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  • Canberra Events
    • Apis Canberra International Tennis
      • Canberra Challenger tournament transferred to Bendigo
      • Zoe Hives takes the Apis Canberra International title from Olivia Rogowska
      • Hoyt and Wu win men’s doubles Perez and Rodionova win women’s doubles at the Apis Canberra International
      • Rogowska moves closer to defending her Apis Canberra International title
      • Santillan jumping for joy as Duckworth left smashing
      • Top seed out of the women’s Apis Canberra International tennis tournament
      • Duckworth gives Polmans an early trip home after their round one Apis Canberra International match
      • 2016 Champion James Duckworth faces 2016 Runner-up Polmans in round one action at the Apis Canberra International
  • Australian Tennis
    • Videos
      • Tennis News
        • Sam Stosur becomes a mum
        • Pro tennis is back in Australia
        • Australian Tennis Results 11-17 February 2019
        • Fed Cup USA v Australia preview
        • Peers and Thompson secure Australia’s Davis Cup finals spot
        • Barty advances to the fourth round for the first time at the Aussie Open
        • de Minaur claims his maiden ATP title in his home town
        • Team Germany Secure Their Spot in the Hopman Cup Final 2019
        • Strong Start for Angelique Kerber at the Hopman Cup
        • Tomljanovic and de Minaur march on in Brisbane, Kyrgios falls
        • de Minaur, Kyrgios and Thomson lead men’s Australian charge in Brisbane
        • Federer Claims Victory in Historic Doubles Match Against Serena Williams
        • Australian results for 14 November
        • Australian Tennis Results 5-11 November 2018
        • Stefanos Tsitsipas gets the better of Alex de Minaur to claim the Next Gen ATP Finals
        • Australian Tennis Results 29 October – 4 November 2018
        • Zoe Hives takes the Apis Canberra International title from Olivia Rogowska
        • Top seed out of the women’s Apis Canberra International tennis tournament
        • Hon claims first ITF title in two years at the expense of Perez in Bendigo
        • Thanasi Kokkinakis into the Las Vegas ATP Challenger Final
        • Ellen Perez – forever the bridesmaid?
        • Australian Tennis Results 8-14 October 2018
        • Marc Polmans into the ATP Challenger Stockton $100,000 final
        • Marc Polmans and Jordan Thompson look to setup an all-Australian ATP Challenger final in Stockton
        • Alex de Minaur set to take over as the top ranked Australian
        • Australian Tennis Results for the week of 24-30 September 2018
        • Bernard Tomic Charges into the 70s as he comes back from four match points to win the ATP 250 title in Chengdu
        • Daria Gavrilova Advances Past Jelena Ostapenko – Ash Barty gets the better of Johanna Konta in Wuhan
        • Australian Tennis Results for the week of 17-23 September 2018
        • Bertens denies Tomljanovic her maiden WTA title as she wins the Korea Open title
        • Australian Tennis Results for the week of 10-16 September 2018 – James Duckworth Claims Cary Challenger Title
        • Ash Barty teams up with CoCo Vandeweghe to claime their first Grand Slam doubles title
        • Can John Millman pull off another big upset against Novak Djokovic at the US Open?
        • Tomic wins Challenger event at Rafa’s home patch
        • Millman marches on as Federer outclasses Kyrgios to setup meeting with Millman
        • Ash Barty advances to round 4 for the first time at a grand slam in singles
        • Kyrgios advances after a bizarre pep talk from the umpire – Federer is next
        • Tomljanovic lets a match point slip away before losing second round match in third set tiebreaker
        • Australia’s Alex de Minaur triumphs again in New York
        • Ash Barty has too much firepower for Lucie Safarova
        • Kyrgios Advances at the US Open
        • Gavrilova and Kubler out of the US Open
        • US Open preview for the Australians
        • Maverick Banes wins his maiden ATP Challenger title
        • The fight is on for a ticket to New York and the US Open – updated – Ellen Perez v Lizette Cabrera in final
        • Maverick Banes ends Alexei Popyrin’s win streak in Korea
  • Grand Slams
    • Australian Open
      • Osaka claims her second Australian Open title
      • Comeback queen Muchova sends Barty packing
      • Serena too tough for Simona
      • Barty cruises into her third straight Australian Open quarterfinal
      • Osaka sees off two match points before bookin a showdown with Hsieh
      • Barty stands alone after Fognini beats de Minaur
      • Djokovic roars back for win after a slip against Fritz
      • Thiem tames Kyrgios serve to advance
      • Kokkinakis falls short after five set marathon against Tsitsipas
      • Ash overcomes Dash in all-Australian matchup
      • Kyrgios fights off two match points enroute to epic win
      • Halep escapes challenge from Tomljanovic
      • Day 1 wrap for the Aussies
      • Australian Open 2021 – Australian women’s preview
      • Australian Open 2021 – Australian men’s preview
      • 3 Positive COVID-19 tests – Keys out, Sandgren in, Murray maybe
      • Tomic the lone Aussie to advance through qualifying
      • More to get wild about at the Aussie Open
      • Australian Open wild cards so far
      • Australian Open dates confirmed
      • Australian Open dates still up in the air
      • Djokovic is great at eight
      • Ram and Salisbury claim their first Grand Slam doubles title
      • Kenin completes the fairytale as she claims her maiden Grand Slam title
      • Barty blows it twice and Kenin swoops to take her place in the final
      • Could this be the changing of the guard?
      • Saville and Purcell advance to their first Grand Slam semifinal
      • Federer pulls off another escape act to advance to the semis
      • Barty books semifinal spot against Kenin after dismantling Kvitova
      • Kyrgios pushes Nadal to the limit before world no. 1 marches into the quarter finals
      • Barty bounces Riske to setup Kvitova quarterfinal rematch
      • Polmans gets breakthrough win at the Australian Open
      • The rain is the big winner at the Australian Open on day 1 but Barty advances
      • Aussies at the Australian Open – round one matchups and previews
    • French Open
      • Swiatek becomes first Pole to win a singles grand slam
      • Australian lucky losers and protected ranking player advance
      • Nadal the King of Clay reigns supreme at Roland Garros
      • Barty cruises to Grand Slam glory in Paris
      • Barty rides the rollercoaster into the French Open final
      • Barty charges into the French Open semifinals
      • Barty books French Open quarterfinal match against Keys
      • Barty enters new territory at Roland Garros
      • Top Aussies Barty and de Minaur advance at Roland Garros
      • Angelique Kerber is first to lose on the new Philippe Chatrier Court
      • Ash Barty headlines Aussie charge at Roland Garros
      • Nadal Stays Perfect in Roland Garros Finals and Claims Title Number 11
      • Simona Halep Finally Lifts a Grand Slam Trophy after Winning at Roland Garros
      • Gavrilova and Stosur crash out of the French Open
    • Wimbledon
      • Wimbledon cancelled for 2020 due to coronavirus
      • Djokovic fights off two match points to retain the Wimbledon title
      • Halep first Romanian to claim the Wimbledon Ladies singles title
      • Serena doing it for the mums at Wimbledon
      • Riske is rewarded as she bundles Barty out of Wimbledon
      • Kyrgios v Nadal match lives up to the hype as Nadal advances
      • Barty eases through to the third round
      • Tomljanovic and Popyrin lose their round two matches
      • Four Aussies still alive in Wimbledon qualifying draw
      • Mixed day for the Aussie women after a perfect start for the Aussie men at the Wimbledon qualifying
      • Aussies off to a perfect start at Wimbledon qualifying
      • Off Court News – What Have Some of the Players Been Up To Since Wimbledon
      • Novak Djokovic completes the comeback with a surprise Wimbledon title
      • Angelique Kerber Claims First Wimbledon Title
      • Aussies wiped out on Wimbledon’s opening Saturday
      • Barty, Gavrilova, Kyrgios, Ebden and de Minaur advance to the third round at Wimbledon as Tomic falls
      • Top three Australian women safely through to the second round of the Wimbledon Ladies’ singles
      • Day one Wimbledon wrap for the Australians
      • Australian Preview for Gentlemen’s Singles at Wimbledon 2018
      • Kubler, Smith and Bolt win through to the Wimbledon main-draw
      • Five from Eight Australian Men Advance at Roehampton in Wimbledon Singles Qualifiers
    • US Open
      • Mother of all comebacks falls short as Osaka claims title
      • Thiem tramples de Minaur to advance to semifinals
      • de Minaur into his first grand slam quarterfinal
      • Coric defeats Thompson to advance to the quarterfinals
      • Jordan Thompson advances to a grand slam fourth round for the first time
      • de Minaur advances Millman and O’Connell are out
      • Jordan Thompson advances to third round
      • Day two US Open Aussie review
      • Aussies fight hard but only Thompson advances
      • Aussies at the US Open – preview
      • Nick Kyrgios says no to the US Open
      • Barty confirms she won’t be playing the US Open
      • Wang Qiang ends Barty’s US Open
      • Barty and de Minaur take their place in the US Open round of 16
      • Rain sends most players packing at the US Open but Barty marches on
      • A good day for the Aussies in New York
      • Barty recovers from a slow start to Open her US Open campaign
      • Novak Djokovic joins Pete Sampras with 14th Grand Slam singles titles after defeating Juan Martin del Potro at the US Open
      • Ash Barty teams up with CoCo Vandeweghe to claime their first Grand Slam doubles title
      • Japan’s Naomi Osaka claims first Grand Slam title amid Serena coaching controversy
      • Lightning doesn’t strike twice as Djokovic advances past Millman
      • Can John Millman pull off another big upset against Novak Djokovic at the US Open?
      • John Millman claims the biggest win of his career as he knocks off Roger Federer
      • US Open – Barty fails to captilise on break points and bows out to Pliskova
      • Millman marches on as Federer outclasses Kyrgios to setup meeting with Millman
      • Alex de Minaur goes down fighting against Marin Cilic
      • Ash Barty advances to round 4 for the first time at a grand slam in singles
      • Tomljanovic lets a match point slip away before losing second round match in third set tiebreaker
      • Australia’s Alex de Minaur triumphs again in New York
      • Kyrgios advances after a bizarre pep talk from the umpire – Federer is next
      • Ash Barty has too much firepower for Lucie Safarova
      • Gavrilova and Kubler out of the US Open
      • Kyrgios Advances at the US Open
      • US Open preview for the Australians
      • The fight is on for a ticket to New York and the US Open – updated – Ellen Perez v Lizette Cabrera in final
      • Six US Open Winners Headline the 2018 US Open Women’s Singles field
  • Women’s Tennis Association
    • ATP and WTA announce an extension of the COVID-19 suspension
    • Ash Barty wins the WTA Finals to cap off an amazing year but one prize still remains
    • WTA1000
      • Barty overcoms Sabalenka to keep title defence alive
      • Barty fights back from 2-5 in the third and saves a match point in Miami
    • Videos
    • WTA250
      • Astra Sharm’s five match run comes to an end in Mexico
    • Premier
      • Aussie summer of tennis is go
      • Kenin bundles Barty out of the Rogers Cup – Osaka one win from no. 1 ranking but Pliskova also in the hunt
      • Pliskova sends a warning ahead of Wimbledon
      • Ash Barty is two wins away from no. 1 after advancing past Venus Williams in Birmingham
      • Barty overcomes a tough first round opponent in Birmingham
      • Barty could take world no.1 ranking in Birmingham
      • Barty can’t halt Halep surge for no. 1
      • Barty punctuates her top-ten arrival by claiming Miami Open title
      • Barty beats the rain and Kontaveit to reach the Miami final
      • Barty finally gets the better of Kvitova to advance to the Miami semifinals and lock-in top-ten ranking
      • Andreescu completes her Indian Wells fairytale
      • Barty sets up Svitolina showdown in Indian Wells
      • Perfect day for the Aussies at Indian Wells with wins for Barty, Gavrilova, Bolt and Popyrin
      • Tomljanovic and Thompson advance – Stosur, Millman and Ebden are out at Indian Wells
      • Daria Gavrilova breaks her duck in Indian Wells
      • Bencic claims the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship title
      • Mertens claims another top-10 scalp on the way to the Qatar Total Open title
      • Bertens overcomes a slow start against Vekic to claim the St Petersburg title
      • Bertens and Vekic to face off for the St Petersburg title
      • Vekic ends Kvitova’s win streak in St Petersburg
      • Kvitova begins St Petersburgh Ladies Trophy title defence defeating Azarenka
      • Gavrilova’s 2019 winless streak continues
      • Petra Kvitova breaks Aussie’s hearts as she claims her second Sydney International title
      • Barty defeats Bertens to book her second consecutive final at the Sydney International
      • Barty advances to semifinal showdown against Bertens
      • Kvitova ends Kerber’s title defence at the Sydney International
      • Sydney International Tennis Stars Cruise the Harbour
      • Birrell stuns world no. 10 Kasatkina at the Brisbane International
    • International
      • Konta ends Tomljanovic’s run in Rabat
      • Anisimova denies Sharma her first WTA title as she wins her first in Bogota
      • Astra Sharma advances to her first WTA semifinal after a tricky encounter with Sara Errani
      • Sharma marches into new territory in Bogota
      • Azarenka Outlasts Kerber to Advance to Final in Monterrey
      • Yastremska claims second WTA title at Toyota Thailand Open
      • Yastremska secures spot in Toyota Thailand Open Final
      • Tomljanovic cruises into Toyota Thailand Open Final
      • Yastremska too hot for Muguruza in Thailand – Tomljanovic, Linette and Zidansek also advance
      • Tomljanovic toughs it out in Thailand
      • Muguruza mounts comeback to oust Barthel at the Toyota Thailand Open
      • Muguruza defeats Lisicki to open Toyota Thailand Open campaign
      • Bertens denies Tomljanovic her maiden WTA title as she wins the Korea Open title
      • Ajla Tomljanovic into Korea Open final after upsetting Hsieh Su-Wei
      • Ajla Tomljanovic battles past Mandy Minella to earn a semifinal spot in Seoul
      • Olga Danilovic is the first-ever lucky loser to claim a WTA singles title
      • Alizé Cornet heads to Gstaad final after Bouchard retirement
      • Sam Stosur Can’t Get Past the Mallorca Defending Champion
    • ITF
      • Ash Barty wins the WTA Finals to cap off an amazing year but one prize still remains
      • Honours even after Fed Cup day one – Australia v Belarus
      • Fed Cup finals spot up for grabs
      • Rogowska adds clay title to her Canberra hard court title
      • Hon to take on Rogowska for the ACT Clay Court International #2 title
      • Aussies shine despite gloomy weather for the ACT Clay Court International #2
      • No. 1 seed Hon advances while the defending champion goes down at the ACT Clay Court International #2
      • Priscilla Hon headlines the ACT Clay Court International #2 tournament
      • Destanee Aiava finally claims a Canberra title
    • Players
      • Angelique Kerber
  • ATP Tour
    • ATP and WTA announce an extension of the COVID-19 suspension
    • de Minaur back in action in Spain
    • Videos
    • Masters 1000
      • Medvedev ends Popyrin’s Miami run
      • Popyrin and Duckworth get opening round wins in Miami
      • Indian Wells tournament called off due to coronavirus fears
      • Kyrgios and Thompson crash out of Miami along with Djokovic
      • Jordan Thompson steps it up in Miami
      • Kyrgios the entertainer marches on in Miami
      • Thiem overcomes Federer for Maiden Masters Title in Indian Wells
      • Perfect day for the Aussies at Indian Wells with wins for Barty, Gavrilova, Bolt and Popyrin
      • Tomljanovic and Thompson advance – Stosur, Millman and Ebden are out at Indian Wells
      • Potential Desert Duel for Kyrgios and Djokovic
      • Matt Ebden loses to Borna Coric in the quarterfinals at the Shanghai Masters
      • Djokovic finally gets his Cincinnati Masters title and completes career Golden Masters
      • Federer and Djokovic set to meet for the 46th time in the Cincinnati Masters final
      • Nick Kyrgios goes walkabout against Juan Martín del Potro
      • Rogers Cup – Barty Collects the Doubles Title in Montreal and Peers wins the Toronto Title
      • Kyrgios feeling the pain after falling to Wawrinka at Toronto
      • Nadal takes Rome Masters 1000 title from Zverev
    • ATP Cup
      • Australia defeats Great Britain in a thriller to advance to the ATP Cup semifinals
      • Australia takes another step toward the ATP Cup quarterfinals after despatching Canada
      • Kyrgios and de Minaur get Australia a winning start at the ATP Cup
    • World 500
      • Kyrgios Claims second ATP 500 title as he defeats Medvedev for the title in Washington – to rise to no. 1 ranked Australian
      • Kyrgios reaches ATP 500 final in Washington after rollercoaster ride against Tsitsipas
      • Nick Kyrgios silences the critics as he caps off an amazing week in Acapulco with title
      • Federer joins exclusive 100 club after claiming Dubai crown
      • Kyrgios ices Isner in Acapulco to book Zverev finals showdown
      • Federer one match away from 100 titles as he takes on his Australian Open conquerer Tsitsipas
      • Kyrgios Conquers Nadal in Acapulco
      • Kyrgios and de Minaur advance Popyrin falls in Acapulco
      • Alex de Minaur earns his first ATP 500 finals berth after epic battle against Andrey Rublev
      • Injured Kyrgios Withdraws from Washington – Duckworth into ATP 500 Third Round
      • Dominic Thiem proves too good for John Millman on the Hamburg clay at the ATP 500 event
      • John Millman Defeats Jan-Lennard Struff at Hamburg ATP 500 Event
      • Cilic Too Good for Kyrgios at the Queen’s Club
      • Kyrgios halts Murray’s comeback at Queen’s Club
      • Borna Coric takes the Halle title from Roger Federer
    • World 250
      • Millman claims his maiden ATP title in Nur-Sultan
      • Humbert defeats de Minaur to claim European Open title
      • de Minaur to take on Umbert for European Open title
      • de Minaur advances in Atlanta – Popyrin and Tomic are out
      • Thompson falls short in first ATP level final
      • Popyrin falls to defending champion in Estoril
      • Thompson fights back from defeat in Houston
      • de Minaur claims his maiden ATP title in his home town
      • Seppi into Sydney International Tennis final
      • John Millman falls short of Sydney International semifinal
      • Some late night Hewitt entertainment at the Sydney International
      • No. 1 seed knocked out of the Sydney International by Andreas Seppi
      • Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andreas Seppi preview
      • de Minaur Overcomes Thompson in an All Aussie Quarterfinal Clash at the Sydney International
      • Local hopes end as de Minaur and Tomljanovic bow out of the Brisbane International
      • Tomic grabs a top-100 ranking as he marches into the Chengdu final
      • Ebden falls to Isner in Atlanta – Thompson and Rodionova advance to finals in Binghamton and Granby
      • Ebden into Atlanta semis as Kyrgios retires against Norrie and Thompson marches on at Binghamton Challenger
      • Federer gets past Kyrgios to claim world no. 1 and reach the Stuttgart final
    • Challenger
      • Polmans wins the Zhangjiagang $54K ATP Challenger Title
      • Polmans overcomes a slow start to defeat Banes in Bangalore at the ATP Challenger Tour $150,000 event
      • Jordan Thompson rockets his ranking up to 73 after back-to-back ATP Challenger titles
      • Thompson aiming for eighth ATP Challenger final in 2018
      • Jordan Thompson wins his second ATP Challenger title for 2018
      • Thanasi Kokkinakis into the Las Vegas ATP Challenger Final
      • Jordan Thompson reaches back-to-back ATP Challenger finals
      • Kokkinakis and Smith roll into Las Vegas semifinals

Sinner not a winner in Miami title fight, Pole stands tall

April 5, 2021 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Italy’s Jannick Sinner the no. 21 seed faced Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz the 26th seed for the Miami Masters 1000 title. It would be the first title at that level for the winner.

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The first set would be decided by a tiebreaker after Sinner was not able to serve it out at 6-5.

Sinner mishit a forehand to go down 4-2 in the tiebreaker. Another error saw Hurkacz with two serves to take the first set.

A well placed first serve setup a set point, he looked to have taken the set but hit just long.

Sinner save a second set point with a deep backhand that forced an error.

A long rally took place at 4-6 and it was Sinner that cracked when he hit a forehand wide to concede the opening set.

The Pole broke in the first game of the second set to move closer to collecting his first Masters trophy and the first for a male Polish player.

Hurkacz would hold to consolidate the early break.

A backhand into the net by Sinner gave the Pole two more break points for a 3-0 lead.

Hurkacz needed just one as he moved his way to the net and hit a volley that Sinner was not able to get back.

The title looked likely to be won by the Pole after he held to love for a 4-0 lead.

Unforced errors were hurting the Italian and he faced another break point at 30-40. He would save that before another error gave Hurkacz another look. The Pole would miss wide to lose that opportunity.

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A shot over the baseline gave Sinner the Ad, he would hold serve after a Sinner shot that was close to the baseline was hit long by Hurkacz, the world no. 37.

A little loss in concentration by the Pole saw Sinner holding two break points at 15-40 in the sixth game. More power hitting from Sinner forced an error and he broke. It was now 2-4.

The world no. 31 was now on a roll as he held serve to love to see Hurkacz serving next at 4-3, still up a break.

The Pole got back on track with a hold for 5-3. A sinner hold that followed forced Hurkacz to serve for the championship.

Sinner just missed a down the line shot that would have been a winner to see Hurkacz win the opening point.

Some powerful groundshots from the Pole set himself up for a volley that he hit into the open court.

An unforced error from Hurkacz when he hit into the net saw the score at 30-15, it was 30-30 after the Pole hit long. The pressure was mounting.

A forehand long by Sinner saw his opponent with a match point. It took just one after Sinner missed a forehand wide.

It was an unexpected champion, but well deserved.

Hurkacz jumps 21 places to no. 16 in the rankings, Sinner is at no. 23 after a jump of eight places.

“Last year I spent here almost half a year,” Hurkacz said in an on-court interview. “I was practising in the hottest weather during the spring and summer here, so I think that helped me a lot playing now in Florida, especially in these pretty tough conditions here, because it was a little bit slow here. The wind was blowing from side to side sometimes, so it’s huge.”

“Well, I made some unforced errors. I made a few or a couple of mistakes in the tie-break. Then I was not serving well, especially in the beginning of the second set, and not returning deep enough,” Sinner said.

Filed Under: Masters 1000

Sinner and Hurkacz to meet in the Miami Open final

April 3, 2021 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Either Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz or Italy’s Jannik Sinner will walk away with their first ATP Master 1000 title on Sunday US time.

Both have advanced to their maiden final at the 1000 level after wins over higher ranked opponents.

First it was Sinner that defeated Roberto Bautista Agut 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to join an illustrious group of teens to reach a Miami final. He is the fourth teenager to reach the final along with Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadl and Novak Djokovic.

All of that group have been no. 1.

In the second semifinal Hurkacz upset the world no. 8 Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-4.

“It means a lot, especially after winning a title at the beginning of the year, I had a couple of rough matches,” Hurkacz said in his on-court interview. “So I’m so happy that I came over and I was still trying to improve my game and trying to be a better player. This is really huge for me.”

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Filed Under: Masters 1000

Medvedev ends Popyrin’s Miami run

March 29, 2021 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Australia’s Alexei Popryin took on Daniil Medvedev, the world no. 2 and top seed in Miami for a place in the fourth round.

Games went with serve and neither player faced a break point early in the match.

At 5-5 Medvedev earned his first break point when Popyrin netted a backhand. Popyrin, from the second serve forced the issue and got an error from Medvedev as the Russian hit wide.

Some good play at the net saw Popyrin go to Ad. He was 6 of 7 at the net after that point.

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Popyrin was ahead 0-30 at 5-6 with Medvedev serving. The world no. 86 then missed three straight shots before a winner from the top seed took the set into a tiebreaker.

A big serve wide again forced an error from Medvedev as the Russian returned long.

Popyrin dropped the first point on serve with a weak backhand that went wide. Medvedev then netted a shot for 1-1.

Another error from Popyrin off the backhand had it at 1-2.

A good point from Popyrin made Medvedev come up with a great passing shot as he whipped a forehand crosscourt for 3-1.

It was then quickly 4-1. Another backhand hit wide by Popyrin and the Russian surged to 5-1.

A forehand into the net from Medvedev made it 2-5 with The Australian serving. A long rally followed with Popyin lifting his intensity. It would end with Medvedev hitting a down the line forehand just wide.

The next rally was a bad one for Popyrin. He hit a good serve and Medvedev hit a floating return. Popyrin seemed to misjudge the bounce, or was thinking it was going long, but he had an air swing and the ball landed in.

At 6-3, the Russian needed just one set point as Popyrin hit a backhand return into the net.

Low first serve percentage for Medvedev, but still takes the first set

The world no. 2 had served at just 40% in the opening set but still won 93% of first serve points. Popyrin was serving at 62% for 68% of first serve points won.

Medvedev was serving first in the second set and held to love in game one.

At 30-30 in the next game Medvedev hit a great running backhand that he whipped cross court for the winner. It took some big hitting from Popyrin that finally forced an error to save the break point.

Another break point was on offer after the next point when Popyrin attempted to serve and volley. The return was at Popyrin’s toes and he missed the volley.
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A big serve saved another break point. A third for the game came after Popyrin hit into the net after a couple of shots.

He saved another in style. A big forehand setup an easy put away volley. Ad was Popyrin’s after Medvedev attempted a drop shot that went into the net.

Popyrin was working hard to stay in the next point but eventually would hit into the net. It was deuce again. A wide Ace, which was his first for the match got Ad again for Popyrin after an eight minute service game.

Much to the relief of Popyrin, Medvedev hit a service return long for 1-1.

Popyrin let a 40-15 lead slip and after three errors he faced a break point. This time the Russian converted after stretching Popying on the volley, it sat up for Medvedev to hit a winner for 3-1.

Medvedev would consolidate the break for 4-1 after holding to love.

Popyrin came back from 0-30 to hold and have the Russian serving at 4-2.

Another comfortable service hold had Medvedev one game from a round four appearance.

A double fault from the Russian saw Popyrin jump to 0-30. A big forehand winner made it 0-40. Popyrin ran around a forehand for a huge winner to break.

In the next game Popyrin fell behind after opening with a double fault and a forehand hit wide. A Popyrin shanked forehand gave the Russian three match points.

The Australian fought back with an Ace out wide. Another good first serve saw Medvedev hit well long on the return.

With Medvedev stepping into the court for a forehand and looking in control, teh Russian hit long. Popyrin then came to the net and hit several great volleys to force the error for Ad.

After a long rally it was the Russian that cracked, he hit into the net and it was 5-5.

A love hold saw the pressure back on Popyrin. This time he would come from 0-15 to hold and send the match into a second tie breaker.

Medvedev opened the serving and Popyrin found a nice angle to push Medvedev wide on the backhand. He looked awkward as he hit into the net.

A forehand winner saw Popyrin out to 2-0. Popyrin was now forcing the issue and moved to 3-0 after some big hitting.

Medvedev hit a second serve let before serving again. Popyrin hit a backhand into the net for 1-3 with the Russian serving.

A Popyrin unforced error on the service return saw Popyrin serving at 3-2.

A wide shot to the Medvedev backhand forced him to lob. It was easily put away by the Australian who now was up 4-2.

Medvedev ripped a forehand that Popyrin then hit into the net and it was back on serve.

A big first serve had Popyrin on the stretch and the ball sat up for Medvedev to smash into the stands.

Medvedev went up 5-4 after some big hitting from Popyrin, but the Australian would eventually hit into the net.

A second serve from Popyrin was returned into the net for 5-5. A great wide serve saw Popyrin take position at the net to volley for 6-5.

A forehand winner made it 6-6 with Medvedev serving.

Popyrin would have set point at 7-6 but double faulted. Another set point came after Medvedev hit long.

This time Medvedev was serving but Popyrin hit a forehand winner to take the set.

Popyrin can’t land knockout blow

The final set went on serve until the seventh game when Medvedev got the break to lead 4-3. The Russian was now suffering from cramps and it remained to be seen if he could hold on.

Popyrin was not able to break back despite Medvedev struggling big time. The Russian would go for his shots but Popyrin didn’t take advantage of weak serves.

An example was when he completely mishit a serve that was just rolled into court, that conceded the game to see the Russian at 5-3.

Popyrin in his next service game just had to pick a spot on court to place his serves and he won the point, it did however struggle to do that. In the end he held and Medvedev had to serve out the match.

Medvedev was almost unable to move but he found it in himself to hit balls with enough power to force Popyrin around the court.

Popyrin was only able to get balls back to Medvedev instead of moving him around. That allowed the world no. 2 to be able to hang tough and find a way to win the match.

Inexperience in this situation cost the Australian what would have been a huge victory. Instead Medvedev toughed it out and lifted just enough to take the match 7-6(3), 6-7(7), 6-4.

“It’s probably one of the sweetest victories in my career, because I was cramping like hell in the third set,” Medvedev said in an on-court interview. “It’s one thing when you’re cramping when you’re [ahead in the score], but I started cramping before. It was tough to think about the win in these conditions.

“At the same time, I should have won in two sets and we would not be talking about cramping. But anyway, we have the result on the board and I’m happy that I managed to go through all the difficulties of this definitely crazy match.”

After this result Popyrin sits at no. 81 in the live rankings. Depending on other results this would be a career-high ranking. There are still five players alive in the tournament that could bump him down.

Popyrin’s current career-high is no. 82. Popyrin is next due to play in the ATP 250 event in Marbella along with James Duckworth.

Filed Under: Masters 1000

Popyrin and Duckworth get opening round wins in Miami

March 25, 2021 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Australia’s Alexei Popyrin has claimed his first win on debut at the Miami Masters.

Melbourne – 3 Febuary 2021: Alexei Popyrin serving against USA’s Tommy Paul.

It is just his third Masters level tournament overall after losing in the first round at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2019 and the second round at the Indian Wells Masters, also in 2019.

A recent maiden title winner at the Singapore ATP 250, the 21-year-old eliminated the oldest player in the draw, Spain’s Feliciano Lopez is 39-years-old.

“It was a very difficult match,” Popyrin told ATPTour.com. “Feli is a very tough player. He has an unbelievable serve, so when I had my chances to break I was putting all of my focus on the break points. There was no rhythm in the match, so not many rallies, but I am happy with the way I was mentally. There were a couple of shaky moments here and there, but I hung in to win.”

Popyrin made the most of a poor service game from his opponent at 4-5 with the Spaniard handing the set to his opponent with a double fault at 0/40.

Lopez looked to be on his way to levelling the match at a set a piece after breaking for a 6-5 lead in the second set.

After losing the first point of the breaker, Popyrin won five straight points to take control of the situation. He would seal the 6-4, 7-6(4) in 82 minutes.

Next up is the 30th seed from the USA, Reilly Opelka.

The powerful American is 2-5 in 2021 with a first round win over Sergiy Stakhovsky in the Melbourne tournament before the Australian Open.

Opelka defeated world no. 1009 in the opening round at the Australian Open before losing an epic five set battle against fellow American Taylor Fritz.

This will be the first meeting between Popyrin and Opelka. The American is into the second round off of a bye.

Australia’s other participant on day one of men’s action was James Duckworth, the world no. 104.

Melbourne – 3 February 2021: James Duckworth (AUS)

Duckworth made the 2015 Indian Wells and Miami Masters from qualifying and won his first round matches. They are his only Masters level tournaments throughout his career.

This time the 29-year-old Australian faced Germany’s Mischa Zverev, a qualifier in 2021.

At 33, the former world no. 25, Zverev has seen his ranking slip to no. 280. He is now more often a hitting partner to his younger brother Alexander the no 3 seed in Miami.

Zverev was 1-5 in Miami with his only win coming in 2019 when Nicola Kuhn, the then world no. 255 retired at 2-2 in the third set.

Duckworth took the match 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 victory to set up a second-round showdown with No.8 seed David Goffin.

The Australian let a few match points slip before finally seeing a wide shot that Zverev decided not to volley land on the line. It was a bad decision by the German.

The match between Goffin and Duckworth is their first meeting.

World no. 13 Goffin is 9-6 in 2021 and won the ATP 250 title in Montpellier at the end of February.

To complete the men’s opening round we see three Australians in action.

Chris O’Connell (AUS) v Joao Sousa (POR)
Jordan Thompson (AUS) v Federico Delbonis (ARG)
[Q] Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) v [Q] Shintaro Mochizuki (JPN)

Filed Under: Masters 1000

Popyrin claims his first ATP title

February 28, 2021 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Australia’s Alex Popyrin has claimed his first ATP title at the ATP250 in Singapore.

After being broken in the first set Popyrin switched to another gear. He was returning well against a huge serve and both backhands and forehands were well struck.

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The Australian raced through the second set to 

Popyrin had a break point at 30-40, 2-3 with Bublik saving it after Bublik played a drop shot that Popyrin then hit long.

He didn’t have to wait long for another opportunity. Another drop shot took Popyrin to the net and this time Popyrin hit his next shot into the net.

A big backhand down the line winner gave Bublik Ad. It was back to deuce after Popyrin hit a second serve return deep, that forced an error from Bublik.

Another break point came and on a second serve Bublik hit a 217km serve that forced an error from the Australian.

A shot hit long by Bublik saw the players back at deuce. Bublik went for a big second serve that was 219km, but it was into the net.

This time a 220km second serve was hit long to see back to back double faults hand Popyrin the vital break.

Popyrin hadn’t lost a point on serve since mid way through the first set but he lost the opening point as he looked to consolidate the break.

A shot on the line on the next point got the score to 15-15. A nice drop volley made it 30-15.

Just to show how good his was feeling the ball on his strings the Australian hit a superb half volley drop shot that Bublik reached but he could only hit it up to Popyrin for an easy put away.

The game ended with an Ace to see the score at 5-2.

A forehand winner saw Popyrin with his first match and championship point. A double fault handed him the win and his first ATP title. 

The final score was 4-6, 6-0, 6-2.

Popyrin won an impressive 94% of 1st serves won and had 76% won on second serves. He broke 5 times from 10 opportunities and faced just one break point on his serve, that coming in the first set.

It was almost a flawless match apart from one game where he was broken. 

Popyrin will rise to a career high ranking of 82.

Filed Under: World 250

Millman claims his maiden ATP title in Nur-Sultan

November 2, 2020 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Australia’s John Millman has defeated France’s Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 6-1 to claim the ATP 250 title in Kazakhstan and his first ATP title from his third finals appearance.
“It is incredible. I am so happy and relieved,” said Millman. “I just feel very satisfied. It is just a pure moment of satisfaction… That was my third final, third time lucky I guess. These things aren’t easy to win and to do so at a place where I felt so comfortable all week, in terms of the hospitality, makes it really special. To win the inaugural Astana Open is special. I am so happy. It has been a big team effort and I am pumped.”
Millman had faced two match points in his quarterfinal match against USA’s Tommy Paul at 3-5 and then was down 5-0 in the tie-breaker before storming back to claim the match.
Millman jumps to no. 37 on the ATP singles rankings.

Filed Under: World 250

Humbert defeats de Minaur to claim European Open title

October 26, 2020 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

France’s Ugo Humbert has won his second ATP title of the year and for his career with a 6-1, 7-6(4) over Australia’s Alex de Minaur.
The world no. 38 broke his opponent twice in the opening set to comfortably take the opener.
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Humbert had won his first title in Auckland at the start of the year.
“It is one of my biggest wins,” said Humbert. “I am super happy to win my second title this year against a really great player. I was aggressive like the previous matches and I am super happy to do it.”
Humbert escaped defeat in his semifinal match against Britain’s Dan Evans after saving four match points.
Despite losing de Minaur was happy with his performance this week. “This was a very important week for me,” said De Minaur during the trophy ceremony. “I have managed to get back to the level I wanted to play at and play another final, which is great for me. I am very happy with where I am. This is a huge step in the right direction.”
Humbert earned 250 FedEx ATP Rankings points and €30,160. De Minaur collected 150 points and €24,000.
Next week in Vienna de Minaur faces a round one match against world no. 6 Daniil Medvedev from Russia. They are competing in an ATP 500 event with one of the strongest field ever assembled for that level of tournament.

Filed Under: World 250

de Minaur to take on Umbert for European Open title

October 25, 2020 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

After a disappointing first round exit at the French Open Australia’s Alex de Minaur has bounced back in Antwerp to reach the final of the European Open where he will face France’s Ugo Humbert.

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de Minaur despatched Grigor Dimitrov 7-6(4), 6-7(3), 6-4 in two hours and 48 minutes to reach his first tour level final since the 2019 Swiss Indoors a year ago. On that occasion he lost 6-2, 6-2 to Roger Federer.

World no. 29 de Minaur is aiming for a fourth ATP title after collecting three trophies in 2019 including his home tournament in Sydney.

France’s world no. 38 Umbert has one title to his name after claiming the Auckland title at the start of the year.

The final is the first head-to-head meeting for this pair.

Filed Under: World 250

de Minaur back in action in Spain

June 7, 2020 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

Screen shot from Alex de Minaur match

Australia’s Alex de Minaur is 2-0 in a return to competitive tennis, although it is only in exhibition matches.

After bunkering down in Alicante, Spain during the quarantine period de Minaur is competing at the Region of Valencia Tennis Challenge.

World No. 26 de Minaur defeated Pablo Andujar 6-2, 6-3 on Friday and followed that up with a win over Pablo Carreno Busta 7-5, 6-4 on Saturday.

He will next face world No.12 Roberto Bautista Agut on Sunday. Both players are undefeated in the round-robin format.

The matches are being played on clay courts with an umpire and ball kids. The line judges are not being used to limit the number of people involved.

Against world No. 25 Carreno Busta the Australian was up 4-2 before getting pegged back. de Minaur broke for 6-5 and served out the first set.

In the second set de Minaur got one break of serve and that was enough to seal the match.

The 21-year-old Australian last played at the ATP 500 in Acapulco when he lost in the first round against Miomir Kecmanovic from Serbia. It was the Australian’s first match back from an injury he sustained during the ATP Cup.

Filed Under: ATP Tour

Tennis is suspended through to July 31 but is that being overly ambitious

May 17, 2020 by Rob Keating Leave a Comment

The ATP and WTA have announced the suspension of tournaments through to the end of July.

The WTA said, “”We regret this is the case but will continue to be guided by medical experts for when it is safe and possible to return to WTA competition. We continue to monitor the situation closely and are hopeful to be back on the court as soon as possible.”

“Due to continued uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, we regret to announce our decision to extend the suspension of the Tour,” said Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman. “Just like tennis fans, players and tournament hosts all over the world, we share in the disappointment the Tour continues to be affected in this way. We continue to assess all of our options in an effort to resume the Tour as soon as it is safe to do so, including the feasibility of rescheduling events later in the season. As ever, the health and well-being of the tennis community and wider public remains our top priority in every decision we make.”

The August date to commence tennis could be wishful thinking. With the aviation industry pretty much at a complete standstill it will be difficult to get players to tournaments.

Australia is talking about have their borders closed into 2021. Tennis Australia are looking at many different scenarios in order to be able to hold the Australian Open in 2021.

With tennis not being played now for several months the governing bodies of world tennis have come together to raise in excess of USD $6 million to create a Player Relief Program to assist players who are particularly affected by the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Program will target around 800 ATP/WTA singles and doubles players that are in need of financial support.

At this stage the US Open is set to go ahead although it could be at an alternative venue and the French Open is scheduled to run from Sunday, 20 September – Sunday 4 October.

Filed Under: Grand Slams, Women's Tennis Association, ATP Tour

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