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Spain moves past Australia to setup final showdown against Serbia

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After Serbia had defeated Russia in the first semifinal at the ATP Cup it was Australia vs Spain fighting to be the second team to advance to the final.

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Nick Kyrgios faced world no. 10 Roberto Bautista Agut in the opening singles and pushed the Spaniard in the opening game but from there he struggled in the first set.

The world no. 29 Australian was broken twice in the first by the consistent Spaniard who made just two unforced errors in the opening set.

Kyrgios was broken early in the second set and had a few chances to hit back however Bautista Agut held firm to give Spain the opening match.

World no. 1 Rafael Nadal was defeated by David Goffin in the quarter-final and found himself down an early break against Australia’s no. 1 player Alex de Minaur.

The pair had met twice previously with Nadal winning convincingly at the 2019 Australian Open and at Wimbledon in 2018.

This time de Minaur was able to out hustle Nadal and he also managed to hit a lot more winners that his opponent to take the opening set.

Games went with serve in the second set until the 12th game where Nadal was able to break de Minaur to take the set 7-5.

Nadal raced to a 4-0 lead in the deciding set before wrapping up the match and sending Spain into the final. Nadal taking the match 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Australia defeats Great Britain in a thriller to advance to the ATP Cup semifinals

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Nick Kyrgios got Australia off to a flying start in the first ATP Cup quarterfinal against Brisbane. He defeated world no. 52 Cameron Norrie 6-2, 6-2.

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Next up it was the no. 1s match between Australia’s Alex de Minaur and Britain’s Dan Evans. This match was one of the best of the tournament so far.

Both players were hitting the ball cleanly from the start but it was de Minaur that took an early lead after breaking Evans in the second game after hitting a down the line winner to bring up a break point. He consolidated the break to lead 3-0.

Evans held serve then broke the Australian to get back on serve. Both players then held serve to see the first set decided in a tiebreak.

Things did not start well for de Minaur as he lost the first point after an air-swing when attempting an overhead. Evans would take the opening set after winning the tiebreak 7-4.

de Minaur again broke early in the second set to lead 2-1 and advantage that he held onto to level the match at one set all.

In the deciding third set it was Evans that won the first break of serve to lead 2-0.

de Minaur broke back at 2-4 and again the players found themselves in a tiebreak after Evans failed to convert a few match points. The Brit finally did secure the win to send the tie into a live doubles match.

In the doubles match Australia’s captain decided to pair up the singles players instead of using the doubles specialists John Peers and Chris Guccione.

The Australian’s got off to an early lead with the first break of the match however de Minaur was not able to hold serve in the first set and the Brits took the opening set 6-4.

In the second set the Australians held serve and then broke to again hold an early lead however Kyrgios was broken for the first time at 3-1 to get things back on serve.

The Australians quickly broke again this time breaking Salisbury to lead 4-2. They held serve from there to take the second set 6-3 and send the match into a super tiebreak. It would turn out to be an epic moment.

Australia took the early lead with a mini break and were looking likely to secure the win when at 8-6 de Minaur was serving. The Brits however pounced at the net to smash a winner and get things back on serve.

Kyrgios brought up the first match point when he hit a down the line winner past Salisbury. The Brits would save that and then hold their own match point at 11-10.

This was perhaps when they should have claimed victory. With de Minaur serving Murray had hit a reflex volley at Kyrgios and he scooped the ball just over the net. Murray was right on the net with the open court at his mercy, he would however lift his backhand long over the baseline to give the Aussies a reprieve.

The Aussies again held match point after a great backhand smash from Kyrgios took the score to 11-12 with Murray serving to stay alive. He handled the pressure to level the scores.

An overhead error from Salisbury gave the Australian’s another match point at 13-12 but the Brits again stayed cool. They had a match point at 14-15 with the Australians to serve.

Murray finally had a serve with match point at 16-15 but de Minaur jumped on the return to hit a down the line winner to keep the Aussies alive. A high backhand return that Kyrgios guided down the tram lines saw the Australians serving at 17-16 for the win.

Kyrgios served and Salisbury hit long but a review of the serve was called for before the win could be confirmed. The ball had landed on the service live so it was a win for the Aussies to cap off an amazing tie.

The Australians took the match 3-6, 6-3, (18-16) and await the winner of the quarterfinal between Spain and Belgium.

Australia takes another step toward the ATP Cup quarterfinals after despatching Canada

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At the end of last season Canada got the better of Australia at the Davis Cup finals winning their quarter-final clash. The two countries again faced off, this time at the ATP Cup in Brisbane.
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Both teams had won their opening ties on Friday 3-0.
First up we saw John Millman sub in for Nick Kyrgios who reportedly had a back issue.

Millman faced Felix Auger-Aliassime and took that match 6-4, 6-2.

Next is was the battle of the no. 1 players. Alex de Minaur facing Denis Shapovalov.

Both players had caused upsets in their opening matches with de Minaur defeating world no. 7 Alexander Zverev of Germany and Shapovalov defeating world no. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece.

In the opening set it was one that both players had break point opportunities but they were not able to convert. de Minaur saved seven with Shapovalov fighting off two.

In the tie-breaker it was de Minaur that held the first set point but he was not able to convert. Shapovalov would quickly move to a set point which he converted when serving wide.

In the second set de Minaur broke first only to see Shapavalov hit back quickly. de Minaur was able to fight off a few break points early in the set to not fall behind. Both players traded breaks before de Minaur got a crucial third break.

In the third set de Minaur got better as the set progressed to march on to a 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-2 victory to seal the tie for Australia.

Kyrgios and de Minaur get Australia a winning start at the ATP Cup

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Australia’s Nick Kyrgios and Alex de Minaur has won their singles matches against Jan-Lennard Struff and Alexander Zverev to claim their Group F tie against Germany.

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Kyrgios got started with a 6-4, 7-6(4) victory over world no. 35 Struff.

Zverev looked on track to level the tie after taking the first set and being up a break in the second set before the Australian fought back to win 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-2.

This was the first upset at the ATP Cup with the world no. 7 going down to the world no. 18.

A few double faults from Zverev at crucial times probably cost Germany the match. That combined with de Minaur’s hustle.

Canberra Challenger tournament transferred to Bendigo

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Canberra since early December 2019 has mostly been mostly shrouded in a cloud of smoke which drifts in from the bushfires burning to the east and south.

The air quality measurements have recently been the worst out of cities around the world. With adverse conditions forecast on Saturday it was decided to send the APIS Canberra International to Bendigo.

The Canberra tournament was set to be the most exciting in the short history of the tournament. The tournament was boosted to an ATP Challenger 125 event with $162,480 in total prize money and eight players in the men’s top-100 were set to launch their Australian Open preparations in Canberra

Tennis ACT CEO Kim Kachel explained the decision was made after much consideration and consultation with the local authorities.

“The health of players, fans, volunteers, staff and stakeholders is our biggest priority at all times,” Kachel said.

Canberra – 4 November: Apis Canberra International ITF $60,000 women’s singles trophy presentation. Zoe Hives (left) the 2018 champion with the runnerup Olivia Rogowska, Dan Bisa President of Tennis ACT, Anthony Honeyman from the Apis Group and Kim Kachel CEO of Tennis ACT. (Photo by Rob Keating – http://robiciatennis.com) #ApisCBRIntl #protour.

“Unfortunately, the best advice from the weather and fire experts is that the conditions over the next few days mean it is unlikely there would be any play. With conditions too unpredictable the decision was made to relocate at the earliest available opportunity.

“We want to thank the team at the Bendigo Tennis Association for helping us stage this event.

Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said the unprecedented decision to relocate the tournament was a result of acting on the most up-to-date and accurate information available.

“We have been closely monitoring the bushfire situation in the region and particularly NSW, SA and Victoria and are receiving daily updates from the local experts and authorities,” Tiley said.

“We know how important the tournament is for players preparing to play at the Australian Open and the decision to move the tournament from Canberra to Bendigo has been made to ensure they can still compete.

“We will continue to monitor the situation across the country and ensure we have the most accurate information to make any decisions about play.

“Our thoughts are with all those communities affected by the devastation caused by bushfires across Australia and further announcements regarding fundraising opportunities will be made shortly.”

Aussie Tennis – Year in Review

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At the start of 2019 we saw Ash Barty as the top-ranked female player at no. 15. Her goal was to crack the top-ten. Alex de Minaur was the top Aussie male at no. 31.

Sydney, Australia – 6 January 2018: Australia’s Ashleigh Barty wearing a Fila hoody on-board the super yacht ‘Cooroboree’ during a media opportunity for the Sydney International tennis. The Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge are in the background. (Photo by Rob Keating/robiciatennis.com)

Both of the top Aussies got off to a great start early in 2019. Barty reached the final in Sydney losing to Petra Kvitova while de Minaur won his first ATP winning in Sydney.

Sydney, Australia – 10 January 2019: Alex de Minaur during his Sydney International quarterfinal match on Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney Olympic Park. (Photo by Rob Keating/robiciatennis.com)

Barty would go on to achieve her best ever Australian Open result losing again to Kvitova, this time in the Quarterfinals. Next was the big breakthrough for Barty as she won the Miami Premier Mandatory event.

Bigger things were to come for Barty. The Queenslander claimed her first Grand Slam singles title at the French Open and she would rise to the no. 1 ranking on 24 June.

Naomi Osaka took the top spot back for a few weeks before Barty capped off an amazing year by winning the Shiseido WTA Finals in Shenzhen where she took home the largest prize money cheque of $4,420,000 US.

Unfortunately for Barty she was not able to complete the best of the best dream year when Australia lost the Fed Cup final to France.

Of the other Australian women’s players it was not such a good year for Daria Gavrilova. Poor form and injury saw her ranking tumble in 2019. She started the year at no. 34 and fell to no. 242 by year’s end.

Ajla Tomljanovic took over the no. 2 spot in the Australian rankings behind Barty. She started the year at no. 45 before rising to a career-high no. 39 in April. She ended the year at no. 51 and had the bonus of finally being cleared to play Fed Cup for Australia.

The highlights for Tomljanovic were reaching the Toyota Thailand Open final losing in controversial fashion to Dayana Yastremska and also reaching the semifinal at the Premier level tournament in Zhengzhou losing to Karolina Pliskova.

Other players that did well in 2019 were Astra Sharma who reached a career-high at no. 85 and also reached the final in Bogota losing to Anna Anisimova.

Canberra - 2 November, 2018: Australia's Astra Sharma against Apis Canberra International 2016 Champion Risa Ozaki from Japan. (Photo by Rob Keating - http://robiciatennis.com) #ApisCBRIntl #protour
Canberra – 2 November, 2018: Australia’s Astra Sharma against Apis Canberra International 2016 Champion Risa Ozaki from Japan. (Photo by Rob Keating – http://robiciatennis.com) #ApisCBRIntl #protour

Maddison Inglis took her ranking from no. 361 to a career-high of 128 on November 18 before ending the year at no. 130

Canberra, Australia – 28 March 2019: Maddison Inglis from Australia in a round two match. (Photo by Rob Keating http://robiciatennis.com )

The Australian Men

It was Alex de Minaur and Nick Kyrgios leading the way for the Australian men. Both players claimed titles on the ATP tour.

de Minaur won his home tournament in Sydney, the last before the ATP Cup takes over that time slot on the calendar. He also added the Atlanta and Zhuhai titles and took his ranking to a career-high at no. 18.

Kyrgios won titles in Acapulco and Washington, both at the ATP 500 level. At the Acapulco event he defeated Rafael Nadal in the round of 16 and then easily beat Alexander Zverev in the final.

Washington was again a very impressive showing from Kyrgios. He defeated the hottest player on tour over the American swing, Daniil Medvedev. He also defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semis.

2019 was a mixed bag for Kyrgios. He had the highs of winning the two titles but he made headlines for all the wrong reasons when at the Cincinnati Masters he had a meltdown in his match against Russia’s Karen Khachanov and he was later fined $US113,000 for his behavior.

Another Australian player that made his mark in 2019 were Alexei Popyrin. He took advantage of a wildcard into the Australian Open and reached the third round where he lost a tough five set battle against France’s Lucas Pouille. Popyrin would also go onto play in all of the three remaining Grand Slam main draws reaching the third round of the US Open. He climbed to a career-high at no. 87 in July.

Jordan Thompson made the most of his rise in the rankings in 2018 achieved through good Challenger results. He reached s-Hertogenbosch final and reached his career-high ranking of no. 43 in July.

Sydney, Australia – 6 January 2018: Jordan Thompson from Australia serving in the first set against France’s Adrian Mannarino during a round one match at the Sydney International tennis on Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney Olympic Park. (Photo by Rob Keating/robiciatennis.com)

James Duckworth battled his way into the top-100 with some good results on the ATP Challenger tour winning titles in Pune, Playford, Baotou and Bangkok. He took his ranking from no. 238 at the start of 2019 to end the year at no. 100.

Photo of Australian tennis player James Duckworth at the Apis Canberra International. Photo by Rob Keating
Canberra – 30 October: Australia’s James Duckworth against Marc Polmans in the second set of their round one match. (Photo by Rob Keating – http://robiciatennis.com)

Christopher O’Connell made a late season run up the rankings going from no. 596 on 28 January to a career-high at no. 119 by early December. This came on the back of a Challenger title in Cordenons in August and then he was runner up in Sibiu won Fairfield and he was again runner up in Knoxville.

Christopher O’Connell warming up for his match against Gavin Van Peperzeel in the ATP Challenge Tour qualifying tournament.

Marc Polmans was solid but he could not close some key wins that could have seen him push close the top-100. He lost his first round match over five sets at the Australian Open after receiving a wildcard. And he lost a round of 32 match at the the ATP 500 event in Washington losing in a third set tie-breaker.

Canberra - 30 October: Men's round one singles match - Australia's Marc Polmans on centre court in his match against fellow Australian James Duckworth. (Photo by Rob Keating - http://robiciatennis.com)
Canberra – 30 October 2018: Men’s round one singles match – Australia’s Marc Polmans on centre court in his match against fellow Australian James Duckworth. (Photo by Rob Keating – http://robiciatennis.com)

Polmans did however claim Challenger titles in Zhangjiagang and Traralgon and reached his career-high of no. 132 in November.

2019 Australian player results for WTA and ATP tours

Davis Cup finals

Australia d Colombia 3-0
Nick Kyrgios d Alejandro Gonzalez 6-4, 6-4
Alex de Minaur d  Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4, 6-3
John Peers and Jordan Thompson d Juan-Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(6).

Australia d Belgium 2-1
Nick Kyrgios d Steve Darcis 6-2, 7-6
Alex de Minaur d  David Goffin 6-0, 7-6
John Peers and Jordan Thompson lost to Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 6-0, 6-0 after injury withdrawal

Quarterfinal lost to Canada 2-1
John Millman lost to Vasek Pospisil 7-6(7), 6-4.
Alex de Minaur d Denis Shapovalov 3-6 6-3 7-5
John Peers and Jordan Thompson lost to Vasek Pospisil and Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 6-4.

Next Gen ATP Finals

Alex de Minaur (1) Rd Robin match 1 d Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (7) ESP 4-2, 3-4(5), 4-1, 4-1. RR match 2 d Miomir Kecmanovic 4-1, 4-3(4), 1-4, 4-0. RR match 3 d Casper Ruud 4-1, 4-0, 4-2. Semifinal d Frances Tiafoe 4-2, 4-1, 0-4, 4-2. Final lost to Jannik Sinner ITA 4-2, 4-1, 4-2.

Fed Cup Final

Ajla Tomljanovic lost to Kristina Mladenovic 6-1, 6-1
Ash Barty d Caroline Garcia 6-0, 6-0
Ash Barty lost to Kristina Mladenovic 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(1)
Ajla Tomljanovic d Pauline Parmentier 6-4, 7-5
Ash Barty and Sam Stosur lost to Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia 6-4, 6-3.

WTA Finals Shenzhen

Round Robin Red Group – Ash Barty(1) d Belinda Bencic SUI (7) 5-7, 6-1, 6-2. Match two lost to Kiki Bertens 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Match three d Petra Kvitova CZE 6-4, 6-2. Semifinal d Karolina Pliskova CZE 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Final d Elina Svitolina UKR 6-4, 6-3.

ATP Masters 1000 Paris

Alex de Minaur d Laslo Dejere SRB 6-1, 6-4. R2 d Roberto Bautista Agut (9) ESP 7-6(2), 7-6(1). R3 v Stefanos Tsitsipas (7)

ATP 500 Basel

Alex de Minaur d Hugo Dellien BOL 6-1, 7-5. R2 d Taylor Fritz USA 6-3, 6-3. QF d Jan-Lennard Struff GER 6-4, 7-6(4). SF d Reilly Opelka USA 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 7-6(3). Final lost to Roger Federer (1) SUI 6-2, 6-2.
Alexei Popyrin (Q) lost to Fabio Fognini (5) 6-2, 6-4

ATP Challenger Traralgon

Final – Marc Polmans d Andrew Harris 7-5, 6-3

ATP 250 Stockholm

John Millman lost to Pablo Carreno Busta (5) ESP 6-4, 6-3.
Alexei Popyrin (Q) d Oscar Otte (LL) GER 7-6(6), 7-6(5). R2 lost to Denis Shapovalov (4) CAN 6-4, 7-6(3).

WTA Moscow

Ajla Tomljanovic lost to Varvara Gracheva (Q) RUS 6-3, 6-2.

ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai

Alex de Minaur lost to John Isner USA  7-6(1), 6-4.
John Millman (S) d Guido Pella ARG 6-3, 7-5. R2 lost to Andrey Rublev RUS 6-2, 6-0.

WTA International Tianjin

Ajla Tomljanovic lost to Veronika Kudermetova RUS 6-4, 6-2.
Sam Stosur (W) d Zh Yang (W) CHN 7-5, 2-6, 6-2. R2 lost to Yulia Putintseva KAZ 6-1, 6-2.
Astra Sharma lost to Yulia Putintseva KAZ 6-1, 1-6, 7-5.
Arina Rodionova (Q) lost to Wang Qiang (2) CHN 6-3, 6-4.

WTA Premier Event Beijing

Ash Barty (1) Rd 1 bye. R2 d Yulia Putintseva KAZ 6-4, 6-2. R3 d Zheng Saisai 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2. QF d Petra Kvitova (7) CZE 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. SF d Kiki Bertens (8) NED 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(7). Final lost to Naomi Osaka JPN 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Ajla Tomljanovic d Wang Qiang 5-7, 4-5 retired. R2 lost to Alison Riske USA 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

ATP 500 event Beijing

no Australians

ATP 500 event Tokyo

Alexei Popyrin lost to Novak Djokovic (1) SRB 6-4, 6-2.
Jordan Thompson d Juan Ignacio Londero ARG 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. R2 lost to Taro Daniel JPN 6-4, 7-6(3).
Alex de Minaur lost to Lloyd Harris RSA 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(8).
John Millman d Adrian Mannarino FRA 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. R2 d Lloyd Harris RSA 6-3, 6-2. QF d Tara Daniel JPN 6-4, 6-0. SF d Reilly Opelka USA 6-3, 7-6(3). Final lost to Novak Djokovic (1) SRB 6-3, 6-2.

WTA Premier Event Wuhan

Ash Barty (1) R1 bye. R2 d Caroline Garcia FRA 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. R3 vs Sofia Kenin (15) USA. QF d Petra Martic CRO 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-3. SF lost to Aryna Sabalenka 7-5, 6-4.
Ajla Tomljanovic lost to Dayana Yastremska7-6(5), 6-2
Sam Stosur lost to Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

ATP 250 Chengdu

Alexei Popyrin lost to Fernando Verdasco ESP 6-2, 7-5

ATP 250 Zhuhai

Alex de Minaur (7) d John Millman 6-1, 6-3. R2 d Andy Murray 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. QF d Borna Coric CRO (4) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. SF d Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-2. Final d Adrian Mannarino FRA 7-6(4), 6-4

WTA International Event Seoul

Ajla Tomljanovic d Stefanie Voegele SUI 6-0, 6-2. R2 lost to d Priscilla Hon 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.
Priscilla Hon d Mihaela Buzarnecu ROM 6-3, 6-4. R2 d Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3, 5-7, 6-1. QF lost to Karolina Muchova (3) CZE 6-3, 6-3.

WTA International Event Guangzhou

Sam Stosur d Tereza Matincova (Q) CZE 6-2, 6-4. R2 d Bernarda Pera USA 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(5). QF d Nina Stojanovic SRB 6-2, 7-6(1). SF d Viktorija Golubic SUI 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-1. Final lost to Sofia Kenin (3) USA 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2.

WTA Premier Event Zhengzhou 

Ajla Tomljanovic d Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove (Q) NED 6-2, 6-0. R2 d Kiki Bertens NED 6-4, 7-6(1). QF d Zheng Saisai CHN 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-4. SF lost to Karolina Pliskova CZE 6-3, 6-2.

US Open

Women
Ashleigh Barty (2) d Zarina Diyas KAZ 1-6, 6-3, 6-2. R2 d Lauren Davis USA 6-2, 7-6(2). R3 d Maria Sakkari (30) 7-5, 6-3. R4 lost to Wang Qiang CHN 6-2, 6-4
Samantha Stosur (W) lost to Alexandrova Ekaterina RUS 6-1, 6-3.
Daria Gavrilova lost to Fiona Ferro FRA 6-3, 6-4
Alja Tomljanovic d Marie Bouzkova CZE 1-6, 7-5, 6-1. R2 lost to Anett Kontaveit (21) EST 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Astra Sharma lost to Magda Linette POL 6-3, 6-4
Priscilla Hon (LL) lost to Margarita Gasparyan RUS 7-6(4), 6-4

Men
Nick Kyrgios (28)  d Steve Johnson USA 6-3, 7-6(1), 6-4. R2 v Antoine Huang (W) FRA. R3 lost to Andrey Rublev RUS 7-6(5), 7-6(5), 6-3
John Millman lost to Rafael Nadal (2) ESP 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.
Alex de Minaur d Pierre-Hugues Herbert FRA 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(6), 7-5. R2 d Cristian Garin (31) CHI 6-3, 7-5, 6-3. R3 d Kei Nishikori 6-2, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. R4 lost to Grigor Dimitrov BUL
Jordan Thompson d Joao Sousa POR 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. R2 lost to Matteo Berrettini (24) ITA 7-5, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-1.
Alexei Popyrin d Federico Delbonis ARG 6-1, 7-5, 7-6(5). R2 d Mikhail Kukushkin KAZ 2-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-2. R3 lost to Matteo Berrettini ITA 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(3), 7-6(2)
Thanasi Kokkinakis d Ilya Ivashka (Q) BLR 6-3, 7-6(10), 6-7(4), 6-2. R2 lost to Rafael Nadal (2) ESP walkover

Winston-Salem

John Millman round 1 bye. R2 d Marco Cecchinato ITA 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3.  QF lost to Steve Johnson USA 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.
Alexei Popyrin d Thiago Monteiro BRA5-7, 6-4, 7-6(7). R2 lost to Miomir Kecmanovic SRB 7-6(5), 6-3.

Cincinnati

Nick Kyrgios d Lorenzo Sonego ITA 7-5, 6-4. R2 lost to Karen Khachanov (8) RUS 6-7( 7-6(4), 6-2 and fined US$113,000.
Jordan Thompson lost to Yoshihito Nishioka (Q) 7-5, 5-7, 6-4.
Alex de Minaur d Marco Cecchinato ITA 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-2. R2 d Reilly Opelka 7-6(3), 6-4. R3 lost to Yoshihito Niskioka 7-5, 6-4.

Ash Barty (1) Rd 1 bye. R2 d Maria Sharapova RUS 6-4, 6-1. R3 d Anett Kontaveit EST4-6, 7-5, 7-5. QF d Maria Sakkari 5-7, 6-2, 6-0. SF lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova (W) RUS 6-2, 6-4

Montreal Masters 1000

Nick Kyrgios lost to Kyle Edmund GBR 6-3, 6-4
Alex de Minaur lost to Dan Evans (Q) GBR 6-4, 7-6(6)
Jordan Thompson lost to John Isner (12) USA 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6)
Bernard Tomic (Q) lost to Roberto Bautista Agut (10) ESP 6-3, 6-2
John Millman (LL) d Feliciano Lopez (Q) ESP 6-7(4), 7-6(2), 6-3

Toronto Premier 5

Ash Barty (1) Rd 1 bye. R2 lost to Sofia Kenin 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4
Ajla Tomljanovic (Q) lost to Iga Swiatek (Q) POL 4-1 Ret

Washington ATP 500

Alex de Minaur (12) bye. Rd 2 lost to Peter Gojowczyk 6-3, 7-6(6)
Nick Kyrgios d Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (Q) USA 7-5, 6-4. R2 d Gilles Simon (11) FRA 6-4, 7-6(5). Rof16 d Yoshihito Nishioka JPN 6-2, 7-5. QF d Norbert Gombos (LL) SVK 6-3, 6-3. SF d Stefanos Tsitsipas (1) GRE 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(7). Final defeated Daniil Medvedev (3) RUS 7-6(6), 7-6(4).
Marc Polmans d Malik Jaziri TUN 6-2, 6-4. R2 lost to Benoit Paire (10) FRA 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(5)
Jordan Thompson d Jack Sock (W) USA 7-5, 6-3. R2 d Jan-Lennard Struff (14) GER 6-7(8), 6-4, 7-5. Rof16 lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas (1) GRE 6-3, 7-6(4)
Matthew Ebden lost to Tim Smyczek (Q) USA 6-4, 6-4.
Alexei Popyrin lost to Miomir Kecmanovic SRB 7-6(6), 6-3
Bernard Tomic – withdrew due to a finger injury

Los Cabos ATP 250

Thanasi Kokkinakis (W) d Maxime Janvier (Q) FRA 6-4, 6-4. R2 d Lucas Pouille (4) FRA 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. QF lost to Radu Albot (7) MDA 6-3, 6-3.

Atlanta ATP 250

Alex de Minaur R1 bye, R2 d Bradley Klahn USA 6-4, 6-4. QF d Bernard Tomic 6-2, 3-0. SF d Reilly Opelka 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 6-3. Final d Taylor Fritz (2) USA 6-3, 7-6(2)
Jordan Thompson lost to Cameron Norrie GBR 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3
Alexei Popyrin d Denis Kudla USA 6-3, 6-4. R2 d Pierre-Hugues Herbert (4) FRA 7-5, 6-3. QF lost to Cameron Norrie GBR 7-5, 6-4.
Bernard Tomic d Frances Tiafoe (5) USA 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4). R2 d Matt Ebden AUS 6-4, 7-6(3). QF lost to Alex de Minaur AUS 6-2, 3-0 Ret back injury
Matt Ebden d Kamil Majchrzak (Q) POL 7-6(3), 6-3. R2 lost to Bernard Tomic AUS 6-4, 7-6(3).

Palermo WTA International

Daria Gavrilova lost to Jill Teichmann SUI 7-6(3), 7-5

Newport ATP 250

Jordan Thompson (3) Rd1 bye. R2 lost to Marcel Granollers ESP 6-2, 7-6(6)
Matthew Ebden Rd1 d Brayden Schnur CAN 6-1, 2-6, 6-3. R2 d Denis Kudla USA 6-2, 6-2. R3 lost to John Isner (1/W) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Alex Bolt (Q) lost to Alexander Bublik KAZ 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(4)

Lausanne WTA International

Daria Gavrilova R1 d Ylena in-Albon 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. R2 lost to Natalia Vikhlyantseva RUS 6-3, 6-2
Sam Stosur R1 d Barbara Haas (Q) 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. R2 d Allie Kiick (Q) USA 6-3, 7-5. R3 lost to Fiona Ferro FRA 6-4, 6-2.

Bucharest WTA International

Jaimee Fourlis (Q) Rd 1 d  Irina Bara (WC) ROM 6-3, 7-6(6). R2 lost to Viktoria Kuzmova (2) SVK 7-5, 6-2.

Wimbledon

Ladies

Ash Barty (1) d Zheng Saisai CHN 6-4, R2 d Alison Van Uytvanck BEL 6-1, 6-3. R3 d Harriet Dart (W) GBR 6-1, 6-1. R4 lost to Alison Riske USA 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
Ajla Tomljanovic d Daria Kasatkina (29) RUS 6-3, 6-1. R2 lost to Victoria Azarenka BLR 6-2, 6-0.
Daria Gavrilova lost to Elina Svitolina (8) UKR 7-5, 6-0
Astra Sharma lost to Sofia Kenin (27) USA 6-4, 6-2
Sam Stosur lost to Carla Suarez Navarro (30) ESP 6-2 7-5
Arina Rodionova (Q) lost to Taylor Townsend USA 6-2 6-3 

Gentlemen’s 

Alex de Minaur (25) d Marco Cucchinato ITA 6-0, 6-4, 7-6(5), R2 lost to Steve Johnson USA 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
Nick Kyrgios d Jordan Thompson 7-6(4)3-6, 7-6(10), 0-6, 6-1, R2 lost to Rafael Nadal ESP 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(3)
Jordan Thompson lost to Nick Kyrgios 7-6(4)3-6, 7-6(10), 0-6, 6-1
John Millman d Hugo Dellien BOL 6-2 6-3 6-4, R2 d Laslo Dere SRB 6-3, 6-2, 6-1. R3 lost to Sam Querrey USA 7-6(3), 7-6(8), 6-3
Matthew Ebden lost to Diego Schwartzman (24) ARG 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, 2-6 
Bernard Tomic lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga FRA 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 
Alexie Popyrin (Q) d Pablo Carreno Busta ESP 7-6(2), 7-5, 6-2. R2 lost to Daniil Medvedev (11) RUS 6-7(6), 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Eastbourne

John Millman lost to Fernando Verdasco (5) ESP 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-1

Ash Barty withdrew due to an arm injury
Ajla Tomljanovic lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova RUS 6-2, 7-6(1)
Sam Stosur (Q) d Sofia Kenin USA 6-2, 6-3. Rd 2 lost to Angelique Kerber GER 6-4, 6-4
Daria Gavrilova (LL) d Viktorija Golobic (LL) SUI 6-0, 6-7(2), 7-6(6). R2 lost to Shuai Zhang CHN 6-3 6-1

Antalya

Jordan Thompson (3) Rd 1 bye. R2 d Bradley Klahn USA 7-6(7), 6-3. QF d Damir Dzumhur (5) BIH 7-5, 1-0 Ret. SF lost to Miomir Kecmanovic SRB 6-7(5), 6-7(5), 7-6(1)
Bernard Tomic d Andreas Seppi (7) ITA 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. R2 d Peter Gojowczyk GER 7-6(3), 6-3. QF lost to Pablo Carreno Busta (4) ESP 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-4
Matthew Ebden lost to Damir Dzumhur (5) BIH 6-4, 7-5

Wimbledon Qualifying

Men’s

James Duckworth d Jan Choinski GBR 6-1, 7-5. R2 lost to Viktor Galovic CRO 3-6, 6-3, 11-9
Marc Polmans d Mohamed Safwat EGY 6-1, 6-3. R2 lost to Soonwoo Kwon (24) KOR 6-2, 6-2
Andrew Harris d Enrique Lopez Perez ESP 6-2, 7-5. R2 d SergiyStakhovsky (17) UKR 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Rd3 lost to Corentin Moutet (1) FRA 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.
Jason Kubler d Henri Laaksonen (2) SUI 6-2,5-7, 7-5. R2 d Norbert Gombos SVK 7-6(5), 7-6(1). Rd3 lost to Yasutaka Uchiyama JPN 3-6, 4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3
Alexei Popyrin (4) d Federico Coria ARG 6-2, 7-5. R2 d Mats Moraing GER 6-1, 3-6, 6-1. Rd3 d Bjorn Fratangelo (27) USA 6-3, 7-6(6), 6-7(4), 7-6(6)
John-Patrick Smith d Nicolas Mahut FRA 6-3, 6-4. R2 lost to Salvatore Caruso (18) ITA 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Alex Bolt d Jannik Sinner ITA 2-6, 7-5, 12-10. R2 lost to Dennis Novak (14) AUT 6-4, 6-2
Akira Santillan d Jurij Rodionov 6-3, 6-1. R2 lost to Ruben Bemelmans BEL 6-7(5), 6-3, 12-10

Women’s

Zoe Hives lost to Anna Blinkova (2) RUS 6-1,7-5
Destanee Aiava lost to Martina Di Giuseppe ITA 7-6(3), 6-4
Kimberly Birrell lost to Misaki Doi (4) JPN 6-1, 4-6, 7-5
Arina Rodionova d Asia Muhammad USA 7-6(6), 6(2)-7, 8-6. R2 d Misaki Doi (4) JPN 6-4, 6-2. Rd3 d Danielle Lao USA 0-6, 6-1, 6-1
Priscilla Hon (23) d Katarina Zavatska UKR 7-5, 6-3. R2 lost to Catherine McNally USA 6-4, 6-4.
Ellen Perez lost to Elena Rybakina (8) KAZ 6-1, 6-4
Kaylah Mcphee d Maia Lumsden GBR 6-4, 6-4. R2 lost to Liudmila Samsonova (31) RUS 6-2, 7-6(5)

London / Queen’s Club ATP 500

Alex de Minaur lost to Aljaz Bedene (Q) SLO 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Nick Kyrgios d Roberto Carballes Baena ESP 7-6(4), 6-3. R2 lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime (8) 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 7-5.

Halle ATP 500

John Millman lost to Roger Federer (1) SUI 7-6(1), 6-3
Matthew Ebden lost to Radu Albot MDA 5-7, 6-1, 6-4

Birmingham WTA Premier

Ashleigh Barty (2) d Donna Vekic CRO 6-3, 6-4. R2 d Jennifer Brady USA 6-3, 6-1. QF d Venus Williams (W) USA 6-4, 6-3. SF d Barbora Strycova CZE 6-4, 6-4. Final d Julia Goerges GER 6-3, 7-5 to claim world no. 1.

Mallorca WTA International

Ajla Tomljanovic d Monica Puig PUR 6-4, 7-5. R2 lost to Anastasija Sevastova (2) LAT 6-2, 6-1
Samantha Stosur (W) d Zheng Saisai CHN 6-4, 7-5. R2 lost to Elise Mertens (4) BEL 6-3, 6-3

s-Hertogenbosch ATP 250 and WTA International

Alex de Minaur (3) R1 bye. R2 d Andreas Seppi ITA 7-5, 6-3. QF lost to Jordan Thompson 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
Matt Ebden lost to Pierre-Henri Herbert FRA 6-4, 7-5
Jordan Thompson d Tommy Paul (Q) USA 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. R2 d Frances Tiafoe (6) USA 6-3, 6-2. QF d Alex de Minaur (3) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. SF d Richard Gasquet (8) FRA 7-5, 6-3. Final lost to Adrian Mannarino FRA 7-6(7), 6-3

Women

Priscilla Hon (Q) lost to Paula Badosa Gibert (Q) ESP 6-4, 6-3
Destanee Aiava (W) d Aryna Sabalenka (2) 7-6(3), 1-6, 6-4. R2 lost to Veronika Kudermetova RUS 6-3, 6-1

Stuttgart ATP 250

John Millman lost to Dustin Brown (Q) GER 6-4, 7-6(3)
Nick Kyrgios lost to Matteo Berrettini ITA 6-3, 6-4
Alexei Popyrin lost to Milos Raonic  (6) CAN 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(4)

Nottingham WTA International

Ajla Tomljanovic (6) d Danielle Lao (Q) USA 6-2, 6-3. R2 d Harriet Dart GBR 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-2. QF lost to Tatjana Maria (9) GER 6-3, 7-6(7)
Astra Sharma d Magdalena Rybarikova SVK 6-1, 0-0 Ret. R2 lost to Kristina Mladenovic (8) FRA 6-1, 7-5
Ellen Perez (Q) lost to Ivana Jorovic SRB 6-3, 6-4

French Open – Roland Garros

Men’s Singles

Bernard Tomic lost to Taylor Fritz USA 6-1, 6-4, 6-1
Nick Kyrgios withdrew from the tournament
John Millman lost to Alexander Zverev (5) GER 7-6(4), 6-3, 2-6, 5-7(5), 6-3
Matthew Ebden lost to Gregoire Barrere (W) FRA 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-1
Jordan Thompson d Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (LL) ESP 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(3). R2 d Ivo Karlovic CRO 6-3, 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-3. R2 lost to Juan-Martin Del Potro (8) ARG 6-4, 6-4, 6-0
Alexei Popyrin (W) d Ugo Humbert FRA 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(10), 6-3. R2 lost to Laslo Djere (31) SRB 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-4
Alex de Minaur (21) d Bradley Klahn USA 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. R2 lost to Pablo Carreno Busta ESP 6-3, 6-1, 6-1

Women’s Singles

Priscilla Hon d Timea Babos (LL) Hun 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. R2 lost to Madison Keys (14) USA 7-5, 5-7, 6-3
Ashleigh Barty (8) d Jessica Pegula USA 6-3, 6-3. R2 d Danielle Collins USA 7-5, 6-1. R3 d Andrea Petkovic GER 6-3, 6-1. R4 d Sofia Kenin USA 6-3, 3-6, 6-0. QF d Madison Keys (14) USA 6-3, 7-5. SF d Amanda Anisimova USA 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3. Final d Marketa Vondrousova CZE 6-1, 6-3
Ajla Tomljanovic lost to Simona Halep (3) ROM 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
Daria Gavrilova lost to Aleksandra Krunic SRB 6-3, 2-2 Ret
Sam Stosur d Barbora Strycova CZE 6-2, 7-6(3). R2 lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova RUS 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
Astra Sharma lost to Shelby Rogers USA 6-3, 6-3

ATP Tour

Geneva ATP 250

Matt Ebden (7) lost to Nicolas Jarry CHI 6-2, 7-6(4)
Jordan Thompson lost to Denis Kudla USA 5-7, 6-2, 6-4

Lyon ATP 250

Bernard Tomic lost to Steven Diez (Q) CAN 6-4, 4-1 ret.
John Millman d Pablo Andujar ESP 6-1, 6-3. R2 lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime CAN 7-6(3), 7-5

WTA Tour

Strasbourg International 

Astra Sharma (Q) d Zhang Shuai CHN 6-4, 6-1. R2 lost to Monica Puig PUR 6-3, 6-2
Daria Gavrilova d Diana Marcinkevica (LL) LAT 7-5, 7-5. R2 d Amandine Hesse (W) FRA 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. QF lost to Chloe Paquet FRA 6-3, 7-6(1)
Sam Stosur d Jessica Pegula USA 6-3, 6-1. R2 lost to Diana Yastremska (6) UKR 6-0, 6-2

Nürnberg International 

Ajla Tomljanovic (3) d Sabine Lisicki (W) GER 6-2, 7-5. R2 lost to Tamara Zidansek SLO 6-3, 6-4

Kyrgios and de Minaur lead Australia into Davis Cup quarterfinals

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Nick Kyrgios and Alex de Minaur had won their singles matches for the second time to take Australia in to the Davis Cup quarterfinals where they will face Canada.

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Yesterday Australia defeated Colombia 3-0 which included an impressive doubles win by John Peers and Jordan Thompson after coming back from 6-2 down in the deciding tie-breaker against the top doubles team.

Against Belgium it was Kyrgios that got Australia off to a good start when he defeated Steve Darcis 6-2, 7-6. Kyrios’ serve was red hot late in the second set as he fired down Ace after Ace with six in a row at one stage.

de Minaur came out red-hot against David Goffin taking the first set 6-0. The second set saw de Minaur serving for the match at 5-4 before Goffin fought back to jump to 6-5 and he held set points against de Minaur’s serve.

The match went to a tie-break and it was the Australian that came out on top to seal the win and take Australia to the quarterfinals.

The doubles match was not played.

Federer too good for de Minaur in Basel

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Local hero Roger Federer has comfortably claimed victory in the final of the Swiss Indoors tournament to lift his 103rd career tour-level trophy. It was also the 10th time Federer has won the title in Basel.

The score was 6-2, 6-2 against Alex de Minaur. The Australian facing Federer for the first time.

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“It was fast but very nice. I think I played a great match. It was a tough opener, in the beginning, the first five games, we had some great rallies. I never looked back,” Federer said. “I was great on the offence, made very few unforced errors and came up with the big shots and served well when I had to.

“I thought Alex played a great tournament as well, and I think we both can be very happy. But what a moment for me to win my 10th here in my hometown of Basel.”

de Minaur claimed 300 ranking points after reaching his first ATP 500 final and moves to a career-high ranking of no. 18.

de Minaur claims Zhuhai title

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Australia’s Alex de Minaur has won the Zhuhai ATP 250 final to claim his third title of 2019 and of his career.

Sydney, Australia – 9 January 2018: Alex de Minaur in his second round match at the Sydney International tennis. (Photo by Rob Keating/robiciatennis.com)

The Australian is now three from three when reaching finals in 2019 having won the Sydney International and the Atlanta titles.

de Minaur defeated France’s Adrian Mannarino 7-6(4) 6-4.

“It was a really tough match. I had a lot of chances and I felt like Adrian just played better than I did in those moments. I just told myself I had to try and take control of the point and just try to dictate as much as I could and I hit a great ball and I’m happy it ended there,” de Minaur said.

With the title, de Minaur will again become the top-ranked Australian men’s singles player with a projected ranking of no. 25 just one off his career-high ranking.

“He played great. I don’t think that my level dropped during the match, I think that he just kept pushing all the time, being really offensive and, if you just lose your concentration for, I don’t know, 30 seconds, one minute, then you lose a crucial game and then it goes quick,” Mannarino said. “He played better than me, that’s the only thing I can remember about this match.”

de Minaur did not face a break point throughout the final, Mannarino was broken in the last game but had saved 12 break points before that crucial moment.

Kyrgios Claims second ATP 500 title as he defeats Medvedev for the title in Washington – to rise to no. 1 ranked Australian

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Nick Kyrgios has defeated Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6), 7-6(4) to cap off one of the best weeks of his life to walk away with the sixth title of his career and the second ATP 500 title in 2019.

Kyrgios will now rise to no. 27 in the rankings and retake the top spot in Aussie tennis.

In the first set he was suffering from back spasms, but despite that, he did not have a single break point against him. Medvedev also did not face a break point.

The match came down to a few key points in the tie breakers with Medvedev making a few unforced errors at key moments.

The Russian looked to be on his way to taking the first set when ahead 5-2 but Kyrgios held his nerve and slowly fought his way back, firstly with help from Medvedev when he sent a backhand well over the baseline at 2-5 with Kyrgios having served.

Kyrgios showed good patience on the next point before Medvedev finally lost his as he went for a down the line winner that he hit wide.

A big backhand from Kyrgios that took Medvedev wide and deep was followed by a dropshot winner for Kyrgios to level the scores at 5-5.

A first serve that Kyrgios barely hit gave Medvedev a set point but that was saved by an Ace from the Australian. A down the line winner from Kyrgios gave him a set point on Medvedev’s serve.

A forehand hit wide by the Russian handed the set to Kyrgios. He then received treatment from the trainer.

As in the first set, the second came down to a breaker.

A backhand sent wide and long off the Medvedev racquet gave Kyrgios a mini-break on the first point. The Russian immediately hit back when hit a well angled backhand to force an error.

A big serve and a big forehand was too much to handle for Medvedev on the next point. A good volley from the Russian got the score level at 2-2.

The Russian attacked the net and forced another error from the Australian as he pushed a rushed passing shot wide for 3-2. Ace no. 16 took Kyrgios to 3-3.

A 225 km rocket serve could not be handled by Medvedev and his return sailed long for his to serve next at 3-4. Another Medvedev unforced error when he hit long had Kyrgios two points from the title.

Medvedev won the next point before Krygios was presented with two serves to claim the title. Championship point was earned with an Ace.

The title was his after an angled Ace to the forehand corner. The Australian fell to the court in celebration. He then thanked a lady in the crowd for her advice on match point.

“This has honestly been one of my favourite weeks of my life. I’ve made massive strides,” Kyrgios said. “I started becoming friends with the smoothie guy, he knew what smoothie I wanted. I was playing ping pong with some kids before I’m playing. You guys were amazing. It was honestly a week to remember.”

There were 32 winners from Kyrgios and 29 for Medvedev and Medvedev had just 14 unforced errors to 19 from Nick, but it was when the errors came that was the difference.

He improved to 5-1 against Top 10 players in 2019, a winning percentage of 83, best on the ATP Tour this year. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has won seven of his nine matches against Top 10 players this season (7/9, 78%).