Medvedev to headline return of elite men's tennis to China

BEIJING, China -- Former world number one Daniil Medvedev will headline the return of elite men's tennis to China after a Covid-enforced break of four years, organizers said on Wednesday.

The Russian, winner of the US Open in 2021 and a two-time Australian Open runner-up, will play at the ATP Tour's Zhuhai Championships on September 20-26.

Zhuhai Championships officials have also been in "fruitful" talks with other grand-slam champions and top-ranked players, the ATP said. More star names will be announced "imminently".

Another ATP event will take place in Chengdu, in the southwest of China, at the same time as the Zhuhai tournament.

Those are followed by the China Open in Beijing starting in late September, before the prestigious Shanghai Masters in October.

"I'm really looking forward to coming back to China and playing at the Hengqin International Tennis Center," the 27-year-old Medvedev, now third in the world, said of his Zhuhai debut.

"I can't wait to see the city and the stadium, both of which I have heard a lot of good things about."

Australia's Alex de Minaur won the first edition of the competition in Zhuhai, near Hong Kong, in 2019.

The women's WTA Tour said earlier this month that it too will return to China this year.

International sport is making a return to the country after authorities dropped strict travel restrictions imposed because of the pandemic.

Agence France-Presse

Tennis: Friendly fire as Monfils beats Wawrinka to win Rotterdam Open

ROTTERDAM -- Gael Monfils defeated good friend Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 on Sunday to win his eighth career title at the Rotterdam Open.

Monfils, the runner-up three years ago, held off Wawrinka's second-set surge to ease through the decider.

"It was an unbelievable week, a pleasure," said Monfils.

"Stan is a part of this win. We've been talking a lot and practising a lot. You're my brother," he told his Swiss opponent.

"This has been a good week for Stan and a good week for me. I hope we can have many more battles."

Wawrinka, the 2015 champion in the Dutch port city who is continuing an 18-month comeback from double knee surgery, was playing in his first final since Roland Garros in June 2017.

"It was great for sure to be in the final," Wawrinka said. "I'm pleased with the way I played in it and the way I arrived to the final.

"I played four good matches here, I kept my level up all week."

Three-time major winner Wawrinka said he hopes to build on his run this week.

"I need to keep doing what I've been doing the last few months. I need to play events to gain confidence. Keeping going is the only way to get back my ranking," said the world number 68.

It was the first championship match in 11 years at Rotterdam to feature two unseeded players.

Monfils, 32, showed no hard evidence of the left wrist injury which has bothered him all week and forced him onto a regime of pain-killers.

"I struggled with the wrist all week," he said. "I came out running hard in the first game to make him feel I was there.

"But when I hit as hard as I could with the backhand -- 'ohhh'," he said in reference to the wrist pain he was feeling.

"I've been in worse shape, but I'm really exhausted after this week."

The world number 33 triumphed in one and three-quarter hours with four service breaks against three-time major winner Wawrinka as he claimed his first title since Doha last year.

The Frenchman took the opening set with two breaks of Wawrinka, but the 33-year-old Swiss immediately returned the favour with a 6-1 second set.

In the third, Monfils broke for 2-1, taking control of his opponent's mighty backhand.

The Frenchman moved to 5-2 and saved a break point a game later as he closed out victory.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Tennis: Nadal charges into second round at Australian Open

MELBOURNE -- A ruthless Rafael Nadal preserved his creaky knees for tougher tests down the road by routing Dominican journeyman Victor Estrella Burgos, 6-1 6-1 6-1, to sail into the second round of the Australian Open on Monday.

Playing his first competitive match since pulling out of the ATP Tour Finals with knee trouble in November, the world number one showed no signs of early season rust as he tore through the evening match at Rod Laver Arena in one hour and 34 minutes.

The 31-year-old, who lost last year's final in a five-set classic with long-time rival Roger Federer, brought up three match points with a huge serve and closed out the match on the first when 37-year-old Estrella Burgos parried a return long.

Nadal's bid for a second Australian Open title and 17th grand slam championship will continue against Argentine Leonardo Mayer.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Murray, Djokovic target year-end top spot

LONDON - Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic will stage a dramatic battle to finish 2016 on top of the world as the two old rivals aim for the title at the ATP Tour Finals.

A friendly rivalry that began 15 years ago when they first faced off in European junior tournaments will reach a new level over the week as they fight to end the year as the world number one.

Murray shattered Djokovic's 122-week reign at the top last weekend when the Wimbledon champion became the first British man to reach pole position in the ATP rankings.

But Murray has only a 405-point lead over Djokovic in the rankings and the Scot can be passed by the Serb if he doesn't match or better his rival's performance at the prestigious season-ending event at London's O2 Arena.

As the top two seeds, Murray and Djokovic have been drawn in different groups in the eight-player tournament, meaning they can't meet before the semi-finals.

If their 35th Tour-level meeting comes in the final, it would be a fitting occasion to decide the top ranking, which last changed hands at the Tour Finals in 2001 when Lleyton Hewitt supplanted Gustavo Kuerten.

Murray has enjoyed an incredible 11 months on and off the court in which he has won Wimbledon for the second time, claimed a second Olympic singles gold medal and become a father to baby daughter Sophia.

"This year is the best I've had on court, the last few months have been the best in terms of my consistency," Murray said.

"Away from the court it's been by far the best in my life, a big change and a great change. I've really enjoyed being a parent.

"When I step on the court I will have a little more confidence and feel better about myself.

"I don't want to spend time discussing what's happened in the last few months. I want to keep getting better.

"That's what I've always tried to do. I don't feel any different."

CENTER OF ATTENTION

Although Murray has lost 24 of his clashes with Djokovic, few of his peers on the Tour question his right to be number one after such a strong year.

Djokovic agrees, saying: "I have only words of praise for what he has achieved in the last year or so.

"Definitely he is a well deserved number one at this point. He has been the best player for the last six months without a doubt.

"Whether he can sustain that is not a question for me but looking at his qualities and commitment there is a good chance he can play at this level for a long time."

Djokovic has been in a slump since winning the French Open in June to complete his career Grand Slam, raising questions about his appetite for continued success.

But the 12-time major winner might find the O2 Arena is the ideal venue to restore his confidence.

He has won the Tour Finals for the last four years and another success this year would equal Roger Federer's record of six titles.

With Federer and Rafael Nadal both absent due to injury, Djokovic and Murray will be the centre of attention.

They could have very different paths to the trophy as Djokovic holds a remarkable 23-0 combined record against Milos Raonic, Gael Monfils and Dominic Thiem, who comprise his group stage opponents.

In contrast, Murray, who has never been past the semi-finals of the event, has to survive a tricky group featuring US Open champion Stan Wawrinka, as well as Japan's Kei Nishikori and Croatian Marin Cilic, who have both beaten the Scot this year.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Nadal cruises into Argentina semis

Rafael Nadal, who is gunning for a record-tying 46th clay-court title, surged into the semi-finals of the Argentina Open on Friday with a 6-1, 6-1 rout of Federico Delbonis.

The world number four Nadal will face Carlos Berlocq for a berth in the final of the ATP Tour tournament. Nadal, who is playing in this event for the first time in 10 years, has won all three previous matches with Berlocq.

Nadal needed just 62 minutes to dispatch fellow left-hander Delbonis as the Spanish star capitalized on five of his nine break-point chances in the quarter-final contest.

Nadal last played in this event in 2005, when he lost in the quarters to Gaston Gaudio. Nadal is seeking his 65th career singles crown.

Earlier, Argentina's Berlocq notched his second career win over Slovenia's Blaz Rola, reaching the final four with a convincing 6-1, 6-3 victory.

The 32-year-old Berlocq broke Rola on six of his 11 chances in the 79-minute match to reach his first semi-final since last July.

Juan Monaco kept his bid for a second title in Buenos Aires alive with a 7-6 (7/1), 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 win over third-seeded Pablo Cuevas.

Monaco, who won the title in 2007, served for the match at 5-4 in the second set before Cuevas fought back to force a decider. Monaco would get another chance to serve for the contest in the third and final set.

"It was a relief because it was a difficult and long match," said Monaco. "I celebrated the way I did because I enjoy it. Having such feelings is what I missed most about tennis.

"I am very motivated because I have the opportunity to play a final again and here in Buenos Aires. That excites me a lot and I hope to play the best way to win tomorrow."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Murray, Venus grind out wins at steamy U.S. Open

NEW YORK - Some busy bees made life difficult for two grizzled veterans and a pair of favorites were forced to work extra hard on a steamy opening day at the U.S. Open on Monday.

Eighth-seeded 2012 champion Andy Murray fought off cramps to beat Dutchman Robin Haase in four painful sets, while women's second seed Simona Halep lost a first-set tiebreak to U.S. debutante Danielle Collins before claiming victory.

And in a fascinating match-up between 19th seed Venus Williams and Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan, the oldest players in the women's draw, some pesky bees joined in and refused to leave them alone.

Murray looked on his way to an easy victory before he fell victim to cramps that left him stretching and straining to get comfortable before clinching a 6-3 7-6 (6) 1-6 7-5 victory over Haase.

"I felt extremely good before the match, and I did train very, very hard to get ready for the tournament," said Murray, one of the fittest players on the ATP Tour.

"My quads were cramping, then it started to get to my lats, then my forearms," he added. "I just tried to hang around and at the end I was trying to play without moving my legs much and managed to get through."

Murray said he might consult with a nutritionist before meeting his second-round opponent, Germany's Matthias Bachinger.

A less serious intrusion bugged the irresistible women's match between seven-times grand slam singles winner Venus Williams and Japan's remarkable Kimiko Date-Krumm, who were beset by bees.

First the 43-year-old Japanese player and later 34-year-old Williams dipped, ducked and danced away before ballgirls helped usher the determined bees off the baseline.

When finally left to play tennis on sun-bathed Arthur Ashe Stadium court, seven-time grand slam singles winner Williams stung Date-Krumm 2-6 6-3 6-3 to advance.

Asked about who presented the peskier test in the two-hour match, two-time U.S. winner Williams said: "The bee was a challenge but easily the answer is Kimiko.

"The way she hits the ball is like no one else on tour and it's never easy to get a rhythm with her, and all our matches have been tough. So I'm happy to have pulled it out."

EARLY UPSET

In an upset on the men's side, twice U.S. Open semi-finalist Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, the 21st seed, fell to big-serving Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios 7-5 7-6 (4) 2-6 7-6 (1).

The 19-year-old Kyrgios, who made a Wimbledon splash by ousting Rafa Nadal in the fourth round to reach the quarter-finals, blasted in 26 aces.

The 60th-ranked Kyrgios advanced to a second-round match against Italy's Andreas Seppi.

Advancing with relative ease in straight sets were Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland and fifth-seeded Canadian Milos Raonic.

The Swiss third seed beat Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic to set up a second-round test against Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci, while big-serving Raonic defeated Japan's Taro Daniel to get to the next round against Peter Gojowczyk of Germany.

Halep survived a scare in the tournament's opening match on stadium court before overtaking Collins 6-7 (2) 6-1 6-2.

The 22-year-old Romanian, a finalist at the French Open, admitted to a case of nerves in being thrust onto the big stage as the opening act of the season's last grand slam.

"She played a tough match, I want to congratulate her," Halep said about her 20-year-old opponent, who was given a wild card for winning the U.S. college championship.

"The first set I was a little bit nervous. This court is huge.

"I have to enjoy it, but it's not easy. Everybody is telling me I have chances to win this title."

She moves on to face Slovakian Jana Cepelova, a 2-6 7-5 6-1 winner over Spain's Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor, in the second round of the season's last grand slam.

Also advancing on the women's side were fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, sixth seed Angelique Kerber of Germany, and former world number one Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, the ninth seed. (Editing by Frank Pingue)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com