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Watch as Kei Nishikori visits Flying Cup in Dubai, with coach Dante Bottini, and discusses his first impressions of the city ahead of his debut at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.

Watch highlights as Stefanos Tsitsipas edges Mikhail Kukushkin to win the Open 13 Provence. Photo credit: Open 13 Provence. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.

Roger Federer began his chase for tour-level title No. 100 on Monday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, defeating German veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. The Swiss now leads Kohlschreiber 14-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

But the 37-year-old’s first match since his loss in the fourth round of the Australian Open to Stefanos Tsitsipas was not easy. While Federer looked in control early, breaking in the first game of the match and using that advantage to storm through the first set in 30 minutes, he was forced into a third set against Kohlschreiber for just the third time at an ATP Tour event. Ultimately, Federer forced an error with a strong cross-court forehand to break in his first return game of the decider and he held on to emerge victorious after one hour and 36 minutes.

Federer's Most Lopsided Rivalries

 Opponent  Record  David Ferrer  17-0  Mikhail Youzhny  17-0  Jarkko Nieminen  15-0  Philipp Kohlschreiber  14-0  Feliciano Lopez  13-0

"[My mindset was to] just somehow get through. Somehow try not to lose," Federer said. "I'm very pleased I was able to find a way. I actually played a really good third set, I thought."

Federer has only lost his opening match at a tournament once in the past 20 months, with that defeat coming in Miami last year against Thanasi Kokkinakis. Seven-time Dubai champion Federer now holds a 49-6 record at the ATP 500 event.

Early on, Federer dominated play with his first serve. He put Kohlschreiber on the back foot straight away, and only lost one first-serve point in the first set. But Kohlschreiber broke in his first return game of the second set, and began to put more pressure on the Swiss by placing his first-serve returns deeper in the court. That helped Kohlschreiber push Federer back, giving the German more chances to dictate play and force the 99-time tour-level champion to defend.

But the Swiss counter-punched well at the start of the third set to break Kohlschreiber and hold for 3-0, and Federer never looked back. While Kohlschreiber saved one break point at 1-4 with a beautifully angled backhand off of a drop volley, he could not avoid going down a double-break.

Federer hit a backhand passing shot straight at Kohlschreiber on his next opportunity, forcing an error before holding to love to clinch his victory. The 6'1" right-hander is trying to become just the second player in the Open Era to lift 100 tour-level trophies (after Jimmy Connors, 109).

The second seed will next face Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, who battled back to defeat qualifier Thomas Fabbiano 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Like with Kohlschreiber, Federer holds a lopsided FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead against Verdasco having triumphed in all six of their previous matches. The Swiss has won 13 of the 14 sets he has played against the 35-year-old left-hander, including a straight-sets victory in their most recent meeting, also in Dubai, four years ago.

"I think he's got one of those wonderful forehands on the [ATP] Tour. We've seen the great shot-making he has been able to produce over the course of his career," Federer said. "I'm happy that he's still going. I think he's a good player. He can definitely peak against the top guys. I think that's why he's still playing, for those kinds of matches, so I have to be careful."

While Federer survived the first round in Dubai for the 13th time in his 14th appearance, two seeds were upset on the first day of action.

World No. 12 Karen Khachanov suffered his fourth first-round defeat of the season, as Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili ousted the fourth-seeded Russian 6-4, 6-1 in 70 minutes. Basilashvili has enjoyed plenty of success at ATP 500 tournaments, winning his first two ATP Tour titles at this level last season in Hamburg and Beijing. The World No. 19 will next face defending champion Roberto Bautista Agut, who defeated Indian wild card Ramkumar Ramanathan 6-4, 6-3.

German Jan-Lennard Struff surprised seventh seed Milos Raonic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. Raonic had an overhead just a few feet from the net to save match point, but the former World No. 3 hit the smash down into the net. Struff will play for a spot in the quarter-finals against Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, who beat Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 7-6(5).

Did You Know?
- Federer has only lost once in his first-round match in Dubai. That defeat came 11 years ago against then-World No. 11 Andy Murray.
- With Khachanov and Raonic's losses, the only seeded player remaining on Federer's half of the draw is sixth seed Borna Coric.

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Rafael Nadal is thrilled to be back in Acapulco this week. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.

Watch as Stan Wawrinka paints the line against Ryan Harrison in Acapulco. Watch ATP Tour tennis streams live & on-demand on Tennis TV. Photo: Abierto Mexicano Telcel

John Millman crafts a flashy winner past Marcel Granollers in Acapulco. Watch ATP Tour tennis streams live & on-demand on Tennis TV.

Watch as John Millman hits a ridiculous hot shot against Marcel Granollers in Acapulco. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.

Watch as Marin Cilic talks about his recovery from a knee injury at the Australian Open ahead of his first appearance in nine years at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.

Watch as Milos Raonic discusses what it will take to triumph at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and his impressive start to the 2019 season. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.

Watch as Roger Federer discusses his desire to lift his 100th tour-level trophy at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, before sharing his thought process behind the decision to play on clay in 2019. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.

Watch as Kei Nishikori discusses his strong start to the season before looking ahead to his Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships debut. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.

Watch as seven-time champion Roger Federer joins Tournament Director Salah Tahlak at the Burj Khalifa to discuss his best moments at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Photo credit: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2019. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.

Steve Johnson is relieved to have won his first-round match in Acapulco against Mexican Gerardo Lopez Villasenor. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.

Watch as Borna Coric reflects on his decision to take a break after the Australian Open and shares his memories of reaching the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships semi-finals in 2015. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.

The ATP Tour begins its ninth week of the 2019 season with multiple ATP 500 tournaments taking place in Acapulco and Dubai, alongside the final leg of the 'Golden Swing' at the ATP 250 event in Sao Paulo. Rafael Nadal and Alexander Zverev headline the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, Kei Nishikori and Roger Federer lead the pack at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and Rio Open presented by Claro finalists Laslo Djere and Felix Auger-Aliassime feature in a highly competitive field at the Brasil Open.

View Draws: Acapulco | Dubai | Sao Paulo

10 THINGS TO WATCH IN ACAPULCO

1) Two for One: The Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC is one of two ATP 500 events occurring this week, alongside the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. In Acapulco, World No. 2 Rafael Nadal returns to try to claim the title for a third time, after victories in 2005 and 2013. Top 10 players Alexander Zverev and John Isner will also compete alongside former champions David Ferrer and Sam Querrey.

2) Rafa’s Return: Top-seeded Nadal has a stellar 14-1 win-loss at Acapulco. The Spaniard took his only loss at the event in his most recent match, falling in straight sets in the 2017 final to Querrey. Nadal is playing just his second event of 2019, after his finalist showing at the Australian Open.

3) From A to Z: Second-seeded Zverev comes back to Acapulco after a successful tournament debut last year, where he reached the semi-finals before falling to eventual champion Juan Martin del Potro. World No. 3 Zverev, who made the Australian Open fourth round for the first time, is playing just his second ATP Tour draw of 2019, having recently withdrawn from the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam due to an ankle injury.

4) One More Try: No. 3 seed Isner has yet to claim a win at Acapulco in four previous appearances. The top-ranked American lost his first two matches of 2019 at the ASB Classic and the Australian Open, but his year is warming up after back-to-back semi-finals at the New York Open and Delray Beach Open.

5) Final Appearance For Ferrer: Former World No. 3 Ferrer has received a wild card into one of his most prolific events, before the Spaniard plans to play his final tournament at the Mutua Madrid Open in May. Ferrer owns a staggering 31-7 record in Acapulco, winning 19 matches in a row between 2010 and 2013. The 36-year-old won three straight titles from 2010 to 2012, and picked up a fourth trophy in 2015.

6) Former Champ: Querrey was 2-2 at Acapulco before he beat No. 6 Kei Nishikori en route to the 2016 semi-finals, where he lost to Dominic Thiem. He dramatically improved that result in the next edition, avenging his loss to Thiem in the 2017 quarter-finals before handing Nadal his first loss at Acapulco in the final. The American came back in 2018 as the World No. 11, but lost in the first round.

7) What A Climb: Diego Schwartzman was Nadal’s first-round victim in the Spaniard's 2013 Acapulco title run, when the Argentine was a 157th-ranked qualifier. Schwartzman has since climbed up the ATP Rankings, hitting a career-high No. 11 ranking last year. The No. 4 seed was forced to retire during his first-round match at Rio de Janeiro last week as the defending champion, due to a right leg injury.

8) Youth Will Be Served: #NextGenATP players Alex de Minaur and Frances Tiafoe continue to post breakthrough results in 2019. No. 5 seed de Minaur won his first career ATP Tour singles title in his birthplace of Sydney in January. No. 6 seed Tiafoe reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the 2019 Australian Open, becoming the youngest American major quarter-finalist since 2003.

9) Going Wild: 2019 Australian Open Boys’ Singles finalist Emilio Nava received a wild card into the main draw. The 17-year-old will play his first ATP Tour match against Mackenzie McDonald, who beat No. 4 Del Potro to reach his first ATP Tour semi-final last week at the Delray Beach Open.

10) Double Duty: Top seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares will attempt to win their third consecutive Acapulco title this week. Also in the field are fellow two-time winners Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan. Last week at the Delray Beach Open, Bob Bryan won his first title since having hip surgery last August. 

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10 THINGS TO WATCH IN DUBAI

1) Two for One: The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is one of two ATP 500 events taking place this week, alongside the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco. In Dubai, Roger Federer will aim for a record-extending eighth title, while No. 1 seed Kei Nishikori makes his tournament debut seeking his second trophy of 2019. Roberto Bautista Agut also returns, aiming to lift his second straight title at the event.

2) Roger Returns: A title for Federer this week would mark the 100th tour-level singles championship of his career. The Swiss superstar won the first of his seven Dubai titles in 2003; it was his sixth singles title and came before any of his record 20 Grand Slam crowns. Federer opens his campaign with a 14th FedEx ATP Head2Head clash against Philipp Kohlschreiber. The Swiss owns a perfect 13-0 record against the 35-year-old German.

3) Special Kei: Top seed Nishikori comes into Dubai in strong form. Having lost his previous nine finals, Nishikori won his first title since 2016 by defeating Daniil Medvedev in the Brisbane International final during the first week of this season. The Japanese then recorded a third straight quarter-final-or-better showing at a Grand Slam event in Melborne, before a run to the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament semi-finals in Rotterdam.

4) The Champ is Here: Bautista Agut entered Dubai last year on a three-match losing streak, but the Spaniard beat Lucas Pouille in the 2018 final for the first ATP 500 title of his career. The Spaniard owns a 10-1 in 2019 after winning the Qatar ExxonMobil Open and making his first Grand Slam quarter-final in Melbourne.

5) More Marin: No. 3 seed Marin Cilic returns to action for the first time since his fourth-round loss to Bautista Agut at the Australian Open. That is his lone event of the year so far: Cilic withdrew from the events in Pune and Rotterdam with knee injuries. The Croatian is back in Dubai for the first time since reaching his second straight quarter-final at the ATP 500 event in 2010.

6) Russians Risen: 22-year-old Karen Khachanov and Medvedev, who just turned 23, are flying the flag for Russia in the Top 15, having won seven singles titles between them since the start of 2018. They were two of the 10 men under 23 to reach the Australian Open third round, which was the most at a Grand Slam event since the same amount made that stage at 2008 Roland Garros.

7) Greece Lightning: In 2018, Stefanos Tsitsipas became the first Greek player to rank inside the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings, win an ATP Tour title, and play an ATP Masters 1000 final. The 20-year-old is still on the rise in 2019, as he made his first Grand Slam semi-final in Melbourne, becoming the youngest major semi-finalist since Novak Djokovic at the 2007 US Open. He won his second ATP Tour title last week at the Open 13 Provence.

8) Berd is the Word: Tomas Berdych reached consecutive Dubai finals in 2013 (l. to Djokovic) and 2014 (l. to Federer). The Czech missed half of 2018 due to injuries, but has put together a great 11-4 start to 2019, making the Qatar ExxonMobil Open final and the Open Sud de France semi-finals.

9) Going Wild: Marcos Baghdatis received one of the three wild cards this week; the Cypriot was the 2016 Dubai runner-up, falling to Stan Wawrinka. The other former finalist in the field is Fernando Verdasco, who lost to then-World No. 1 Andy Murray in the 2017 championship match.

10) Double Duty: Two-time defending champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau go for the hat trick in the doubles draw. The Dutch-Romanian duo is 10-2 over the past four years at the tournament. Meanwhile, No. 1 seeds Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic seek their first match wins at the event.

10 THINGS TO WATCH IN SAO PAULO

1) Three-Time Champ: Ten of the players in the Sao Paulo draw already have clay court titles under their belt. Among them are wild card and No. 5 seed Pablo Cuevas, who claimed the Brasil Open title for three consecutive years, from 2015 to 2017. The Uruguayan also owns three other clay titles from 2014 Bastad, 2014 Umag, and 2016 Rio de Janeiro.

2) Clay Specialists: Among the other clay-court champions in Sao Paulo are Federico Delbonis (2014 Sao Paulo, 2016 Marrakech), Leonardo Mayer (2014 and 2017 Hamburg), Roberto Carballes Baena (2018 Quito), Albert Ramos-Vinolas (2016 Bastad), Taro Daniel (2018 Istanbul), Paolo Lorenzi (2016 Kitzbuhel), Joao Sousa (2018 Estoril) and Juan Ignacio Londero (2019 Cordoba).

3) Maiden Titles: Londero of Argentina and Laslo Djere of Serbia claimed their first tour-level titles this season on clay. Londero, the Sao Paulo No. 7 seed, took the crown at the Cordoba Open earlier this month, while Djere won the title at the Rio Open presented by Claro on Sunday.

4) Leading the Pack: Sitting atop the draw this week is 2017 semi-finalist Joao Sousa, who is No. 38 in the ATP Rankings. Sousa owns three titles, the most recent at last year's Millennium Estoril Open. This is the first time Sousa has been the top seed in a tour-level draw.

5) #NextGenATP: Three #NextGenATP stars enter the draw in Sao Paulo, including 20-year-old Casper Ruud, 18-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime, and 18-year-old Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild. Seyboth Wild is the reigning US Open Boys' Singles champion.

6) Career Highs: Auger-Aliassime and Djere faced off in the Rio de Janeiro final on Sunday, each seeking their first career title. The 23-year-old Djere took the win, improving his ranking from No. 90 to a career-high No. 37. Auger-Aliassime jumped to a career-high No. 60.

7) Big Breakthrough: World No. 389 Pedro Sakamoto of Brazil is into his first ATP Tour main draw after advancing through qualifying, where he defeated former World No. 37 Carlos Berlocq. Sakamoto fell in the second round of qualifying in Sao Paulo last year.

8) Title Defence: Delbonis and Maximo Gonzalez teamed up to claim the doubles trophy here last year and return to defend their championship this week. Gonzalez won a title earlier this month at the Argentina Open (w/ Zeballos) and reached the Cordoba Open final (w/ Jarry).

9) Joining Forces: The top-seeded tandem of Cuevas and Horacio Zeballos team up with 20 tour-level doubles titles between them, two of which were in Sao Paulo. Cuevas was the 2010 doubles champion (w/ M. Granollers), while Zeballos triumphed in 2016 (w/ Peralta). Zeballos has lifted 11 doubles titles, while Cuevas owns nine.

10) Past Champions: Others in the doubles draw with previous Brasil Open titles include 2017 winner Rogerio Dutra Silva (w/ Sa), who enters as a wild card with Thomaz Bellucci, and 2014 titlist Philipp Oswald (w/ Garcia-Lopez), who teams up with David Marrero this week.

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No. 37 (Career High) Laslo Djere, +53
The 23-year-old Serbian broke into the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings for the first time by capturing his first ATP Tour title at the Rio Open presented by Claro (d. Auger-Aliassime). Djere recorded the first Top 10 win of his career over World No. 8 Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-3 in the first round. He rose from No. 90 to a career-high World No. 37. Read More & Watch Rio Final Highlights  

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No. 11 (Career High) Stefanos Tsitsipas, +1
The #NextGenATP Greek moves one step closer to breaking into the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings after bouncing back from early losses in Sofia and Rotterdam with his second ATP Tour title. A 7-5, 7-6(5) victory over Mikhail Kukushkin in the Open 13 Provence final on Sunday ensured Tsitsipas rose one spot to a career-high of No. 11. Read More & Watch Marseille Final Highlights 

View Latest ATP Rankings

No. 52 (Career High) Radu Albot, +30
The 29-year-old became the first Moldovan to win an ATP Tour title on Sunday by saving three championship points to beat qualifier Daniel Evans 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(7) in the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com final. Albot, who beat Ivo Karlovic, Nick Kyrgios, Steve Johnson and Mackenzie McDonald en route to the title match, leaped 30 places from No. 82 to No. 52. Read More & Watch Delray Beach Final Highlights  

No. 60 (Career High) Felix Auger-Aliassime, +44
The 18-year-old #NextGenATP Canadian rose 44 places and into the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings for the first time, at No. 60, winning four straight matches — including a first-round win over Fabio Fognini — en route to the Rio de Janeiro final (l. to Albot).

Other Notable Top 100 Movers This Week
No. 21 David Goffin, +3
No. 25 Diego Schwartzman, -6
No. 39 (Career High) Mikhail Kukushkin, +11
No. 44 John Millman, -7
No. 63 (Career High) Ugo Humbert, +12
No. 67 Nicolas Jarry, -20
No. 69 Aljaz Bedene, +14
No. 71 (Career High) Mackenzie McDonald, +13
No. 76 Mischa Zverev, -11
No. 79 Jordan Thompson, -11
No. 87 Peter Gojowczyk, -27
No. 88 Tomas Berdych, -17
No. 95 (Career High) Hugo Dellien, +18
No. 98 Ilya Ivashka, -17

Watch Roger Federer battle past German veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Watch live tennis streams at http://www.tennistv.com.

No player finished the 2018 ATP Tour season on a higher note than Alexander Zverev. The 21-year-old became the youngest player to win the Nitto ATP Finals since Novak Djokovic in 2008. Zverev was also the first German to triumph at the season finale since Boris Becker in 1995.

But Zverev fell short of earning his best performance at a Grand Slam last month in Melbourne, losing to former World No. 3 Milos Raonic in straight sets in the fourth round of the Australian Open. In his first tournament since, the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, the second seed is eager to return to winning ways. Zverev is pursuing his 11th ATP Tour title.

“Every player has played more than me, basically. But I’m looking forward to it,” said Zverev, who faces qualifier Alexei Popyrin in the first round. “I’m looking forward to really getting going now because it’s a busy schedule with the Masters [1000] series coming up [in Indian Wells and Miami] and also on clay I have a very busy schedule,” Zverev said. “It’s very exciting.”

Two days before the Australian Open, Zverev turned his ankle during practice. While the World No. 3 says he has not fully recovered, and he still tapes the ankle, the German is happy that he gave it time to heal to allow himself the best chance to recover.

“I had to take Rotterdam off, unfortunately, and I was with a doctor that I’ve seen for a long time already,” Zverev said. “I hope it’s going to get better, and I hope I’ll be pain-free very shortly.”

It certainly doesn’t hurt that Zverev is returning to action in Acapulco, where he is staying in a house that is 20 metres from the beach. While Zverev is fully focused on the tennis, the setting is an added bonus.

“I go every morning to the beach. I enjoy the water a lot. I think this place is in a way a holiday,” Zverev said. “We do obviously practice a lot. I’ve been practising four hours a day. But in a way this is still holidays for us and we enjoy being here.”

Did You Know?
Zverev competed in Acapulco for the first time last season. The German lost to Juan Martin del Potro in the semi-finals.

Radu Albot was on the verge of defeat on Sunday in his first ATP Tour final. But the Moldovan saved three championship points against Daniel Evans to triumph at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com.

At the beginning of the year, the 29-year-old aimed to break into the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings, and on Monday he will climb to a career-high No. 52. Albot also made Moldovan history, becoming the first player from his country to lift an ATP Tour title. Albot spoke to ATPTour.com after the match to reflect on his maiden moment.

First-Time Winners In 2019

Player
Age Tournament
Alex de Minaur 19  Sydney  Tennys Sandgren 27  Auckland  Juan Ignacio Londero 25  Cordoba  Reilly Opelka 
21
New York Laslo Djere 
23
Rio de Janeiro Radu Albot
29
Delray Beach

How does it feel to be holding your first ATP Tour trophy?
It feels unbelievable. You work so much, you work your whole life, your whole career and at the end you win a tournament. This is just a great feeling. I think it’s difficult to put into words.

Was this a goal you had as a junior growing up, working your way up to when you started as a professional? Did you ever think you’d be here one day at 29 holding a trophy?
In my career I’ve had a lot of goals. My first goal was to break the Top 500 of the ATP Rankings, then it was 300, then 150, then the Top 100. Now I had the goal of breaking the Top 50, and I am close to it with this win. I'm closer to the goal than ever.

If you ask me if I was thinking of holding a trophy as a kid, not really. It’s a tough sport. Everybody is playing unbelievable tennis nowadays. You play a guy who is No. 200 and you can lose. You play a guy who is No. 400, you can lose. It’s just so physical and so mental here. I think it’s a surprise for me as well that I won, but I’ll take it. I played great tennis the whole week.

It was your first ATP Tour final against someone who had been in just one final before. Can you talk about that?
I was trying not to think much about it because the thoughts might be there too much in your head. You just try to focus on your game and your gameplan, what you’re doing good and your opponent is doing good so you can adjust. You just make it as simple as possible, like another match. You don’t want to be struggling thinking about how it’s a final. You don’t need to get tight.

You’re the first player from Moldova to win an ATP Tour title and you had the flag after the match. What does that mean?
This means a lot, being the first guy who has ever won an ATP Touyr title from Moldova. It’s a big thing. Nobody is playing professional tennis from my country at the moment. Nobody has an ATP Ranking point.

It’s a tough sport, it’s tough to break through. I say all the time the same thing, I hope that the kids will watch, the kids will get inspired, the kids will practise, get better, come out here and hopefully be better than me. I really hope there will be another player from Moldova who will get another title or go higher in the ATP Rankings than Radu Albot.

You came back from a set down in your last three matches. Talk about your fight all week.
I always try to fight until the last point. Even today, I was three match points down, but I was fighting. I was just being there on the court. Every time I lose a set, I just continue to play. It’s just half of a match. You don’t need to drop your game or let the other set get away from you. That’s what I was focusing on in the last three matches, and luckily it worked out pretty well.

What was it like in the third set when you had the break at the rain delay and then led 4-2, a chance for 5-2 and he broke you back?
This is the sport. This is tennis. It happens a lot. You’re winning, you’re leading and suddenly 10 minutes later you’re down and you’re defending everywhere in the court and saving match points. In the rain delay we did not talk much about tactics. I talked to my coach and we just kept doing what I was doing before, no new tactics. The first game it worked, it worked good later on but I just didn’t convert the second break to go 5-2 up and I think that would have been the key and it would’ve been an easier end to the match for me.

What did you learn during the week in putting together five wins at an ATP Tour event for the first time?
It’s a very good question. I honestly don’t know the answer. It’s difficult to win five matches in a row on the ATP Challenger Tour or in a Futures. To win five in a row at an ATP Tour event against great players, Top 100 players, Top 30 players, this is a different level. I was just 5-0 this week and we keep going.

You’re now just outside the Top 50 only two months into the season, and that was your goal before the year. Do you have any new goals?
It’s a little bit too quick to think about it. I just finished my match. Of course, even if you’re No. 1 in the world, you have different goals. You will not be like, ‘Okay, I’m done. I’m going to put my racquet into the bag and quit.’ Everybody has goals. I am close to No. 50, and for sure there will be different goals I want to achieve in the future.

How about bringing Magnus Tideman onto your team as a coach? How has he helped your game?
We met in December. We hadn’t talked to each other ever. We started to work at the Australian Open. This was the only tournament where I hadn't won a match at a Grand Slam, so this year I won my first Australian Open match.

It’s just a lot of belief, a lot of little things that maybe you don’t pay attention to, but it works. Of course I’ve been working hard even before Magnus. It’s not like something crazy happened, it’s just good timing and good vibes. The connection between Magnus and I has worked pretty well, and I love it.

Is there anyone who you’d like to acknowledge who has helped you get to where you are today?
I would like to say a lot of thanks, first of all, to my parents. Even in the middle of the night they are watching my matches, it doesn’t matter where I play. In Australia, in the United States, any state in the United States, they are watching all my matches. Even though I think they’re awake, I didn’t take my phone out yet to check. For sure, they called me and they texted me.

I’d like to say thanks a lot to the president of the Moldovan Tennis Federation… he helped me a little bit financially when I had trouble in my career. Hopefully he will keep helping me in the future. I also want to say thanks to my ex-coach, who helped me a lot, Leon Smith. He’s helping Gael Monfils now. I want to thank my girlfriend, who is a big, big, big part of the team. She’s not just like a girlfriend. Her name is Doina Chiorescu.

For people who are not familiar with Moldova, tell them what they should know about your country.
Moldova is situated between Romania and Ukraine in Europe. It’s a pretty small country with a population of four million people. The capital is Chisinau, this is where I live, and there is only a population of one million.

My country is very, very famous for cellars under the ground. There are hundreds of kilometres and you cannot walk there. You have to take a car and drive the car underground to see the wine cellars. This is the most famous thing we have in Moldova. A lot of tourists go there and a lot of wine experts. There are a lot of hard-working people and unfortunately they're not really paid well at home.