2020 ATP Houston Open fantasy tennis: Ymer upsets Lajovic to book quarter finals spot
THE top four players in the Houston Open fantasy tennis tournament are officially out after third seed, Dusan Lajovic exited following a second round loss. The 22nd ranked Serbian fell in the Round of 16 to talented Swede, Mikael Ymer who is eyeing off a top 50 spot in the ATP Tour rankings. Ymer got up 6-3 6-3 in about 90 minutes to make his way into the quarter finals where he takes on the next highest ranked player remaining.
That player is sixth seed Georgian, Nikoloz Basilashvili who came from behind to knock out unseeded Croatian, Borna Coric. Basilashvili won 6-7 6-3 6-3 in two hours and 40 minutes. It was by far the most epic contest of the day, and the new tournament favourite showed what he was capable of against a player ranked just six places lower than him in the rankings.
Also through to the quarter finals is eighth seed Norwegian, Casper Ruud. The up-and-coming European knocked out big-serving American giant, Reilly Opelka. One of the title contenders coming into the event considering his form and record on clay, Ruud was too good and navigated the barrage of aces to win 6-3 6-3. The match lasted an hour and 22 minutes all up as he booked a date with Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas in the quarter finals.
Cuevas made his way into the last eight courtesy of a win over Serbia’s Laslo Djere. In what was ultimately a disappointing day for Serbia after a promising start to the tournament, Djere joined Lajovic on the list of Round of 16 exits. Despite knocking off number one seed Karen Khachanov just two days earlier, Djere could not quite have the luck against the experienced Cuevas who saluted 6-4 7-6 in an hour-and-40-minute long match.
With the quarter finals decided, it will be the highest ranked player, Jan-Lennard Struff taking on Italian, Lorenzo Sonego up first followed by Brit, Andy Murray and home nation hero, Sam Querrey. Moving to the night session, Basilashvili and Ymer will go head-to-head before Ruud and Cuevas lock horns in the final match of the day.
ROUND OF 16 RESULTS:
Mikael Ymer (SWE) defeated [3] Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 6-3 6-3
[6] Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) defeated Borna Coric (CRO) 6-7 6-3 6-3
[8] Casper Ruud (NOR) defeated Reilly Opelka (USA) 6-3 6-3
Pablo Cuevas (URU) defeated Laslo Djere (SRB) 6-4 7-6
Rafa rout – Nadal smashes teen in Madrid mauling
IT MIGHT have only been his third tournament of the year and is 21 years his opponent’s senior, but Rafael Nadal wasted no time storming past 16-year-old American Darwin Blanch in the opening round of the 2024 Madrid Open. The greatest clay courter of all time has had a horrid run with injuries and been […]
2024 ATP Madrid Open preview
SPANISH star Carlos Alcaraz returns to his home country to defend his 2023 ATP Madrid Open title when the 1000 Masters tournament begins tomorrow. The second seed defeated German Jan-Lennard Struff in the final last season, while this tournament also marks the return of Rafael Nadal back to the event as some of the best […]
Tsitsipas’ triple treat in Monte Carlo
GREEK star Stefanos Tsitsipas has won his third Monte Carlo Masters, getting past fellow clay court talent Casper Ruud in the final. The decider on Court Rainier III lasted 97 minutes, with the 12th seed winning 6-1 6-4 over the eighth seeded Norwegian, adding the 2024 title to his back-to-back 2021-22 trophies. It is an […]
Monte Carlo madness: Top two ousted in semis
CLAY courts can tend to throw up some big results, and that was certainly the case in the semi-final stage of the 2024 Monte Carlo Masters. With the top two in the world, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner heading for a memorable final, many expected the pair to face-off in the decider. The only problem? […]
Djoker quells Demon to reach Monte Carlo semis
WORLD number one Novak Djokovic proved that bit too strong for Australian Alex de Minaur, getting home in a tight two-set match at the Monte Carlo Masters. While just a couple of breaks throughout the course of the match separated the players, Djokovic was able to move to within two victories of a third clean […]
Rune wins Dimitrov slog to reach Monte Carlo quarters
WHEN you had to play your Round of 32 match earlier in the day following rain suspension from the previous day, the last thing you want is an epic struggle, but that was exactly the case for Dane Holger Rune who needed three and half hours to get past Grigor Dimitrov and reach the Monte […]
Pop goes the Rublev, as defending champ ousted by Aussie
AUSSIE Alexei Popyrin caused a massive boilover at the Monte Carlo Masters overnight, defeating top 10 star and defending champion Andrey Rublev to set up an all-Aussie third round match with Alex de Minaur. Popyrin has always shown the potential to be a top-line player, and he put it all together against the sixth seed, […]
Demon dash – Aussie races into second round
TOP-RANKED Australian Alex de Minaur was at his brutal best, making light work of Swiss Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka to reach the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters in a flurry. Needing just 63 minutes against the wildcard, de Minaur won 6-3 6-0, including the last eight games of the match. Wasting no […]
Getting his Fils: Arthur slays Hanfmann
YOUNG Frenchman Arthur Fils wasted no time in destroying his German opponent Yannick Hanfmann and making history in the process at the Monte Carlo Masters overnight. The 19-year-old Frenchman became the youngest male player from his nation to win a match at the event in almost two decades when he wiped his lucky loser opponent […]
