With his fifth straight-sets win in a row, Pablo Carreno Busta surged into his first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open. The 12th-seeded Spaniard was too good for Diego Schwartzman, beating the Argentine 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 on Tuesday at Flushing Meadows.
Carreno Busta is yet to drop a set in New York. He defeated four qualifiers to open his campaign - Evan King, Cameron Norrie, Nicolas Mahut and Denis Shapovalov – and will now face either Sam Querrey or Kevin Anderson as he looks to continue his dream run.
“It’s incredible,” Carreno Busta told ESPN in his on-court interview. “It’s something that I always dreamed of, but never thought I could arrive here. I’m very excited to be in the semi-finals in this tournament.
“It was a very good match today. I tried to be focussed all the time. Diego is a fighter. You need to play aggressive and try to dominate the points, otherwise for sure Diego will beat you.”
More soon…
ATP World Tour Uncovered presented by Peugeot profiles NextGenATP Russian Andrey Rublev, who has made a star turn at the US Open and believes everything is possible.
ATP World Tour Uncovered presented by Peugeot looks at the latest Emirates ATP Singles and Doubles Rankings.
Diego Schwartzman is enjoying his time in the spotlight as he visits Times Square ahead of his US Open quarter-final clash with Pablo Carreno Busta.
With the Nitto ATP Finals in his sights for the first time, Sam Querrey talks about the difference confidence and extra fight has brought to his game in 2017 in ATP World Tour Uncovered presented by Peugeot.
India’s most celebrated tennis event, the Aircel Chennai Open, is all set to move to a new home.
IMG-Reliance, the right holders of the tournament along with Government of Maharashtra and Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA), made the announcement on Wednesday, revealing Pune to be the new city to host the 2018 edition of the ATP World Tour 250 event. It will now be called the Maharashtra Open.
“We welcome the world-class ATP tournament to our state,” Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said. “We are happy to host the Maharashtra Open and are sure that we will take it to newer heights by bringing in an elite field every year.”
The Chennai Open became an important fixture on India’s international sporting calendar, drawing top players from across the world for 21 long years. Rafael Nadal had often spoken about the event's importance in his journey to World No. 1, with many players making it their first stop each year.
“We would like to thank everyone in Tamil Nadu, especially our innumerable fans, the Tamil Nadu government and the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association for making the Chennai Open such a grand success,” IMG-Reliance’s spokesperson said.
“We look forward to similar love from tennis fans not just in Pune and Maharashtra but in every part of the country. We have created a tennis legacy and have also provided our young players the opportunity to not only play against the best but to also pick up crucial points in the world ranking system."
MSLTA’s Hon Sec Sunder Iyer and Tournament Director Prashant Sutar were equally ecstatic at the prospect of hosting the ATP tournament. “We have the best tennis infrastructure in the country. We will strive our best to make the world’s best players and our own, feel at home,” they said.
India’s Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi forged their formidable partnership at the Chennai Open. Stan Wawrinka and Maric Cilic were among the past singles champions.
For the second time in three matches, five-time champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan have had to go the distance to keep the US Open campaign alive. Now the No. 5 seeds are through to the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows for the 12th time after rebounding to defeat No. 9 seeds Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic.
The Bryans recovered from a slow start to prevail 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 against the Austrian-Croatian duo. Marach and Pavic, who had fallen in a gruelling Wimbledon final to Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 13-11 in the fifth set, had come out firing.
"We dug deep today and it really came down to a few break points. We were pretty solid on our serves and made some good volleys. Just played solid doubles,” Mike Bryan said. “The crowd was on fire too. They were pulling us through. It's always fun playing on Grandstand and the energy is off the charts.
“If we were in another tournament, it could have been tougher to turn it around. But today we had a lot of people willing us through. So it was easier to bear down and focus … We needed to win the big points, because they have been hot since the grass season.”
[ALSO LIKE]
The Bryans will next face unseeded Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin for a place in the last four. The Frenchmen ended the run of #NextGenATP Russians Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-2. It followed their earlier upset of No. 2 seeds Kubot and Melo.
Top seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers continued their smooth progression through the draw with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Juan Sebastian Cabel and Leonardo Mayer. The win ensured the Finnish-Australian pair have qualified for a chance at defending their Nitto ATP Finals title in London. Kontinen and Peers are through to their first US Open quarter-final where they will take on the unseeded Australian-American duo of John-Patrick Smith and Nicholas Monroe.
Fourth seeds Bruno Soares, of Brazil, and Jamie Murray, of Great Britain, took down Swedish-Australian pair Robert Lindstedt and Jordan Thompson 6-3, 6-4 to set a quarter-final clash with 12th seeds Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau.
Next week’s No. 1 American Sam Querrey bids to become the first home-grown US Open semi-finalist since Andy Roddick in 2006 when he meets good friend and occasional doubles partner Kevin Anderson on Tuesday night. Querrey reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2016 and semi-finals in 2017 to end the longest American droughts in Grand Slam history for those respective rounds.
He is three wins from becoming the first American Grand Slam champion since Roddick at the 2003 US Open. The 6'6” Querrey and 6’8” Anderson are meeting in the tallest Grand Slam quarter-final, semi-final or final of the Open Era. Querrey is 8-6 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Anderson overall and 1-1 this season. The South African avenged a five-set Wimbledon loss at ATP Masters 1000 Montreal.
View FedEx ATP Head2Head matchups for the following matches at the US Open and vote for who you think will win!
Querrey vs. Anderson | Carreno Busta vs. Schwartzman
[GROUP POLL]69[/GROUP POLL]
Querrey has won two titles already in 2017 on hard-courts, both in Mexico. He claimed the Abierto Mexicano Telcel over Rafael Nadal in Acapulco and the Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex in Los Cabos.
Anderson will bid to become the first South African Grand Slam semi-finalist since Wayne Ferreira at the 2003 Australian Open. He is rediscovering his best form on US hard-courts after an injury-marred season, with his best result of the season being a runner-up finish to Alexander Zverev in the Citi Open final in Washington, D.C.
[ALSO LIKE]
First-time US Open quarter-finalists Pablo Carreno Busta and Diego Schwartzman will meet during the day session. Carreno Busta enjoyed an unprecedented path to his second Grand Slam quarter-final (also 2017 Roland Garros).
The No. 12 seed swept 12 sets from four qualifiers in the first four rounds, becoming the first player in the Open Era to face four qualifiers at a Grand Slam. Carreno Busta's best result of the season to date came in Estoril where he not drop a set en route to his third ATP World Tour singles title.
He also finished runner-up to Dominic Thiem in the Rio de Janeiro final. The Spaniard rose to a career-high No. 15 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on July 24.
Schwartzman has reached one prior semi-final this season in Istanbul where he fell to Cilic. With he and del Potro advancing, it marks the first time two Argentines have progressed to the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam since the 2005 US Open when Guillermo Coria and David Nalbandian did so.
With Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic already ruled out for the remainder of the season, Sam Querrey sits provisionally in seventh place in the Emirates ATP Race to London after his fourth-round win, while Carreno Busta sits in ninth.
Watch highlights from Juan Martin del Potro's incredible comeback in the fourth round, where he saves two match points to defeat Dominic Thiem. Highlights courtesy US Open. Visit usopen.org for more video. Highlights not available in USA. Photo: Getty Images
The last time Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro dueled on Arthur Ashe Stadium, it was the 2009 final. Del Potro claimed a five-set thriller for his lone Grand Slam title and eight years later, Federer will finally have his shot at revenge at the US Open.
"I think we're different players today," Federer reflected. "We both play differently. Because of his surgery, I think his backhand has changed. He uses his slice much more. Just alone because of that, the game would be different.
"I'm playing more aggressive, as well, on the return. I play shorter points. I don't use my slice as much, whereas he does now. It's a bit of a change. We did play each other in Miami, so I did get a sense of how it is to play him now. But the forehand and the serve is still identical, in my opinion.
"He maybe even created more power by now just because years went by, better technology has come around. I think we're both more laid back today. It won't be a final, it will be a quarter-final. Obviously not as much riding on this match like it was in 2009."
The five-time champion set the highly anticipated showdown after dismissing Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 on Monday night. He fired 39 winners, including 11 aces, while converting four of seven break points under the lights on Ashe.
Federer will feature in the quarter-finals in New York for the 12th time in his past 13 appearances, dating back to his maiden title in 2004. The third seed is in fine form after survivng a pair of five-setters to open the tournament, having been pushed the distance by Frances Tiafoe and Mikhail Youzhny. He has since rebounded nicely, not dropping a set in ousting Feliciano Lopez and Kohlschreiber.
Federer did not face a break point during his one-hour and 49-minute victory over Kohlschreiber. They remained on serve through the first six games of the opening set, before Federer broke for 4-3. He would take the opener after 38 minutes and converted two more break chances in the second set. Another break would prove decisive at 5-all in the third, connecting on a backhand winner, and he sealed the win in just under two hours.
After extending his FedEx ATP Head2Head advantage over Youzhny to 17-0 and to 13-0 over Lopez, Federer moved to an impressive 12-0 vs. Kohlschreiber. Against del Potro, he leads 16-5, with their most recent clash having come at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Miami earlier this year. The 36 year old prevailed 6-3, 6-4. Federer will have the fatigue advantage over Del Potro in their quarter-final clash, following the Argentine's stunning five-set, three-hour and 34-minute victory over Dominic Thiem.
"It probably feels like one of those matches I would like to play over again," Federer said about the 2009 final. "I feel like I would probably win it somehow because I should have been up maybe two sets to love or should have been up two sets to one. I don't remember what it was. I just had all these chances in multiple moments. The only time when he was really better, in my opinion, was the fifth set. Obviously that was good enough to beat me that day.
"It was a good match. A lot of back and forth. Crowd was really into it. Started in the day, finished in the night. I mean, look, I was not too disappointed I don't think because I had a great run, you know, winning I think the French, Wimbledon and then the birth of my girls. Making the finals here was actually a good run. But it ended my five-year reign here in New York. I guess I was a bit disappointed. But Juan Martin did play extremely well. He beat Rafa and me back-to-back, so I felt like he deserved it at the end."
Juan Martin del Potro was barely able to move as he entered Monday's US Open fourth-round encounter against Dominic Thiem. Wrestling with the flu and a fever, the Argentine had no range and little rhythm in the early stages, but he refused to succumb to defeat.
Del Potro mounted arguably the comeback of the year, saving two match points to defeat Thiem 1-6, 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(1), 6-4. It marked the seventh five-set victory in his career and just the second comeback from two sets down. The 2009 champion is now into the quarter-finals in New York for the fifth time in nine appearances.
"I don't know how I was able to win that match," del Potro said to ESPN in his post-match interview. "I was sick the last two days and I tried to play as best that I can. When I saw this crowd cheering for me, I was trying to feel better. I fought like this because of these guys."
The New York crowd was draped in blue and white, with a heavily partisan Argentine contingent decending on Grandstand for the highly anticipated Round of 16 clash. Chants of 'Del-Po! Del-Po!' rang out, urging the Tandil native on, as he struggled with his stamina in the first two sets. Lethargic and fatigued, del Potro looked on the verge of tears as he laboured around the court. Two days earlier, he had fought through early symptoms of the flu to defeat Roberto Bautista Agut, but on Monday, the illness had wreaked havoc on the Argentine.
With little to nothing in the tank, he dropped an immediate break on a netted backhand. It was one of 15 unforced errors, to zero winners in the 36-minute opening set. With the match flying in Thiem's favour, del Potro received a visit from the trainer at 5-1 to receive treatment and medication. The rout was on in the second set, with a forehand long giving Thiem the immediate break. He would surge to a 6-1, 6-2 lead in a blink. It was one-way traffic. Or so it seemed.
Suddenly, as the third set got underway, del Potro rewrote the script. Thiem's level rapidly declined and del Potro, bolstered by the crowd and a rush of adrenaline, reeled off eight of the next 10 games to force a fourth where he grabbed a quick break. Out of nowhere, the 2009 champion suddenly had his forehand clicking and serve hitting its spots.
But Thiem would not let the seismic momentum shift last. Moving better and with more intensity, the World No. 8 rediscovered his level and he would break back and string together four of five games. It appeared the Austrian had found his grip once again with a 5-2 lead. He would serve for the match a game later, but del Potro was far from finished, breaking back and eventually saving two match points - both with mammoth aces - while serving at 5-6. A laser forehand sealed the set in the ensuing tie-break and they were off to a fifth.
The drama boiled over as the crowd's chants on Grandstand reached a deafening crescendo. Thiem battled back from a 0/40 deficit at 3-3 in the decider, but could not withstand del Potro's assault for long. The 2009 champion launched winner after winner, blasting his forehand with authority. He would seize his second match point as a deafening roar rung out throughout the grounds.
"I played one of the epic matches of my career here in the US Open, which is my favourite tournament, in front of a great crowd," said Del Potro. "I was exhausted after the last point of the match. But I'm so glad to go through. I played a fantastic battle against one of the best players on the tour.
"I was thinking to retire in the middle of the second set because I couldn't breathe, I couldn't move well. Dominic was dominating the match so easily. But then when we started the third set, I broke his serve very quick, and then I won the set in 20 minutes. Then the story changed a lot. I started to see the crowd. I took all the energy from the fans. That's what I did in the end, just keep fighting. I didn't give up on any points from the third until the fifth set. I was ready to win the match in that moment."
A rematch of last year's Round of 16 encounter, which was won by del Potro via Thiem retirement (right knee), Monday's meeting lasted three hours and 34 minutes. He extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head edge to 3-0.
"The crowd was on his side, but it was a great atmosphere," said Thiem. "I mean, we're not playing every day in an atmosphere like this. I was enjoying it actually. I mean, the crowd was not unfair at all. So it was fine.
"I knew that it's not going to go all the way like [the first two sets] because if he felt really bad, he would have retired for sure. So I knew I had to be there all the way. I wasn't really affected by the easy first two sets. I knew that I have to maintain my level. Of course, the third set was bad. I mean, I played some really bad minutes. It was a great match I think, set four and set five. Obviously the better ending for him."
Del Potro joins Diego Schwartzman as players from Argentina in the quarter-finals. It is the first time on the Grand Slam stage since the 2005 US Open, when Guillermo Coria and David Nalbandian advanced to the last eight.
Del Potro will next face Roger Federer with a spot in the semi-finals at stake, with the Swiss leading the FedEx ATP Head2Head 16-5. However, Federer was defeated in their lone US Open clash, in the 2009 final.
Henri Kontinen and John Peers will return to defend their title this November at The O2 after becoming the second team to qualify for the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals. They clinched their place in the elite eight-team field by reaching the US Open quarter-finals Monday with victory over Juan Sebastian Cabal and Leonardo Mayer.
“It’s awesome to be back. I had a great experience last year. Played there for the first time and got the win right away,” said Kontinen. “It was a great event for us and obviously had a great start to the year and knew we had a good shot making it there again, and it’s one of the goals for the year. Happy to do it already at this point of the season.”
The Finnish-Australian duo kicked off their 2017 campaign with the Australian Open crown (d. Bryans) and last month won the ATP World Tour 500 title at the Citi Open, where they defeated Emirates ATP Doubles Race to London leaders Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo. Kubot and Melo had become the first team to qualify for the season-ending tournament following their triumph at Wimbledon.
Kontinen and Peers made an impressive finish to 2016, capping their debut season on a 10-match winning streak. After claiming their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Paris Masters, they went undefeated en route to the season finale title (d. Klaasen/Ram).
“It’s definitely great to be back,” said Peers. “Each year we all aim to make the [Nitto] ATP Finals at the end of the year. For Henri and I to make it a second time around is really good, especially capping off the way we finished off last year, so it’s going to be really nice and we’re both excited to get back.
“We started the year off hot, winning in Australia, and now we’re starting to build and enjoy the rest of the year we have coming up ahead. It’s really nice to know we’ve got London cemented already this time of year. Last year we had to wait until Paris to clinch that last, little spot, so it’s going to be good and hopefully we’ll keep building and it’s exciting to be able to finish the year off in London.”
The 27-year-old Kontinen, who ascended to the No. 1 Emirates ATP Doubles Ranking in April, will be making his second appearance at The O2. Peers, 29, will be making his third; he first qualified in 2015 with Jamie Murray.
Through to his second Grand Slam quarter-final at the US Open, Pablo Carreno Busta is ready to believe more in himself as he prepares to face Diego Schwartzman in New York.
Sealed with a blistering forehand return winner, Andrey Rublev stormed into his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the US Open on Monday as he upset ninth seed David Goffin 7-5, 7-6(5), 6-3.
The #NextGenATP star advances to a blockbuster clash with World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, whom he has never faced before.
"I'm just going to try to enjoy it and that's it," said Rublev of facing Nadal. "This is going to be a good challenge for me to see how far I am from the top players and how much more I need to work. So we'll see.
"I would say [Nadal] has amazing legs. He has amazing defence. And for me, I have a good shots. I can play really fast, in fast rhythm. I think this is my main game."
The 19-year-old Rublev has blazed his way through just his fifth Grand Slam main draw appearance, beating Aljaz Bedene, seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov, Damir Dzumhur and Goffin for the loss of just one set. He is also through to the third round of the doubles with fellow Russian Karen Khachanov.
[ALSO LIKE]
Rublev is the youngest US Open quarter-finalist since Andy Roddick in 2001, just one year after a 20-year-old Russian named Marat Safin had won his maiden Grand Slam crown at Flushing Meadows in 2000.
Having only broken into the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings on 26 June, Rublev is now projected to break the Top 40 after the US Open. He has also put himself in pole position to become the second player to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals, behind Alexander Zverev, who has already secured his spot in Milan.
Against the experience of Goffin, Rublev held his nerve, saving a break point in the 11th game of the first set before breaking his Belgian opponent in the following game to steal the opener. Goffin responded by racing into a double-break lead in the second set, but a run of four successive games for Rublev saw the Russian get back on level terms and he won a clutch tie-break to take a commanding lead.
With Goffin struggling with a left knee injury, Rublev took full advantage in the third set, breaking in the first and ninth games to seal victory in two hours and five minutes.
"It was a tough match. He was playing really fast," said Goffin. "It was tough for me to move 100 per cent. He was playing really fast, left and right. He was really aggressive, so it was tough. It was almost impossible to win today.
"He has a good potential. He's playing really well. Has a good forehand. He's hitting the ball really hard. He takes the ball early also in forehand. He's really aggressive, so he's a great player, he has good potential. He can improve in every part of his game. But he's only 19 and he's playing really well."
It has been a breakthrough summer for Rublev, who captured his maiden ATP World Tour title in Umag in July (d. Lorenzi). He will now look to extend his magical run in New York by taking on two-time former champion Nadal, who turned in a masterclass as he defeated Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Top seed Rafael Nadal advanced to his seventh US Open quarter-final on Monday as he dismissed Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The Spaniard goes on to face #NextGenATP star Andrey Rublev as he bids to reach the semi-finals, where a first-time New York meeting with Roger Federer could await.
[ALSO LIKE]
Victory marked Nadal's 50th win at Flushing Meadows, where he won two of his 15 Grand Slam championships in 2010 (d. Djokovic) and 2013 (d. Djokovic). He also reached the final in 2011 (l. to Djokovic).
"I think I played a solid match, not many mistakes," said Nadal. "I feel that compared to other days, I feel more calm on court. Is true that I was able to have the break earlier, but really I felt more comfortable from the beginning.
"The most important thing is [the amount of] times I had the control of the time of the point. Not many balls surprised me. I didn't hit a lot of balls earlier than what I thought or later than what I thought, something that happened in the first couple of days. That's very good news. Because when that happens it is, of course, a step forward for me and today another one. So I'm playing a little bit better every day.
"Now I have a tough opponent, Rublev, next round, and I need to continue to play well."
The 31-year-old Nadal is looking to win his second major title of what has been an incredible season for the Spaniard, who is back to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after starting 2017 at No. 9.
The left-hander captured ‘La Decima’ at Roland Garros, defeating Stan Wawrinka in the final, finished runner-up to Federer at the Australian Open, and won the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns in Monte-Carlo (d. Ramos-Vinolas) and Madrid (d. Thiem).
Monday’s display marked Nadal’s cleanest performance of the tournament, after four-set wins over Taro Daniel and Leonardo Mayer in his past two matches. He had lost two of his past three matches against Dolgopolov, but made light work of the Ukrainian, hitting 23 winners to just 11 unforced errors and winning 82 per cent of points behind his first serve.
In tennis, the margins between the lines are often razor thin. With players employing more aggressive tactics and pushing the limits of their games, these differences can dictate the outcome of a match.
An inch can be critical in determining who wins and who loses. Apparently, no one told Diego Schwartzman. The Argentine is into the quarter-finals at the US Open in what will be his first appearance in the last eight at a Grand Slam. At 5’7”, Schwartzman may be diminutive in stature, but he is proving that his game is just as imposing as his fellow stars on the ATP World Tour.
Schwartzman has played the role of giant slayer during the North American hard-court summer, stunning World No. 7 Dominic Thiem at the Coupe Rogers, before streaking to the quarter-finals in New York with victories over Top 20 talents Marin Cilic and Lucas Pouille. The 25 year old doesn't have the broad shoulders and long and lanky reach of many of his counterparts. But what the Argentine does employ is a dogged defence predicated on sublime stamina and agility, a forehand that sees him blast off the baseline as if he has springs in his shoes… and plenty of heart.
“I hope maybe they can understand tennis is for everyone,” Schwartzman said, when asked about how he hopes to inspire others. “It is not just for the tall guys. Sometimes it helps a lot if you are big, because you can serve fast, you can do everything fast on the baseline because you have longer arms. But I was always like this and I always try to improve my tennis and try to not think about it.
“It is not easy, but I am here. I am smaller than those guys. But I am enjoying [this experience] and maybe a lot of players like me can do well in the next years.”
"Diego knows very well what his abilities are, his weapons and his limitations," said coach Juan Ignacio Chela. "He does not have any mental limits, which is the most important thing. He does not have a big serve and he does not make many aces and, therefore, he does not get many free points with his serve. But the rest of his game makes up for it. His game is based on consistency and having a winning mentality. I think it's what you're seeing now."
Schwartzman will face Pablo Carreno Busta on Tuesday, with a spot in the US Open semis on the line. The bottom half of the draw may be wide open, with a first-time Grand Slam finalist guaranteed, but the Argentine says he is just focusing on what he can control and is not looking ahead. A potential semi-final showdown with another giant – 6’8” Kevin Anderson – could be in the cards.
“It’s interesting, especially with the amount of taller tennis players coming through now,” said Anderson, when asked about the advantages of being tall. “If you try to simplify it as much as possible, I guess you could say if a guy who is my size can move around the same as a guy who is much smaller, you would think there are maybe going to be a few more advantages. When it comes to the serve especially, the height I can hit on the serve, Diego would have to jump very high to be able to match it.
“If you take somebody like Diego, he's right now the best returner on tour when you look at the stats. He's broken more than anybody else, especially on the returns. I feel it's definitely a big advantage. For me against some guys, I'm having to sort of, especially on the stretch, go down because the ball's a little bit lower, whereas he's sort of able to hit up a little bit. Just his strike zone lends itself very, very, very much on the returns.”
[ALSO LIKE]
The stats back up Anderson’s assertion. As Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers explains, Schwartzman has been the best returner on the ATP World Tour in 2017. He plays a big game when staring down an opponent’s serve, being ranked first in return games won, first in second serve return points won, second in first serve return points won and fifth in the break points converted category.
“And from the back, he's an incredible mover,” Anderson added. “I think his balance, his change of direction, I think it's maybe a little bit easier when you're not as tall. But at the same time, I think covering the court and stuff, if a tall guy can have that same sort of anticipation and balance, there's definitely some sort of natural benefit to that. I've played him and practised with him. I think he's a tough competitor. Given his size and stuff, he really is able to play great tennis.”
The Buenos Aires native is projected to rise to a career-high Top 30 spot in the Emirates ATP Rankings, becoming the No. 1 player from Argentina. First, a first-time clash against Carreno Busta awaits. He hopes the crowd will continue to bolster him in what will be the biggest match of his career.
"All the matches, they are helping me a lot.” Schwartzman said of the New York faithful. "In the first round and second round as well, they are helping me a lot. When it's a tough moment, they are making noise with me, just to be with me in the match. That is helping me a lot. I am really happy for that and thanks to everyone for doing that."
Watch highlights from Juan Martin del Potro's incredible comeback in the fourth round, where he saves two match points to defeat Dominic Thiem. Highlights courtesy US Open. Visit usopen.org for more video. Highlights not available in USA. Photo: Getty Images
Watch highlights as Rafael Nadal defeats Alexandr Dolgopolov to reach his seventh US Open quarter-final. Highlights courtesy US Open. Visit usopen.org for more video. Highlights not available in USA. Photo: Getty Images
A LOOK BACK
Challenger de Quito (Quito, Ecuador): Chilean Nicolas Jarry collected his second ATP Challenger Tour title of the season, his second on South American soil after earlier winning the title in Medellin, Colombia. The 21-year-old ATP player disposed of fifth seed Gerald Melzer 6-3, 6-2 to claim the title, having earlier fought back from a set and a break down to oust top seed Victor Estrella Burgos in the semi-finals. Photographer Jorge Anhalzer’s framed scenic photograph depicting Quito and Ecuador from the sky was presented as the trophy. He improved his record to 13-2 in Challengers since qualifying for his first Wimbledon in July and continues a meteoric rise up the Emirates ATP Rankings. He was outside the Top 200 in early June and is projected to climb to a career-high spot in the Top 120.
#ChallengerUIO @NicoJarry festeja el título con los niños pic.twitter.com/sztRO9zJsi
— Challenger de Quito (@Challenger_UIO) September 3, 2017
Torneo Citta di Como (Como, Italy): Pedro Sousa certainly wasn’t taking the easy route to his third straight ATP Challenger Tour final. The Portuguese World No. 127 rallied from a set down in three of his five matches in Como, including a 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 triumph over home hope and top seed Marco Cecchinato in the final. The win marked his third title of the season having also won in Francavilla, Italy and Liberec, Czech Republic. His third final in a row takes him to a 10-match winning streak and a 14-1 match record since mid-July. Sousa is fast closing on a Top 100 debut.
Hot Shot for the title! Pedro Sousa claims his third #ATPChallenger 🏆 of 2017 with a 16 62 64 win over Cecchinato in Como. Win streak ➡️ 10 pic.twitter.com/yB4Jk7znVD
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) September 3, 2017
A LOOK AHEAD
Five Challenger events will take place this week, headed by the $150,000 Aon Open Challenger in Genova, Italy. The clay-court event, held since 2003, last year saw Jerzy Janowicz defeat defending champion Nicolas Almagro for the title. The honour roll of prior champions features a host of top ATP World Tour players – Albert Ramos Vinolas, Dustin Brown, Albert Montanes, Martin Klizan and Fabio Fognini. German World No. 49 Jan-Lennard Struff heads the field with two further players in the Top 60 entered – Czech Jiri Vesely and Argentine Argentine Delbonis. #NextGenATP home hope Matteo Berrettini will join former Top 20 compatriot Andreas Seppi in the draw.
Former World No. 9 Almagro will play on home soil this week as top seed at the $75,000 Copa Sevilla in Spain. Defending champion and #NextGenATP Norwegian Casper Ruud is seeded third. Spaniard Robert Carbelles Baena will look to continue his hot streak as the No. 2 seed. The 24 year old claimed his second Challenger title in four week in late August, prevailing in Manerbio, Italy. #NextGenATP Spaniard and Boys’ Singles champion at Wimbledon, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, is also entered and will look for inspiration to current World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, who picked up his first ATP points at the Copa Sevilla as a 15 year old.
Dominican veteran Victor Estrella Burgos will look to claim his eighth Challenger title when he starts as top seed at the $50,000 Milo Open in Bogota, Colombia this week. The 37 year old leads the seedings ahead of former World No. 28 and home hope Santiago Giraldo and #NextGenATP Austrian Sebastian Ofner. Sunday’s Challenger de Quito champion Nicolas Jarry is seeded fourth.
Another Challenger champion from Sunday, Pedro Sousa, will look to go back-to-back when he begins the $50,000 Tean International Challenger at Alphen, in the Netherlands. The Portuguese is seeded second behind Argentine former World No. 37 Carlos Berlocq for the claycourt event, which has been held since 1996.
Swiss World No. 94 Henri Laaksonen and Japan’s former World No. 47 Go Soeda are the top two seeds for the $50,000 International Challenger Zhangjiagang, in China. #NextGenATP South Korean Duckhee Lee will also contest the inaugural hard-court tournament.
View Draws & Watch Free Live Streams
ATP CHALLENGER TOUR ON TWITTER: The ATP Challenger Tour has launched a dedicated Twitter account for the latest news and information about players and events. Follow @ATPChallenger at twitter.com/ATPChallenger
Watch hot shots from Andrey Rublev as he fires two un-returnable forehands against David Goffin in their quarter-final clash at the US Open on Monday. Hot Shots courtesy US Open. Visit usopen.org for more videos. Not available in USA.
Source: http://www.atpworldtour.com/