Serbian tennis has long been lead by a player you’ve probably heard of, but its future is in the hands of one you might not have. Whenever former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic decides to hang up his racquet, he’ll be happy to know that Miomir Kecmanovic, playing in just his second year on the professional circuit, appears to have things covered for his native Serbia. At just 18 years of age, Kecmanovic made his debut in the Top 200 of the ATP Rankings this week and is the youngest from his country to reach that career milestone since Djokovic first broke through in November of 2004. Now, into the semi-finals of this week's ATP Challenger Tour event in San Francisco,...
On Wednesday, they will face off in the second round of the Kunal Patel San Francisco Open. But on Tuesday evening, Americans Christopher Eubanks and Michael Mmoh tossed aside their racquets for a night of basketball across the bay. Eubanks and Mmoh attended the blockbuster basketball game between the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder at Oracle Arena. A second encounter on the tennis court awaits them, following Mmoh's three-set victory at the Challenger in Charlottesville last year, but the two friends put aside their budding rivalry to watch the NBA's elite players do battle. Behind a dominant performance by superstar Russell Westbrook, the Thunder pulled the upset by a score of 125-105. "It was awesome," said Eubanks. "It's...
A LOOK BACK Kunal Patel San Francisco Open (San Francisco, USA): One year ago, China had its moment in the spotlight, as native son Di Wu claimed the nation's first ATP Challenger Tour title in Maui, USA. On Sunday, the total doubled. Behind a bevy of monster forehands and lightning-fast agility, Ze Zhang notched his maiden crown in San Francisco, overcoming Vasek Pospisil 7-5, 3-6, 6-2. Zhang rang in the inaugural event in San Francisco with a bang, notching seven wins in eight days to lift the trophy as a qualifier, overturning an 0-3 mark in Challenger finals in his career to finally claim victory. The Nanjing native is the first qualifier winner of the year on the ATP Challenger...
It started with a vision and spawned into something extraordinary. When Mukesh Patel and co-founders Derrik Hirschfeld and Vikram Viswanathan first conceived the idea to establish a professional tennis tournament in San Francisco, little did they know it would instantly become a premier event on the ATP Challenger Tour. With world-class amenities and hospitality, the exuberance and passion of its founding fathers and tournament director Ross Wisser have permeated throughout the grounds of the iconic Bay Club this week. Located in the heart of the bustling metropolis, the $100,000 event has already made its mark on the circuit. But the tournament's significant impact extends far beyond the walls of the The Bay Club. In October 2014, Patel's son Kunal tragically...
After a frustrating 2016 season, Vasek Pospisil is back to producing the high level of tennis he’s capable of. Competing at this week’s $100,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in San Francisco, California, the seventh seed battled past #NextGenATP star Reilly Opelka to move into a quarter-final showdown against another American #NextGenATP star in top seed Frances Tiafoe. Pospisil has left the crowd in awe this week with his court coverage and winners from impossible positions. “I haven’t played too many Challengers lately, but the crowd here is great and the stadium court is really nice,” said Pospisil. “It’s a cool atmosphere and the organisation has been fantastic. Coming from ATP World Tour and Masters 1000 events, it still feels very...