2020 Hamburg European Open preview: Basilashvili eyes off third straight title
BACK-to-back Hamburg European Open winner, Nikoloz Basilashvili will start as an underdog in the ATP 250 tournament with a tough first round match up against fourth seed, Roberto Bautista Agut. The unseeded Georgian is one of only three past winners in the 32-player draw, with Fabio Fognini (2013) and Gilles Simon (2011) the others making […]
Schwartzman set for Djokovic test after reaching Rome Masters final
DIEGO Schwartzman will take on world number one Novak Djokovic in the final of the Rome Masters after winning his semi-final against Denis Shapovalov. The eighth seed will eye off a top 10 ATP Tour ranking with an upset win over Djokovic, who took out unseeded clay court specialist Casper Ruud in the other semi-final. […]
Clay court stars book final four spots in Rome
TWO Roland Garros champions, last year’s runner-up and a regular performer on clay have all won their respective quarters finals at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Top two seeds, Simona Halep and Karolina Pliskova advanced through to the semi-finals, to now take on their respective opponents, Garbine Muguruza and Marketa Vondrousova who also booked impressive wins. […]
Schwartzman knocks out Rafa in stunning upset
IT was a case of 10th time lucky for pint-sized Argentinian Diego Schwartzman, who after losing to the King of the Clay Rafael Nadal nine times, finally broke through for a win by ousting him in straight sets at the Rome Masters. Nadal has a 91.8 per cent winning record and 59 ATP Tour titles […]
Putintseva survives against Rybakina in come-from-behind all-Kazakh triumph
YULIA Putintseva has stunned the Internazionali BNL d’Italia with a remarkable come-from-behind victory over fellow Kazakh, Elena Rybakina. The world number 30 faced a 4-6 2-5 deficit against the world number 18 and 10th seed, but found a way to fight back and win 4-6 7-6 6-2 to book her spot in the quarter finals. […]
Clay courters continue run as Berrettini last Italian standing in quarter finals
MATTEO Berrettini was the sole Italian to win his third round match after a record four players from the home nation made their way through to the final 16 at the Rome Masters. Berrettini indeed ended the run of one of them, knocking off compatriot Stefano Travaglia in two tiebreakers, 7-6 7-6. The first tiebreaker […]
Musetti takes down second consecutive former top five player as seeds begin to fall
LORENZO Musetti has backed up his stunning upset of Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka by downing another former top five player in Kei Nishikori at the Rome Masters’ Round of 32. The Japanese 2014 US Open finalist was returning for his third match in 12 months, but the exciting Italian teenager continued his remarkable form […]
Sinner survives Tsitsipas scare to post second round upset
ATP Next Gen Finals winner Jannik Sinner has claimed the second top 10 scalp of his career, surviving a mid-match comeback against third seed, Stefanos Tsitsipas to win in the only three-set match of the day at the Rome Masters. The Italian young gun dominated his highly fancied opponent early to race to a 6-1 […]
Italian teen demolishes Stan the Man as qualifiers reign supreme in Rome
THE first set lasted just 26 minutes. By the end of the match, Italian qualifier Lorenzo Musetti had claimed the biggest scalp of his carer, defeating Stan Wawrinka 6-0 7-6 in the first round of the Rome Masters. It is fairly easy to compare considering it was his second ATP Tour match, which makes the […]
Rybakina destroys Alexandrova as Bolsova piles on more pain for Riske
KAZAKH young gun Elena Rybakina has taken just 61 minutes to take apart fellow top 30 player, Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in a stunning role reversal. Just a fortnight earlier, Alexandrova defeated Rybakina in straight sets at the Western & Southern Open, with the 21-year-old winning just one match in her past […]
Nishikori claims first win in 12 months as top 20 players exit Rome
KEI Nishikori has broken through for his first win in 12 months after defeating Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the first round of the Rome Masters. The Japanese Grand Slam winner posted a 6-4 7-6 victory over the world number 44, marking his first win since the second round of the US Open in August, 2019. […]
Thiem makes history in one of the greatest comebacks of all-time to win US Open
WORLD number three, Dominic Thiem is basking in glory after celebrating one of the most remarkable victories in Grand Slam history. The Austrian second seed came from two sets down to win in five, becoming only the fifth person – and first outside the French Open – to achieve the feat. Even when trailing a […]
