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Holt Stuns Fritz In Sparkling Grand Slam Debut

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American qualifier Brandon Holt claimed a statement win in his main-draw Grand Slam debut Monday night at the US Open, upsetting 10th-seeded countryman Taylor Fritz 6-7(3), 7-6(1), 6-3, 6-4 to charge into the second round at Flushing Meadows.

Holt, 24, the son of two-time US Open champion Tracy Austin, had not won a Tour-level match coming into the tournament. The World No. 303 had to win through qualifying at the ATP Challenger Tour level in Chicago in his final tournament before playing US Open qualifying.

Holt turned professional in 2020 after the Covid-19 pandemic began. Last year, Holt began to feel pain in his hand, which troubled him for months. After several doctor visits, he learned an osteoid osteoma, an extra bone growing on his fourth metacarpal.

The American had two options to deal with it, and chose the more invasive, but safer option. After undergoing the operation in August, Holt did not play the rest of 2021.

Holt will play the winner of Argentine Pedro Cachin and Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene.

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August 30, 2022
Red-Hot Wolf Blazes Past Bautista Agut At US Open

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J.J. Wolf gave the American charge at this year’s US Open a stunning start on Monday afternoon, when the World No. 87 cruised past 16th seed Roberto Bautista Agut to reach the second round at Flushing Meadows.

The 23-year-old wild card produced a dominant serving performance in a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory, firing 14 aces and winning 88 per cent (50/57) of points behind his first delivery against Bautista Agut.

Wolf has made good progress this season. He broke the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time on 1 August and celebrated that achievement by reaching his maiden tour-level quarter-final in Washington that same week.

The former Ohio State Buckeye reached the third round in New York on main-draw debut in 2020. He will attempt to match that run against Alejandro Tabilo in the second round this year, after the Chilean defeated Kamil Majchrzak 6-1, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-1.

[ATP APP]

Things were a little more complicated for Wolf’s countryman Tommy Paul in his opening match. The 29th seed was pushed the distance by Bernabe Zapata Miralles but finished strong on Court 11 to record a 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-0, 7-5 first-round victory.

Home favourite Paul twice fell behind in his first ATP Head2Head meeting against Zapata Miralles, but found frequent success behind his return as he broke his opponent’s serve seven times en route to a three-hour, 10-minute win.

Paul next faces a blockbuster all-American clash with Sebastian Korda, who prevailed 5-7, 7-6(3), 7-5, 6-1 against Argentine qualifier Facundo Bagnis. The World No. 52 Korda, who sits 18 places below Paul in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, leads his countryman 3-0 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series.

Wolf was not the only home wild card to progress on Day 1 at Flushing Meadows, after #NextGenATP star Emilio Nava defeated John Millman 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-1. Nava’s reward for his maiden US Open win Is a second-round clash against 2012 champion and former World No. 1 Andy Murray.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

There was opening-day disappointment for a trio of home players in Ben Shelton, Denis Kudla and Maxime Cressy. The 19-year-old #NextGenATP Shelton fell just short of victory in his first match since announcing he was turning pro last week. Shelton saved a match point in the fourth-set tie-break to force a deciding set against Nuno Borges, but the Portuguese held firm to clinch a marathon 7-6(6), 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-7(8), 6-3 victory.

The World No. 96 Kudla could not maintain his bright start against Karen Khachanov, with the 27th seed prevailing 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, while Marton Fucsovics advanced to the second round after 30th seed Cressy retired from the pair’s first-round clash with the Hungarian leading 6-7(4), 7-5, 5-1.

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August 30, 2022
Felix Fends Off Ritschard To Reach Round Two At US Open

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Felix Auger-Aliassime has a history of raising his game at the US Open, and the sixth seed needed to do just that to hold off Swiss qualifier Alexander Ritschard in the first round at Flushing Meadows on Monday.

Auger-Aliassime prevailed 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in an absorbing encounter that featured some devastating baseline hitting from both players. Despite some inspired shotmaking from Ritschard, the Canadian was more clinical at big moments, converting four from eight break point opportunities to complete a hard-earned three-hour, four-minute win.

[ATP APP]

The boys’ singles champion at Flushing Meadows in 2016, Auger-Aliassime reached his maiden Grand Slam semi-final in New York a year ago. He showed flashes of the game that powered that run against Ritschard, with some big serving and trademark heavy striking off his forehand wing. Those weapons were particularly effective under pressure, as the 22-year-old saved 10 from 12 break points he faced.

The sixth seed appeared in control after claiming the solitary break in both the first and second sets on Grandstand, where both he and Ritschard predominately tried to dictate proceedings from deep. Despite Ritschard’s clean hitting taking the Swiss to the third set, the 2021 semi-finalist accelerated to an unassailable 5-1 lead in the fourth as he improved to 37-20 for the 2022 season.

Auger-Aliassime, who lifted his maiden ATP Tour title in Rotterdam in February, currently sits sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. The Canadian will next face Finn Emil Ruusuvuori or #NextGenATP Briton Jack Draper as he hunts another deep run at Flushing Meadows to boost his chances of qualifying for November’s Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.

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August 30, 2022
Nadal, Murray, Medvedev Among Stars To Pay Tribute To Serena Williams

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All eyes are on Serena Williams as she begins her final US Open on Monday night against Danka Kovinic. In the leadup to the season’s final Grand Slam, several stars have paid tribute to the legendary WTA star, including Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, Andy Murray and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Nadal has spoken about Williams several times in recent weeks and has been clear how important she has been within and beyond the tennis world.

“[She is a] huge ambassador that [broke] records. I think as an athlete… [she] has been one of the most important athletes in the history of the sport,” Nadal said. “So from the tennis perspective, it’s a big loss that she is leaving. But on the other hand, she deserved all the things that she achieved because she worked enough to make that happen for such a long time, with a lot of determination, dedication, discipline. If not, all of this is impossible.”

Nadal added that he has one wish for when Williams’ career is over.

“I just believe and hope that if she is able to stay around the sport in some way, going to be great for our sport because I always believe that the sports are bigger when the legends of our sport are around the sport,” Nadal said. “And she’s a legend. In some way I hope she will continue being involved in the world of tennis.”

[ATP APP]

Medvedev recalls picking up a racquet aged six. When he started watching the sport on TV months later, Williams was competing. He was already aware she was “the strong woman in the world in tennis right now”.

“Twenty years later I’m here, already managed have some success in my career, and Serena is still playing, playing her last US Open. It’s just legendary,” Medvedev said. “Every time I saw her in person, she just has this legendary energy around her, which I guess is not easy to live with, because that’s why everybody is a fan of her. Maybe aparazzi. You come around here, and you’re like, ‘I’m a fan’, something special. She for sure has and will have an amazing legacy in tennis.

“I’m sure in hundred years we’re still going to talk about Serena Williams.”

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Former World No. 1 Murray played mixed doubles with Williams at Wimbledon in 2019. “I was nervous playing with her,” Murray recalled, adding that she made “a few funny comments” that made it a “really nice” experience for him.

“Her achievements in the sport, obviously incredible. She will go down as one of the best tennis players to have ever played, if not ‘the’ best on the women’s side,” Murray said. “I think also what her and Venus have done is, when you combine the two, is even more remarkable, really, and probably unlikely we will see something like that again from two sisters.”

Williams has also received a wild card into the women’s doubles draw alongside sister Venus Williams.

“I think it’s really cool that they are playing doubles together. I think that will be really nice,” Murray said. “She’s obviously had a massive impact on the sport.”

Tsitsipas, like Medvedev, was a kid when Williams was already dominating the sport. The Greek explained that he has been inspired by her.

“What she has been able to do on the tennis court and outside the tennis court has brought the game of tennis so high and has made it so important as a sport,” Tsitsipas said. “So I give a lot of credit to her because she deserves a lot of credit for what she has done in this sport. She’s a phenomenon.”

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August 29, 2022
Soccer Match Results – 08/29/2022

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Albania: Superliga
Partizani Tirana 1 – 0 Laçi

Argentina: Prim B Nacional
Sacachispas 0 – 1 Almirante Brown

Armenia: Premier League
Pyunik 3 – 0 Noah

Bulgaria: First League
Cherno more 2 – 3 Ludogorets
CSKA Sofia 2 – 1 CSKA 1948 Sofia
Lovech 0 – 0 Krumovgrad

Chile: Primera División
Unión Española 2 – 3 Audax Italiano

China: China League One
Kunshan 1 – 0 Qingdao Youth Island
Shaanxi Chang’an 1 – 1 Suzhou Dongwu
Zibo Cuju 3 – 1 Xinjiang Tianshan

Colombia: Primera A
Águilas Doradas 3 – 0 Independiente Medellín
Boca Juniors de Cali 0 – 1 Atlético
Bogotá 0 – 1 Tigres
Deportes Quindío 2 – 0 Orsomarso

Costa Rica: Primera División
Alajuelense 2 – 2 Herediano

Cyprus: 1. Division
Akritas 1 – 0 Omonia Nicosia
AEK Larnaca 0 – 0 Doxa

Denmark: Superliga
Brøndby 0 – 2 Midtjylland

Ecuador: Liga Pro
Barcelona 1 – 1 LDU Quito

Egypt: Premier League
Future 1 – 0 Misr Lel Makkasa

England: Conference National
Aldershot Town 1 – 3 Maidstone United
Altrincham 1 – 2 Chesterfield
Barnet 3 – 1 Eastleigh
Dagenham & Redbridge 4 – 1 Bromley
Dorking Wanderers 1 – 4 Boreham Wood
Notts County 1 – 0 Solihull Moors
Scunthorpe United 0 – 2 Halifax Town
Southend United 2 – 0 Maidenhead United
Torquay United 1 – 3 Woking
Wealdstone 0 – 0 Yeovil Town
York City 1 – 1 Oldham Athletic

Estonia: Esiliiga A
Laagri 2 – 0 Tulevik

France: National 1
Sedan 0 – 2 Red Star

Germany: 3. Liga
MSV Duisburg 1 – 1 VfB Oldenburg
Germania Halberstadt 1 – 1 Chemnitzer FC

Greece: Super League
Asteras Tripolis 0 – 0 Olympiakos

Honduras: Liga Nacional
Real España 2 – 0 Marathón

Hungary: NB II
Siófok 1 – 1 Szeged-Csanád

Iceland: Úrvalsdeild
Valur 1 – 1 Fram

Indonesia: Liga 1
PSM 5 – 1 Persib
RANS Nusantara 2 – 1 Barito Putera
Dewa United 2 – 1 PSIS Semarang

Ireland: Premier Division
Shelbourne 0 – 1 Derry City
Sligo Rovers 2 – 0 Dundalk
Bohemians 1 – 3 St Patrick’s Athletic

Italy: Serie B
Como 0 – 1 Brescia

Latvia: Virsliga
Liepaja 1 – 2 Rigas FS

Lithuania: 1 Lyga
FA Šiauliai II 2 – 3 Banga II

Malaysia: Super League
Johor Darul Ta’zim 4 – 0 Melaka United

Mexico: Liga MX
Santos Laguna 4 – 1 Atlético San Luis
León 4 – 2 Atlas
Tijuana 0 – 3 Monterrey

Moldova: Divizia Nationala
Sheriff 1 – 1 Petrocub

Netherlands: Eerste Divisie
Heracles 2 – 2 MVV
Utrecht II 0 – 0 Willem II

Nicaragua: Primera Division
Managua 2 – 1 UNAN Managua

Norway: 1. Division
Brann 5 – 0 Ranheim
Bryne 5 – 0 Raufoss
Mjøndalen 4 – 1 Sandnes Ulf
Skeid 1 – 5 KFUM
Start 5 – 0 Grorud
Odd II 0 – 3 Egersund
Vålerenga II 0 – 7 Hødd

Portugal: Primeira Liga
Vizela 2 – 2 Gil Vicente
Vitoria Guimaraes 0 – 1 Casa Pia

Romania: Liga I
Universitatea Craiova 1 – 0 Botoșani
Dumbrăviţa 0 – 3 CSA Steaua Bucureşti

Russia: FNL
Arsenal Tula 2 – 2 Yenisey

South Korea: K League Classic
Jeonbuk Motors 2 – 2 Pohang Steelers

Spain: La Liga
Cadiz 0 – 4 Athletic Club
Valencia 0 – 1 Atletico Madrid
Granada 3 – 0 Villarreal II
Las Palmas 2 – 0 FC Andorra

Sweden: Allsvenskan
Djurgården 2 – 1 Elfsborg

Turkey: 1. Lig
Sakaryaspor 2 – 0 Tuzlaspor
Besiktas 3 – 1 Sivasspor
Konyaspor 1 – 0 Fenerbahce

Ukraine: Premier League
Oleksandria 2 – 1 Minai
FK Metalist Kharkiv 1 – 1 Inhulets’

USA: MLS
New England 1 – 2 LA Galaxy

Wales: Feeder Leagues
Colwyn Bay 4 – 0 Mold Alexandra
Chirk AAA 2 – 1 Porthmadog
Prestatyn Town 5 – 0 Penrhyncoch
Ruthin Town 3 – 1 Gresford Athletic
Holyhead Hotspur 2 – 3 Llanidloes Town
Llandudno 2 – 1 Guilsfield
Holywell 2 – 1 Buckley Town
Conwy Borough 1 – 1 Cefn Druids
Ammanford 2 – 1 Abergavenny Town
Briton Ferry 1 – 1 Afan Lido
Pontardawe Town 3 – 4 Cwmbran Celtic
Trefelin 0 – 3 Ynyshir Albions
Carmarthen Town 0 – 1 Barry Town United
Llanelli Town 2 – 0 Goytre United
Taff’s Well 0 – 0 Swansea University
Cambrian & Clydach 2 – 1 Llantwit Major

Soccer Betting Options

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August 29, 2022
Murray Earns Confidence-Boosting US Open Win

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Former World No. 1 Andy Murray maintained his strong first-round record at the US Open on Monday, when he downed 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-3, 6-3.

The Scot, who lifted the trophy in New York in 2012, fired his backhand through the court, while he recovered from squandering a 5-2 lead in the first set to eventually advance after two hours and 41 minutes.

“It was very tricky conditions today,” Murray said in his on-court interview. “Very humid and hot. I am very happy with the way I got through that one, it was not easy. He has had a brilliant year this year and I knew I had to play well and I did in the important moments.”

[ATP APP]

Murray is up six spots to No. 45 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings with his victory and has improved to 15-1 in first-round matches at the US Open. The 35-year-old will next face Emilio Nava after the American wild card clawed past Australian John Millman 7-6(9), 4-6, 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-1. Murray was coached by Ivan Lendl when he captured his maiden Grand Slam title in New York 10 years ago. The Czech coach was courtside during Murray’s victory against Cerundolo.

“To have him [Lendl] there supporting me is really important,” Murray said when asked about having Lendl in his box. “We have had great results together. He is still there supporting me at this stage in my career when many people wouldn’t. So I really appreciate the time he is taking to do that.”

Murray now holds a 20-14 record on the season, having reached finals on hard in Sydney and grass in Stuttgart.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

French lucky loser Corentin Moutet reached the second round in New York for a third consecutive year after former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka was forced to withdraw from their clash.

Moutet led 6-4, 7-6(7) when the action was halted. The 23-year-old will next play Czech qualifier Tomas Machac or Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.

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August 29, 2022
Coaches’ Corner: How Champion Cilic Is Continuing His Charge

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Marin Cilic arrives at the US Open holding fond memories, having soared to his maiden Grand Slam title in New York in 2014.

The Croatian, who defeated Roger Federer en route to the trophy eight years ago, will be aiming to build on recent third-round results in Montreal and Cincinnati as he aims to replicate his dream 2014 run this year at the hard-court major.

Ahead of his opening match against Maximilian Marterer, ATPTour.com caught up with Cilic’s coach Ivan Cinkus to learn more about their relationship, the 33-year-old’s season, his upcoming aims and much more.

[ATP APP]

Marin is having another great season, how happy have you been with his performances?
Marin is doing great. Reached the fourth round in Australia and semi-finals in his first two tournaments. He is improving his game. He played really well on the clay. Ok, he lost to Sascha Zverev in Madrid, but he played well and it built up his confidence and it helped him at Roland Garros. He played really well in Paris and reached the semis. It is really good.

Roland Garros he was on top form. Everything we had done before meant he was rising in form and then in Paris, he put everything together. We as a team and myself as a coach are happy about it, with his improvement and mentality.

Marin has won titles consistently each year since 2008, How has Marin been able to stay at the top so consistently for so long?
He is always focused. Whether it is practise or matches. He is a really great worker on the court. A hard worker. He wants to improve his game. Marin is always wanting to improve his game. The top players have been doing this. You need to be focused all the time and that is the difference between players who have played on the Tour for 15 years and those who are in their first year or two.

Ivan Cinkus [above]. Photo Credit: Sam Jacot/ATP Tour
What is the biggest thing you have learned since you first started working with Marin seven years ago?
The thing I have learned is you need to be prepared. For example, in Australia in the 2018 Australian Open final, we were only told 20 minutes before the final that the roof was going to be closed. We asked every hour waiting to be told. Then we went to warm up on an indoor court. This is what you need to learn, to be prepared.

I also like seeing what other coaches and players are doing to be prepared to better myself. If you are a coach, you work with different players. So you need to adapt. For Marin one style works, for another it is something else, so you need to find a way to help them. That is the difference between the good coaches and the best.

How has your journey been so far and what is your relationship like off-court?
We were together for four and a half years and then we split for two years so he could have something fresh. Then in December 2021, we joined again, doing preseason together. We like to walk and visit sites. If we are in big cities, we like to go to the theatre and shows. We like to drink coffee and watch TV shows. We like to relax. Every time we go to a city, we want to see something new.

How would you describe Marin as a person?
Marin is a great person. A really warm person. He wants to help. Now he has two kids and he is enjoying time with them. He is more relaxed now with the kids. It has improved his life, his family and his kids. He really wants to talk and explain what he is doing. It is a good quality of his.

In 2019/2020 he a slight dip in level, not winning a title. Did he ever think about stopping?
No. With Covid, the atmosphere was a little bit down, but he never thought about stopping. He was ok and has proved it last season and this year so far.

What are your aims for the rest of the grass-court season and then the year overall?
We want to improve his net play, coming to the net. Improving his power on his groundstrokes and coming into the net. Also, to keep going on the serve. Reaching the Top 15 [in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings] is an aim. He is already close. We said at the beginning of the season it was Top 15. He was Top 30 last two seasons. You can’t say Top 10 as everyone wants to be Top 10. But I said Top 15 would be perfect and anything else would be amazing.

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August 29, 2022
Medvedev Cruises Through Opener In New York

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Reigning champion Daniil Medvedev started his US Open title defence with victory Monday, cruising past American Stefan Kozlov 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 to reach the second round in New York.

The top seed, who defeated Novak Djokovic to lift his maiden major title in Flushing Meadows last year, quickly found his range on the hard courts. He struck his flat groundstrokes with consistency as he overpowered Kozlov to advance after two hours and one minute in their first ATP Head2Head meeting.

The 26-year-old now holds a standout 21-4 record at the final Grand Slam of the year. The 14-time tour-level champion next plays Quentin Halys or Arthur Rinderknech as he looks to continue his quest to become the first player to win consecutive US Open titles since Roger Federer lifted the trophy for five consecutive years from 2004-08.

“I am pleased to win. Not easy conditions. Pretty hot and humid here,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview. “I was sweating a lot but I thought there were some good points. I managed to be pretty solid and I thought the serve was key today. I am happy to go through to the second round.”

[ATP APP]

With his No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on the line, Medvedev will need a deep run in New York. He is one of five players – Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud – who have the opportunity to finish the US Open as the World No. 1. All but Nadal must reach the championship match to have a chance of leaving New York as World No. 1. More On Key Matches In Battle For No. 1.

Medvedev, who arrived in New York off the back of a semi-final run in Cincinnati, looked in control in the opening match of the tournament on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 26-year-old struck 37 winners and committed 19 unforced errors as he moved through the gears to outmanoeuvre the American, who was making his main draw debut on home soil.

Medvedev is seeking his second major title and second tour-level title of the year this fortnight, having triumphed in Los Cabos earlier this month.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

In other action, Matteo Berrettini bounced back from a disappointing first-round exit in Cincinnati by overcoming Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry 6-2, 6-3, 6-3.

The Italian, who soared to the semi-finals in New York in 2019, fired 26 winners and did not face a break point to triumph after one hour and 58 minutes. The 13th seed has now improved to 1-1 in his ATP Head2Head series against Jarry and will next play Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry or French lucky loser Hugo Grenier.

Norway’s Ruud also advanced, defeating Briton Kyle Edmund 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 in two hours and 22 minutes.

The fifth seed, who is in contention to leave New York as the World No. 1 for the first time, looked comfortable against Edmund, hitting with great depth to force the 27-year-old into errors in their first meeting.

Nine-time tour-level titlist Ruud will face Tim van Rijthoven in the second round after the Dutchman saved seven match points to edge Chinese qualifier Zhang Zhizhen 3-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(9), 6-1, 6-4.

Zhang’s defeat left Wu Yibing alone in the draw trying to become the first Chinese man to win a singles main-draw match at a Grand Slam in the Open Era, and the 22-year-old achieved the feat in spectacular style by taking out 31st seed Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-3, 6-4, 6-0.

“It’s happy and exciting but still more matches to come,” said Wu, who was the boys’ singles champion at Flushing Meadows in 2017. “The third set, I don’t know if he was hurting or something, I just tried to make all the balls and tried to stay in the game, not thinking about winning or losing. That’s why I guess I didn’t show much emotions. I feel pretty calm.”

Wu’s reward for his quickfire one-hour, 33-minute win is a second-round clash with home wild card Ben Shelton or Portuguese qualifier Nuno Borges.

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August 29, 2022
ATP Tennis Podcast: Medvedev & Kyrgios Discuss US Open Hopes

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This week on the ATP Tennis Podcast…

DANIIL MEDVEDEV ON HIS DESIRE TO WIN – “I enjoy competition in general and if it’s an online computer game or racing against my friends, when there is competition one-on-one, I always want to beat my opponent. Many times it’s going to be by finding his weak spot.”

NICK KYRGIOS ON HIS EXPLOSIVE SERVE – “I feel like I wasn’t able to hit 220 consistently over the past few years and now I’m able to do that for fun. I was carrying a knee injury for the last couple of years that I think was really not allowing me to explode into my serve and not be as effective as I could, and I just feel like a different person from last year. Just my overall confidence and mentality, stepping up to the line I’m not thinking of much. I’m just getting up there, serving big first and second and usually if I’m hitting the spots, it’s pretty hard to break.”

JOSEPH GILBERT ON JENSON BROOKSBY’S LOSS TO DJOKOVIC AT THE 2021 US OPEN – “Those two games in the second set lasted half an hour and I could feel that on Jenson on the physical side. Djokovic bore down more and that physical toll, playing him over three out of five and that mental energy on Arthur Ashe that it takes to be out there for that long, with the peaks and the valleys with that kind of match, it was a great experience and we learned a lot from it.”

JOE SALISBURY ON BECOMING WORLD NO. 1 – “I found out that I was No. 1 after our second match in Miami. I just think it was excitement, it felt special and now that it’s happened, I just want to stay there for as long as possible. It’s not something I was expecting, but it’s been a long journey. I’m really enjoying it and I’m looking forward for everything else that’s to come as well.”

IT’S ALL ABOUT SERENA – COCO GAUFF AND FRANCES TIAFOE GO HEAD-TO-HEAD IN A QUIZ ABOUT THE GREAT CHAMPION

Podcast presented by Chris Bowers
Podcast guest – Jill Craybas
Interviews by Mike Cation, Seb Lauzier and Jill Craybas
Joe Salisbury feature courtesy of ATP Uncovered

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August 29, 2022
College Standouts Diallo, Vacherot Claim Maiden Challenger Titles

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Two college standouts were among a sweep of four first-time winners in the ATP Challenger Tour last week. Gabriel Diallo made the best possible use of a wild card as a home hope in Canada, while Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot advanced through qualifying to capture his maiden Challenger Tour title in Nonthaburi.

Diallo, a Montreal native, defeated China’s Juncheng Shang 7-5, 7-6(5) to capture the Les Championnats Banque Nationale de Granby.

“I’m super happy, it’s a feeling I’ve never experienced before. I’ve won matches and tournaments before, but this just feels different. I didn’t have any expectations coming into the tournament,” Diallo said.

The 20-year-old is the youngest Canadian champion on the Challenger Tour since Felix Auger-Aliassime won the Tashkent Challenger in 2018.

Currently a senior at the University of Kentucky, Diallo will not be able to celebrate the biggest title of his career for long. He will instead fly back to the United States for his Monday afternoon lecture.

“Next for me is going back to school and making my 1pm class tomorrow (Monday) afternoon and go from there.”

Earlier this month, the 6’7” youngster earned his first Top 100 victory in first-round qualifying in Montreal, where he defeated Australian James Duckworth. Diallo then was forced to retire in his next match against Hugo Gaston, ending his chances of advancing to the main draw at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Canada.

Appearing in just his fourth Challenger Tour event, Diallo’s run to the title in Granby, Canada, lifts him to a career-high No. 335 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Shang, 17, was riding a nine-match winning streak entering Sunday’s final. Earlier this month, the teen made history at the Lexington Challenger, where he became the youngest Chinese champion in ATP Challenger Tour history. After making back-to-back finals, the lefty rises to a career-high No. 202 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Vacherot won seven matches in eight days to claim the Bangkok Open-1, defeating Vietnam’s Nam Hoang Ly 6-3, 7-6(4) in Sunday’s final.

Valentin Vacherot in action during Sunday’s final in Thailand.

The former Texas A&M University standout dropped just one set all week en route to becoming the second player from Monaco to win a Challenger title and the first since Jean-Rene Lisnard triumphed at the St. Petersburg Challenger in 2004.

Vacherot climbs to a career-high 271 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Ukrainian Oleksii Krutykh held his nerve in a three-set battle Sunday to claim his first Challenger title, defeating German Lucas Gerch 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-2 to capture the IBG Prague Open by Moneta Money Bank.

Krutykh, 20, is the youngest Ukrainian champion on the Challenger Tour since Alexandr Dolgpolov won the Meknes Challenger in 2010 and is the first Ukrainian to win a Challenger title this season.

The Kyiv native rises to a career-high No. 226 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Krutykh first broke through the Challenger Tour scene when he advanced through qualifying en route to making the semi-finals at the Nur-Sultan-4 Challenger in 2021 (l. Kubler).

Despite never playing a Challenger Tour final before, Hungarian Fabian Marozsan was unfazed as he needed just 49 minutes to take down home favourite former World No. 23 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1 to claim the Srpska Open.

Fabian Marozsan cruised to claim his first ATP Challenger Tour title.

The 22-year-old dropped one set all week in Bosnia-Herzegovina and will now make his Top 200 debut, climbing to No. 185 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Despite Hungary’s close 2-3 loss to Australia in the Davis Cup tie in March, Marozsan teamed with countryman Mate Valkusz to claim the duo’s maiden Davis Cup victory, defeating Australians John Peers and Luke Saville in straight-sets.

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August 29, 2022