#NextGenATP stars Noah Rubin and Andrey Rublev are one step away from the main draw of the Australian Open, with both players recording second-round qualifying victories in a rain-filled Day 3 of qualifying on Friday. Only 16 matches were completed. Rubin once again came through in a deciding set to take out No. 32 seed Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. The American reached the second round last year in Melbourne through a reciprocal main draw wild card, but looks to qualify for a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. The 20-year-old will now compete for a spot in the main draw against No. 11 seed Evgeny Donsky of Russia, who scored a hard-fought 7-6(3),...
Sixth seed Gilles Muller ended the 10-match Sydney winning streak of third seed and two-time defending champion Viktor Troicki, advancing into the final of the Apia International Sydney with a 6-3, 7-6(6) victory on Friday. "I served very well today, especially in the crucial moments when I was down break points," said Muller. "I always managed to serve a first big serve. It helped me a lot. Especially in the second set when I was also starting to struggle a little bit with the heat. In those pressure moments, the serve was there. That's what got me through." The 33-year-old Luxembourg native will play Daniel Evans in a first-time meeting on Saturday. Muller is looking for his first ATP World...
Fourth seed Jack Sock continued his flying start to 2017 at the ASB Classic in Auckland, moving into the final with a 6-4, 6-3 win over seventh seed and fellow American Steve Johnson. “It wasn’t easy. Stevie is such a good player and had such a good year last year. I was able to fortunately get a couple of breaks and that was enough,” said Sock. “I enjoy being out here, playing in front of big crowds and being on big stages. Obviously I want to win, but either way, I’ve played a lot of matches this week and my confidence is high.” The No. 23 in the Emirates ATP Rankings continues to excel in Auckland, having finished runner-up last...
Andy Murray could have a tricky path to becoming the last man standing in Melbourne, while Novak Djokovic has an equally treacherous road in pursuit of a seventh Australian Open crown. Top seed Murray opens up his quest for his first Australian Open title against Illya Marchenko, with the Brit winning their lone meeting at the 2011 edition of this tournament. Looking ahead, Murray could face No. 16 seed Lucas Pouille in the fourth round and either No. 5 seed Kei Nishikori or No. 17 seed Roger Federer in the quarter-finals. Second seed Djokovic was given a very tricky first-round against veteran Fernando Verdasco. The Serbian leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 9-4, including a third-round victory in the 2015...