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Antonio M. Cascales has spent practically a whole lifetime in the world of tennis. After over a decade coaching children in Villena, a small Spanish city near Alicante, a young Juan Carlos Ferrero crossed his path, at just 10 years of age. The rest is a success story that is alive to this day through Carlos Alcaraz, who trains with Ferrero and is joined by Cascales for a few weeks every year.

The Spanish coach, recognised as July’s ATP Spotlight of the Month, spoke to ATPTour.com about his outstanding career, in which he has worked closely with two superstars who have reached No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings: Ferrero and Alcaraz.

“I’m surprised and very grateful because I still consider myself a coach, even though I spend few weeks on the ATP Tour now,” explains Cascales of his coach of the month accolade. “I used to be on the front line, and now my role is to support both of them, not just the player. Now I have much more experience and I have a better understanding of the relationship between a player and a coach that have been together since Carlos was young. Now I’m more understanding of the way a 21-year-old behaves.”

In 1994, Cascales opened a small academy in Villena with two clay courts and a clubhouse, which he established as a base together with his first pupils. That centre, which was also conceived to support Ferrero’s growth as a player, has changed location and expanded its facilities to become the Ferrero Tennis Academy, one of the most important academies in the world.

Martínez Cascales guided Ferrero, and was by the Valencian’s side for the biggest triumphs of his career, including the French Open (2003) and his climb to the pinnacle of the world rankings later that year, after reaching the final at the US Open.

A tennis tiebreak is a special game played to determine the winner of a set when the score reaches 6-6. The tiebreak is designed to be a faster way to decide the set, avoiding an extended series of games that could prolong the match. Here's how a tennis tiebreak works: How a Tiebreak WorksScoring in a Tiebreak:The tiebreak is played to 7 points, bu...

LeBron James is one of the most recognisable people on the planet. If you looked closely at the basketball legend on television during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics, there were nearby faces familiar to tennis fans, including Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.

With WTA star Coco Gauff a co-flagbearer for the United States alongside James, the rest of the tennis team was invited to the front of the American boat, giving them time with James and the rest of the basketball team.

“It was really cool. It was awesome that Coco was a flagbearer, and it was awesome for all of us as well, because of the fact that we did kind of get to experience the opening ceremonies a little bit differently than all the other Americans, because we were up front with the basketball players,” Fritz told ATPTour.com at the Cincinnati Open, where he is the 11th seed. “We were just right in the front, on the boat in the opening ceremonies. It was one of the coolest experiences.”

James, who helped lead the United States to a gold medal in men’s basketball, took a photo with the entire American tennis contingent.

“It was cool. We were just riding the Coco Gauff train. We were only up there because of her, so it was cool seeing her have her moment,” Paul said. “Obviously unreal to be a flagbearer at the Olympics, so that was really cool.”

Alexei Popyrin turned near disaster into unexpected triumph to snap Sebastian Korda's eight-match winning streak and charge into his first ATP Masters 1000 final in Montreal Sunday night.

After coming within two points of defeat earlier in the day during a tense three-set quarter-final win over Hubert Hurkacz, the Australian survived a roller-coaster opening set against Korda before rolling over the American to claim a 7-6(0), 6-3 win.

"It means the world... it's an amazing achievement for myself to be honest, and sometimes you have to pat yourself on the back," said Popyrin, who has followed in the footsteps of countryman Alex de Minaur, who reached the final in Toronto last year. "I'll do that tonight but tomorrow it's all hands on deck and back to work."

"It was a topsy-turvy first set with some breaks here and there. I had some points at 5-4 but played some sloppy points and didn't convert. I just stayed mentally strong and I knew exactly what I was going to do on my next break point if I got an opportunity. “

An extended rain break couldn’t extinguish Andrey Rublev’s explosive run to the final of the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers, as the World No. 8 dismissed Italian Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 6-2 to charge into Monday’s ATP Masters 1000 final in Montreal.

After a one hour, 40 minute suspension in play at 6-4, 1-1 Sunday night, Rublev returned to court crushing winners at will to win five of the final six games of the match.

"The wait has been worth it. I'm happy to be in my first Canadian final." Rublev said. "I just want to recover, rest well and be ready for tomorrow. The idea [of not going to the Olympics] was to be more ready for Canada, so if I'm in the final it means we did really well."

Rublev advanced to his sixth ATP Masters 1000 final one day after upsetting World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals. The former World No. 5 has had a rollercoaster run at the Masters 1000 level this season. He claimed just one match win across Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo before charging to the Madrid title, but then lost his second match in Rome.

Most hard-court match wins in 2024

Carlos Alcaraz has enjoyed a hot stretch of form, winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and capturing the singles silver medal at the Paris Olympics. Now the Spaniard has his sights set on one thing: ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours.

The 21-year-old enters the Cincinnati Open just 450 points behind first-placed Sinner in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, which serves as a barometer for year-end No. 1.

“Obviously being No. 1 is a goal every time that I am [behind] and the race is an important ranking for me. At the end of the year, if you end the race No. 1, in the rankings [it is] quite similar, so you're going to end the No. 1,” Alcaraz said. “So I'm really focused on that. I'm focused on going to every tournament, thinking about playing great tennis, doing a good result just to get better in the race, and this year, ending the year as No. 1 is one of my main goals right now. So I'm looking forward to doing it and let's see.”

For nearly the entire first half of the season, it seemed Sinner was in prime position to become the first Italian year-end No. 1 in history. But after earning back-to-back major titles, Alcaraz is hot on the 22-year-old’s heels.

“I’m fighting for being No. 1 in the race, that's something that I really want to to do as soon as possible, if I could do it in the future,” Alcaraz said. “This one is a really important tournament, really good tournament for me. So I'm going to try to play good tennis, try to play same level as I was playing, and let's see.”

Sebastian Korda’s summer surge continued on Sunday at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers, where the in-form American upset second seed Alexander Zverev to reach his second ATP Masters 1000 semi-final.

Korda prevailed 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-4 against World No. 4 Zverev for his eighth straight tour-level match win and just his second in 14 encounters with Top 5 opponents in the PIF ATP Rankings. The American dealt with the blustery conditions in Montreal better than his opponent, whose victory bid was undermined by 11 double faults, including one to give up a decisive break in the ninth game of the deciding set.

“It means a lot. It’s been a tough year before the US hard-court swing,” said Korda in his post-match interview. “I‘ve just put in a lot of work, and I’m so happy with the results right now. I’m just really enjoying my time on court. Having fun, trying to play aggressive, keep doing my thing, and hope for the best.”

The 24-year-old Korda, who last week won his second Tour title and first at ATP 500 level in Washington, D.C, will now prepare for a quick turnaround before his semi-final. The American faces Alexei Popyrin, who upset Hubert Hurkacz in another rain-delayed clash, in a match scheduled for not before 8 p.m. local time on Sunday evening.

CAN'T STOP WON'T STOP... WINNING ?@SebiKorda reaches his fourth consecutive semi-final in as many events and his first at Masters 1000 level!! @OBNmontreal | #OBN24 pic.twitter.com/TKs0uQjKra

The North American hard-court swing continues at the Cincinnati Open, where Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev lead the field at the seventh ATP Masters 1000 event of the season.

Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul lead American hopes, while former champions Daniil Medvedev and Grigor Dimitrov also return to the Lindner Family Tennis Center. ATPTour.com looks at 10 storylines to watch over the coming week.

1) Sinner leads the field: Sinner struggled with a right-hip injury during his quarter-final loss to Andrey Rublev in Montreal but will lead the field as the top seed in Cincinnati. The Italian has won four tour-level titles this year, including on hard courts at the Australian Open and in Miami and Rotterdam.

2) Alcaraz returns to hard courts: Alcaraz will compete on hard courts for the first time since he reached the quarter-finals in Miami in March. The No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings has won majors at Roland Garros and Wimbledon since and begins in Cincinnati against Alexei Popyrin or Gael Monfils.

3) Former champions Medvedev & Zverev: Medvedev and Zverev have fond memories in Cincinnati. Fourth seed Medvedev won the title in 2019 and arrives holding an 18-5 hard-court record this year. Zverev, who advanced to the quarters in Montreal, triumphed in 2021 in Cincinnati.

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury are still alive, but only just, in Montreal.

The American-British duo’s hopes of a third championship-match appearance at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers hung by a thread on Sunday when it trailed Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski 5/9 in a Match Tie-break. Yet Ram and Salisbury saved all four match points they faced before pulling through for a stunning 6-2, 4-6, 11/9 semi-final victory.

The third-seeded Ram and Salisbury clinched the final six points of the match in a victory that echoed Daniel Evans and Andy Murray’s spectacular comeback win at the Paris Olympics two weeks ago. It was their second Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Nys and Zielinski this year, after the two teams’ semi-final clash in January in Adelaide. Ram and Salisbury also triumped in a Match Tie-break on that occasion.

Seeing is BELIEVING ??

No. 3 seeds @RajeevRam & @joesalisbury92 recover from 9-5(!!!) down in the match tiebreak to reach the championship match! @OBNmontreal | #OBN24 pic.twitter.com/iUalK6mszC

In Sunday’s 80-minute encounter, Ram and Salisbury saved five of six break points they faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats. The 2021 champions and 2023 finalists in Toronto, Ram and Salisbury will hope to clinch their fourth ATP Masters 1000 trophy overall on Monday, when they will take on top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, who defeated fourth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic 6-2, 2-6, 10-1.

Carlos Alcaraz has arrived at the Cincinnati Open, where the Spaniard will compete on hard courts for the first time since March.

The No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings hit with Italian Matteo Berrettini on Sunday after touching down in North America. Alcaraz advanced to the final at last year’s event, falling to Novak Djokovic in a three-set thriller.

POV: You’re at Carlos x Matteo practice ? #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/v9yFKREa3r

The second seed, who won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics last week, will face either Gael Monfils or Alexei Popyrin in his opening match in Ohio. Alcaraz is chasing his fourth title of the year and second at ATP Masters 1000 level, having won on hard in Indian Wells in March.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

On a busy Saturday of doubles action at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers, third seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury beat singles stars Daniil Medvedev and Roman Safiullin to advance to the semi-finals at the ATP Masters 1000.

The American-British pair earned a 6-4, 6-4 win behind three breaks of serve. They dominated on their own serve in the quarter-final matchup, winning 86 per cent (25/29) of points behind their first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski await in the semi-finals, after they received a walkover against Jack Draper and Jannik Sinner on Friday.

Top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos earned two wins on Saturday to reach the semis. After wrapping up a 6-4, 6-2 result against Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Alejandro Tabilo, they completed their double duty with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against fifth-seeded Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.

Marcel Granollers plays an overhead alongside Horacio Zeballos on Saturday in Montreal. Photo by Pete Staples/ATP Tour.

The North American hard-court season continues with another ATP Masters 1000 event at the Cincinnati Open, where Carlos Alcaraz is the defending champion.

Before each tournament week, ATPTour.com looks at three players who might be good selections for fans in the PIF ATP Rankings Predictor.

Make Your Picks Now!

Daniil Medvedev — defending 90 points
Medvedev lost his opening match in Montreal to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, but signs point towards a bounceback for the former World No. 1 in Cincinnati.

The 28-year-old owns a 15-6 record at the Cincinnati Open, where he won his first ATP Masters 1000 event in 2019. He also has reached two additional semi-finals at the tournament.

In a rain-interrupted quarter-final at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers, Andrey Rublev weathered a storm from defending champion Jannik Sinner to knock out the World No. 1 in three sets on Saturday in Montreal.

Rublev's 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 victory moved him up to eighth place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, putting him ahead of Stefanos Tsitsipas as the battle for a place at the Nitto ATP Finals heats up.

Sinner appeared to struggle with a right-hip injury throughout the match, particularly during the deciding set, in what may be a re-appearance of an issue that has plagued him for much of the 2024 season. Though he did not call for the trainer, the Italian massaged his hip area during the changeovers and hunched over onto his racquet after several gruelling points. Before the start of the third set, microphones picked up coach Darren Cahill telling Sinner to call the trainer if needed.

"It was a really great match of mine. I was playing really well today and I'm happy that I was able to win," Rublev said.

"I don't know, not much to say, because I still for the moment... really I don't understand what's happening, because Jannik is an amazing player and he's playing unbelievable for the past two years. I was just hoping that I would be able to fight with him, to show great tennis. In the end, I think we had a lot of great rallies, a lot of long rallies.

"To be able to win this kind of match, of course it's always special, and of course I needed those matches, especially after some bad moments this year. So of course I'm happy." 

Alexander Zverev earned a statement win on Saturday at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers, where he defeated Holger Rune 6-3, 7-6(5) to reach the quarter-finals in Montreal.

The German was consistent in the baseline rallies and was front-footed on return, winning 52 per cent (15/29) of points on Rune’s second serve to take a 2-1 lead in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

The second seed has earned a Tour-leading 49 wins this year, highlighted by his ATP Masters 1000 crown in Rome. The No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Zverev is also into his 29th Masters 1000 quarter-final, the 10th highest since the series started in 1990.

Zverev will next play Sebastian Korda after the American received a walkover from Norway’s Casper Ruud. The 27-year-old has fond memories in Montreal, having lifted the trophy in 2017 aged 20.

Alexei Popyrin also advanced to the last eight. The Australian upset Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3.

Carlos Alcaraz will make his return to hard courts against either Gael Monfils or Alexei Popyrin, as revealed by Saturday's draw for the Cincinnati Open.

The Spaniard has not competed on the surface since he reached the quarter-finals in Miami in March but arrives in Cincinnati holding fond memories, having advanced to the final last year.

View Singles Draw

The 21-year-old, who has won majors at Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year, is chasing his sixth ATP Masters 1000 crown in Cincinnati. Alcaraz is seeded to face Holger Rune in the third round, with the Dane starting against former Top 10 star Matteo Berrettini in a blockbuster first-round match.

Alcaraz could then meet seventh seed Casper Ruud or ninth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals, with fourth seed Daniil Medvedev a potential semi-final opponent. Medvedev, who triumphed in Cincinnati in 2019, begins against Jiri Lehecka or Mariano Navone.

Jannik Sinner was handed a double reward when he advanced to the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers quarter-finals on Friday. By doing so, the Italian became the first player to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

The World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Ranking, Sinner will make his second consecutive appearance and third overall at the prestigious season finale in Turin, which this year will take place from 10-17 November. After making his event debut as an alternate in 2021, Sinner last year charged to the final in front of his home fans at Inalpi Arena, where he ultimately fell to Novak Djokovic.

FORZA JANNIK ?

Sinner is the first to qualify for this year’s Nitto ATP Finals, and is ready to battle it out on home soil ???@nittoatpfinals | #NittoATPFinals | @janniksin pic.twitter.com/0ANj8hI3aS

The 22-year-old Italian began his year by lifting his maiden major trophy at the Australian Open. He then won an indoor hard-court ATP 500 in Rotterdam, became an ATP Masters 1000 champion for the second time in Miami, and clinched his first tour-level grass title in Halle.

Alongside winning a Tour-leading four titles this season, Sinner made history on 10 June after Roland Garros, where he reached the semi-finals. He rose above Djokovic to become the first Italian No. 1 in PIF ATP Rankings history.

Jannik Sinner continued his quest towards a fifth title of the season on Saturday at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers, where he dispatched Chilean Alejandro Tabilo 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals in Montreal.

After a slow start, the World No. 1 began to motor from the mid-way point in the first set. The Italian won 92 per cent (11/12) of his first-serve points in the opener and then won eight consecutive points in the early stages of the second set to break Tabilo’s serve and take full control.

"Tricky opponent, tricky conditions," Sinner said. "It is difficult playing against this type of player. Huge lefty, big potential. I had to be very careful, looking a lot to make the game. It felt like a good match. I know in my mind I have to play one more time [today], so there is not much time to be happy and recover. I am happy to play again later."

With his 79-minute win, Sinner set a quarter-final meeting with Andrey Rublev. The top seed is undertaking double duty on Saturday after rain cancelled Friday's play and will return to Court Central at 7 p.m. local time to face Rublev.

"When you are a set and a break up you want to close it in two," Sinner said. "If I want to play the second match today, I had to win the first one. So if it took three or four hours, it takes that long. It will be a tough match against Andrey. He played great today."

Sebastian Korda extended his winning run to seven matches on Saturday at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers, where he overcame countryman Taylor Fritz 6-4, 7-6(4) to reach the third round in Montreal.

Korda is playing at a career-high No. 18 in the PIF ATP Rankings, having won his first ATP 500 crown in Washington last week. The 24-year-old saved three set points in the second set on serve at 4-5 against Fritz before he eventually prevailed in the tie-break to advance after one hour and 39 minutes.

Korda, who improved to 1-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Fritz, then received a walkover from sixth-seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud to reach the quarter-finals. The American will next play Alexander Zverev or Holger Rune.

Fifth seed Andrey Rublev set a potential quarter-final meeting with World No. 1 Jannik Sinner when he dispatched American Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 6-2.

Rublev struck 22 winners and committed just five unforced errors in a high-quality performance to reach the last eight at the hard-court event. With his 64-minute win, Rublev completed the set of quarter-finals at all nine ATP Masters 1000 events.

Top seed Jannik Sinner headlines a hectic Saturday schedule at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers, where the Italian will need to pull double duty to reach the semi-finals and continue his title defence.

The 22-year-old, among several players who could play two matches in one day due to rain cancelling the entirety of Friday’s Montreal action, will play 15th seed Alejandro Tabilo not before 12:30 p.m. local time on Court Central. The winner will return to the same court not before 7 p.m. to face fifth seed Andrey Rublev or qualifier Brandon Nakashima in the quarter-finals.

Following Sinner and Tabilo on Court Central will be the third-round blockbuster between second seed Alexander Zverev and 13th seed Holger Rune. Zverev and Rune are level at 1-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, with the German winning their most recent match in five sets at this year's Roland Garros.

Kei Nishikori looks to build upon his run at the ATP Masters 1000 event, beginning the day with a third-round match against Portugal’s Nuno Borges. The winner will close the Court Central evening session with a quarter-final meeting against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or Matteo Arnaldi.

There are still three second-round matches to be completed, two of which have not commenced: fourth seed Hubert Hurkacz versus Thanasi Kokkinakis and the all-American clash between Taylor Fritz and Sebastian Korda. The winner of Fritz and Korda will play sixth seed Casper Ruud after suitable rest.

Friday’s play at the Omnium Banque National présenté par Rogers in Montreal has been cancelled for the day due to rain.

Tournament officials moved early in the day to abandon the full schedule as heavy and persistent rain associated with the remnants of post-cyclone Debby made the possibility of play at any stage of the day highly unlikely.

Today's cancellation means that several top stars, headlined to Jannik Sinner, will need to play twice Saturday if they are to continue through the draw. Top seed Sinner will play 15th seed Alejandro Tabilo not before 12:30 p.m. on Court Central and if he wins, will return to the same court not before 7 p.m. to face the winner between fifth seed Andrey Rublev and qualifier Brandon Nakashima. 

There are still three second-round matches to be completed, two of which had not commenced: fourth-seeded Pole Hubert Hurkacz and Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis (who were rained out after their warm-up Thursday night) and ninth seed Taylor Fritz and Washington champion Sebastian Korda in an all-American clash.

The other second-round match sees Arthur Rinderknech leading Italian Flavio Cobolli 3-0.