Guillermo Olaso thought it was never going to end. “Normally a tie-break never lasts that long,” Olaso told ATPWorldTour.com at the RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas. “It feels like we played another set almost, because it took so long and it took a lot of energy out of both of us.” The 29-year-old from Bilbao, Spain and opponent Evgeny Karlovskiy claimed a slice of history in the final round of qualifying at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Dallas. The pair tied the record for longest tie-break played in Challenger history, lasting a marathon 42 points and leaving both players weary. Olaso captured the tie-break 22/20, saving a staggering 10 set points while needing seven of his own. He would...
The comeback continues! Kei Nishikori looks to build momentum in his return to professional tennis at this week's RBC Tennis Championships of Dallas, a $125,000 event on the ATP Challenger Tour. The Japanese star, who just 10 months ago ascended to a career-high World No. 4 in the ATP Rankings, claimed his first victory of the year on Monday, in his return from injury. It was deja vu for Nishikori, who drew American Dennis Novikov as his first-round opponent in Dallas. Novikov prevailed in the top seed's comeback debut last week in Newport Beach, California. This time, however, the 28-year-old turned in a vintage Nishikori performance for a 6-3, 6-3 victory under the lights at the T Bar M Racquet...
A LOOK BACK Oracle Challenger Series Newport Beach (Newport Beach, California, USA): Taylor Fritz couldn't have dreamt of a better start to the year. Just three weeks after kicking off 2018 with a final run at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Noumea, the #NextGenATP American went one step further on Sunday in Newport Beach. Fritz lifted a trophy for the first time in two years, rallying past countryman Bradley Klahn 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 in one hour and 35 minutes. The 20-year-old is not only up to No. 76 in the ATP Rankings, his highest position in more than a year, but the California native also moves to third in the ATP Race To Milan. On the rise once again,...
The state of California has long been a popular destination for tournaments on both the ATP World Tour and ATP Challenger Tour. Take a look around and you'll understand why. From the coastline to the mountains, there is no shortage of stunning scenery and pristine sun-drenched weather is a staple of the region. Challenger events in Aptos and Tiburon are established fixtures on the calendar, joined recently by tournaments in Fairfield and Stockton. For many years, however, the iconic BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells has been the lone tournament in Southern California. But that has changed in 2018, with the addition of two $150,000 events as part of the Oracle Challenger Series. On Sunday, the inaugural tournament in Newport...
It was an early candidate for Hot Shot of the year, as Tecnifibre's Filip Peliwo races to the baseline to strike a stunning tweener at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Newport Beach.