Tennis Volley

Sixteen players remain in the hunt for the Great Ocean Road Open singles trophy. By the end of play on Friday, only four will remain.

Following the suspension of play on Thursday, both the third round and the quarter-finals of the singles draw will take place at Melbourne Park on Friday.

Six of the top eight seeds are still standing at the Great Ocean Road Open, including second seed Karen Khachanov. The Russian, chasing his fifth ATP Tour crown, will meet Kevin Anderson in one of the standout matches of the day at the ATP 250.

Khachanov and Anderson both recorded their first victories of the year on Wednesday. Second seed Khachanov overcame Aussie wild card Max Purcell 7-6(5), 6-3, while Anderson charged past Cedrik-Marcel Stebe 6-4, 6-2 in 57 minutes.

[WATCH LIVE 2]

Anderson won his only previous ATP Head2Head clash against Khachanov in three sets at the 2018 Miami Open presented by Itau. The winner of the pair's second encounter will face sixth seed Reilly Opelka or Botic Van de Zandschulp later in the day.

Third seed Hubert Hurkacz will continue his pursuit of a second ATP Tour trophy of 2021 on Friday. The Delray Beach champion will meet Pablo Cuevas in the third round. Antalya runner-up Alexander Bublik or Stefano Travaglia awaits the winner in the quarter-finals.

In the top quarter of the draw, #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz will attempt to reach his maiden ATP Tour semi-final. The 17-year-old, who defeated top seed David Goffin in the second round, will meet Thiago Monteiro for a place in the quarter-finals. If Alcaraz can get through that match, he will face 11th seed Jordan Thompson or Mario Vilella Martinez for a place in the last four.

Fourth seed Jannik Sinner will continue his title bid against Aljaz Bedene. Both men will be attempting to book a quarter-final clash againt seventh seed Miomir Kecmanovic or Salvatore Caruso.

Doubles Second Round To Be Completed Friday
The six remaining doubles second-round matches will also feature on Friday’s schedule at the Great Ocean Road Open. Top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah will begin their 2021 campaign against Purcell and Thompson.

Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek will make their first appearance since their run to the Antalya Open final last month (l. to Mektic/Pavic). The third seeds will face alternates Roberto Carballes Baena and Cuevas for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Fifth seeds Marcus Daniell/Michael Venus, sixth seeds Marcelo Arevalo/Matwe Middelkoop, seventh seeds Luke Bambridge/Dominic Inglot and eighth seeds Bublik/Andrey Golubev will also make their first appearances at the ATP 250 on Friday.

View Schedule – Friday, 5 February 2021

1573 ARENA start 10:30 am
Third Round - [11] J. Thompson (AUS) vs M. Vilella Martinez (ESP)

COURT 3 start 11:00 am
Two WTA Matches
ATP Singles Match Murray River Open
Quarter-finals - [6] R. Opelka (USA) or B. Van de Zandschulp (NED) vs K. Anderson (RSA) or [2] K. Khachanov (RUS)

COURT 5 start 10:30 am
Third Round - K. Anderson (RSA) vs [2] K. Khachanov (RUS)

Not Before 12:00 noon
ATP Singles Match Murray River Open
Second Round - M. Ebden (AUS) / J. Smith (AUS) vs [7] L. Bambridge (GBR) / D. Inglot (GBR)

Not Before 3:00 pm
Second Round - After Suitable Rest - [Alt] R. Carballes Baena (ESP) / P. Cuevas (URU) vs [3] I. Dodig (CRO) / F. Polasek (SVK)

COURT 6 start 10:30 am
Third Round - [13] A. Bedene (SLO) vs [4] J. Sinner (ITA)

Not Before 12:00 noon
ATP Singles Match Murray River Open
Quarter-finals - After Suitable Rest - C. Alcaraz (ESP) or T. Monteiro (BRA) vs [11] J. Thompson (AUS) or M. Vilella Martinez (ESP)
ATP Singles Match Murray River Open

Not Before 3:00 pm
Second Round - [8] A. Bublik (KAZ) / A. Golubev (KAZ) vs M. Kecmanovic (SRB) / K. Khachanov (RUS)

COURT 10 start 10:30 am
Third Round - C. Alcaraz (ESP) vs T. Monteiro (BRA)

Not Before 12:00 noon
Third Round - [3] H. Hurkacz (POL) vs P. Cuevas (URU)
Second Round - [5] M. Daniell (NZL) / M. Venus (NZL) vs F. Delbonis (ARG) / A. Sitak (NZL)
Quarter-finals - After Suitable Rest - [7] M. Kecmanovic (SRB) or S. Caruso (ITA) vs [13] A. Bedene (SLO) or [4] J. Sinner (ITA)

COURT 12 start 10:30 am
Third Round - [7] M. Kecmanovic (SRB) vs S. Caruso (ITA)

Not Before 12:00 noon
ATP Singles Match Murray River Open
Second Round - [WC] R. Haase (NED) / S. Querrey (USA) vs [6] M. Arevalo (ESA) / M. Middelkoop (NED)
ATP Doubles Match Murray River Open

Not Before 3:00 pm
Second Round - [1] J. Cabal (COL) / R. Farah (COL) vs M. Purcell (AUS) / J. Thompson (AUS)

COURT 14 start 10:30 am
Third Round - [6] R. Opelka (USA) vs B. Van de Zandschulp (NED)

COURT 15 start 10:30 am
Third Round - S. Travaglia (ITA) vs [8] A. Bublik (KAZ)

Not Before 12:00 noon
ATP Singles Match Murray River Open
Quarter-finals - After Suitable Rest - [3] H. Hurkacz (POL) or P. Cuevas (URU) vs S. Travaglia (ITA) or [8] A. Bublik (KAZ)

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Stan Wawrinka, Grigor Dimitrov, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Nick Kyrgios will all need to record two match wins on Friday if are to remain in contention for the Murray River Open title. In another busy day at Melbourne Park, 12 singles and four doubles matches will be contested as the ATP 250 tournament plays catch-up.

Wawrinka, who has won seven of his 16 tour-level titles as a top seed, will first look to overcome Australia’s Alex Bolt on Friday, before a potential quarter-final clash on 1573 Arena against Jeremy Chardy of France or sixth-seeded American Taylor Fritz. The 35-year-old Wawrinka went 15-8 last season.

Second seed Dimitrov, one place behind Wawrinka at No. 19 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, meets Alexei Popyrin first match on Court 3. The winner will play James Duckworth or France’s Corentin Moutet in the last eight on Court 6. Dimitrov beat Kei Nishikori for the 2017 Brisbane crown.

World No. 21 Auger-Aliassime, who hit 12 aces past Yuichi Sugita in his opening win on Wednesday, challenges Egor Gerasimov of Belarus in the first match on Court 12, before a possible clash against Czech Jiri Vesely or Ricardas Berankis. Last year, Auger-Aliassime compiled a 23-19 match record and finished runner-up at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam (l. to Monfils), the Open 13 Provence in Marseille (l. to Tsitsipas) and the bett1HULKS Indoors in Cologne (l. to Zverev).

Nick Kyrgios, who is competing this week for the first time in 12 months (since 2020 Acapulco), looks to overcome fourth-seeded Croatian Borna Coric first on 1573 Arena. The winner will return later in the day to face American Marcos Giron or eighth seed Daniel Evans of Great Britain. Kyrgios beat Alexandre Muller in three sets in his first match and saved two set points in the second set against fellow Australian Harry Bourchier in the second round.

View Schedule – Friday, 5 February 2021

1573 ARENA Not Before 12:00 noon
Third Round - [4] B. Coric (CRO) vs [13] N. Kyrgios (AUS)
Third Round - [1] S. Wawrinka (SUI) vs A. Bolt (AUS)
Quarter-finals - After Suitable Rest - [4] B. Coric (CRO) or [13] N. Kyrgios (AUS) vs M. Giron (USA) or [8] D. Evans (GBR)
Quarter-finals - After Suitable Rest - [1] S. Wawrinka (SUI) or A. Bolt (AUS) vs J. Chardy (FRA) or [6] T. Fritz (USA)

COURT 3 start 11:00 am
Two WTA Matches followed by
Third Round - A. Popyrin (AUS) vs [2] G. Dimitrov (BUL)

COURT 5 Not Before 12:00 noon
Third Round - J. Chardy (FRA) vs [6] T. Fritz (USA)

COURT 6 Not Before 12:00 noon
Third Round - J. Duckworth (AUS) vs C. Moutet (FRA)
ATP Singles Match Great Ocean Road Open
Quarter-finals - After Suitable Rest - J. Duckworth (AUS) or C. Moutet (FRA) vs A. Popyrin (AUS) or [2] G. Dimitrov (BUL)

COURT 12 Not Before 12:00 noon
Third Round - E. Gerasimov (BLR) vs [3] F. Auger-Aliassime (CAN)
ATP Doubles Match Great Ocean Road Open
Second Round - [4] M. Melo (BRA) / H. Tecau (ROU) vs N. Monroe (USA) / F. Tiafoe (USA)
ATP Doubles Match Great Ocean Road Open NB 3:00PM
Second Round - After Suitable Rest - [5] J. Chardy (FRA) / F. Martin (FRA) vs D. Sharan (IND) / I. Zelenay (SVK)

COURT 14 Not Before 12:00 noon
Third Round - J. Vesely (CZE) vs R. Berankis (LTU)
Second Round - C. Norrie (GBR) / J. O'Mara (GBR) vs [3] R. Ram (USA) / J. Salisbury (GBR)
Quarter-finals - After Suitable Rest - J. Vesely (CZE) or R. Berankis (LTU) vs E. Gerasimov (BLR) or [3] F. Auger-Aliassime (CAN)
Second Round - R. Albot (MDA) / E. Gerasimov (BLR) vs [2] W. Koolhof (NED) / L. Kubot (POL)

COURT 15 Not Before 12:00 noon
Third Round - M. Giron (USA) vs [8] D. Evans (GBR)

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The ATP Cup will resume on Friday with three group stage ties at Melbourne Park. Japan is scheduled to play Argentina in the final Group D tie on Saturday.

Defending champion Serbia will attempt to qualify for the semi-finals on Friday with victory over Germany. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has a perfect 10-0 record in singles and doubles matches. He owns a 4-2 ATP Head2Head record against Alexander Zverev. The winner of the Group A tie on Rod Laver Arena will play Russia in the semi-finals.

If Spain wins once match in its Group B tie against Greece, last year's runner-up will qualify for the semi-finals. Pablo Carreno Busta will open proceedings on John Cain Arena against Michail Pervolarakis, while Roberto Bautista Agut will look to maintain his unbeaten record at the ATP Cup against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second singles match.

In the night session on Rod Laver Arena, with Italy already assured of semi-final qualification, Austria and France play for pride. Both nations lost to Italy 2-1 in Group C ties earlier this week. World No. 3 Dominic Thiem looks to improve upon his 6-0 record against Gael Monfils and Dennis Novak takes on Benoit Paire in the first singles match.

Schedule – Friday, 5 February 2021

Serbia vs Germany

Group A – Rod Laver Arena, starting 10am
Filip Krajinovic (SRB) vs. Jan-Lennard Struff (GER)
Followed by second singles match
Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. Alexander Zverev
Followed by doubles match (subject to change)
Nikola Cacic / Dusan Lajovic (SRB) vs. Kevin Krawietz / Andreas Mies (GER)

Austria vs France

Group C – Rod Laver Arenta, 5:30pm
Dennis Novak (AUT) vs. Benoit Paire (FRA)
Second singles match not before 7pm
Dominic Thiem (AUT) vs. Gael Monfils (FRA)
Followed by doubles match (subject to change)
Philipp Oswald / Tristan-Samuel Weissborn (AUT) vs. Nicolas Mahut / Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA)

Spain vs. Greece

Group B – John Cain Arena, starting 10am
Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) vs. Michail Pervolarakis (GRE)
Followed by second singles match
Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)
Followed by doubles match (subject to change)
Pablo Carreno Busta / Marcel Granollers (ESP) vs. Michail Pervolarakis / Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)

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Twenty years ago — when Rafael Nadal was just 14, and 21-year-old Marat Safin sat atop the FedEx ATP Rankings — a baby-faced 19-year-old from Switzerland with a ponytail and a poetic one-handed backhand won his first ATP Tour title. Roger Federer’s celebration after beating Julien Boutter at the Milan Indoors 20 years ago this week was muted, almost as if he knew it was only the start of bigger things to come.

“I’ve had to wait a long time for this moment,” he said after earning $54,000 for the win. “It should get easier from here on out.”

102 titles, 20 majors and more than $100 million in prize money later, it’s safe to say that things did get a bit easier for the man who’s evolved into one of the world’s most celebrated and beloved athletes. But at the time, he had a more pedestrian concern to deal with: figuring out how to get back home after the match. According to René Stauffer’s excellent biography, Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection, Robert Federer, Roger’s dad, locked the keys in the car. He had to smash the window out so they could drive back to Switzerland.

Perhaps the smashing of the window foreshadowed the records his son would break, but in any case, many were surprised that it took Federer as long as it did to capture that first title. He was a top junior, having won Junior Wimbledon and the prestigious Orange Bowl tournament in Miami in 1998. After a 13-17 start on the ATP Tour in ’99, he won bronze at the Olympics in Sydney, where he and Mirka Vavrinec became a couple, and made it to the final of the Swiss Indoors Basel in his hometown.

He was clearly a future star, but no one was sure when that future would arrive.

“I didn't come in [to the match] thinking I was going to win the title, but I knew I was playing well indoors,” Federer said of that first title in 2001. He recalled near misses in 2000, losing in a third-set tie-break to Marc Rosset in the final of what’s now called the Open 13 Provence in Marseille and a tough five-setter to Thomas Enqvist in the final of the Swiss Indoors Basel.

“I played amazing against Enqvist and ended up losing … so I thought, ‘Oh, God here we go. I'm never going to win a tournament,’" Federer said. "And then when I won Milan, obviously I was extremely relieved and just very happy. I played great. It was a big moment for me.”

Boutter came into the match feeling poised to claim his first title as well. He beat Federer in their only prior match, in a Challenger event in Grenoble two years before. “He was already considered the future Pete Sampras, but at that time he was still untested and quite nervous on the court,” Boutter said in a January interview with ATPTour.com. “I was confident… it could have been my final.”

Federer beat Goran Ivanisevic and Yevgeny Kafelnikov to make it to the final against Boutter, who won fans a year later at the Australian Open when an opponent in a doubles match inadvertently hit and killed a bird that had been chasing a moth on court. Boutter rushed over to see if he could save it, but when he saw it was too late, he got down on his knees, crossed himself and gave the bird, a house martin, dignified last rites.

“I really wanted to win my first ATP title. That was a big week for me... I felt like I had pressure, because maybe I went into that final as a little bit of a favourite,” Federer recalled. “But it was fast indoors and Boutter was a big server, so you never knew what was going to happen.”

Boutter, a Frenchman then 26 and ranked No. 67, was in a far less compassionate mood against Federer in Milan that day. He went up a break on the Swiss teen in the first set and Roger, who used to be a lot more McEnroe-esque on court as a teen, threw his racquet in frustration. Boutter sensed an opening.

Federer, looking sharp with his ponytail and a red and white kit befitting his Swiss heritage, stormed back to take the first set, 6-4, but fell behind again in the second set and lost it in a tie-break. Then the chair umpire made what Boutter still considers a “terrible mistake”. Federer should have served first in the third set but instead the chair umpire got mixed up and told Boutter it was his serve. If a familiar feeling of dread had taken root somewhere inside young Federer’s gut, he never showed it, breaking Boutter in that first service game and hanging on for a 6-4, 6-7(7), 6-4 win.

It took Federer nearly another year to win another title — in Sydney the following January — and later in 2002 he cracked the Top 10 for the first time. The next year, he was off to the races, going 78-17 with seven titles, including Wimbledon. The Milan Indoors became the Breil Milano in 2003, the Indesit ATP Milan Indoor the next year and the Internazionali di Lombardia in 2005, the tournament’s final season. While the event is gone, it’s clearly not forgotten. Milan now hosts the Next Gen ATP Finals.

The memory of losing to Federer remains vivid for Boutter, who retired in 2004 and is now the tournament director and co-owner of the Moselle Open, an ATP 250 event in Metz, France that’s scheduled to take place after the US Open. Ivan Ljubicic, Federer’s coach, told him two years ago that he and Roger had watched their Milan match on tape recently. Then Boutter bumped into Federer, who was still annoyed that he had lost to him back in Grenoble in 1999.

“He said that he never should have lost that match,” Boutter recalls.

Boutter says that he knew Federer would be a great player, but had no idea he’d win 102 more titles and become one of the all-time greats. He thinks the Milan story could have been different if he hadn’t lost serve in that third set when it should have been Federer’s service game after he had dropped the tie-break.

“I told Roger ‘Imagine if I had won that match, our careers would be switched’,” said Boutter, who reached a career high of No. 46 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in 2002. “He laughed and said ‘Yeah probably.’"

Federer admitted that he felt relief rather than joy and happiness — which kicked in 24 hours later — after triumphing in Milan. The Swiss remembers what he said to himself in the moment.

“At least I have one!”

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It was clear Russia, as the only country with two Top 10 singles players, would be dangerous at this year’s ATP Cup. Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev have more than lived up to those expectations.

They have become a two-headed monster in Melbourne.

There are 12 countries in the field, and only Russia has not lost a set in singles. They haven’t come particularly close to doing so, either. Before the event, Russian captain Evgeny Donskoy said, “With these guys, it's pretty easy to be a captain.”

Boy was Donskoy right. Medvedev has earned nine service breaks in his two matches against elite opponents in World No. 9 Diego Schwartzman and former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori. Rublev has picked up where he left off in 2020, when he won an ATP Tour-leading five titles. The big-hitting righty has lost a combined seven games in four sets against Guido Pella and Yoshihito Nishioka.

“We are really happy with our performance. I think Daniil as well, he beat two great players, one of them Top 10, one of them is a legend,” Rublev said. “I played two good matches, I showed a good level. We'll see what's going to happen.”

At the end of 2020, Medvedev and Rublev were among the hottest players on the ATP Tour, and both competed at the Nitto ATP Finals in London, where Medvedev lifted the trophy. But entering the ATP Cup, they did not carry any bravado.

Usually you'd expect to see a two-headed monster coming, but not with these two. Medvedev and Rublev are unassuming and amicable off the court. They are both lean, and not physically intimidating. But on court, they are deadly opponents — call them fire and ice. Rublev burns you with his surprising, jaw-dropping power, and Medvedev is a master of using his game to trip up opponents. Neither man is quick to toot his own horn, either.

“In my case, I don't expect nothing. I just hope we're going to do our best,” Rublev said before play began. “In the end, what's going to happen is going to happen.”

To put it simply, the Russians have been too good for their competition. Take Wednesday’s tie against Japan, for example. Nishikori and Nishioka are both solid baseliners, capable of making the best players in the world play well to beat them. That’s exactly what Medvedev and Rublev did, according to Japanese captain Max Mirnyi.

“Both Daniil and Andrey played a very high level of tennis,” Mirnyi said. “Throughout the whole match, I felt that we had a few chances in both matches, but yet again, they came up with the solution and closed us off.”

Russia’s only hiccups have come in doubles, but those matches were not vital because Medvedev and Rublev had already earned singles wins. After Donskoy and Aslan Karatsev lost a Match Tie-break against Japan on Wednesday, Donskoy did not seem too concerned about his country’s hopes. He knows he has a two-headed monster in his corner.

“Fortunately three guys on our team are unbelievable players and they can achieve any goals here in this tournament,” Donskoy said. “I’m looking forward to these guys playing on Friday and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

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Just more than a year ago, Nick Kyrgios walked onto Rod Laver Arena for his fourth-round Australian Open match against Rafael Nadal wearing a Kobe Bryant jersey, with tears in his eyes just before the clash began. The Aussie was paying tribute to the NBA legend, who had just passed away in a tragic helicopter crash.

On Wednesday, after his second-round win at the Murray River Open against Harry Bourchier, Kyrgios spoke about how he continues to pay tribute to the Los Angeles Lakers icon. A couple months after last year’s Australian Open, Kyrgios got a large tattoo on his right arm to commemorate Bryant’s legacy.

“When I look down obviously it brings me back memories of how he would have competed, how he would have been remembered,” Kyrgios said. “I definitely feel as if when I'm on court, I feel like I've been around the Tour for a while now. I feel like I'm not going to get as angry as I used to. I just feel as if I know what style of tennis I need to be playing to win matches now."

At 6/6 in the second-set tie-break against Bourchier, Kyrgios was the victim of bad luck when his fellow Aussie's return trickled over the tape for a winner, giving Bourchier set point. But the 13th seed stayed calm and won in straight sets.

“Obviously I [get] frustrated, but I could have [gotten] angry today when he got the net tape to bring up the set point," Kyrgios said. "I just stay composed, and that's the way it is.”

 

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Between Bryant’s passing and the COVID-19 pandemic, Kyrgios has increasingly put things in perspective on and off the court. This is the 25-year-old’s first tournament since Acapulco last February.

“My relationship with tennis can change in a minute, but I think me being away from it, I'm not getting as angry, I feel,” Kyrgios said. “But I don't know, obviously it's instilled a lot of perspective in everyone, but I feel like I've had that throughout my career anyway. I haven't really acted as if tennis is the be-and-end-all for me.

“I just take it day by day. I don't set any goals. I don't want to say I'm going to play tennis for longer or shorter. I just want to take it day by day, show up every day, try and play good tennis, try and be positive, try and be a better role model than I was last year. That's it.”

^{Photo Credit: Tennis Australia}
Last year, Kyrgios competed for Australia in the ATP Cup as his country’s No. 2 singles player. While he did not make the roster this year, Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt spoke about Kyrgios before this year's 12-country event.

“I think as a whole him having a bit of a break away from the sport, where he's positioned, for his body and mind, I think is a good thing. Because he hasn't played a match for so long, though, it's not going to be easy for him just to come out and switch it on, either,” Hewitt said. “I think it's perfect for him to hopefully get through a few rounds in one of the ATP tournaments that he's playing this week. But from a whole, he looks to be hitting the ball well, clean, he relies on his serve and is serving big at the moment.”

Kyrgios will play fourth seed Borna Coric for a spot in the quarter-finals of the Murray River Open.

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Thursday’s play at Melbourne Park has been cancelled after a hotel worker tested positive for COVID-19 at a tournament quarantine hotel. As a consequence, play the ATP Cup, two ATP 250 tournaments and three WTA 500 tournaments will not happen.

Tennis Australia released the following statement:

Health Authorities have advised us that a hotel quarantine worker has tested positive for COVID-19.

Those associated with the Australian Open who quarantined at the hotel now need to be tested and isolate until they receive a negative test result.

We will work with everyone involved to facilitate testing as quickly as possible.

There will be no matches at Melbourne Park on Thursday 4 February 2021. An update on the schedule for Friday will be announced later today.

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After another thrilling day at the ATP Cup, Thursday will be the last day of the group stage in Melbourne. Italy and Russia have already qualified for the semi-finals by winning Group C and Group D, respectively. But who will join them in the knockout stage of the 12-country event?

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch Thursday at the ATP Cup.

Will Novak Stay Perfect?
Novak Djokovic has played outstanding tennis for Serbia, leading his country to the inaugural title last year and winning both singles and doubles against Canada on Tuesday. The World No. 1 is now a combined 10-0 in singles and doubles at this event, and remaining perfect will be critical to Serbia’s hopes of topping Group A. Germany will challenge Serbia Thursday for a spot in the ATP Cup semi-finals against Russia. In the match of the tie, Djokovic will face 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev. The World No. 1 leads Zverev 4-2 in their ATP Head2Head series, but the German’s victories have come in big matches: the 2017 Internazionali BNL d’Italia final and the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals championship match.

Can Spain Book Italy Clash?
Spain is in control of its destiny on Day 3 at the ATP Cup. If the 2020 runner-up can defeat Greece, it will book a semi-final tie against Italy on Friday. Spain made a strong start to its title campaign on Tuesday, when it defeated Australia 3-0 for the second straight year. Roberto Bautista Agut will face Michail Pervolarakis in the No. 2 singles match, before Rafael Nadal meets Stefanos Tsitsipas in No. 1 singles action. Nadal owns a 6-1 ATP Head2Head record against the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion, but three of the pair’s four most recent meetings have required a deciding set. If Greece manage to record an upset victory against Spain, the Group B team with the best match record will face Italy in the semi-finals.

For National Pride
Austria and France both lost 2-1 battles against Italy, but they will be keen to represent their countries well despite being unable to advance to this year’s semi-finals. Gael Monfils will be keen to earn his first win against World No. 3 Dominic Thiem, who leads their ATP Head2Head series 6-0. Dennis Novak, the No. 100 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings, is also a key player to watch for. The Austrian, who defeated Fabio Fognini on Tuesday, will try to move to 2-0 in singles in Melbourne this year against Benoit Paire.

Fast Starts Could Be Key
On Day 2, all four ties were won by the country which claimed the first victory of the tie. The No. 2 singles stars on each team have the unique opportunity to set the tone in each tie and place their No. 1 singles teammates in a position to clinch victory. Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut was an expert in this area in 2020, as he won six straight No. 2 singles clashes without dropping a set.

When Germany faces Serbia in a winner-takes-all Group A clash, two No. 2 singles stars with positive ATP Cup records will go head-to-head. Jan-Lennard Struff has won three of the four No. 2 singles ties he has played for his nation, while his opponent — Dusan Lajovic — owns a 4-3 record in the No. 2 singles position.

[WATCH LIVE 1]

Baseline Battle
Argentina and Japan have both been eliminated from semi-final contention due to Russia’s 2-0 record in Group D. But that does not mean there won’t be pride on the line when the two nations face off Thursday. The No. 1 singles match has great potential to be a thriller, with Kei Nishikori playing Diego Schwartzman. Schwartzman is currently the higher-ranked of the two at World No. 9, but former World No. 4 Nishikori leads their ATP Head2Head series 3-1. They are two of the purest ball-strikers on the ATP Tour, which will make for exciting baseline rallies. In their most recent clash at the 2019 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Schwartzman emerged victorious.

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Carlos Alcaraz recorded the biggest win of his career on Wednesday, when he upset top seed David Goffin 6-3, 6-3 at the Great Ocean Road Open in Melbourne.

The 2020 Newcomer of the Year saved six of seven break points and won 75 per cent of second-serve return points to overcome the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals runner up in 73 minutes. This is Alcaraz’s first win against a Top 15 player. The 17-year-old entered the contest with only three previous matches against Top 100 opposition (3-0).

“It was a very good match,” said Alcaraz. “I always want to play these kind of matches against great players like Goffin. I'm very happy with this win today and looking forward to the next round.”

[WATCH LIVE 2]

Alcaraz improves to 5-0 at all levels this year. Last month, the #NextGenATP Spaniard dropped just one set in three matches to qualify for his maiden Grand Slam main draw at the Australian Open.

“He just killed me, so I would say he's good… He had nothing to lose today. He qualified for his first Grand Slam. He's under 18. He's hitting the ball unbelievable,” said Goffin. “I don't know if he's playing like tonight every day, every match, but it was a huge performance tonight. He didn't let me play.”

Alcaraz’s win acts as another checkpoint in the Murcia native’s rapid rise on the ATP Tour. The 6’1” right-hander claimed three ATP Challenger Tour titles and rose more than 350 positions in the FedEx ATP Rankings last year to reach a career-high No. 136 on 19 October.

Alcaraz will meet Thiago Monteiro for a place in the quarter-finals in Melbourne. The Brazilian recovered from a set down to defeat Matthew Ebden 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-3.

Second seed Karen Khachanov began his 2021 season with a 7-6(5), 6-3 win against Max Purcell. The four-time ATP Tour titlist landed 11 aces and saved all four break points he faced to set up a blockbuster third-round clash against two-time Grand Slam runner-up Kevin Anderson.

Anderson claimed his place in the third round with a 57-minute 6-4, 6-2 win against Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. The South African dropped just four points behind his first serve (27/31) to book a second ATP Head2Head clash against Khachanov. Anderson rallied from a set down to win his only previous match against the Russian 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 at the 2018 Miami Open presented by Itau.

Reilly Opelka also started his Great Ocean Road Open campaign with a win. The sixth seed beat Sergiy Stakhovsky 7-6(8), 6-4 in 82 minutes. Opelka saved one set point at 7/8 in the first-set tie-break and fired 17 aces to earn his first win of the year.

Murray/Soares Earn Team Comeback Win
In their match as a team since Roland Garros in 2019, Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares claimed a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory against Pablo Andujar and Pedro Martinez.

The 2016 Australian Open and US Open champions saved all four break points they faced and won 85 per cent of their first-serve points (28/33) to reach the the quarter-finals in 83 minutes. Murray and Soares are chasing their 11th team title and their fourth crown on Australian soil. Alongside their 2016 title run at the opening Grand Slam event of the year, Murray and Soares also triumphed on two occasions in Sydney (2016, ’19).

Hubert Hurkacz and Jannik Sinner also reached the quarter-finals on Wednesday. The unseeded pair needed just 57 minutes to eliminate fourth seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Henri Kontinen 6-1, 6-4.

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Nick Kyrgios dug deep once again on his ATP Tour return on Wednesday to book his place in the Murray River Open third round.

Kyrgios, who had not played a tour-level event since February last year prior to competing in Melbourne, struck 10 aces and won 84 per cent of his first-service points in a 6-2, 7-6(7) victory over fellow Australian Harry Bourchier in 86 minutes.

The 25-year-old Kyrgios could not convert two match points at 6-5 on Bourchier’s serve in the second set, then saved three set points at 4/6 and 6/7 in the tie-break. Kyrgios will next play fourth-seeded Croatian Borna Coric, who was a 7-5, 6-4 victor over Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland.

“I’m very relieved to finish in straight sets,” said Kyrgios, who beat Alexandre Muller in three sets on Tuesday. “I thought the level that he brought in the second set was very high. He was serving really, really well. And he started getting on to a couple of my serves and obviously had a couple set points in the second set… He's a good player. I wasn't surprised at all by some of the shots he was hitting or how he was serving.”

Elsewhere, second seed Grigor Dimitrov and third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime came through routine wins at Melbourne Park, venue of the ATP 250 tournament, in their 2021 ATP Tour season openers.

Dimitrov lost six of his first-service points in a 6-3, 6-3 win over Australian Andrew Harris in 68 minutes, while Auger-Aliassime sailed past Yuichi Sugita of Japan 6-3, 6-1 in 66 minutes, striking 12 aces and winning 27 of 31 first-serve points. Dimitrov now plays another local, Alexei Popyrin, while Auger-Aliassime prepares to meet Egor Gerasimov of Belarus.

Czech Jiri Vesely battled back from a set and 0-3 deficit to overcome fifth-seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-3 in two hours and 44 minutes for a clash against Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania.

[WATCH LIVE 3]

Mektic/Pavic Keep Winning, Reach Doubles Quarter-finals
Top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic extended their winning streak to five matches with a 7-6(5), 2-6, 10-7 victory over Tomislav Brkic and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi in the second round. New team Mektic and Pavic lifted the Antalya Open crown (d. Dodig/Polasek) in the first week of the season.

They now play eighth-seeded Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen, who also earned a Match Tie-break win over Americans Mackenzie McDonald and Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-7(4), 10-8.

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The ATP Cup is not only about world-class tennis, played out in tense and electric atmospheres, but it’s also about team bonding on and off the court.

The German squad, who beat Canada 2-1 in its first Group A tie on Wednesday, has shown what a close group they are – showcasing their emotions in the courtside Team Zone or witnessing captain Mischa Zverev’s nerves.

But off the court, Alexander Zverev, Jan-Lennard Struff, Kevin Krawietz, Andreas Mies and Mischa Zverev have also been having fun each day playing video racing games in a Melbourne arcade.

So who came out on top? It is a moot point. After some banter back and forth in their post-tie press conference, Mischa Zverev said the real winner was him, although he didn’t play!

Alexander Zverev piped up, saying, “I'm unbeaten in those games, just so we have that very clear. I'm still unbeaten. And that's a daily thing kind of. We play Mario Kart about 20 times until we leave and go to sleep… It's a lot of fun!”

 

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Captain Mischa Zverev found he got quite expressive in his support on Wednesday when Jan-Lennard Struff edged past Milos Raonic of Canada 7-6(4), 7-6(2).

“When he plays I get very emotional,” said Zverev. “I think you can see it…. I don't mind showing my emotions, my expressions. It's great because Jan’s someone that likes to look at the box. He has some kind of communication, and it's fun to like be part of whatever is happening.

“When you win, everything is just so much more fun, and luckily today was a very good day. In the end the result is one thing, I think it's very important that we leave this week even better friends, like as a stronger item, as a strong team, and we look forward to whatever is in the future.”

Alexander Zverev added, “You're not only competing for yourself. I told the guys before we stepped on court, you play for each other. You play for your nation. You play for each other. Every team member here is equally as important. Doesn't matter who's on the court. And I think that's what makes it special and that's what makes you want to fight even harder than you do in regular tournaments.

“Last year we went out in the group stages, this year we definitely want to make it past that.” Germany takes on defending champion Serbia in its second Group A tie on Thursday.

 

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John Millman put Australia in pole position on Wednesday to win its Group B tie against Greece in Melbourne. The World No. 38 beat Michail Pervolarakis of Greece for the second consecutive year at the ATP Cup, winning 6-2, 6-3 in 81 minutes.

“I was expecting a really tough match, and it wasn't smooth sailing,” said Millman, who beat Pervolarakis 7-6(1) in a deciding set tie-break last year. “Last year… he really took it to me, so I thought I was probably a little bit more prepared this time around and just happy to get a bit of court time.

“It's my favourite thing, putting on the green and gold and playing for your country. I love team competition. [It] probably started off as a kid when I was playing school tennis and now I get to represent my country. It's really special, not just to be around the boys and the team set-up, but to really be able to identify with the rest of the Australians cheering you on. It's a really special and humbling experience.”

Alex de Minaur will next look to give Australia an unassailable 2-0 lead with victory over World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second singles match on Rod Laver Arena. The host nation lost to Spain on Tuesday.

[WATCH LIVE 1]

Millman, who lost to Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta on Tuesday, broke serve twice in the 37-minute opener, which ended with Pervolarakis overhitting a forehand. The Australian broke for a 3-1 lead in the second set when Pervolarakis, who was particularly strong at the net throughout, struck a forehand approach wide.

New balls initially threw Millman when he first served for the match at 5-3 in the second set. The 31-year-old was forced to recover from 15/40, hitting an ace and a forehand down the line to get to Deuce. Millman closed out when Pervolarakis hit a forehand return long.

Reflecting on the final game, Millman said, “It's the toughest thing when you probably haven't played for a little bit [and] haven't been under those match pressures for a while and you're serving it out. I played probably a couple little loose points early on, but managed to execute towards the end there.”

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The ATP and WTA have picked up another industry award for Tennis United, the digital series that provided a voice to professional tennis players and delivered exclusive content to players and fans globally in 2020.

Selected by a panel of 250 industry experts, the ATP and WTA has won the ‘Sports Marketing Campaign’ category in the SPIA Asia – Sport Industry Awards, specifically for delivering increased fan engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tennis United was nominated in the same category as Major League Baseball (MLB) – ‘Open Day at Home’, the ‘From Milan with Love’ concert by AC Milan and Roc Nation, Tottenham Hotspur football club’s ‘Virtual Mascot Program’ and La Liga’s ‘Show your Team Colours’ Instagram filters for home campaign.

Hosted by Grand Slam doubles champions Vasek Pospisil (ATP) and Bethanie Mattek-Sands (WTA), Tennis United stood out for addressing important issues including mental health, equality and inclusivity, and social responsibility as well as featuring light-hearted moments through social media challenges, discussions and interviews.

Among the 18 episodes that have aired, Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka, Andy Murray, Garbine Muguruza, Stefanos Tsitsipas, as well as tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Stefan Edberg have all been featured, along with many others. In addition, fans had the opportunity to witness ATP and WTA players interact with each other and with stars from other sports and cultures; the show featured guests from the worlds of international soccer, the NBA, the NHL and music.

Last year, Tennis United received honours by Leaders Sports Awards for best ‘Content Creation’. The first of 18 shows aired on 10 April 2020 and marked the first time that the ATP and WTA Tour collaborated on a series of content.

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Andrey Rublev produced another dominant performance on Wednesday, as he defeated Yoshihito Nishioka 6-1, 6-3 to move Russia to the brink of ATP Cup semi-final qualification.

The World No. 8 converted five of his eight break points to overcome Nishioka in 64 minutes. Rublev has lost just seven games across his two singles encounters at this year’s event. On Tuesday, the Russian No. 2 defeated Guido Pella 6-1, 6-2 in one hour.

"I played really well today... I'm happy the way I'm playing. I'm happy that I'm feeling confident in my shots, that I'm trying to go big and in the end I feel that I will make it," said Rublev. "I was missing this feeling, I was missing competing and the first two matches went really well so we'll see what's going to happen next."

[WATCH LIVE 1]

Russia is now just one win away from reaching the semi-finals for the second straight year. Daniil Medvedev will attempt to clinch that position with victory against Kei Nishikori in the No. 1 singles match.

"I will go support my team and I hope we will do well. I know Daniil's going to give his best and... we'll see what's going to happen," said Rublev. "We have a great team. It's true. But here all the best teams are. So many countries have amazing teams. And then there is only spots for four countries. So not everyone will make it. We'll see."

From 40/0 in the opening game of the match, Rublev dropped five consecutive points to lose his serve. It was the only mistake he made in an impressive first set. The Russian responded with six straight games, as he took the ball early and ripped multiple inside-out forehand winners.

Rublev continued to place pressure on Nishioka’s serve in the second set and he earned two further breaks to clinch his first victory in two ATP Head2Head clashes against the Japanese. Nishioka won the pair’s opening clash 6-3, 6-1 in Sydney two years ago.

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Stan Wawrinka has long struggled against Mikhail Kukushkin, and that was the case once again on Wednesday. But this time, the former World No. 3 found a way to win at the Murray River Open.

The top seed rallied past the Kazakhstani 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 after one hour and 56 minutes to reach the Round of 16 at the ATP 250. Wawrinka now leads the pair's ATP Head2Head series 3-2.

The righties had not met since 2014 Basel, where Kukushkin triumphed in straight sets. But the World No. 90's game again proved a menace for the Swiss. Kukushkin plays with far less spin compared to the rest of the ATP Tour, and he has a deadly two-handed backhand down the line that tails away from opponents. 

[WATCH LIVE 3]

Wawrinka never panicked, though, and he saved four of the five break points he faced. The 35-year-old hit 14 aces and won 81 per cent of his first-serve points in his first match of the season. 

The World No. 18 will next play Australian Alex Bolt, who battled past American Mackenzie McDonald 6-4, 6-7(7), 7-5 after two hours and 29 minutes. 

Bolt wrote a My Point essay for ATPTour.com about when he quit tennis, dabbled in construction work and his out-of-the-box journey back into the sport. He has long performed well in Australia, reaching the third round of the Australian Open in 2019 and the second round last year. Another Aussie earned a big win, as James Duckworth ousted seventh seed Ugo Humbert 7-6(6), 6-4.

Eighth seed Daniel Evans progressed in straight sets, beating Portugal’s Pedro Sousa 6-3, 7-5. The Brit will next play American Marcos Giron, who upset 10th seed Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-4

Evans had the best season of his career in 2020, climbing to a career-high No. 28 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. The 30-year-old is pursuing his first ATP Tour title this week.

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#NextGenATP star Jannik Sinner finished his 2020 season with a bang, and he picked up where he left off in his first match of 2021 on Wednesday.

The 19-year-old Italian beat Australian Aleksandar Vukic 6-2, 6-4 in 67 minutes to reach the Round of 16 at the Great Ocean Road Open in Melbourne. It was his first match since claiming his maiden ATP Tour title at last November's Sofia Open in Bulgaria. 

[WATCH LIVE 2]

Sinner did not face a break point against the home favourite, winning an impressive 75 per cent of his second-serve points. The fourth seed will play 13th seed Aljaz Bedene or wild card Dane Sweeny for a spot in the quarter-finals.

The 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals champion is at a career-high No. 36 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, and he is the youngest player in the Top 100. If Sinner faces Bedene, he will have a chance to earn revenge against the Slovenian, who beat him in Umag two years ago.

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Germany’s No. 2 singles player Jan-Lennard Struff claimed a major victory for his country after taking down former World No. 3 Milos Raonic 7-6(4), 7-6(2) on Wednesday to start his ATP Cup campaign.

Struff’s victory puts Team Germany in a comfortable position as they begin their Group A campaign, but it also means that alarm bells are ringing for Team Canada. After falling against defending champion Serbia on Monday, the Canadian side is on the brink of elimination from the ATP Cup. Denis Shapovalov must defeat Alexander Zverev in the No. 1 singles to keep his country alive and force a deciding doubles rubber.

Should Germany win, they will face defending champion Serbia, led by World No.1 Novak Djokovic, in a ‘win-and-you’re-in’ battle for Group A on Thursday.

[WATCH LIVE 1]

Struff, No. 37 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, kept pace with the big serving Canadian throughout a tense opening set without any break points on offer. Raonic was impenetrable in the first set, and didn’t lose more than one point in any of his service games. But Struff stayed patient, and was rewarded in the tie-break. He managed to get a racquet on his first return, and outlasted Raonic to earn the mini-break. Raonic couldn’t dig himself back as Struff escaped with the first set.

The German handed Raonic his first break of serve at the ATP Cup to take a 2-0 lead in the second set, but the Canadian responded in kind to level the score 2-2. Raonic survived three double faults in the same game and saved five break points in a lengthy battle for 4-4. But Struff once again found his best tennis in the tie-break, winning the first five points in a row before closing out the victory after two hours on court.

More to follow...

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Fabio Fognini won just five games in his ATP Cup opener Tuesday, but he rebounded Wednesday to beat Benoit Paire 6-1, 7-6(2) and give Italy a 1-0 lead against France.

It was a wild match of runs inside John Cain Arena. Although Fognini nearly let slip a seemingly insurmountable 6-1, 3-0 advantage, he battled through in straight sets after one hour and 19 minutes. Matteo Berrettini, Italy’s No. 1 singles player, can now clinch the tie and a spot in the semi-finals for his country with a win against Gael Monfils.

"For sure I'm happy about my performance," Fognini said in his on-court interview. "The second set was really tough."

[WATCH LIVE 1]

Fognini took advantage of Paire’s erratic play — including four double faults in one game — to cruise through the first set in just more than 20 minutes. The Frenchman became increasingly frustrated with his second serve, hitting five double faults from seven second serves in the opener. The Italian also showed his shotmaking skills, from lacing his two-handed backhand to finding an incredible angle for a winner.

"I was playing really solid, but Benoit was doing a lot of mistakes. I have to be honest," Fognini said. "Of course when he starts to play [well], he's a really dangerous player. He can play really good."

But despite trailing 0-3 in the second set, Paire battled hard to find a way back into the match.

“You have to try to focus on the things that you can use,” French captain Richard Ruckelshausen told Paire at that 0-3 changeover. “Come on, stay with it.”

Paire’s two-handed backhand, which is one of the best in the game, began firing, and he used his drop shot to great effect. Fognini’s level did not drop dramatically, but the Italian became aggravated as his lead slipped away. Paire won five consecutive games to serve for the second set at 5-4, but Fognini clawed his way back into the set with a crucial forehand passing shot winner.

Fognini was simply the more solid player, and that paid dividends as he closed out the match in the tie-break. The former World No. 9 saved seven of the nine break points he faced and took full advantage of Paire's 10 double faults.

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Roger Federer will make his long-awaited return to the ATP Tour in March when he is set to compete at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.

The Swiss superstar, who has undergone two right knee operations in the past 12 months, last played on 30 January 2020 when he lost to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals.

Speaking to Swiss broadcaster SRF, Federer said, “I thought for a long time when and where I should come back. Australia was still a bit too early because of my knee… I want to celebrate big victories once again. And for that I am ready to go the long, hard way.”

The Qatar ExxonMobil Open, where Federer has won three titles in 2005-06 and 2011, begins on 8 March. The ATP 250 tournament is traditionally held in January each year.

The 39-year-old Federer has won 1,242 matches and 103 tour-level titles during his legendary career. Only Jimmy Connors (1,274 match wins and 109 titles) has won more matches and titles in the Open Era (since April 1968).

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Nicholas Monroe and Frances Tiafoe made a strong start to their Murray River Open campaign on Tuesday, as they overcame home favourites Nick Kyrgios and Matt Reid 7-5, 6-4.

The American pair, which reached the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com quarter-finals last month, saved all three break points it faced to advance in 63 minutes. Monroe and Tiafoe will face fourth seeds Marcelo Melo and Horia Tecau in the second round. Melo and Tecau, who first faced each other on the ATP Challenger Tour in April 2007, will be making their team debut this week.

Mackenzie McDonald and Tommy Paul translated singles success onto the doubles court at the with a 6-4, 6-2 win against Andres Molteni and Hugo Nys. The Americans both won their first-round singles matches on Monday, and they showed confidence in their doubles victory, saving eight of the nine break points they faced.

Tomislav Brkic and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi beat Marco Cecchinato and Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-2. The unseeded duo will face top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic for a place in the quarter-finals.

In other doubles action, Australia’s James Duckworth and Marc Polmans broke serve on three occasions to defeat Rohan Bopanna and Frederik Nielsen 6-4, 6-3. Divij Sharan and Igor Zelenay also advanced, ousting Guillermo Duran and Albert Ramos-Vinolas 4-6, 6-3, 10-8.

Khachanov/Kecmanovic Claim Win At Great Ocean Road Open
Karen Khachanov and Miomir Kecmanovic played a tour-level doubles event together for the first time on Tuesday, and they clicked into high gear at the Great Ocean Road Open.

The singles stars battled past Romain Arneodo and Salvatore Caruso 2-6, 6-4, 10-3 after one hour and 18 minutes. They dominated on serve in the Match Tie-break, winning all six of their service points to triumph.

Roberto Carballes Baena and Pablo Cuevas were also victorious, defeating Ji Sung Nam and Min-Kyu Song 3-6, 6-3, 10-4. Carballes Baena’s countrymen, Pablo Andujar and Pedro Martinez, also booked their place in the second round. The Spaniards broke Laslo Djere and Stefano Travaglia on five occasions to record a 7-5, 6-3 win in 72 minutes.

There were also wins for two all-Australian partnerships. Matthew Ebden and John-Patrick Smith beat countrymen Christopher O’Connell and Aleksandar Vukic 7-6(5), 6-4. Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson were leading Nikoloz Basilashvili and Andre Begemann 6-4, 5-4 when their opponents retired from the match.

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