Welcome again to the Monday Tennis Briefing, the place The Athletic will clarify the tales behind the tales from the previous week on courtroom.
This week, the Davis Cup returned, there have been two very quick matches — in very alternative ways — and one ladies’s event bore the brunt of tennis schedule fatigue.
For those who’d wish to observe our implausible tennis protection, click on right here.
What’s happening within the Davis Cup?
The ultimate eight for the Davis Cup group stage finals had been determined over the weekend, with Canada and the Netherlands becoming a member of Italy, Australia, Spain, Germany, Argentina and america because the certified nations. The latter topped their group final week in Zhuhai, China, regardless of being with none of Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton.
Spain’s qualification will probably be a specific aid to the event organizers given the finals are happening within the Spanish metropolis of Malaga. House followers can stay up for seeing the star high quality of Carlos Alcaraz — and presumably Rafael Nadal — with the previous wanting far more like himself in Spain’s group matches in opposition to France and the Czech Republic. Alcaraz produced a consummate efficiency to beat France’s Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-3 after his first look since dropping early on the U.S. Open ended rapidly on Wednesday when Czech opponent Tomas Machac was pressured to retire with cramp at one set apiece.
After the match with Humbert, Alcaraz reiterated what he mentioned in New York about his performances over the U.S. hard-court swing not being adequate: “I’ve tried to not do the dangerous issues that I did on the American tour. I had been coaching nicely, however coaching is one factor and competitors is one other.”
Carlos Alcaraz helped Spain to qualify for the Davis Cup with some glowing tennis (David Aliaga / NurPhoto through Getty Pictures)
Others who struggled in New York additionally had satisfying performances final week.
The Canadian pair of Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger Aliassime each went out of the U.S. Open within the first spherical however helped their nation into the Davis Cup showpiece in November. Shapovalov recorded a formidable win over Nice Britain’s Dan Evans 6-0, 7-5 in Manchester, England, on Sunday, whereas Auger-Aliassime gained all three of his matches in the course of the week, together with a straight-sets success on Sunday in opposition to U.S. Open semifinalist Jack Draper. It was the primary assembly between the 2 for the reason that controversial ending to their match in Cincinnati final month when Draper gained with a shot that video replays confirmed to have been unlawful.
The Davis Cup group stage finals will happen in Malaga between November 19-24, with Italy seeking to retain their title. Current winners Nice Britain, France and Croatia all did not make the lower.
GO DEEPER
Why Draper and Auger-Aliassime’s match level ought to change tennis’ view on video replays
Charlie Eccleshare
13 video games, 37 minutes, and one Benoit Paire
Scan these particulars of a males’s tennis match and a longtime tennis fan will possible assume one thing like “Benoit Paire doing Benoit Paire issues”. Paire, 35, is likely one of the most mercurial gamers within the sport, able to drop volleys from heaven and tantrums from hell (spitting on a ball mark in a match in opposition to Francisco Cerundolo in 2021, packing his bag with no less than one sport left in opposition to Cameron Norrie on the 2022 U.S. Open, issues of that nature.)
So have a look at a 6-1, 6-0 reverse to Britain’s Jacob Fearnley on the Blot Open in Rennes, France, and it’s simple to see all the identical stuff. Nicely, not fairly.
In actuality, Fearnley received out of a 15-30 after which 30-30 service sport within the first set, having damaged Paire within the opening sport. His misses had been largely near the traces, a number of scary forehand returns into the decrease a part of the online however. Make no mistake, this was a one-sided thrashing — it simply wasn’t the histrionic sort simply related to the Frenchman… Till the tip. Blowing kisses to the group who jeered him to the handshake, Paire was not lengthy off-court when he delivered his final evaluation of the match.
😂😂😂
— paire benoit (@benoitpaire) September 11, 2024
Fearnley went on to win the entire event, getting back from a thrashing of his personal within the last. Quentin Halys gained their first set 6-0, earlier than Fearnley took the second on a tiebreak, cruising previous the dispirited Frenchman within the third.
In Monastir, Tunisia, fellow Brit Sonay Kartal gained her first WTA title, triumphing within the 250-level occasion in opposition to Rebecca Sramkova.
James Hansen
What follows 37 minutes? Thirty-eight minutes
One of many nice issues in regards to the Davis Cup is the best way gamers in some way bridge enormous rating differentials to drag off main upsets. Or no less than discover methods to be aggressive in opposition to way more vaunted opponents.
And you then get matches just like the one on Saturday in Belgrade between 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and the world No. 770 Ioannis Xilas, of Greece.
Xilas was enjoying within the tie in opposition to Serbia after Stefanos Tsitsipas pulled out and gained a solitary sport in a 6-0, 6-1 defeat that lasted 38 minutes. In a sport the place the common set lasts longer than that, it was an astonishingly one-sided rout. Although much less so given the 766 locations Xilas was giving up within the rankings — so possibly the shock is that this kind of factor doesn’t occur extra usually.
The next day, Djokovic teamed up with Hamad Medjedovic to safe victory within the tie with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win within the doubles rubber in opposition to Aristotelis Thanos and Petros Tsitsipas.
The win means Serbia will compete in subsequent yr’s Davis Cup qualifiers for an opportunity to return to the group-stage finals.
GO DEEPER
Novak Djokovic knew he would win Olympic gold – he simply did not know when
Charlie Eccleshare
How one unfortunate event bore the brunt of tennis’ lengthy summer time
After she gained the Seoul title in 2023, Jessica Pegula regarded forward to even higher issues in 2024.
“Hopefully, we will get even higher-ranked gamers and extra ladies to come back right here and play. The town is wonderful and I’ve had a lot enjoyable right here,” Pegula, who’s half-Korean on her mom’s facet, mentioned after her victory over Yuan Yue.
The American, who reached the ultimate of this yr’s U.S. Open, was discussing the event’s elevation from 250-level to 500-level, starting this yr. However by the point it got here round, world No. 3 Pegula needed to pull out with a rib harm. Elena Rybakina, world No. 4, and Emma Navarro, world No. 8, additionally withdrew.
Jessica Pegula misplaced to Aryna Sabalenka within the U.S. Open last (Luke Hales / Getty Pictures)
After which the coup de grace, when world No. 1 Iga Swiatek knowledgeable event organizers she too could be skipping the occasion, citing fatigue. So, all 4 top-10 gamers are out within the first yr of a newly-elevated event. The brand new high 4 seeds, Daria Kasatkina, Liudmila Samsonova, Beatriz Haddad Maia and Diana Shnaider will see nice alternative; the tennis calendar will see one other instance of its gruelling schedule doing extra hurt to the game’s infrastructure than good.
GO DEEPER
How the combat to enhance the tennis calendar dangers destroying its soul
James Hansen
Shot of the week
Carlos Alcaraz wanting a bit extra like Carlos Alcaraz right here.
Really helpful studying:
🏆 The winners of the week
🎾 ATP:
🏆 Vit Kopriva (5) def. Andrea Pellegrino 7-5. 6-2 to win the Szczecin Open (Challenger 125) in Szczecin, Poland. It’s the Czech’s fourth Challenger title.
🏆 Christopher O’Connell (1) def. Sho Shimabukuro 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) to win the Guangzhou Open (Challenger 100) in Guangzhou, China. It’s his sixth Challenger title.
🏆 Jacob Fearnley (8) def. Quentin Halys (4) 0-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 to win the Rennes Blot Open (Challenger 100) in Rennes, France. It’s Fearnley’s third Challenger title.
🏆 Learner Tien (3) def. Tristan Boyer (6) 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 to win the Las Vegas Tennis Open (Challenger 75) in Las Vegas. It’s Tien’s second Challenger title.
🎾 WTA:
🏆 Magdalena Frech (5) def. Olivia Gadecki 7-6(5), 6-4 to win the Guadalajara Open in Guadalajara, Mexico. It’s Frech’s first WTA Tour title.
🏆 Sonay Kartal def. Rebecca Sramkova 6-3, 7-5 to win the Jasmin Open (250) in Monastir, Tunisia. It’s the Brit’s first WTA Tour title.
🏆 Jil Teichmann def. Nuria Parrizas Diaz 7-6(8), 6-4 to win the Zavarovalnica Sava Ljubljana (125) in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It’s her first WTA 125 title.
📈 On the rise
📈 O’Connell strikes up 12 locations from No. 87 to No. 75 after his title in Guangzhou.
📈 Camila Osorio rises 20 locations from No. 81 to No. 61 after her run to the semifinals in Guadalajara.
📈 Fearnley ascends 35 spots from No. 164 to No. 129 after his title in Rennes.
📅 Arising
🎾 ATP
📍Chengdu, China: Chengdu Open (250) that includes Lorenzo Musetti, Shang Juncheng, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Nicolas Jarry.
📍Hangzhou, China: Hangzhou Open (250) that includes Marin Cilic (WC), Holger Rune, Zhang Zhizhen, Brandon Nakashima.
📍Berlin: Laver Cup that includes Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton.
📺 UK: Sky Sports activities; U.S.: Tennis Channel 💻 Tennis TV
🎾 WTA
📍Seoul: Korea Open (500) that includes Daria Kasatkina, Amanda Anisimova, Emma Raducanu, Diana Shnaider.
📍Hua Hin, Thailand: Match (250) that includes Wang Xinyu, Katerina Siniakova, Katie Volynets, Mayar Sherif.
📺 UK: Sky Sports activities; U.S.: Tennis Channel
Inform us what you observed this week within the feedback under as the lads’s and girls’s excursions proceed.
(Prime photograph: Getty Pictures; design: Eamonn Dalton)
