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Serbian Laslo Djere talks about beating Canadian Felix-Auger Aliassime to win the Rio Open presented by Claro. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.

Sergiy Stakhovsky helps a ball kid who was hit in the eye by a Stefanos Tsitsipas serve at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille. Watch ATP Tour tennis streams live & on-demand on Tennis TV.

The tennis world became familiar with #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime when he was just 14, as he became the youngest player to win a main draw match on the ATP Challenger Tour. On Saturday evening, he advanced to his maiden ATP Tour final at the Rio Open presented by Claro. He is only 18 years old.

But already, Auger-Aliassime presents himself with a veteran’s mindset. Plenty of fans throughout the world will be watching Auger-Aliassime as he tries to lift his maiden ATP Tour trophy against Laslo Djere on Sunday. But the right-hander does not feel any extra pressure.

“It’s something I’ve dealt with for a few years now. You just have to manage it, work on that and focus on what you have to do every day,” Auger-Aliassime said. “For me, [winning the] title or not [winning the] title is not the most important thing today [for me], because at the end I want to have a successful career, every year. I don’t want to be remembered for just a final or just a title when I was 18.”

During Auger-Aliassime’s press conference after the Canadian defeated 2016 champion Pablo Cuevas in the semi-finals, the teenager was asked about how much breaking records means to him. Auger-Aliassime is the youngest ATP 500 finalist since the level was established in 2009. The reporter mentioned how the #NextGenATP star can be in the same conversation as Rafael Nadal, who won his first title at 18.

“It shows that I’m doing good things and I’m on the right track. But I don’t want to compare myself too much,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Nadal is Nadal. He’s an unbelievable player and person. I have a different background, different story. It’s two completely different things. It’s not the same generation at all, and I don’t want to think about it today. I just want to right now enjoy the moment, try to find a way to win tomorrow, and that’s all I’m thinking about.”

Before the tournament, the wild card owned just seven tour-level victories. But Auger-Aliassime won his first three matches this week in straight sets, including a 6-2, 6-3 triumph against No. 2 seed Fabio Fognini in the first round, his greatest win by ATP Ranking (Fognini is World No. 16). When a former Rio de Janeiro champion in Cuevas battled back to force a decider in the last four, Auger-Aliassime did not fold.

It would have been easy to feel more pressure knowing that no seeds reached the quarter-finals at the ATP 500 event, and that this could be a good opportunity for him. But Auger-Aliassime has remained focused all week.

“You have to put that out of your mind. I think that’s a trap, [if] I think that because the seeds are out, that it’s going to get easier,” Auger-Aliassime said. “These players have also just beaten great players, so sometimes it’s like this and I really put that away because today I was playing Cuevas. He won the tournament here a few years ago, so it was again a tough match. He probably could have been seeded, so that wasn’t in my head at all.”

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The Brazilian crowd got behind Auger-Aliassime as he battled in the third set against the Uruguayan, and the Canadian made a heart with his hands after the match to show his appreciation to the fans.

“It’s been great. Every time you have a breakthrough as a young guy, it’s special moments and the environment is very important,” Auger-Aliassime said. “From the first day I felt like, ‘Yeah, I feel good.’ From the hotel we stayed at to the places I’ve seen and the energy from the people, it’s really strong. I strongly believe that it has pushed me to where I am today this week and maybe I can get one last push with the support of the crowd tomorrow.”

Auger-Aliassime can add his name into the record books again on Sunday by breaking Alexander Zverev’s record as the youngest ATP 500 titlist (19, 2016 Halle). But to him, that’s not what’s most important.

“I’m just looking to play good tennis and go as far as I can.”

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Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina and Nicolas Jarry of Chile picked up the biggest title of their careers on Saturday at the Rio Open presented by Claro, outlasting Brazilian wild cards Thomaz Bellucci and Rogerio Dutra Silva 6-7(5), 6-3, 10-7 in a thrilling final

Both teams held serve throughout the first set to force a tie-break, but a backhand return winner from Bellucci at 1/1 gave the Brazilians a mini-break and they held the lead for the rest of the set. A double fault from Dutra Silva allowed Gonzalez/Jarry to take a 2-0 lead in the second set and the Argentine-Chilean duo ultimately forced a Match Tie-break.

With the boisterous crowd that included former World No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten loudly cheering Bellucci/Dutra Silva on, the Brazilian pair fought back from being down a mini-break on two occasions. But at 7/8, Bellucci shockingly hit two double faults to hand Gonzalez/Jarry the title after one hour and 43 minutes.

This is the first ATP 500 title for both Gonzalez and Jarry. Gonzalez has won six ATP Tour doubles titles, including last week at the Argentina Open (w/Zeballos). Jarry earned his second ATP Tour doubles title, with his maiden trophy coming last year in Quito (w/Podlipnik-Castillo).

Despite the loss, Bellucci/Dutra Silva became the first all-Brazilian pair to reach the final in tournament history. They both drop to 1-2 in their individual ATP Tour doubles final records.

Gonzalez/Jarry earn 500 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $115,940 for their title run, while Bellucci/Dutra Silva walk away with 300 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $56,750.

Rafael Nadal has made the final at Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in each of his three previous appearances. But the Spaniard could face a string of early tests if he hopes to keep alive that streak in Acapulco.

There will not be a repeat champion at the ATP 500 event, as 2018 winner Juan Martin del Potro withdrew ahead of the draw to rest his knee. Last year, the Argentine beat three Top 10 opponents in his final three matches of the event to clinch his first victory in Mexico.

Nadal, competing for the first time since reaching the Australian Open final (l. to Djokovic), opens his tournament against 31-year-old German Mischa Zverev. The top seed has beaten his fellow left-hander in straight sets in two previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, including the first round in Acapulco two years ago.

But looming in the second round could be talented Aussie Nick Kyrgios, who has defeated Nadal twice in their five previous clashes. To set that tantalising encounter, Kyrgios would have to battle past Delray Beach quarter-finalist Andreas Seppi.

Former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka and seventh seed Steve Johnson are also in Nadal’s quarter of the draw. The Spaniard has won 28 of his 30 sets in Acapulco to earn a 14-1 record at the event, with his most recent match at the ATP 500 event being a straight-sets loss against Sam Querrey in the 2017 final.

Reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev, like Nadal, will try to lift his first trophy of the season in Acapulco. The German begins his tournament against a qualifier before facing former World No. 3 David Ferrer or Auckland champion Tennys Sandgren.

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Ferrer, a four-time champion in Acapulco, is retiring after the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain, so this will be his last appearance at this event. If Zverev should clash with Ferrer, the Spaniard has won two of their five battles.

All eyes will be on a potential quarter-final clash between Zverev and #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur, who is the fifth seed. Zverev has triumphed in all three of their FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, winning six consecutive sets in their rivalry. De Minaur faces Chilean Nicolas Jarry in the first round.

New York and Delray Beach semi-finalist John Isner will look to stay consistent in Acapulco, beginning his push against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, whom he defeated in the Delray Beach quarter-finals. Should Isner win, he will face a compatriot in the second round: 2017 champion Querrey or 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier Taylor Fritz.

Did You Know?
Nadal's two victories in Acapulco came when the tournament was held on clay courts. The ATP 500 event switched to hard courts in 2014.

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Watch Pablo Cuevas carve out a perfect backhand drop volley against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-finals of the Rio Open presented by Claro. Watch live tennis streams at http://www.tennistv.com.

Watch Pablo Cuevas make a desperate attempt to stay in a point in the semi-finals of the Rio Open presented by Claro. Watch live tennis streams at http://www.tennistv.com.

The dream week continues for #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The 18-year-old had not reached an ATP Tour semi-final before this tournament, but Auger-Aliassime on Saturday upset Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to make his first tour-level final at the Rio Open presented by Claro. The teenager is the youngest ATP 500 finalist since the level was established in 2009.

"It's unbelievable. It's so surreal. I always believe in myself but honestly, today, I had a slight chance to win I felt because Pablo is an unbelievable player. He won the tournament here, he's really experienced," Auger-Aliassime said. "But from the start, I felt good. After the first set I was like, 'Okay, I'm going to have a chance in this.' I'm really happy."

Youngest ATP 500 Finalists (All Lost)

 Player  Tournament  Age  Alexander Zverev  2016 Halle  19  Alex de Minaur  2018 Washington  19  Stefanos Tsitsipas  2018 Barcelona  19  Milos Raonic  2011 Memphis  20  Alexander Zverev  2017 Halle  20

The youngest ATP 500 champion is Alexander Zverev, who triumphed in Halle less than two months after his 19th birthday. Auger-Aliassime has won four ATP Challenger Tour titles, and, at age 14, he became the youngest player ever to win a main draw match at a Challenger.

Auger-Aliassime will face Serbian Laslo Djere on Sunday in a battle of first-time ATP Tour finalists. Djere moved into the championship match when Slovenian Aljaz Bedene withdrew due to a right leg injury. Djere had lost his previous three ATP Tour semi-finals.

"It's going to be a tough match. I haven't played Laslo, but I've seen what he's been doing," Auger-Aliassime said. "It's going to be a battle again, and we'll see the outcome."

Auger-Aliassime showed signs of nerves while serving at 4-2 in the decider, launching a forehand well long to give Cuevas his first break opportunity of the set. But the Canadian stayed calm and Cuevas made errors on the next three points to let Auger-Aliassime off the hook.

The 18-year-old appeared ready to confidently close out the match when he took a 40/0 lead on his serve at 5-3, but Cuevas played tremendous defence to put ball after ball in the court, making the Canadian beat him. At 40/30, Auger-Aliassime was unable to put away two overheads, adding to the tension. But Auger-Aliassime would not be denied, hitting a forehand swinging volley for a winner two points later to earn the biggest victory of his career after two hours and five minutes.

"That was the craziest thing that's ever happened to me. I played three unbelievable points to start [that game]. I didn't play bad either in the other points. It was just about finishing," Auger-Aliassime said. "I guess that's what happens when you're about to reach your first final."

The World No. 104, who will crack the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday, landed 88 per cent of his first serves in the third set. He saved five of the seven break points he faced against Cuevas, a six-time ATP Tour titlist.

Did You Know?
Before this event, Auger-Aliassime had made just one ATP Tour quarter-final, last year in Chengdu. There, as a lucky loser, Auger-Aliassime lost to Bernard Tomic in straight sets.

Great Britain’s Daniel Evans stunned John Isner and the American’s home crowd on Saturday, defeating the top seed 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 to reach the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com final.

There will be a first-time ATP Tour champion on Sunday, as Evans will face Moldovan Radu Albot, who will compete in his first final at this level. World No. 148 Evans is into just his second tour-level championship match after finishing runner-up at the 2017 Sydney International (l. to Muller).

"I just play every match as it comes, every point, every game. It sounds very cliché but... I'm just playing every match. It's not about beating John, it's not about beating [Andreas] Seppi. The ball is coming and I'm just trying to focus on myself," Evans said. "I'm moving well, I'm playing pretty good, so I think I'm difficult to play."

Isner appeared in good position with a 6-3, 2-2 lead, attempting to reach his first Delray Beach championship in his fourth semi-final at the event. Until that point, Isner had not been broken in 77 service games, with his most recent loss of serve coming in the fourth set of his opening-round defeat at the Australian Open against Reilly Opelka.

"I started to see his serve pretty well. I wouldn't say I was guessing, but I was sort of anticipating and I got it right," Evans said. "Other days I could be looking stupid going one way and he puts it the other way."

But Evans broke Isner three times in a row to completely change the momentum. The Brit used his one-handed backhand well once they got into rallies, keeping Isner's offence at bay, especially with his backhand slice. Isner made just 60 per cent of his first serves in the second set, allowing Evans to work his way into more rallies and put pressure on Isner to finish points, leading to errors from the baseline.

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"I returned really well when I got my racquet on the ball, and that was my goal," Evans said. "Just to get the ball back and get the running shoes on."

Evans has now won six matches in the tournament after coming through qualifying. In the first round of the main draw, he trailed defending champion Frances Tiafoe 1-4 in the third set of their first-round match, and had also come within two points of defeat in the second set. This was his third victory against an opponent inside the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings, also defeating Dominic Thiem (Sydney) and Marin Cilic (Australian Open) in January 2017.

"It's tennis. You get through those matches, you get another chance the next day, and I don't know about fate, but funny things do happen when you scrape through the first round," Evans said. "I'm playing good, so hopefully tomorrow I win."

Evans' opponent in the final, Albot, defeated home favourite Mackenzie McDonald 3-6, 6-0, 6-0 in one hour and 30 minutes.

"It's tennis, you have to win two [sets]. You lose one, you still fight, and that's what I was doing," Albot said. "I'm really happy that I could win the second and third. I'm really happy that I could win [those sets] 6-0, 6-0."

The Moldovan had reached two previous ATP Tour semi-finals, in Metz last September and in Montpellier earlier this month. But on each of those occasions, Albot won just four games. It appeared McDonald was in control after the first set, appearing to have too much firepower from the baseline for the 29-year-old.

Read Albot Feature: The Motivational Moldovan

But McDonald started to make errors off the forehand wing, and Albot took full advantage, putting an increasing amount of pressure on the American by making almost no mistakes during rallies and successfully counter-punching. Albot won 72 per cent of his return points in the final two sets. 

If Albot defeats Evans, he will become the first Moldovan to win an ATP Tour title, and move to the fringe of the Top 50 in the ATP Rankings. The only other Moldovan to reach the Top 200 since records have been kept is Roman Borvanov, whose career-high was No. 200 (in 2011).

"Tomorrow is a different day, different match," Albot said. "I think I need to relax a little bit, enjoy the moment and I will think about [the final] a little bit later."

>

Did You Know?
There have already been four first-time ATP Tour winners in 2019: Alex de Minaur (Sydney), Tennys Sandgren (Auckland), Juan Ignacio Londero (Cordoba) and Opelka (New York).

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Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan have triumphed at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com four times, and on Sunday, they’ll have a chance to make it five titles at the ATP 250 event.

The twins on Saturday afternoon defeated Marcelo Arevalo and Jamie Cerretani 6-3, 7-5 in 70 minutes, giving themselves a chance to lift their 117th tour-level trophy as a team. This is their first championship match since the 2018 Mutua Madrid Open. That was also the pair's last match of 2018, as Bob underwent a right hip replacement surgery last August.

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“I didn’t know if I was going to be in a position to hold up another professional trophy. I was happy when I played my first professional match back from the surgery, so this is a bonus,” Bob said. “We don’t take this for granted. We know this is the last chapter of our career and we’re just going to try to enjoy it as much as we can.”

The Americans enjoyed almost immediate success upon their return, advancing to the Australian Open quarter-finals. Bryan/Bryan lost to eventual champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut in Melbourne, but it did not take long for them to find their groove.

“When you have 40 years of experience, it comes back pretty quickly. We had three weeks together in December when we played a bunch of practice matches,” Mike said. “It was basically just filling in the holes, and he just needed to move better, which he started doing in Australia. Then it’s just handling the pressure again together and that’s what you need to do after a long break, just play those big matches.”

Fittingly, Arevalo/Cerretani were one of the teams that the brothers practised with in December. Bryan/Bryan did not face break point in their semi-final, breaking Arevalo/Cerretani twice to advance to the final. On Sunday, Bryan/Bryan will face Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski (not twins), who beat Radu Albot and Yoshihito Nishioka 6-4, 6-2 in 59 minutes. 

Read Feature: Why The Skupski Brothers Don't Look Over Their Shoulders

Skupski/Skupski won their only ATP Tour team title last year in Montpellier. Ken owns four tour-level doubles trophies, while Neal has two. Bryan and Bryan have won both previous meetings between the two teams (2017 Eastbourne and 2018 Houston).

Stefanos Tsitsipas continued his strong start to the 2019 ATP Tour season on Saturday, beating David Goffin 7-6(1), 6-2 to reach his first final of the year at the Open 13 Provence.

The #NextGenATP Greek, who defeated two-time defending champion Roger Federer en route to the Australian Open semi-finals last month, dropped only two points behind his first serve (28/30) and won eight of the last 10 games to triumph after 69 minutes. Tsitsipas improves to 3-2 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Goffin, adding to victories at the 2017 European Open and last year's Citi Open.

"I found rhythm in the worst possible moment," said Tsitsipas. "I found my rhythm and I found my game when he served at 6-5. I felt comfortable on the returns and the momentum was on my side."

Tsitsipas entered this week with a 0-2 record in Marseille, searching for form after early losses in Sofia (l. to Monfils) and Rotterdam (l. to Dzumhur). But the 20-year-old is now one win away from adding to his trophy cabinet. Tsitsipas ended last season by lifting his maiden ATP Tour title in Stockholm, before winning each of his five matches en route to the Next Gen ATP Finals crown in Milan.

"It is important to win titles. Titles mean a lot," said Tsitsipas. "[Titles] won't come to you. You have to work hard to get them... There is no better feeling than winning a title. It feels amazing."

After 10 consecutive service holds to reach 5-5, Goffin took away time from Tsitsipas to claim the first break of the match. But the Belgian could not serve out the set, with Tsitsipas taking the ball early on his backhand side to force a tie-break. The #NextGenATP Greek rode the momentum, maintaining his offensive court position to earn five set points at 6/1. Tsitsipas took his first opportunity, locking Goffin up on his return with a well-placed body serve.

Tsitsipas increased his advantage in the opening stages of the second set, dictating on his forehand side with great depth and moving up the court to earn consecutive breaks for a 3-0 lead. The Next Gen ATP Finals champion soon earned three match points at 5-2, converting his first chance after extracting a backhand error from Goffin with a forehand approach.

Tsitsipas will meet Mikhail Kukushkin for the second time in Sunday's championship match. The World No. 12 leads Kukushkin 1-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series after beating the Kazakh in three sets at last year's Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

"[Mikhail] is also in good form, he has been playing good tennis," said Tsitsipas. "He seems like he is doing well, so I am going to have to deal with it. It is not going to be easy, I can promise that."

Kukushkin reached his first tour-level championship match in more than four years after ending the run of French wildcard Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-4. The 31-year-old Kazakh, who reached his third ATP Tour final at the 2015 Sydney International (l. to Troicki), advanced to the championship match after one hour and 33 minutes, winning 83 per cent of service points (38/46) en route to victory. Kukushkin will be aiming to capture his second tour-level crown in Sunday's final, more than eight years after claiming his maiden title at the 2010 St. Petersburg Open (d. Youzhny).

"To play in the final of an ATP Tour tournament is a big moment in my career," said Kukushkin. "[It is] just the fourth time that I will play a final. It is a big stage in my career... I am going to play against a very difficult opponent [in the final] and he is going to be the favourite, but I will just concentrate on my game. I am going to enjoy this moment, being in the final, and then let's see what happens."

After failing to convert five break points in a marathon opening game, Kukushkin earned the only break of the first set at 1-1 with a dipping cross-court forehand passing shot. The Kazakh, who won each of his 20 service points in the opening set, continued to apply pressure to Humbert's serve in the second set, breaking at 2-2 with great court coverage. After dropping serve at 4-3, Kukushkin won back-to-back games, booking his place in the final with a well-placed backhand lob.

Appearing in his first ATP Tour semi-final, Humbert was aiming to add to a strong tradition of French finalists in Marseille. Since 2006, the home nation has had at least one representative in 10 of the past 13 singles finals.

Did You Know?
All four semi-finalists at the Open 13 Provence reached the last four without dropping a set.

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Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin reached their third tour-level final as a team on Saturday, beating Sander Arends and Tristan-Samuel Weissborn 6-3, 7-5 at the Open 13 Provence.

The French duo, which entered the tournament with a 1-2 team record in 2019, won 89 per cent of its first-serve points (40/45) and saved all three break points it faced to advance after 62 minutes. In 2017, Chardy and Martin reached two ATP Tour championship matches, triumphing in Doha (d. Pospisil/Stepanek) and finishing runner-up in Munich (l. to Cabal/Farah).

Chardy and Martin are yet to drop a set in Marseille, having also beaten Andre Begemann and Rameez Junaid in the first round and fourth seeds Denys Molchanov and Igor Zelenay in the quarter-finals. The unseeded pairing will aim to become the 12th all-French team to lift the trophy in Marseille since the tournament began in 1993.

Chardy and Martin will meet third seeds Ben McLachlan and Matwe Middelkoop in the final. McLachlan and Middelkoop booked their place in the final on Friday, beating Jurgen Melzer and Philipp Oswald 3-6, 7-5, 10-7.

Did You Know?
Last week, Chardy lifted his fifth ATP Tour doubles title alongside Henri Kontinen at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam (d. Rojer/Tecau).

 

Watch Radu Albot sprint from far behind the baseline to save a point against Mackenzie McDonald in the Delray Beach semi-finals. Watch live tennis streams at http://www.tennistv.com.

Watch Felix Auger-Aliassaime's commentary as a happy couple gets engaged on court at the Rio Open presented by Claro. Watch live matches at http://www.tennistv.com.

Watch highlights as Felix Auger-Aliassime and Laslo Djere book their place in the final of the Rio Open presented by Claro. Watch live matches at http://www.tennistv.com. Photo: Rio Open/FotoJump

#NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime talk about what it means for him to reach the final at the Rio Open presented by Claro. Watch live matches at http://www.tennistv.com.

Watch match point as Felix Auger-Aliassime defeats Pablo Cuevas to reach his first ATP Tour final at the Rio Open presented by Claro. Watch live tennis streams at http://www.tennistv.com

Chasing his 100th tour-level trophy, Roger Federer will begin his quest for a record eighth Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title against Philipp Kohlschreiber.

The seven-time champion, who most recently lifted the trophy in 2015 (d. Djokovic), will be making his first tour-level appearance since falling to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Australian Open fourth round last month. With a perfect 13-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head series record against Kohlschreiber, Federer will be aiming to improve to 13-1 in first-round matches at the ATP 500 event. Andy Murray is the only man to have beaten the 99-time tour-level titlist in the first round, having defeated Federer in three sets in 2008.

View Dubai Draw

If Federer comes through his opening match against Kohlschreiber, the Swiss could potentially face Fernando Verdasco in the second round. Federer shares the bottom quarter of the draw with seventh-seeded Canadian Milos Raonic, who has opened his 2019 campaign with seven wins from 10 matches. The former World No. 3 reached back-to-back quarter-finals in Brisbane and at the Australian Open, before a second-round loss to eventual finalist Stan Wawrinka in Rotterdam.

Karen Khachanov and Borna Coric will both feature in the same half of the draw as Federer. Khachanov, who opens against Nikoloz Basilashvili, will be eager to return to winning ways after back-to-back opening-match losses in Sofia (l. to Berrettini) and Rotterdam (l. to Griekspoor). After suffering a second-round defeat to Ugo Humbert in Marseille, Coric will be bidding to reach his third quarter-final in four appearances in Dubai.

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In the top half, No. 1 seed Kei Nishikori will be aiming to extend his winning streak against Benoit Paire to four matches. The Dubai debutant owns a 5-2 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Paire and will be hoping to continue his strong start to the season. Nishikori has reached the quarter-finals or better in each of his three tournament outings this year, which includes his title run at the Brisbane International (d. Medvedev) last month. Nishikori is joined in the top quarter of the draw by Australian Open semi-finalist Tsitsipas, who is aiming to lift his second ATP Tour title this week in Marseille.

Two-time Dubai quarter-finalist Marin Cilic will return to the event for the first time since 2010. The third seed faces a tough opener against recently-crowned Rotterdam champion Gael Monfils. The in-form Frenchman is unbeaten in three FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters against Cilic.

Eighth seed Daniil Medvedev could meet the winner of that match in the quarter-finals. The 23-year-old Russian opens against a qualifier, with a potential second-round clash against Sofia semi-finalist Matteo Berrettini or Denis Kudla.

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Although Juan Martin del Potro wasn’t pleased with his quarter-final loss on Friday against Mackenzie McDonald at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com, the Argentine is taking the positives from the week.

Del Potro returned to action after sitting out four months with a right knee injury. He visibly struggled with the knee against McDonald, but showed plenty of heart in extending the match to a third-set tie-break. The Argentine has always been methodical in his comeback attempts, returning only when he’s ready instead of rushing back too soon, but admitted the desire for matches is as strong as ever.

"The doctors say I need time if I want to be 100 per cent, but I don’t want to be home watching the tournaments on TV. I’ve done that before and it was really bad for me,” he said. “I wanted to do a big effort tonight. I fought until the last ball and had many opportunities, but it’s hard to win matches when you can’t move at 100 per cent."

The good news for del Potro is that while his lateral movement understandably let him down against McDonald, his tennis did not. He held in 15 of 16 service games and racked up 16 aces. When he was in position to strike his forehand, he produced plenty of vintage winners.

Having secured two straight-sets wins this week, including a second-round victory over New York Open champion Reilly Opelka, the Argentine has plenty to build on.

“I played three matches after four months away and that’s the best thing for me,” he said. “I know how good I can be when I’m ready, but I’m not in the physical condition to play at this level yet.”

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One thing that never wavered is the support for the always-popular Argentine. Even against an American opponent, the Delray Beach crowd urged the top seed on against McDonald by chanting “Delpo” between points and on changeovers.

Del Potro has always fed off the energy of a packed stadium, but it could be even more crucial for him as he continues his efforts to return to full strength.

“I have a lot of respect for my fans who paid for a ticket and came to watch me play. I know they understand if I can’t play, but I wanted to try and think I did a good effort,” he said. “I wanted to play because this is the reason I came to Delray Beach. The final score doesn’t matter to me.”

Mackenzie McDonald recorded one of the biggest moments of his career on Friday at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com, holding off a determined Juan Martin del Potro in their quarter-final clash to defeat the top seed 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(5).

The win gave the American his first ATP Tour semi-final berth and first victory over a Top 10 player. Currently No. 84 in the ATP Rankings, McDonald is guaranteed to surpass his career-high of No. 76 when the newest standings are released on Monday.

“I’ve played a couple of these Top 10 guys before and it’s always tough. There were some nerves at the end, but I’m handling it better each time,” said McDonald. “I’m glad to finally get a win over one of them.”

The match began with comfortable service holds from both men, but Del Potro’s movement appeared hampered by the middle of the first set. With the top seed walking gingerly between points and letting mid-pace balls pass him by for winners, the American won 10 consecutive points to take the early advantage.

With the crowd chanting “Delpo”, the Argentine battled valiantly in the second set. He increased the pace on his serve and gambled on his forehand in a bid to shorten the points. McDonald blinked first in the second set and floated a drop shot into the net down break point at 2-3. The slight advantage was all the top seed needed to bring the match to a decider.

Neither player dropped serve in the final set to force a tie-break. McDonald grabbed a mini-break advantage to lead 5/2 after a pair of forehand errors from del Potro. The American missed his first two match-point opportunities, but struck a forehand volley winner at 6/5 and threw his racquet to the ground in celebration.

Despite the loss, del Potro said he would try to take the positives from this week.

"I wanted to do a big effort tonight. I fought until the last ball and had many opportunities, but it's hard to win matches when you can't move at 100 per cent," said del Potro. "I played three matches [this week] after four months away, though, so I think that was the best thing for me."

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Delray Beach is guaranteed to have a first-time ATP Tour finalist when McDonald next faces Radu Albot, who continued his top form with a comeback 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) upset over fourth seed Steve Johnson of the United States. The 29-year-old fought back from 4/5 in the third-set tie-break and jubilantly celebrated as he advanced in two hours and seven minutes.

“I was losing the whole time and was definitely not in control of the match, but was able to serve better, return better and get the win,” said Albot. “This week is the best achievement I’ve had on the ATP Tour, so hopefully I can go one step further and make the final.”

Two of Albot's three ATP Tour semi-finals have come this month. The Moldovan also reached the last four two weeks ago at the Open Sud de France.