It’s a warm welcome in Beijing for the youngest player in the Top 5 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. Alexander Zverev, who has risen from No. 24 to No. 4 in 2017, arrives in China’s capital with all the momentum of a standout second season on the ATP World Tour. 2017 season has seen the 6'6" German win five titles – the same amount as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – including two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns in Rome (d. Novak Djokovic) and Montreal (d. Federer). But as the season comes to an intense finish and the Emirates ATP Race To London heats up, Zverev looks to keep building upon the consistency that he established throughout the season,...
Jonathan Erlich and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi tasted victory for the first time as a team, claiming the Chengdu Open title on Sunday. The Israeli-Pakistani duo downed Marcus Daniell and Marcelo Demoliner 6-3, 7-6(3) in one hour and 29 minutes, claiming two of seven break chances. They take home 250 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $96,610 in prize money. "This week is very special," said Qureshi. "When I came here, I was on one leg and I had an MRI and wasn't sure if I would even play. I signed up with Jon five minutes before the deadline. He was still in Israel. He took the risk and flew all the way here on Sunday. Thanks to him for trusting...
Winning a title on the ATP World Tour is never easy. And the Shenzhen Open final proved no different for World No. 12 David Goffin on Sunday. But despite losing the second set after recovering from a 1-5 deficit to force a tie-break, the Belgian second seed bolstered his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals by defeating fifth-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3. He earned his first title of the season in his third attempt, ending a six-final losing streak that began after winning his first two tour-level trophies (2014 Kitzbuhel d. Thiem, 2014 Metz d. Sousa). The victory helped Goffin strengthen his position in the Emirates ATP Race To London. He will now sit in 13th place,...
In 2015, Denis Istomin became the first player from Uzbekistan to lift an ATP World Tour trophy, when he prevailed in Nottingham. On Sunday, he added a second crown. Istomin kicked off the Asian swing in strong fashion, emerging as the champion of the Chengdu Open. The final concluded in unfortunate circumstances, as opponent Marcos Baghdatis was forced to retire with a back injury during the first set. Istomin was leading 3-2 when Baghdatis fell to the court and was unable to continue. "I know his situation, because I've had a lot of injuries," said Istomin. "I know the feeling and we are good friends, so my first thought was to help Marcos when I saw him go down. Of...