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Fognini beat Paire, French won doubles
Matteo Berrettini clinched Italy's spot in the ATP Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, defeating Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-2 to seal his country's tie against France. Fabio Fognini battled past Benoit Paire 6-1, 7-6(2) in a roller-coaster match earlier in the day.

Berrettini has dominated at Melbourne Park, defeating two of the top 11 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings — Dominic Thiem and Monfils — to lead his country out of Group C. The Italian, who went just 9-6 in singles play last year, is a combined 3-0 in singles and doubles at this ATP Cup.

"It's a great team, great guys. We are enjoying on court, but off court as well. I think when you're playing for your country, for your team, it's something special," Berrettini said in his on-court interview. "Definitely this is a competition that I missed last year and this year I was really looking forward to playing. I'm happy to be here and really happy for my team because we are through to the semi-finals."

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/matt ... ew'>Matteo Berrettini</a>

The World No. 10 went down an early break against Monfils, and he appeared in for a battle. In their only previous ATP Head2Head meeting, in the 2019 US Open quarter-finals, Berrettini needed three hours and 57 minutes across five gruelling sets to triumph.

But this time, Berrettini's consistent power proved too much for the World No. 11, who increasingly misfired as the match went on. French captain Richard Ruckelshausen urged his charge to stay aggressive, but to do so by taking the ball early and using his feet, not necessarily by trying to crush the ball.

While Monfils enjoyed some moments of brilliance, his Italian opponent never got too high or too low, and he did not overdo his aggression when Monfils attempted to extend points.

Monfils tried to pump himself up throughout the match. After receiving treatment on his right shoulder during the 4-1 changeover in the second set, the Frenchman earned a service break to keep his hopes alive. But Berrettini broke serve five times in his one-hour, 34-minute victory, which he finished with a forehand volley winner.

"I was ready for any score. I kept going," Berrettini said. "I thought about my weapons and that's how I won the match."

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/fabi ... iew'>Fabio Fognini</a>

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.

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.

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

How To Watch

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,” 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.

Italy ultimately defeated France 2-1 in the tie. French doubles stars Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin earned a win for their country by beating Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-3, 6-4 in 67 minutes.

Last year, the Frenchmen went 0-3 at the ATP Cup. But they showed a solid level against the Italians, winning all 10 of their service games.

Berrettini defeats Bautista Agut and Fognini beats Carreno Busta
One year ago, the Italians did not advance out of the group stage of the ATP Cup. Now, they are into the championship match against Russia.

Matteo Berrettini sealed his country's spot in the final on Saturday with a 6-3, 7-5 victory against Roberto Bautista Agut, giving Italy an insurmountable 2-0 lead against Spain. Earlier in the day, Fabio Fognini clawed past Pablo Carreno Busta 6-2, 1-6, 6-4.

"It's an unbelievable feeling," Berrettini said in his on-court interview. "Last year I couldn't make it, so I'm really happy that the first time that I played we are into the final. The job is not done yet, but we are really happy for what is happening."

Berrettini has been a star for Italy in this ATP Cup, going 3-0 in singles and partnering Fognini in a deciding doubles victory against Austria in Group C play. The World No. 10 has beaten three of the top 13 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings without losing a set.

"I'm feeling good. I'm feeling pumped. I'm feeling great to play not just for me, but for my team and for Italy in general. That's what matters the most," Berrettini said. "I'm really looking forward to playing tomorrow."

Team Italy
The 24-year-old used a combination of controlled aggression and finesse to battle past the Spaniard after one hour and 26 minutes. The Italians jumped up and down in a huddle in their Team Zone after the match, celebrating their triumph. Russia, led by Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, awaits in the final.

"For sure it's a final, so we are the two best teams. These two guys, they played unbelievable at the end of 2020. They're still playing really good, but it's a final, anything can happen," Berrettini said. "They are great players, but we also have a great team, so it's going to be a tough one."

Berrettini now leads Bautista Agut 4-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, with each of his four victories coming in straight sets. Bautista Agut took a medical timeout after the first set, but that did not stop the Spaniard from battling hard. The 32-year-old added more pace to the groundstrokes to try to push the Italian back.

But Berrettini, who bulldozed his way through the opening set with his power, used his backhand slice and drop shot to great effect, and seized the deciding service break with a tremendous forehand passing shot.

How To Watch

Fognini responded to every challenge thrown his way in the No. 2 singles match to give Italy a 1-0 lead in its ATP Cup semi-final against Spain.

Fognini clawed past Carreno Busta 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 in a roller coaster battle that lasted two hours and 21 minutes. The Spaniard had won their seven previous ATP Head2Head meetings.

"I'm happy because of course this week I started slowly and I'm getting better and better," Fognini said on court. "The sensations are good."

After getting broken in the first game of the match, Fognini appeared concerned as he had the trainer visit to re-wrap his left ankle. But while the number seven was a bad omen for the Italian against Carreno Busta entering their No. 2 singles match, it proved a lucky number for Fognini at Melbourne Park.


The World No. 17 won seven seven consecutive games to seemingly take control of the match. Fognini was playing with controlled aggression, while the always steady Carreno Busta was making uncharacteristic unforced errors.

However, the rain threw a wrench in Fognini’s plans. At 1-0 in the second set, a delay of about 30 minutes changed the momentum. The players switched roles upon the resumption of play, with Carreno Busta back to his steady self and Fognini misfiring.

"I was playing really good tennis in the first set and then thats when we closed the roof. But I think I played three, four games in the second set really, really tight," Fognini said. "I was feeling really great even if I was losing those games. In the third set I think I played good tennis again."


With national pride on the line, the Italian maintained his composure and found his game early in the deciding set. He began showing the jaw-dropping shotmaking that helped him crack the Top 10 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in 2019. But Carreno Busta, who was advised by captain Pepe Vendrell, coach Samuel Lopez and World No. 2 Rafael Nadal in Spain’s Team Zone, rallied from a double-break down in the third set to get within two points of getting back on serve.

While the Spaniard saved three match points on his serve, he was unable to hold off Fognini. The Italian's firepower proved decisive, and he finished off his victory with a perfect backhand drop volley. Fognini began his week with a straight-sets loss against World No. 100 Dennis Novak of Austria, but he has found his rhythm at Melbourne Park.

Spain did not play the doubles match, making the final tie score 3-0.

Italian to face De Minaur in third round

Fabio Fognini is no stranger to five-set matches. The Italian has contested 36 of them throughout his career (23-13), which now includes seven encounters at the Australian Open.

Fognini stepped onto John Cain Arena on Thursday holding a three-match winning streak in five-set clashes at the opening major championship of the year, and he extended that run to four victories by saving match point to overcome countryman Salvatore Caruso 4-6, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(12).

With neither player able to break serve in a fifth set which lasted 85 minutes, Fognini and Caruso required a Match Tie-break to decide the outcome of the match. Fognini trailed 1/5 in the match decider and saved match point at 10/11 with patience in an extended baseline rally.

The 16th seed made the crucial breakthrough at 12/12, as he charged behind the baseline and ripped a cross-court backhand passing shot winner to earn his fourth match point. Fognini fired a powerful serve out wide to clinch victory after three hours and 56 minutes.

“I am tired as I was fighting for every point,” said Fognini, in an on-court interview.. “I had chances in the fifth set, two at 15/40 [in the seventh and 11th games]. I played one really bad, then the other he served well. I was lucky in the Match Tie-break. When you play against a compatriot it’s always tough. I gave everything until the end. I was 1/5 down, then he played two bad points. At 5/5, anything was possible and I held on.”

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Fognini has become an expert at surviving fifth-set Match Tie-breaks at the Australian Open. Since the tournament changed its match-ending format in 2019, the Italian has entered a fifth-set Match Tie-break on three occasions. He owns a 3-0 record in those matches. Fognini’s previous two wins in this format came in his opening two matches of last year’s event. The 33-year-old outlasted Reilly Opelka and Jordan Thompson en route to the fourth round.

If Fognini is to make it that far in Melbourne this year, he will need to get past Australian No. 1 Alex de Minaur in the third round. De Minaur advanced to the third round for the second time in Melbourne with a 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 win against Pablo Cuevas. The 21st seed won 86 per cent of his first-serve points (44/51) to advance in one hour and 58 minutes.

“Pablo is a very skilled, veteran player and I had to be on my top game to get through tonight,” said De Minaur, in an on-court interview. “I am very happy with how I maintained my focus throughout the whole match. I played some great quality tennis and yet again, I am happy to be back.”

De Minaur has equalled his best Australian Open result by reaching the third round. The 21-year-old also made it to the third round in 2019, when he lost in straight sets to 2009 champion Rafael Nadal. De Minaur missed last year’s event with an abdominal injury.

When asked about facing De Minaur, Fognini said: “[It will be] really tough. I think, at this moment, he is the favourite because of course he's coming from Antalya, where he won a tournament… I'm 33, almost 34, and I wish my body recovers really quickly, because I think Alex is one of the faster guys on the circuit, and he's really solid from both sides. Hopefully, it's going to be an interesting match.”

Joins Federer with 300 or more Grand Slam match wins

Eight-time champion Novak Djokovic worked hard on Sunday night for a place in the Australian Open quarter-finals for the 12th time.

The World No. 1 became only the second man (after Roger Federer) to record 300 match wins at the four Grand Slam championships (300-45) with a 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Canadian No. 14 seed Milos Raonic in two hours and 56 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.

Most Grand Slam Singles Match Wins (Open Era, as of 14 February 2021)

Rank Player Win-Loss Record
1) Roger Federer (SUI) 362-59
2) Novak Djokovic (SRB) 300-45
3) Rafael Nadal (ESP) 284-39
4) Jimmy Connors (USA) 233-49
5) Andre Agassi (USA) 224-53
Djokovic showed few signs of the abdominal muscle injury that he picked up in his third-round victory over No. 27 seed Taylor Fritz on Friday, striking 41 winners — including 10 aces — past Raonic. Djokovic improves to a perfect 12-0 ATP Head2Head record against the Canadian, who struck 26 aces and had strapping applied to his right ankle in the second set.

“I had no preparation for this match," said Djokovic. "I used every hour I had to recover since the Taylor match. My physio and those of the ATP and Australian Open gave me their best support to get on the court. I have definitely been fitter in the past and I will continue to take each day one at a time.”

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The 34-year-old Djokovic, who is six matches unbeaten in 2021, will now challenge sixth-seeded German Alexander Zverev, who beat No. 23 seed Dusan Lajovic earlier in the day at Melbourne Park. Djokovic leads Zverev 5-2 in their ATP Head2Head series, including a 6-7(3), 6-2, 7-5 victory at the recent ATP Cup.

“Sascha is one of the top men’s players in the past five years,” said Djokovic. “He has won the [Nitto] ATP Finals title and is an established Top 10 player. He has the weapons, a big serve and moves well for his height. We played an exhausting match at the ATP Cup recently and I won’t expect anything less when we meet in the quarter-finals.”

Raonic

Raonic quickly tested out Djokovic with powerful serves, curious to see the full extent of the Serbian's movement. But the Canadian was the first to come under pressure at 3-3, when Djokovic hit a forehand into the net on his first break point. Djokovic won the first three points of the tie-break and clinched the 56-minute opener when Raonic struck a forehand slice into the net off a deep forehand.

Djokovic continued to do a good job of keeping Raonic in baseline rallies, but could not convert one break point in the second game of the second set. Raonic came through a medical time out for a right ankle injury after the third game and broke Djokovic’s serve for the first time at 2-2 with a forehand crosscourt winner. Raonic won four straight points to conclude the second set, which lasted 49 minutes.

Top seed Djokovic broke in the fourth and sixth game of the third set, which he wrapped up with quick reactions on a backhand volley. The Serbian committed just four unforced errors in the 29-minute set, and kept the pressure on 2016 semi-finalist Raonic, who appeared to be hampered by his ankle injury on return of serve, in the fourth set.

Raonic recovered from 15/40 at 1-1 in the fourth set, but Djokovic broke decisively at 4-4. The Serbian joined Federer (362-59) in the 300 match wins club at the major championships with a hold to 15, and now has two days to prepare for Zverev.

Five former season finale titlists among Top 10

Six weeks into the 2021 season and three Italians have already laid down early markers for a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 14-21 November.

Matteo Berrettini, who joined forces with Fabio Fognini to lead Italy into the ATP Cup final (l. to Russia), sits in sixth position on 495 points in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin. Berrettini, who made his Nitto ATP Finals debut in 2019, has a 6-1 match record this year after a run to the Australian Open fourth round.

Fognini, who lost to Rafael Nadal (360 points) in the fourth round at Melbourne Park, will be hoping to delight Italian fans by securing his first singles qualification at the season finale. The 33-year-old Fognini, who partnered Simone Bolelli in the 2015 doubles competition at The O2 in London, sits in ninth place (380 points).

Jannik Sinner also got his 2021 campaign off to a strong start by earning his second ATP Tour trophy at the Great Ocean Road Open (d. Travaglia) prior to the hard-court major championship. The 19-year-old #NextGenATP star, who captured the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals trophy in Milan, is currently tied in 14th position with 260 points.

View Latest FedEx ATP Race To Turin Standings

The 2021 FedEx ATP Race To Turin already has a familiar feel with eight of the Top 12 positions filled with former Nitto ATP Finals participants.

While Novak Djokovic, defending champion Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas currently hold the top three spots, Aslan Karatsev, who qualified for the Australian Open and reached the semi-finals (l. to Djokovic), has jumped 325 places to fourth position on 745 points. The 27-year-old Russian is just 75 points ahead of his ATP Cup team mate, Andrey Rublev (670 points), who lost to compatriot Medvedev in the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park.

The 22-year-old Australian Alex de Minaur, who captured his fourth ATP Tour title at the Antalya Open (d. Bublik) in the first week of 2021, and 20-year-old #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, who advanced to the Australian Open fourth round (l. to Karatsev) after a runner-up finish at the Murray River Open (l. to Evans), are placed 11th and 12th respectively.

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Medvedev, who beat Dominic Thiem for the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals crown, is currently 440 points behind five-time former titlist Djokovic (2,140 points). World No. 1 Djokovic ended Medvedev’s 20-match winning streak on Sunday with 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 victory for his ninth Australian Open title.

They are joined in the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Race To Turin by three other former champions: third-placed Greek Tsitsipas (2019), who lost to Medvedev in the semi-finals at Melbourne Park, No. 7-placed German Alexander Zverev (2018) and No. 8-placed Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov (2017), who both reached the last eight at the hard-court major.

Nadal, the 2010 and 2013 runner-up at the Nitto ATP Finals, is in 10th position on 360 points. The Spaniard has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals every year since 2005.

Did You Know?
The top seven players in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin after the Rolex Paris Masters on 8 November 2021 qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. If there is one current-year Grand Slam champion positioned between No. 8 and No. 20 in the Race, he qualifies in eighth place. If there are two current-year Grand Slam champions positioned between No. 8 and No. 20 in the Race, the highest-placed of those players becomes the eighth and final qualifier; the lower-placed Grand Slam champion will serve as the alternate. If there are no current-year Grand Slam champions positioned between No. 8 and No. 20, then the player at No. 8 in the Race will claim the eighth and final berth.