, hitting 28 winners compared to his opponent’s six.

We are encouraged that no fault or negligence has been found on Jannik Sinner’s part. We would also like to acknowledge the robustness of the investigation process and independent evaluation of the facts under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (TADP), which has allowed him to continue competing. This has been a challenging matter for Jannik and his team, and underscores the need for players and their entourages to take utmost care in the use of products or treatments. Integrity is paramount in our sport.

The ATP has announced that an ATP 250 tournament in Belgrade, Serbia, will take place from 3-9 November.

The tournament will be played on indoor hard court at Belgrade Arena, a multi-purpose venue and host of the historic 2010 and 2013 Davis Cup finals.

Djordje Djokovic, Belgrade Open Tournament Director, said: "We are grateful that we got a chance to organise yet another ATP 250 tournament, this time on a hard-court surface. Belgrade has a successful history in hard-court tournaments, as some of the most exciting Davis Cup matches and finals were played here many years ago. We are excited to continue with this tradition and try to make everything even more exciting and better, this time with an ATP tournament."

The tournament was initially due to be held in Gijon, Spain, but was relocated due to unforeseen operational matters. The relocation will see the event held in Belgrade for an initial two-year period.

All other tournaments on the 2024 ATP Tour calendar remain unchanged at this time and are planned to take place as scheduled.

Tennis racket stringing tension is an important aspect of customizing your racket for optimal performance. The string tension, typically measured in pounds (lbs) or kilograms (kg), directly impacts power, control, and feel. Here's a breakdown of how string tension affects your game and what to consider when selecting the right tension: Understandin...

The Cincinnati Open provided another week of thrilling ATP Masters 1000 action as Jannik Sinner clinched his tour-leading fifth title of the season. The man he overcame in the championship match, Frances Tiafoe, has surged back into the Top 20 of the PIF ATP Rankings as a result of his run in Ohio, where he became the first American finalist since John Isner in 2013.

ATPTour.com looks at the movers in the PIF ATP Rankings as of Tuesday, 20 August.

No. 20 Frances Tiafoe, +7
Tiafoe’s run to the final at the Cincinnati Open has propelled the 26-year-old back into the Top 20 for the first time since March. The home favourite defeated Top 20 opponents Lorenzo Musetti, Hubert Hurkacz and Holger Rune (against whom he saved two match points) at the Masters 1000 event before falling to World No. 1 Sinner.

No. 13 Ben Shelton, +1 (Career High)
The 21-year-old Shelton strengthened his bid to crack the Top 10 with a run to his maiden Cincinnati quarter-final. The lefty overcame the big-serving threat of Reilly Opelka in his opening round, before also notching wins against Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Fabian Marozsan. Alexander Zverev edged Shelton in three sets in the last eight, but the American has nonetheless risen to a career-high No. 13.

No. 15 Holger Rune, +1
Rune’s inspired run in Cincinnati was ended in heartbreaking fashion by Tiafoe, but the Dane can still reflect on a confidence-building run in Ohio. Rune overcame tricky tests from Matteo Berrettini, Nuno Borges, Gael Monfils and Jack Draper before letting slip two match points in his semi-final defeat. He has risen one spot to No. 15 in the PIF ATP Rankings as he now prepares for the US Open.

Shang Juncheng did not take long to kick-start his campaign at the Winston-Salem Open.

The Chinese #NextGenATP star marked his debut appearance at the hard-court ATP 250 with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 triumph against Francisco Comesana on Monday afternoon. Shang won 10 of the final 11 games to wrap a 69-minute win and set a second-round showdown with seventh seed Mariano Navone.

After winning 80 per cent (24/30) of points behind his first serve against Comesana, according to Infosys ATP Stats, Shang improved to 20-23 for the season. The 19-year-old lefty has enjoyed a breakout year on the ATP Tour in 2024, during which he has reached semi-finals in Hong Kong and Atlanta and risen as high as No. 73 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

With his victory against Comesana on Monday, Shang has also boosted his hopes of reaching the season-ending Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF for the first time. He is currently third in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, with only Arthur Fils and Alex Michelsen ahead of him.

Meanwhile a contestant at the past two editions of the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, Dominic Stricker, enjoyed a breakthrough of his own on Monday in Winston-Salem. The 22-year-old downed Federico Coria 7-5, 6-2 to notch his first tour-level win of the season.

Nobody likes losing tennis matches. But despite falling to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Cincinnati Open final, Frances Tiafoe was thrilled with his week at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

“Insanely happy for the effort I had all week. Tennis is a funny sport, man. It's been a really tough year,” Tiafoe said. “Since post-US Open honestly, since I made the quarters there last year, I've struggled to put matches together, taking the game for granted, not having much gratitude. [I] changed coaches, [was] trying to just figure myself out. [I am] in a great situation now, and to be able to make a final in a Masters series, a chance to win it, I couldn't be happier.”

This was the first time the American reached the final of an ATP Masters 1000 event. He defeated plenty of tough opponents, including Paris Olympics bronze medalist and Wimbledon semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti, and former World No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings Holger Rune.

“It doesn't really shock me or anything that I played tight with the best players in the world. I think I've beaten the best players in the world. I've played insanely tight matches with the best players in the world,” Tiafoe said. “More [the] thing that stood out to me is beating Musetti, who's had an insane season, and then backing it up and beating Lehecka and beating Rune in a tough match.”

This was Tiafoe’s second final of the year after making the championship match in Houston. He is now back in the Top 20 in the PIF ATP Rankings after falling from the elite group in March.