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Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournament:
St. Petersburg Open – St. Petersburg, Russia
Moselle Open – Metz, France

France & Belgium Headed to Davis Cup Final
Team France made it back to the Davis Cup Final for the first time since 2014.  With the insane amount of talented French players, we think they are long overdue to hold the Davis Cup trophy!  Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, Lucas Pouille, Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nico Mahut helped the team get the win in their semi-final against Serbia.  They’ll take on Belgium in the finals, who defeated Australia in a close and dramatic 5th rubber.  The 2017 Davis Cup Final will be held in November in Lille.  Allez!

Laver Cup Kicks Off on Friday
The inaugural Laver Cup starts this Friday, September 22nd from Prague.  The 3 day event will see Team World taking on Team Europe in a new team format, led by captains John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg.   There will be 3 singles matches and 2 doubles match per day of competition.  All sets will be the best out of 3 sets, with the 3rd set being decided as a 10 point tiebreaker if sets are split.    The matches are weighted by day, with Sunday’s matches counting the most toward the overall team score.   We’ll definitely be tuning in to see how this plays out and to see if Rafa & Federer will team up for doubles!   They also unveiled an all-black tennis court for the occasion because #aesthetic.

Team World: Sam Querrey, John Isner, Nick Kyrgios, Jack Sock, Juan Martin del Potro* and Denis Shapovalov.  *Del Potro was replaced by Frances Tiafoe.

Team Europe: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Dominic Thiem, Sascha Zverev, Tomas Berdych, and Marin Cilic.

This new team competition hopes to become an annual event, with the 2018 Laver Cup to be held somewhere in the United States. Laver Cup will air in the US on Tennis Channel.


ATP #NextGen Finals Unveil New Innovations
Another new event on the tennis calendar is the ATP #NextGen Finals.  Like the ATP World Tour Finals, the #NextGen Finals invite the top 8 players under 21, based on their points accumulated throughout the year.   Sascha Zverev is currently holding the top spot in the race to Milan, followed by Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov.   The event will unveil a few new “innovations” to the traditional tennis tournament.  The latest is that there will be no linesmen on the court – all lines will be called electronically using hawkeye.

This adds to the previously announced changes of having short 1st to 4 game sets, shorter warm ups, a shot clock to enforce time between serves, playing let serves, a limit on medical time outs, and player coaching.  While we’re excited to see the future #NextGen of men’s tennis at the event, let’s hope this isn’t a preview of the #NextGen of tennis tournament rules that take away from the game itself.

Richard Gasquet Wins Challenger in Poland
Richard has had a difficult 2017, as he’s been trying to recover and make his way back from a variety of injuries.   Richard played a tournament at the challenger level last week, the Pekao Szczecin Open in Poland, and won the title!  We’re hoping the win will help get Richard back on track.

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Sundays @lecoqsportif #backsoon #tennislife #lecoqsportif

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Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournaments:
US Men’s Clay Court Championship – Houston, TX USA
Grand Prix Hassan II – Marrakesh, Morocco

Davis Cup Semi-Finals Set
We always love Davis Cup weekends!   Since tennis is such an individual sport, it’s fun to see the players in a team setting, playing not just for themselves but for their country.  The crowds are always excellent, loudly and festively supporting their nation.  Over the weekend, 8 nations faced off for a spot in the semi-finals.  Australia defeated the USA 3-2, led by a focused Nick Kyrgios and captain Lleyton Hewitt.

France had a straightforward victory over Great Britain, winning both singles rubbers on Friday and doubles on Saturday to seal the victory.   Even though they were out with injuries, Richard Gasquet and Pierre-Hugues Herbert were there to cheer on the team in Rouen.

The semi-finals will take place on September 15-17th, just after the conclusion of the US Open.  Belgium will host Australia, while France will host Serbia.

Memphis Open to Move to Long Island, NY
The Memphis Open is leaving its home in Tennessee after a 41-year run.  The ATP 250 event is moving to the newly re-opened Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Hempstead, NY in 2018.  GF Sports partnered with Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment to move the tournament to the new venue.  Next year’s event will take place February 10 – 18.   We’re thrilled to see more tennis in NY!

Clay Season Is Here!
The tour has officially moved to the clay courts, with just 6 weeks to go until Roland Garros!   This week, Grigor Dimitrov is the #1 seed in Marakesh while Jack Sock is the #1 seed in Houston.  Both players have had an outstanding season so far in 2017 and let’s see if they can keep the momentum going on the clay!

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Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Open Sud de France – Montpellier, France
Garanti Koza Sofia Open – Sofia, Bulgaria
Ecuador Open – Quito, Ecuador

Davis Cup Quarterfinals Set
It was a dramatic weekend of Davis Cup action, that lasted well into Monday.  The Argentina – Italy tie went to a decisive 5th rubber, with the final match pushed to Monday due to rain and darkness at the outdoor clay match in Buenos Aires.  Fabio Fognini defeated Guido Pella from 2 sets down, 2-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, in a 5 set match that won the tie for Italy and knocked out defending champions Argentina.

The Quarterfinals will take place April 7-9, so stay tuned for venue announcements!
USA vs Australia (host: AUS)
Italy vs Belgium (host: BEL)
France vs Great Britain (host: FRA)
Serbia vs Spain (host: SER)

Denis Shapovalov Defaulted In Canada-Great Britain Tie
The most dramatic moment of Davis Cup weekend happened in Ottawa, during a decisive 5th rubber between Canada and Great Britain.  17-year-old Canadian, Denis Shapovalov, playing in his first Davis Cup tie, hit a ball out of the court in frustration, accidentally hitting the umpire in the face.  The incident caused Shapovalov to lose the match, and Canada to lose the tie.  Let’s hope that ALL players learn from this – there have been way too many close calls in the past.

USA Defeats Switzerland 5-0
It was Team USA all the way this weekend, with a brand new Davis Cup squad defeating Switzerland 5-0.  The Bryan Brothers announced their retirement from Davis Cup earlier this year, making room for some new players to step in.  Captain Jim Courier selected John Isner, Jack Sock, Stevie Johnson, and Sam Querrey for the tie.  Team USA will head back to Australia in April for the Quarterfinals.  We hope we’ll see more of this American flag waving celebration in the future!

Dimitrov, Thiem Headline Sofia Open
Dominic Thiem is the #1 seed at the Sofia Open in Bulgaria this week.  The tournament’s #3 seed, Grigor Dimitrov, is playing a tournament in his home country for the first time since the Juniors.  Grigor receives huge support from Bulgarian fans no matter what country he is playing in, so we know the crowd will be fully behind him!   Grigor has been having an outstanding 2017 so far, winning a title in Brisbane and reaching the Semifinals in Australia.  Let’s go Grisha!

Ryan Harrison Wins Dallas Challenger Title
American Ryan Harrison is back into the Top 70 in the rankings for the first time since 2013.  He defeated #NextGen American Taylor Fritz in the final of the RBC Tennis Championships in Dallas, 6-3, 6-3, on Saturday.  The win puts Ryan at #62.   Ryan had won a title in Dallas before – the Little Mo tournament in 2000!   Andy Roddick was also a Little Mo champ in 1992.   Ryan took a moment to pose with this amazing banner showing he and Andy’s matching trophies and bowl cuts.

 

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: Australian Open Recap

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Davis Cup – Round 1

Last Week’s Winners:
Australian Open:
Roger Federer
Serena Williams
Henri Kontinen & John Peers
Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Lucie Safarova
Abigail Spears & Juan Sebastian Cabal

Roger Federer Defeats Rafael Nadal To Win 18th Major Title
We got the dream final we’d all been hoping for since the draw came out:  Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal!   It was the first time they’ve played against each other in a slam final since 2011.   The 5-set match was thrilling from start to finish, with Federer winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.  The surprising final was especially sweet considering both players had been sidelined with injuries just months ago.  It’s wonderful seeing both players back on tour and on top of the game!  We’re looking forward to the rest of the season.

Grigor Dimitrov!
The Bulgarian fans were out in full force throughout the Australian Open, cheering on Grigor Dimitrov through the Semifinals.  Grigor was very impressive in his run to the Semis.  He pushed Nadal to 5 sets in one of the best matches of the tournament.  We’re glad to see Grigor playing at such a high level again, and can only hope this leads to a great season for him!

Mischa Zverev Reaches Career High Ranking
Zverev was a name heard frequently over the last two weeks, but it wasn’t talk of the 19-year-old #NextGen star Sascha Zverev.  His older brother, 29-year-old Mischa Zverev, reached the Quarterfinals of a slam for the first time, defeating current #1 Andy Murray in the process.  He lost to eventual champion Roger Federer in the Quarterfinals, but Mischa is now at a career high ranking of #35.


Davis Cup Round 1 Action
We’re already going through tennis withdrawl with the Australian Open ending.  Lucky for us, the 2017 Davis Cup gets underway this weekend, with first round ties happening around the world February 3-5.   Make sure you tune in and cheer for your favorite teams!
World Group Round 1: (host country in bold)
Argentina vs Italy
USA vs Switzerland
Germany vs Belgium
Australia vs Czech Republic
Japan vs France
Canada vs Great Britain
Serbia vs Russia
Croatia vs Spain

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: 2016 Season Comes To An End

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Davis Cup Finals – Zagreb, Croatia

Andy Murray Is Year End #1
For the first time in history, the battle for the year end #1 ranking came down to the final match in the last tournament of the year.  Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray fought for the #1 spot in the ATP World Tour Finals, with Murray  winning 6-3, 6-4.


Davis Cup Finals November 25-27
If you thought the tennis season was officially over, not yet!  The Davis Cup Finals are happening this weekend.  Argentina will take on Croatia at the Arena Zagreb.   Argentina has never won Davis Cup, but have come close as 4 time runners up.   Croatia won their only Davis Cup title in 2005.   With Delpo in action (remember his 5-set epic win over Andy Murray in the semi-finals?)  and a strong Croatian team, it should be an exciting final.

Argentina: Juan Martin del Potro, Guido Pella, Federico Delbonis, Leonardo Mayer

Croatia: Marin Cilic, Borna Coric, Ivo Karlovic, Ivan Dodig


ATP #NextGen Finals Launching in 2017
The ATP announced that Milan will host a season-ending final tournament for the top players under 21 starting next year.  The format will be similar to the ATP World Tour Finals, with the top 7 players under 21 qualifying based on ranking points earned throughout the season.  The 8th spot will be awarded via wildcard.  We love this idea and if anyone would like to send us to Milan next year, we are so there.

The tournament will feature “rule changes and innovations,” to make tennis more appealing to “the millennials,” to which we must again say please, please leave the format and rules of the game alone.

If the tournament existed in 2016, the players would have been: Nick Kyrgios, Sascha Zverev, Kyle Edmund, Borna Coric, Karen Khachanov, Taylor Fritz, Yoshihito Nishioka, Hyeon Chung


It’s The Off Season!
For everyone not participating in Davis Cup this week that is.  That means vacation Instagrams from your favorite players for the next month or so.  Also a reminder the Australian Open is in 55 days!

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Putting my agent to work // @chrisgmccormack

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Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Chengdu Open – Chengdu, China
Shenzhen Open – Shenzhen, China

Lucas Pouille Wins 1st Title in Metz
Pouille has had a terrific year so far – he reached the quarterfinals of both Wimbledon and the US Open, where he defeated Rafael Nadal.  The 22-year-old Frenchman just hit another milestone and won his first ATP World Tour Title at the Moselle Open in Metz, France, defeating #1 seed Dominic Thiem in the final 7-6(5), 6-2.  Pouille is now #16 in the rankings and on the rise.  Allez!

Alexander Zverev Wins St. Petersburg Open
19-year-old Sascha Zverev became the first teenager to win an ATP title since Marin Cilic in 2008.   Zverev defeated Stan Wawrinka to win his first title in St. Petersburg 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.  It’s fun to see another #NextGen player on the rise and we’re looking forward to seeing much more from him in the future!

2017 Davis Cup Draw Revealed
The draw for the 2017 Davis Cup was held last week in London.  First round action will take place from February 3-5, with some intriguing matchups.  Stay tuned for site selection announcements in the coming weeks.  (We’re hoping we can make it to USA vs. Switzerland!)

Argentina vs Italy
Germany vs Belgium
Australia vs Czech Republic
USA vs Switzerland
Japan vs France
Canada vs Great Britain
Serbia vs Russia
Croatia vs Spain

In the meantime, we still have the Davis Cup Finals coming up November 25-27, with Argentina taking on Croatia in Zagreb.

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Moselle Open – Metz, France
St. Petersburg Open – St. Petersburg, Russia

2016 Davis Cup Final Set
After a drama filled weekend, it will be Argentina taking on Croatia in the Davis Cup Final in November!   Juan Martin del Potro defeated Andy Murray in the 1st rubber in Argentina’s tie against Great Britain, in a match that lasted over 5 hours.  (And Delpo made us cry.  Again).  The tie went to a decisive 5th rubber, with Leonardo Mayer defeating Dan Evans to win the tie for Argentina (and Delpo).  Marin Cilic was Croatia’s MVP, winning his 2 singles matches and the doubles against the French #1s, Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut.

2017 Davis Cup Draw on September 22nd
Since this year’s final is set, it’s time to get excited about next year!  The World Group playoffs were also completed over the weekend, with 16 nations in the draw.  Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain and the USA will be drawn against the 8 seeded nations below:
1. Argentina
2. Croatia
3. Great Britian
4. Czech Republic
5. Switzerland
6. France
7. Belgium
8. Serbia

Dominic Thiem Leads Moselle Open Field
The #1 seed and #1 in our hearts, Dominic Thiem, is back in action this week at the Moselle Open in Metz, France.  We last saw Thiem forced to retire in his match against Del Potro at the US Open with a knee injury, so we’re hoping he’s fully recovered and fit to play.  Other players in action in Metz include Benoit Paire, Dustin Brown, Nicolas Mahut, and Gilles Simon.

 

Stan The Man Returns in St. Petersburg
Stan Wawrinka is playing his first tournament since winning the US Open in New York.  He leads a strong field in St. Petersburg that includes Milos Raonic, Sascha Zverev, and Tomas Berdych.

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: US Open

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After a busy two weeks at the US Open, we’re back to your regularly scheduled posting.  We had a blast seeing so many of our favorite players up close, and caught some incredible matches.  We’re already counting down until next year!

Stan The Man
Stan Wawrinka proved he most definitely is the man, defeating Novak Djokovic in the final to win his 3rd major title at the US Open.  Stan had a tough path to the finals – he was down match points in the 3rd round to Dan Evans – but was able to win with his excellent shot making (that backhand!) and mental toughness.

Juan Martin del Potro Is Back
Delpo’s comeback to tennis has been incredible and inspiring, and he brought us all to tears yet again at this year’s US Open.  Delpo made it all the way to the Quaterfinals before losing to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka.  Ole, ole, ole, ole, Delpo Delpo!

Kerber is #1
Angelique Kerber was impressive in her run to the final, winning her first US Open and her second major of the year.   Kerber also is the new world #1!

The #NextGen Is Coming
We tried to catch as many of the #NextGen players as we could at the US Open this year.   Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz were impressive in taking the more experienced Americans, John Isner and Jack Sock, to 5 sets in the first round.  Jared Donaldson made it through qualifying and to the third round, and entered the top 100 for the first time.   Kyle Edmund took out 2 of our favorite players (Isner and Richard Gasquet) before falling to Novak Djokovic.

Davis Cup Semi-Finals This Weekend
We’re in that weird post-slam state where there isn’t even a 250 event to get excited about this week.  Lucky for us, the Davis Cup Semi-Finals and World Group Playoffs kick off on Friday!   Great Britain will host Argentina and Croatia will host France in the Semis.  We’re excited to see Juan Martin Del Potro play again for Argentina, and are hoping Team France will make it all the way!

Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: ATP News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Citi Open – Washington, DC USA
Generali Open – Kitzbuhel, Austria
Konzum Croatia Open – Umag, Croatia
J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open – Gstaad Switzerland

Davis Cup Semifinals Set
After a drama filled weekend, 4 teams advanced to the Davis Cup World Group semifinals:  France, Argentina, Croatia and Great Britian.  It was a shame for the home teams – all of the teams advancing were visitors.  Croatia rallied from 0-2 down to take the tie against the US in 5.  (We’re still not over it.)  The semifinals are set to take place in September, just after the US Open.  With #Merica out, we’ll be rooting for Team France.  ALLEZ!

It’s The Greatest Time Of Year
The American Summer hardcourt season officially starts this week, with the Citi Open in DC.   Lots of American players are in action, including top seed John Isner and #NextGen players Taylor Fritz and Francis Tiafoe.  Tune into Tennis Channel to watch all the action!  Also, heads up that the US Open starts in just 41 days!  Enjoy this A+ fangirl instagram of Grigor from the Citi Open.

Arthur Ashe Kids Day Lineup Announced
The US Open kicks off with the annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day event on August 27th.  This year’s performers included Flo Rida, Forever In Your Mind, Laura Marano and Troye Sivan.   Players Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic will be making appearances as well.  Click here for more info and to get your tickets now!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHxUvllg0rp/?taken-by=aakidsday

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Fritz
Taylor Fritz wed Racquel Pedraza on July 7th in his hometown of Rancho Santa Fe, California.  Fellow players in attendance included best man Reilly Opelka, groomsman Tommy Paul, Stevie Johnson and Mardy Fish.  Congrats Taylor & Racquel!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHxgQMhDJu0/?taken-by=taylor_fritz

 

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: ATP News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournament:
Internazionali BNL d’Italia – Rome, Italy

Portland To Host USA vs Croatia Davis Cup Tie
After much anticipation the USTA announced that Portland, Oregon will be the site of the next Davis Cup tie in July.  Portland is where USA won the cup in 2007, and we’re hoping for another victory against Croatia in July!  Stay tuned to the USTA website for ticket info!

Novak Djokovic Wins Record 29th Masters 1000 Title
Djokovic defeated Andy Murray in the Mutua Madrid Open final to capture his 3rd Masters title of 2016, and his 29th overall.

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Why We Love Gael Monfils
If you’ve seen a Monfils match, you know that anything is possible.  He’s an incredible athlete who will jump, dive and go for every ball.  How does he jump so high?  In practice, he leaped over Davia Gavrilova.