Looking for Tennis and Racket Sports International News?

Andrey Rublev is set to make his debut at the Moselle Open in Metz next week. The No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings has taken a late entry to the indoor ATP 250, which takes place from 3-9 November.

We are delighted to announce the participation of @AndreyRublev97at the @moselleopen?? pic.twitter.com/ftf9QPg7lH

After falling to Francisco Cerundolo in his opener at the Rolex Paris Masters, Rublev is unable to amass further points this week in his bid to qualify for the eight-man Nitto ATP Finals (10-17 November).

The 27-year-old is currently eighth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, with 3,720 points, but could slip out of the cut this week. Alex de Minaur (ninth), Grigor Dimitrov (10th) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (12th) are all still alive in Paris and all could leapfrog Rublev in various scenarios.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Grigor Dimitrov kept alive his hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals with a thrilling comeback win on Wednesday at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The eighth seed dug deep to outlast Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7(9), 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the third round at the indoor ATP Masters 1000. Dimtrov saved all three break points faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, in a gruelling two-hour, 45-minute victory.

Dimitrov is currently 10th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, trailing ninth-placed Alex de Minaur by 305 points. The 33-year-old could move inside the qualification spots with a run to the championship match in Paris. 

“It’s tough conditions, at the end of the year it’s very tricky,” said Dimitrov, who improved to 12-0 in opening rounds in Paris. “Everyone wants to empty their tank completely.

“He played an amazing first set. I'm far from the game I really want to play, but I'm adjusting. To win matches in that manner is way better for me than playing a clean match. I'm really happy with the fight. Of course, I really want to win every single match, but if I'm able to [show] that fight, I'm in a good place.

Grigor Dimitrov’s forehand is a cannon.

An ATP Infosys Beyond The Numbers analysis of TDI data of groundstroke speed, spin, and net clearance of the current Top 10 at ATP events over the past three years identifies that nobody blasts his forehand bigger than the 33-year-old Bulgarian.

Dimitrov’s career-high PIF ATP Ranking was No. 3 back in 2017. He started 2022 at No. 28 and has climbed back to No. 9, and ripping forehands has definitely helped pave the way back to the upper echelon of our sport.

The data set is also broken down by surface into the following four categories.
• Indoor hard
• Outdoor hard
• Clay
• Grass

The Top 10 average for forehand speed is 75 mph. Dimitrov is the only player in the data set to reach the 80 mph threshold on any surface. Below are the three players who reached the top two speeds.

Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev’s second-round exits at the Rolex Paris Masters on Tuesday could have major implications on the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.

In a back-and-forth battle with Jordan Thompson, Ruud fell to a 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-4 defeat, while Francisco Cerundolo defeated sixth seed Rublev 7-6(6), 7-6(5) to record his 100th tour-level win.

Ruud is currently seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin with 3,855 points. Eighth-placed Rublev trails the Norwegian by 135 points to close out the qualification spots.

However, both players are unable to secure further points at this week’s indoor ATP Masters 1000. Meanwhile, fellow Turin hopefuls Alex de Minaur (ninth), Grigor Dimitrov (10th), and Stefanos Tsitsipas (12th) are all still alive and could climb further.

De Minaur would surpass Rublev if he were to make the quarter-finals. If De Minaur and Tsitsipas met in the semi-finals in Paris, and Tsitsipas went on to win the title, then both players would leapfrog Rublev and Ruud.

Keeping your eyes on the ball is one of the most fundamental yet crucial aspects of playing tennis effectively. Here's a breakdown of why this tip is important and how to implement it in your game: Importance of Watching the BallImproves Timing: By focusing on the ball from your opponent's racket to yours, you can better time your swing, leading to...

Carlos Alcaraz kickstarted his campaign at the Rolex Paris Masters on Tuesday by serving up some revenge. 

The second seed finished with a flourish to move past Nicolas Jarry 7-5, 6-1, improving to 13-2 in opening rounds in 2024. Alcaraz, who fell to the Chilean in the Buenos Aires semi-final in February, showcased his class on return to convert 80 per cent (4/5) of break points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. 

“I think I played really good tennis [in the first set], but at the end it was complicated,” said Alcaraz, who improved to 16-4 at ATP Masters 1000 events this season. “I’m just really happy to get through the opening set, it was really important for me to come into the second with more confidence. I [need] time to get used to the speed of the court.

“It’s been two years since I have won a match here in Paris-Bercy, so everytime that I keep going is a gift for me.”

He's HIM. ?@carlosalcaraz gets his campaign off to a winning start in Paris, defeating Jarry 7-5 6-1!#RolexParisMasters | @RolexPMasters pic.twitter.com/rQUIBYfb4P

Alex de Minaur is showing no signs of backing down in the fight to qualify for his maiden appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The ninth seed finished with a flourish on Tuesday to defeat Mariano Navone 7-5, 6-1 and advance to the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters. After a nervy end to the opening set, De Minaur pulled clear in a near-flawless second to seal an 89-minute victory.

Smooth sailing for Demon ⛵️

No. 9 seed @alexdeminaur will face lucky loser Kecmanovic in the second round in Bercy.#RolexParisMasters | @RolexPMasters pic.twitter.com/mM8WvmG2i4

De Minaur’s standout season, during which he has won two ATP Tour titles and surged to a career-high of No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings, could culminate in a debut appearance at the season-ending finale.

The Australian, who is currently ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, has moved to within 125 points of eighth-placed Andrey Rublev with his opening-round win in Paris. De Minaur, who will surpass Rublev with a run to the quarter-finals, will next face lucky loser Miomir Kecmanovic. 

Spaniard Martin Landaluce made his mark in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah nine days ago when he leaped to eighth after he won his second ATP Challenger Tour title of the season in Italy.

The 18-year-old is on 348 points and now occupies the final qualification spot with six weeks to go until the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. With the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah heating up and Landaluce not competing this week, the chasing pack will look to make their moves in the coming days at their respective Challenger Tour events.

PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah

Ninth-placed Coleman Wong (328 points), who became the first Hong Kong player since 1972 to win an ATP Tour match in September, earned a first-round victory at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Seoul on Tuesday and will eye a deep run to close the gap on Landaluce.

Lithuanian’s Vilius Gaubas (292 points) is 10th and is competing in Guayaquil. Gaubas, who has won a Challenger Tour crown in 2024, has not played since early October. Portugal’s Henrique Rocha (286 points) is 11th and also plays in Guayaquil, while 12th-placed American Nishesh Basavareddy (280) is in action on home soil in Charlottesville.

Taylor Fritz has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the second time in the past three years. The American will compete at Inalpi Arena in Turin from 10-17 November.

The fifth player to earn his place at the season finale joins Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev in the field. He clinched his position one day after turning 27.

Fritz’s biggest moment of the year came at the US Open, where he advanced to his first major final. The home favourite became the first American male to make a Grand Slam singles final since Andy Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009.

This is also the third consecutive season in which Fritz has won multiple titles. He emerged victorious at Delray Beach and Eastbourne.

Fritz also made the final in Munich, battled to semi-finals in Madrid and Shanghai, and advanced to major quarter-finals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

The inaugural edition of the Belgrade Open will be held at Beogradska Arena in Belgrade, Serbia. Alex de Minaur, Tommy Paul, and Frances Tiafoe headline the action.

Here's what you need to know ahead of the indoor hard-court event in Serbia:

When is the Belgrade Open?
The ATP 250 event will be held from 3-9 November, 2024. It will take place at Beogradska Arena in Belgrade, Serbia. The tournament director is Djordje Djokovic.

Who is playing at the Belgrade Open?
De Minaur, Paul, Tiafoe, Lozenzo Musetti and Marin Cilic are among the field in Metz.

When is the draw for the Belgrade Open?
The Belgrade Open draw will be made on Friday, 1 November after 4 p.m. local time (CET).

The 21st edition of the Moselle Open will be held at Les Arènes de Metz in Metz, France. Casper Ruud, Holger Rune, and Ugo Humbert headline the action.

Here's what you need to know ahead of hard-court event in France:

When is the Moselle Open?
The ATP 250 event will be held from 3-9 November, 2024. It will take place at Les Arènes de Metz in Metz, France. The tournament director is Julien Boutter.

Who is playing at the Moselle Open?
Ruud, Rune, Humbert, Sebastian Korda, Matteo Berrettini and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard are among the field in Metz.

When is the draw for the Moselle Open?
The Moselle Open draw will be made on 1 November at 7 p.m. local time (CET).

Arthur Fils further outlined his credentials as one of France’s hottest prospects on Tuesday at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he became the youngest home star to record a main-draw win at the ATP Masters 1000 event since Richard Gasquet in 2006.

The 20-year-old Fils overcame Croatian Marin Cilic 7-6(5), 6-4 to reach the second round in Paris.

Courtside win with @ArthurFils1 ?

The home crowd is loving it ???@RolexPMasters | #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/ZxcAbgopzJ

In a high-energy display inside Court Central, Fils rallied from a break down at 5-6 in the first set and then upped the aggression during a second set in which he notched 11 winners in the set to advance past Cilic. He recorded victory in one hour and 35 minutes in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

Fils, who is first in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, has earned 36 tour-level wins this season. No Frenchman has recorded more victories in 2024, with Ugo Humbert second on 35.

Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Rolex Paris Masters due to a virus. The Italian announced the news during a press conference on Tuesday.

“It's a very tough announcement,” Sinner said. “I'm not going to play here in Paris. We came here very early to prepare in the best possible way. After the first practice session, I really didn't felt good. I also talked with the doctor on Sunday, it's a virus, what makes you feel better in three or four days.

“Today I feel better already a little bit, but the body is not ready to compete and I still feel very, very weak. It doesn't make sense to go on court and try to compete for this tournament. [I am very] disappointed because it's a tournament where I would like to see where my level is at. That was one of my main goals for this week. But unfortunately I cannot make this happen.”

Sinner holds a 65-6 record on the season and has already clinched ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours. The 23-year-old Italian, who has won a Tour-lead seven titles in 2024, was aiming to make his fourth appearance in Paris.

The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings will next head to Turin to lead the field at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 10-17 November.

The doubles field for the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals is now set. Following Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow’s loss in the Rolex Paris Masters, Wesley Koolhof/Nikola Mektic, Rohan Bopanna/Matthew Ebden, Kevin Krawietz/Tim Puetz and Harri Heliovaara/Henry Patten have all qualified for the season finale.

Those teams join Marcelo Arevalo/Mate Pavic, Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos, Simone Bolelli/Andrea Vavassori and Max Purcell/Jordan Thompson in Turin. The year-end championships will take place at Inalpi Arena from 10-17 November.

Koolhof and Mektic, the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champions, qualified for the season finale for the second time as a team. Four years ago, the Dutch-Croatian duo lifted the trophy at The O2 in London.

They have claimed four titles in 2024, triumphing in Auckland, Rotterdam, Indian Wells and Shanghai. Two of those events, Indian Wells and Shanghai, are ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. Koolhof and Mektic also made the final in ’s-Hertogenbosch and Basel.

Bopanna and Ebden will compete together at the Nitto ATP Finals for the second consecutive year. They began the year on a high by winning the Australian Open. They also triumphed in Miami, made the Adelaide final and the semi-finals at Roland Garros.

Jaime Faria might be the only player on the ATP Challenger Tour who can say that his artwork has appeared in a museum.

Faria’s father, Nuno, works as a history of art professor and museum curator. When Faria and his younger brother Vicente were children, they would spend countless hours at museums, listening to Nuno explain the various pieces displayed.

When a family friend directed an exposition in a Lisbon gallery, he featured work from Jaime and Vicente.

“We are not artists, but before we were and we didn’t know,” Faria said with a laugh when speaking to ATPTour.com. “We drew some paintings and actually — my father got some of those things that we did exposed in a museum and we really enjoyed it.

“We spent a lot of time in the museums, being quiet, listening, watching. We would play around, sometimes just doing nothing or things we weren’t supposed to do.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas showed he is ready to dig deep in his pursuit of a Nitto ATP Finals spot on Monday evening at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The Greek shook off a difficult start to overcome Roberto Carballes Baena 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and book his second-round berth at the indoor ATP Masters 1000. Tsitsipas hit 36 winners to Carballes Baena’s 15 to secure a one-hour, 59-minute triumph and advance to face Alejandro Tabilo.

“I didn’t start so well. I had an upset stomach and wasn’t feeling so great on the court,” said Tsitsipas, who has reached the semi-finals in Paris in each of the past two years. “I couldn’t even pump myself up at the beginning of the match, because when something is bothering you that much, it takes your entire concentration and focus. That was perhaps the second battle I was facing today, along with my opponent.”

The 26-year-old Tsitsipas is 12th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. He is chasing a sixth consecutive Nitto ATP Finals appearance, but will require a deep run in Paris if he is to stay in contention for a spot at the prestigious season finale this year.

Fellow Turin hopeful Tommy Paul did not enjoy similar success on Day 1 in Paris, falling 6-3, 7-5 to French veteran Adrian Mannarino in a result that ended the 11th seed’s hopes of making his Turin debut.

Taylor Fritz has arrived at the Rolex Paris Masters, the season’s final ATP Masters 1000 event, with a major change that has nothing to do with his game.

The American star recently dyed his hair blond, which has drawn plenty of attention on social media.

“Oh, years!” Fritz told the ATP regarding how long he has been considering the move. “I’ve polled it every year at the Australian Open. I thought it was funny and I expected to just buzz it if I hated it, but I don’t hate it.”

What we gathered from the interview:

?It wasn’t an intrusive thought.
? @Taylor_Fritz97 to report back about blondes having more fun. @RolexPMasters | #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/Hk2gAmgMMH

Some fans might be focused on Fritz’s new look, but the fifth-placed player in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin will be locked in on trying to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. He is next man in line to claim a position in Turin. Fritz, the fifth seed in Paris, will begin his tournament against Vienna champion Jack Draper or Jiri Lehecka.

When the pressure is on, Otto Virtanen remains unshaken.

The 23-year-old saved three championship points Sunday to win the ATP Challenger Tour 100 event in Brest, France and make his Top 100 debut in the PIF ATP Rankings.

By escaping Benjamin Bonzi 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(6), Virtanen ended the Frenchman’s 14-match win streak at the Challenger level and improved to 6-0 in Challenger finals. The Finn is just the 10th player in Challenger history — and first since Alexander Bublik in 2019 — to win his first six final appearances.

This was not the first time Virtanen saved championship points to lift a trophy this season. He achieved the same feat in a two-hour, 41-minute final against Daniel Masur in March, when Virtanen defended his title at the Lugano Challenger. Virtanen, who has won three Challenger titles this season, is up to World No. 96.

? OTTO VIRTANEN ?

Fresh off his title win in Brest, the 23-year-old makes his debut in the Top 100 #OnTheRise pic.twitter.com/z8MjBHS5Wf