After a stellar end to 2017 and a breakthrough performance at this year’s Australian Open, Maximilian Marterer looks set to be the next German tennis star to break through on the ATP World Tour. The 22-year-old German won 21 of his 23 matches on the ATP Challenger Tour in September and October to secure three titles, before announcing himself on the world stage with a run to the third round at this year’s Australian Open. Currently at a career-high No. 82 in the ATP Rankings, Marterer made his intentions clear when asked, ahead of his first-round match against Malek Jaziri at this week’s Diema Xtra Sofia Open, whether he had any goals after breaking into the Top 100 of the...
Quito is called "The City in the Sky" for good reason: The Ecuadorian capital sits in (and often above) the clouds at 9,350 feet (2,800 meters) above sea level. A panorama of the mountainous region that's carved into the rugged Andes is breathtaking. The thin, high-altitude air can be breathtaking as well. Cerro Puntas, a protected wetland area in Quito, is home to the Paluguillo Drinking Water Treatment Plant of EPMAPS Agua de Quito, a sponsor of this week's Ecuador Open. Because of environmental pollution and contamination of the region's water supply, Cerro Puntas is vital when it comes to producing water that is pure enough for human consumption. Croatia's Ivo Karlovic and Brazil's Rogerio Dutra Silva, both entrants in...
No one ever said coming back from knee surgery would be easy, but Stan Wawrinka knows he’s moving in the right direction. After shutting down what had been a successful 2017 season due to a knee injury, which would ultimately require surgery and months of rehabilitation, Wawrinka made his return to competition at the Australian Open, winning one round before succumbing to Tennys Sandgren in the second. With his feet back on the ground – both literally and figuratively – the Swiss heads to the DIEMA XTRA Sofia Open in search of his next step. “I am feeling much better. Since the first day I came back from Australia I was working really hard physically and also for my tennis....
With the first Grand Slam championship of the season in the rearview mirror, the ATP World Tour's stars are back at it in Montpellier, Quito and Sofia. The Open Sud de France and the Diema Xtra Sofia Open are both contested on hard courts, while the Ecuador Open is on clay. Last year's Nitto ATP Finals runner-up David Goffin is the top seed in Montpellier, Pablo Carreno Busta leads the pack in Quito and Stan Wawrinka is in the No. 1 spot in Sofia. View Draws: Montpellier | Quito | Sofia 10 THINGS TO WATCH IN MONTPELLIER (1) Frenchmen Headline Field: Three of the top five seeds are Frenchmen in Montpellier, which is one of five ATP World Tour tournaments in...
Touching down in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito to play the Ecuador Open for the first time in his career, there was something different about Gael Monfils. Having started off his 2018 campaign with a title at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open and pushing Novak Djokovic to four sets in a grueling second-round encounter at the Australian Open, there’s reason to believe Monfils has turned the page on an injury-marred 2017 and is approaching the new season with renewed determination and focus. Oh, and a new hairstyle. [ALSO LIKE] The Frenchman, who is known for both his showmanship on court and his vibrancy off it, met the press ahead of his first tournament appearance in Quito, debuting his new golden locks....
