With 33 tournaments in the books, the ATP Challenger Tour season is already off to a flying start in 2018. Storylines abound on the circuit, as new names and fresh faces fight for position in the ATP Rankings, while the Next Generation of stars look to make early statements in the ATP Race To Milan. Players eyeing coveted berths in the Next Gen ATP Finals lifted trophies, a superstar kicked off his comeback, a trio of emerging stars tasted victory for the first time, the Aussie contingent made an early statement, a 37-year-old veteran earned a historic crown, and a fan-favourite tournament celebrated a milestone anniversary. And of course, there were Hot Shots. Your jaws might still be on the...
Taylor Fritz was inches away from losing in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open. If a whizzing inside-out forehand from best friend Reilly Opelka landed just marginally to the left, Fritz would have been out of the tournament in his opener. Instead, the #NextGenATP American survived. And after two more strong wins — the latest coming in the form of a nail-biting 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(1) victory on Monday evening against an in-form Fernando Verdasco — the 20-year-old is into the Round of 16 at an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event for the first time. "To pull out a match whenever it's close like that can go either way. You're nervous," Fritz admitted. "It just makes the feeling...
The first of many? Fans who had the opportunity to see #NextGenATP players Andrey Rublev and Taylor Fritz battle at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday will certainly hope so. The 20-year-olds entertained the crowd with more than 90 minutes of heavyweight hitting and plenty of plot turns. The second-round match on Stadium Court 2 featured 50 winners (28, Fritz; 22, Rublev) and seven breaks of serve. Watch Full Match Replays In the end, the home favourite Fritz reached the third round in Indian Wells for the second consecutive year 6-4, 7-6(4). The #NextGenATP California native was broken in the ninth game in the second set. But Fritz broke right back and, in the tie-break, clinched his second match point...