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For the second straight night in Acapulco, Alex de Minaur stormed back after losing the opening set against a red-hot opponent. On Saturday, his effort against Tommy Paul earned him the seventh and biggest title of his career at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.

The Australian claimed his first ATP 500 crown with a battling 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory, his heart and staying power again making the difference in the Acapulco humidity.

"It feels great, it feels amazing," De Minaur said just before the trophy ceremony. "I know the hard work that's put in to be here and it's good to see the results. It's not always that you win the tournament and you get to finish a week unbeaten, so I'll definitely cherish this going into Indian Wells and Miami."

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After methodically working his way back into the match in set two, De Minaur landed what proved to be a decisive blow by saving five break points in a marathon five-deuce game to open the final set. When De Minaur fought off those chances with a combination of big serves and steely baseline play, Paul could not recover as the Aussie rattled off seven straight games.

"Just to kind of stay in the match, especially in the second set... I just dug deep, managed to scrap my way through it," the 24-year-old said of the turnaround. "And then the first game of the third set was exactly like my semi-final against Holger [Rune]. So I had that in the back of my mind, I just told myself to keep pushing. If I could keep pushing myself and get out of that game, the momentum was going to switch. I'm very happy I was able to get out of that."

Both De Minaur and Paul played physical, three-set semi-finals that ended less than 24 hours before the final, with De Minaur's comeback win against Holger Rune finishing near 3 a.m. But those previous exertions were not apparent in a high-quality match Saturday night — until Paul showed signs of wear late in the two-hour, 27-minute contest, with De Minaur adding to his torment with a slew of drop shots.

Paul started brightly after his three-hour, 25-minute win against World No. 5 Taylor Fritz, keeping tight to the baseline and pulling De Minaur around the court to secure an early break. But the match began to turn when the Aussie escaped a 0/30 hole to go up 3-2 in the second.

As De Minaur began to take the intiaitive in the rallies, he secured his first break on his sixth break point of the match in the following game — only for Paul to snap back and level at 4-4. Still, the tenor of the match had changed, and De Minaur made it count with another break in the set's final game.

While the Aussie dominated the final set, Paul battled until the end, saving two match points and getting on the board with a hold at 0-5. But there would be no stopping De Minaur from becoming the second Australian champion in Acapulco, after Nick Kyrgios' 2019 triumph.

De Minaur moved up four places to No. 18 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Ranking this week, leaving him three spots off his career high of No. 15.

"Like everything in my career, it's been step by step," he said of his return to the Top 20. "I just want to keep pushing, keep getting the most out of myself. I know I might not play unbelievable tennis every day but I know I'm going to fight to the end.

"I've got a whole lot of heart in this little body of mine and I enjoy competing, so I'm very happy with it."

Paul, just over a month since his run to the Australian Open semi-finals, is also set to return to the Top 20. He moved up four places to No. 19 this week in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. The 25-year-old was seeking his second tour-level title (Stockholm 2021) in his second final.

After being two points from defeat in their opening match at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler finished the week with another dramatic win to claim the doubles title in Acapulco. It is the third ATP Tour title for the team and their first outside of their native Austria.

The Austrians edged Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 7-6(9), 7-6(3) in Saturday's final, saving six set points in the opening set and another in the second.

"It feels great," said the 26-year-old Miedler. "After winning both titles in Austria, that was our next goal, to win one somewhere else. Mexico will always be in our hearts."

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After missing out on a set point at 5-4 in the first set, Erler/Miedler erased a 2/6 deficit in the tie-break and fought off two further set points at 8/9 before claiming the set. They denied Lammons/Withrow as the Americans attempted to serve out the second set at 5-4, saving a set point at 40/40, and never trailed in the second tie-break.

With the victory, the Austrians extended their perfect record in ATP Tour finals to 3-0. They improved to 20-13 overall and 9-6 on the 2023 season. 

"We are really happy. It was a great week," said Erler, 25. "We're improving on and off the court. It feels really special and we hope to come back next year."

One for the memories ????

Erler and Miedler pose with their trophies in sombreros!@abiertotelcel #AMT2023 pic.twitter.com/TFTB8p02eI

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 5, 2023

To reach the Acapulco final, the unseeded champions upset third seeds Jamie Murray and Michael Venus in the first round and top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski in the semis, both in Match Tie-breaks. The pair, which ended the 2022 season at No. 36 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Teams Rankings, won its previous titles on home soil Kitzbuhel (2021) and Vienna (2022). 

Both Erler and Miedler moved up 14 spots this week in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Live Rankings, to No. 42 and No. 43, respectively. Both men are set for new career highs on Monday in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings.

Asked about their greatest strength as a team, Erler spoke about the pair's complementary games and personalities.

"We are completely different on and off the court," he said. "I think everybody who knows us knows that we are two [different] types of people but that obviously fits very good together. Probably that's our best strength, that if we have some weaknesses the other guy can cover it."

Lammons/Withrow fell to 1-4 in finals as a team, having won the 2022 San Diego title on home soil. The 29-year-olds ended last season at No. 32 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings.

Andrea Pellegrino and Andrea Vavassori won a dramatic doubles final on Saturday to claim the Movistar Chile Open title in their team debut. The Italians saved a match point at 9/10 in a Match Tie-break before closing out a 6-4, 3-6, 12-10 victory against Thiago Seyboth Wild and Matias Soto.

A single break of serve decided both sets before Pellegrino/Vavassori battled back from 0/3 in the Match Tie-break, building an 8/5 lead and ultimately clinching victory on their second match point.

"It was incredible winning with one of my closest friends," the 27-year-old Vavassori said after claiming his second tour-level title. "We are like brothers, so winning a title like this is something special. We worked a lot with my coach and also with my father in the past three months."

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Pellegrino, 25, won his first ATP Tour trophy in his first final.

"Like Andrea says, it's incredible to be here with an ATP title," he reflected. "Winning an ATP title with him is really emotional. I'm really happy for that. This tournament is very nice, they treat us unbelievably. The organisation is something special and I hope to come back next year."

Discussing the back-and-forth finish to the final, he added: "We were a little bit tight but in doubles it's like that with the no-ad and the Match Tie-break in the third set. The matches are very close so you have to be there every point. We were a little bit lucky at the end but we are happy for the title."

Wild cards Seyboth Wild and Soto were also making their team debut this week. After winning three Match Tie-breaks to reach what was a first tour-level doubles final for both, the Brazilian/Chilean pair fell just short on the fourth occasion.

The 22-year-old Seyboth Wild, the 2020 Santiago singles champion, was seeking to become the first player win both the singles and doubles title at the ATP 250. Soto, 23, made his tour-level debut this week on home soil.

Chile's Nicolas Jarry will meet Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the Movistar Chile Open final after both men earned Saturday victories in Santiago.

A resurgent Jarry advanced to his first ATP Tour final since 2019 with a 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-1 win against Jaume Munar, becoming the first Chilean to reach the ATP 250 final since Cristian Garin won the 2021 title. The 27-year-old is through to his fourth tour-level title match and will seek his second trophy on Sunday.

"It's amazing to be here in Chile and to be able to play a final," he said. "I can still remember when I was a kid watching this same tournament in Vina del Mar. I used to see Fernando [Gonzalez], Nico [Massu], Marcelo [Rios] in this tournament and now I'm here in the final."

Watch the Santiago final Sunday from 11pm CET/5pm ET

Jarry was able to turn the match around after losing eight straight games to fall behind by a set and a break at 0-2 in the second. With strong support from the Santiago crowd, he surged ahead in set two as improved serving helped him grow into the match. While he could not serve out the second set at 5-4, he won it in a tie-break and then raced to a 5-0 lead in the decider, ultimately clinching victory with a love hold.  

"[I was trying] to go point by point, tying to get as much energy in the crowd as possible and for myself," added Jarry, who lost just two points on serve in the final set. He hit nine aces in the two-hour, 37-minute match.

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Each of Jarry's past three matches have gone three sets, including a Wednesday win against fourth seed Diego Schwartzman in a third-set tie-break. The Chilean was playing in his second straight semi-final after coming within two games of beating Carlos Alcaraz last week in Rio de Janeiro.

Earlier in the day, Etcheverry continued his breakout week in Santiago by notching his second Top 50 win in three days at the Movistar Chile Open. In Saturday's semi-finals, the 23-year-old defeated third seed and fellow Argentine Sebastian Baez 7-5, 6-3 to advance to his first ATP Tour title match.

"Really I can't believe it," Etcheverry said of the milestone moment. "This is a dream for me, for my family, for my friends, all the people that helped me to reach my goals. This is amazing. Just [will try] to enjoy tomorrow. That's the key for my first final."

Playing in his first tour-level semi-final, Etcheverry did not face a break point. In a tight opening set, the World No. 76 created the first break points of the match at 0/40 with Baez serving to force a tie-break, ultimately securing the set on his fifth set point. Etcheverry needed only one break point in the second, in its fourth game, to claim a decisive advantage.

"It was incredible today. Also like yesterday," said Etcheverry, who lost three games in his Friday quarter-fnal win against Dusan Lajovic. "It was my first semi-final today so I tried to play aggressive, the same like in the other matches. Right now I feel a lot of confidence that I can play like this. Hopefully tomorrow I continue like this because I've been playing at a good level this week."

Etcheverry earned the second Top 50 win of his career against second seed Francisco Cerundolo, another Argentine, on Thursday. Already up 16 places to No. 60 this week in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, he would enter the Top 50 by winning his first ATP Tour trophy on Sunday. No matter the result in the title match, Etcheverry will reach a new career-high on Monday in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Daniil Medvedev completed an ATP Tour hat-trick Saturday when he overcame Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-2 to win the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

The third seed, who ended Novak Djokovic’s unbeaten start to the season in the semi-finals, produced a consistent performance throughout the 68-minute clash to extend his winning streak to 14 matches. Having lifted trophies in Rotterdam and Doha in February, Medvedev is the third player to win three titles in as many weeks since 2021, joining Casper Ruud (July 2021) and Felix Auger-Aliassime (October 2022).

"It is amazing because at the start of the year, it was not perfect. In tennis when you don't win matches you have doubts. Now it just feels better," Medvedev said. "I was really happy with these three weeks and I am looking forward to the next ones."

The 27-year-old’s strong hard-court form has lifted him to No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, rising above Rublev, who drops to No. 7. With his Tour-leading 19th win of the season, Medvedev improved to 5-2 in his ATP Head2Head series against the 25-year-old Rublev.

"It was very tactical [match]," Medvedev said. "I know Andrey can cause a lot of trouble to everyone on Tour. Every time we play he tries to make me suffer, I try to make him suffer. Today I managed to be on top, but the next match could be a different story."

Top 5: Win-Loss Record 2023

Daniil Medvedev  19-2 Cameron Norrie 18-3 Novak Djokovic 15-1 Taylor Fritz 14-4 Stefanos Tsitsipas 13-2

Following his 18th tour-level title, Medvedev will next compete at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he will be looking to continue his winning run. The former World No. 1 is six victories from equalling his career-best winning streak on the ATP Tour, having earned 20 consecutive victories from November 2020 to January 2021.

Medvedev entered the final having not dropped a set all week and he played with confidence against Rublev to frustrate the second seed. The 27-year-old committed just two unforced errors in the first set as he sat deep behind the baseline to soak up Rublev’s aggressive hitting.

3 in a row for @DaniilMedwed ????????????#ShotQuality and more #ShotQuality on display ????

A 9.5 #ShotQuality on return occurs in less than 0.3% of matches on the @atptour #TennisInsight | @DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/2czXZlg72W

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) March 4, 2023

After clinching the opener, Medvedev continued to find the perfect balance between defence and attack. He turned the tables in the baseline exchanges with his precise crosscourt forehand, breaking twice in the second set to seal his victory.

The 2022 champion Rublev was aiming to become the third repeat titlist at the ATP 500 event in Dubai, alongside Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Did You Know?
Medvedev has won his 18 tour-level titles in 18 different cities. He is the first man in the Open Era to accomplish the feat.

Maxime Cressy and Fabrice Martin capped their debut week as a team in style Saturday when they defeated third seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara 7-6(2), 6-4 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

The American-French tandem rallied from a break down in the first set, while they hit 14 aces and saved both break points they faced to triumph after one hour and 25 minutes at the ATP 500 event.

Teaming for the first time this week, Cressy and Martin defeated Australian Open finalists Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski in the first round, before moving past Robin Haase and Matwe Middelkoop and Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen.

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The Dubai title is Cressy’s first tour-level doubles crown. The 25-year-old lifted his maiden ATP Tour singles title in Newport last year. It is Martin’s eighth tour-level trophy but first since 2021, when he triumphed with Nicolas Mahut in Antwerp.

Third seeds Glasspool and Heliovaara were aiming to capture their second title of the season as a team, having clinched the crown in Adelaide in January. The British-Finn pair did not drop a set en route to the final.

After storming through the first three rounds with the loss of eight games, Alex de Minaur had to do it the hard way against Holger Rune in the Acapulco semi-finals.

In a match that started on Friday night and carried on until nearly 3 a.m. Saturday morning, the Aussie outlasted his opponent in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC. While Rune was electric in the early stages, he struggled physically in the final set as De Minaur's staying power pushed him through the finish line after two hours and 48 minutes.

"It feels great. It feels like I deserved it," the Aussie said after advancing to his 11th ATP Tour final, where he will face Tommy Paul. "I hung in there, I stayed tough.

"[I had to] stay with him. It's not easy because he's a hell of a player. He was hitting me off the court at times and not letting me really do much. But I managed to save a couple of crucial break points and keep giving myself chances... I took the one chance I [converted] and rolled with it."

Watch the Acapulco final from 4 am CET/10 pm ET

Rune's big hitting dominated the opening set, though the Dane still needed to fight off four break points to consolidate an early break and move 4-1 ahead. He closed the set in style with an aggressive net approach, the power play providing a fitting end to the stanza.

De Minaur began to sink his teeth into the match in set two, dragging Rune into longer rallies and winning the lion's share of the extended exchanges. Despite plenty of break chances — six for De Minaur and four for Rune in the set — the decider was on the verge of a tie-break before the Aussie scored his first break to clinch the set, converting on his 10th break point of the match.

Rune began to struggle physically in the final set as the Acapulco humidity took its toll, and De Minaur took full advantage. While Rune fought through cramps and began hitting even bigger to shorten the points, De Minaur continued to move him around the court. A late surge from Rune was not enough to turn the tide as De Minaur progressed to his first final since he won the Atlanta title last July.

"I know I can go for a very long time so I'm happy with the work I do," De Minaur said of his fitness level. "It just shows that I can do this for a while."

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By beating the World No. 10, De Minaur earned his third Top 10 win of the season (also def. Nadal, Rublev) and his 10th overall. He also improved to 11-7 in tour-level semi-finals by earning his first win in three ATP Head2Head matchups with Rune.

The Dane, who was seeking his fifth final since late September, can take solace in the fact that his semi-final run moved him up two places to No 8 this week in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. Guaranteed to maintain that position at week's end, the 19-year-old will reach a new career-high on Monday in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

De Minaur is back into the Top 20 behind his final run after a rising three spots to No. 19 this week in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. The winner of Saturday's final between De Minaur and Paul will enter Indian Wells as the World No. 18.

"He's playing some great tennis. Just look at his results here," De Minaur said of the seventh-seeded American. "It's going to be a great match. I'm looking forward to a battle and to just go out there and leave it all out there. There's not much else you can do. Enjoy the moment."

Nearly two hours after his first match point, Tommy Paul overcame longtime friend Taylor Fritz in one of the most dramatic matches of the 2023 season Friday night, triumphing 6-3, 6-7(2), 7-6(2) at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.

"I couldn't be happier," Paul said after clinching the semi-final victory on his fourth match point after three hours and 25 minutes. "Obviously looking forward to making the body feel a little better tomorrow. The goal for this year was to get the ranking up and get more trophies. I only have one trophy on Tour between singles and doubles.

"You don't get trophies unless you're in the final, and hopefully I can play another good match tomorrow and get the winner's trophy."

Watch the Acapulco final from 4 am CET/10 pm ET

After letting a match point slip on serve at 5-4 in the second set, missing a deep overhead off the bounce, Paul needed a comeback of his own, trailing 0-2 and 1-3 in the third. In a battle of attrition in the Acapulco humidity, both men saved break points in their final service game — Paul escaping four break points at 5-5 and Fritz erasing two match points at 5-6 — before Paul closed it out after taking a 5/0 lead in the final tie-break.

"You have to [dig deep]. It's never going to be easy against Fritz, he's unreal," the seventh-seeded Paul added. "He doesn't give you any points throughout the whole match, you feel like you have to work for everything.

"Obviously he got up a break in the third there and it was weird, I started feeling my body a little bit and doing some weird serves, and I don't know if he loved it. And then I think something happened with his stomach too. I think I got a little lucky there that we were both struggling, not just me."

Over the course of the match, Paul made Fritz pay for his 55 per cent first-serve percentage, with Fritz hovering around that mark for the entirety of the contest. Paul was particularly dominant in the opening set, forcing Fritz to defend and dictating with his athletic baseline game, but there was little to choose between the competitors in the final two sets until one-sided tie-breaks decided both.

There were 27 combined break points in the topsy-turvy match, with Paul converting four from 14 and Fritz winning three from 13.

[BREAK POINT]

Just over one month since his breakout run to the Australian Open semi-finals, Paul advanced the biggest final of his blossoming career, his first at the ATP 500 level. The 25-year-old won his lone previous title match in 2021 at the Stockholm ATP 250. He is up five spots to No. 18 this week in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings — a mark which would match his career high.

Paul, who earned his 100th tour-level win by beating Michael Mmoh in the Acapulco second round, will face eighth seed Alex de Minaur in Saturday's final. The Aussie closed the evening's play with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 win against fourth seed Holger Rune, a match that ended near 3 a.m. local time.

Third seed Fritz saw his seven-match win streak come to a close, a run that dated back to his Delray Beach title triumph. He remains at No. 5 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings after reaching the Top 5 for the first time on Monday, though Andrey Rublev could pass him by winning the Dubai final against Daniil Medvedev on Saturday.

The ATP Head2Head series between Paul and Fritz is now level at 2-2, but the pair first matched up in 2011 at the USTA Boys' 14s National Championships, which Paul won at age 14. They also met twice in junior Grand Slam finals, with Paul winning at Roland Garros and Fritz claiming the title at the US Open, both in 2015.

The world's best players will compete at the BNP Paribas Open for the 46th edition of the ATP Masters 1000 event, held in Indian Wells. Taylor Fritz will try to defend his title at the opening Masters 1000 tournament of the season against a field that includes Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and more.

Here's what you need to know.

When is the BNP Paribas Open?

The 2023 BNP Paribas Open will be held from 8-19 March. The hard-court ATP Masters 1000 tournament, established in 1976, will take place at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The tournament director is Tommy Haas.

Who is playing at the 2023 BNP Paribas Open?

The BNP Paribas Open will feature stars including Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev.

When is the draw for the BNP Paribas Open?

The BNP Paribas Open draw will be made Monday, March 6 at 3 p.m.

What is the schedule for the BNP Paribas Open?

*Qualifying: Monday 6 March – Tuesday 7 March at 11 a.m.
*Main Draw: Wednesday 8 March – Friday 17 March at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.
*Doubles Final: Saturday 18 March not before 5 p.m.
*Singles Final: Sunday 19 March not before 3 p.m.

View On Official Website

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What is the prize money and points for the BNP Paribas Open?

The prize money is $8,800,000 and the Total Financial Commitment for the BNP Paribas Open is $10,143,750.

SINGLES
Winner: $1,262,220/1000 points
Finalist: $662,360/600 points
Semi-finalist: $352,635/260 points
Quarter-finalist: $184,465/180 points
Round of 16: $96,955/90 points
Round of 32: $55,770/45 points
Second Round: $30,855/25 points
First Round: $18,660/10 points

DOUBLES (US Dollars; per team)
Winner: $436,730/1000 points
Finalist: $231,660/600 points
Semi-finalist: $123,550/360 points
Quarter-finalist: $62,630/180 points
Second Round: $33,460/90 points
First Round: $18,020/0 points

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How can I watch the BNP Paribas Open?

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Who won the previous edition of the BNP Paribas Open in 2022?

Taylor Fritz won the 2022 BNP Paribas Open singles title with a 6-3, 7-6(5) victory against Rafael Nadal in the championship match (Read & Watch). John Isner and Jack Sock lifted the doubles trophy in Indian Wells with a 7-6(4), 6-3 triumph against Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the final (Read More).

Who holds the Indian Wells record for most titles, oldest champion, youngest champion and more?

Most Titles, Singles: Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer (5)
Most Titles, Doubles: Mark Knowles, Daniel Nestor (4)
Oldest Champion: Roger Federer, 35, in 2017
Youngest Champion: Boris Becker, 19, in 1987
Highest-Ranked Champion: No. 1 Jimmy Connors in 1976, Jim Courier in 1993, Pete Sampras in 1994-95, Lleyton Hewitt in 2002-03, Roger Federer in 2004-06, Rafael Nadal in 2009, Novak Djokovic in 2015-16
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 143 Larry Stefanki in 1985
Last Home Champion: Taylor Fritz in 2022
Most Match Wins: Roger Federer (66)

View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown

Argentina's Sebastian Baez continued to make himself at home in Chile on Friday at the Movistar Chile Open, with the third seed improving to 28-3 in the nation including matches across the ATP Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and ATP qualifying.

The 22-year-old's latest victory was a 7-6(4), 6-4 triumph against sixth seed Laslo Djere in a matchup of the only two seeds in the singles quarter-finals at the Santiago ATP 250.

"I feel so comfortable. The people, everything," Baez said of his time in Chile. "Every match I always say the same, but it's real."

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Baez won a tight opening set that included just a single break point, which Djere saved in the first game, but the Argentine surrendered an early break in the second. From 1-3, Baez won five of the final six games, including two love holds and a match-clinching break on his third match point after opening a 0/40 advantage.

"It was our first meeting so it was really close in both sets," Baez said. "Maybe in the difficult moments I felt better than him, so maybe that's the reason I took the match. I'm happy for that and to stay in the tournament."

Two wins from his second title of the season (Cordoba), he will next meet Tomas Martin Etcheverry in an all-Argentine semi-final. Etcheverry advanced to his first ATP Tour semi-final with a 6-1, 6-2 victory against Dusan Lajovic, backing up the biggest win of his career against second seed and World No. 32 Francisco Cerundolo on Thursday.

Up eight places to No. 68 this week in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, the 23-year-old is set for a new career high on Monday.

Chile's Nicolas Jarry and Spain's Jaume Munar will meet in the second Santiago semi-final after both men scored three-set wins on Friday.

Jarry advanced to his second tour-level semi-final in as many weeks after he came within two games of beating Carlos Alcaraz last week in the Rio de Janeiro last four. After beating Diego Schwartzman in a third-set tie-break on Wednesday, Jarry came from behind for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win against Yannick Hanfmann in the quarter-finals.

The Chilean faced just two break points in the match, saving one in the second set, and won sets two and three behind an early break in each.

Munar beat Thiago Monteiro 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 to reach his fourth tour-level semi-final and his first since 2021. All four of his ATP Tour semi-finals have come on clay. The Spaniard dominated the first and final sets behind fast starts, building a 5-0 lead in the opener and a 4-0 lead in the decider.

Saturday's semi-finals are set to begin at 10 p.m. CET/4 p.m. ET, with Baez and Etcheverry opening the singles action on centre court.

Novak Djokovic was searching for his best tennis throughout Friday’s semi-final at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. But following a 6-4, 6-4 defeat to Daniil Medvedev, the World No. 1 didn’t have to look too far to find the key reason behind his first loss of the season.

“I lost to a better opponent,” Djokovic said in his post-match press conference. “I know that I didn't play well in some decisive moments, but it was also due to his quality of tennis. It's unfortunate I had some really bad mistakes in the first set to give him the second break. But this is tennis. You learn from your mistakes and from the defeats, and hopefully next time I'll be better.”

The 35-year-old, who entered the match a perfect 15-0 in 2023, complimented the World No. 7’s consistency and defence as the key factors in Friday’s contest as he struggled to find his own rhythm. The World No. 1 committed 38 unforced errors to Medvedev’s 12. Although the 22-time major champion still holds a 9-5 ATP Head2Head advantage over Medvedev, he knows that the 27-year-old’s counterpunching ability can bring even the best players unglued.

“He extracts and provokes unforced errors from everybody because that's his game, that's what he does,” Djokovic said. “He does it extremely well. He's very patient. He's very athletic. For his height, he moves well. Backhand is one of the most consistent strokes that you have in today's game.”

Despite suffering his first straight-sets defeat since the 2022 Laver Cup (l. Auger-Aliassime), Djokovic is remaining upbeat. Though he won’t be lifting the Dubai trophy for a sixth time, the Belgrade native still made history Monday by marking his 378th week as World No. 1, surpassing Stefanie Graf’s record for most weeks atop the sport by a men's or women's player.

A two-time titlist this year, Djokovic stated that he is leaving the U.A.E. pleased with the recovery progress he’s made since suffering a hamstring injury in Australia.

“Lots of positives,” Djokovic said. “The way I felt throughout the entire week makes me really satisfied with the current state of my body, not knowing how I [was] going to react with the comeback after an injury. I'm really glad. We move on to the next challenge.”

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Djokovic’s immediate playing schedule depends on the outcome of his request for an exemption to the United States’ entry requirements for non citizens, who must provide proof of Covid-19 vaccination before entering the country. If Djokovic is not granted an exemption and misses Indian Wells and Miami, his next tournament will be in Monte Carlo.

“I'm still waiting for the news from America,” Djokovic said. “If there's no America, I guess I'll play clay. Monte Carlo is probably the next tournament. If that's the case, I'll take some time off, I'll prepare. Clay is the most demanding surface. It takes more time than any other surface to prepare for.”

Regardless if his next match is played on a hard court or clay, Djokovic is eager for his next battle.

“I take every tournament, every match very seriously, dedicate my whole life to this,” Djokovic said. “So, of course, it hurts when you lose. I care about every match. But at the same time you just have to release it and go forward.

“Good thing about tennis is that you always have another opportunity. So many tournaments. Basically every week you have another chance to reconcile, so to say, [and] rewrite your history once again. I'm looking forward to the challenges to come.”

Daniil Medvedev quickly had a dream to make it to the top after first holding a racquet aged six.

The 27-year-old has achieved a lot since then. He has lifted 17 tour-level titles, including the Nitto ATP Finals crown and the US Open, while he reached No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in 2022. Medvedev reflected on his tennis journey in 'A Love Letter To Tennis'.

“Dear tennis, I remember when I was six years old and I just loved running around with the racquet,” Medvedev said. “Consciously I fell in love with you when I understood this feeling of competitiveness that you have because it is one against one, and only one player wins."

He later added: “The journey of my career so far with you was for sure very exciting. It was better than I could have imagined as a kid. I absolutely love it and I am really proud of what I have achieved with you.”

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After rising to No. 1 for the first time last February, Medvedev struggled to find his best level. He failed to advance beyond the semi-finals at the five ATP Masters 1000 events he played in 2022 and he lost in the fourth round at Roland Garros and the US Open.

The World No. 7 has bounced back in 2023, though, capturing titles in Rotterdam and Doha. Medvedev, who ended Novak Djokovic's perfect start to 2023 in the Dubai semi-finals, is thankful for the discipline the sport has given him.

“The biggest challenge you brought me is being able to push every day, no matter how hard it is,” Medvedev said. “Sometimes I lose some matches, I lose some confidence and I know that the next day when I am going to practise everything is going to be feeling very bad, sometimes extremely . But in order to feel good after you have to continue pushing, and that’s what you taught me.”

Not satisfied yet, Medvedev is determined to push on and win more.

“I have so many memorable moments with you, so I’m not going to choose one because all the moments from start to finish were amazing and it is not finished yet,” Medvedev said. “We had some tough ones, we had some good ones and I’m sure we are going to have some amazing good moments together again.”

Daniil Medvedev moved to within one win of capturing his third consecutive tour-level title Friday when he ended Novak Djokovic’s perfect start to the season at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

In the 14th chapter of their rivalry, Medvedev was locked in from ball one, triumphing 6-4, 6-4 to extend his winning streak to 13 matches. The third seed stood deep behind the baseline to soak up Djokovic’s ball-striking. Medvedev committed just 12 unforced errors compared to 38 from Djokovic and he was rapid around the court, chasing down a number of drop shots to advance after one hour and 35 minutes.

“When you play against Novak you just have to play your best,” Medvedev said. “Kind of hope he doesn’t play his best on the day because when he plays his best, well he has 22 Grand Slams, so even if you play your best, it is going to be tough, not sure you win.

“I managed to play a higher level than him today. In the second set I didn’t face one break point, but there were so many 30/30 games. But I managed to stay composed and I am happy to be in the final tomorrow.”

The 27-year-old lifted tour-level titles in Rotterdam and Doha in February. He will aim to clinch his 18th tour-level crown and 17th on hard courts when he faces Andrey Rublev in the championship match on Saturday.

Top 5: Win-Loss Record 2023

Daniil Medvedev  18-2 Cameron Norrie 18-3 Novak Djokovic 15-1 Taylor Fritz 14-3 Stefanos Tsitsipas 13-2

Medvedev ended Djokovic’s bid to become the first man to complete the Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969 when he defeated the Serbian in the 2021 US Open final. But, the top seed entered the clash at the ATP 500 in Dubai off the back of four consecutive wins against Medvedev.

However, he was unable to make it five and improve on his 15-0 start to the season, with the World No. 7 Medvedev limiting errors and winning the longer exchanges to improve to 5-9 in their ATP Head2Head series.

Djokovic struggled to find consistent rhythm against Medvedev. He served-and-volleyed in the first set to pressurise Medvedev’s deep court return position, but struggled to successfully execute the play. He then threw everything at Medvedev on return in the second set, striking with aggression and depth. However, he was unable to hit through the third seed, who acted like a brick wall.

Medvedev, who is making his third appearance in Dubai, has yet to drop a set this week, also defeating Matteo Arnaldi, Alexander Bublik and Borna Coric.

Djokovic was chasing his sixth title in Dubai, having lifted the trophy in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2020.

Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara are firing on all cylinders at the 2023 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

The British-Finnish duo, who haven’t dropped a set this week, didn’t face a break point en route to ousting top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic 6-4, 6-2 in Friday’s semi-final at the ATP 500.

In 2022, Glasspool and Heliovaara completed a career-best season and made the final four at the coveted Nitto ATP Finals. However, there was one team they couldn’t get past: Croatians Mektic and Pavic, who were a perfect 3-0 against Glasspool and Heliovaara including wins in Turin, at Queen's Club, and a five-set victory at Wimbledon.

Three-time tour titlists Glasspool and Heliovaara will next look to collect their second crown of this season (Adelaide 1). The third seeds will face Maxime Cressy and Fabrice Martin or Belgian duo Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen in Saturday’s championship match.

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Lammons/Withrow Save MP To Reach Acapulco Final
In a dramatic semi-final Friday at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow defeated Ben McLachlan and Andre Goransson on their fifth match point — but not before saving a match point against them at 9/10 in a Match Tie-break.

Lammons/Withrow earned a 7-5, 6-7(2), 13-11 victory to book their place in the Acapulco final against Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler. The Austrians also won a Match Tie-break to upset top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski 6-4, 4-6, 10-4.

Seyboth Wild/Soto Progress To Santiago Final
Thiago Seyboth Wild and Matias Soto defeated Spaniards Jaume Munar and Pedro Martinez 6-1, 6-7(5), 10-8 on Friday to reach the doubles final at the Movistar Chile Open.

The Brazilian/Chilean team will face Andrea Pellegrino and Andrea Vavassori in Saturday's final after the Italians received a semi-final walkover from Chileans Tomas Barrios Vera and Alejandro Tabilo.

Andrey Rublev recorded his first victory over Alexander Zverev in his sixth attempt Friday to move to within one win of defending his Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title.

The second seed, who saved five match points earlier this week against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, had not won a set in his five previous meetings against seventh-seeded German Zverev. However, Rublev flipped the script with a clean-hitting performance at the ATP 500 event, saving one set point in the second set to triumph 6-3, 7-6(9) on his sixth match point after one hour and 58 minutes.

“I was thinking it was going to be a third set. I was preparing mentally for the third set but I somehow saved a set point,” Rublev said. “I had a couple of match points but he played well but in the end at 9/9, I made a good return and then I said ‘Ok, let’s try to make it here’. I won a crazy rally and I was lucky. It was a super intense tie-break.”

Rublev is aiming to become the third repeat champion in Dubai, joining Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. The 25-year-old, who defeated Jiri Vesely in last year’s final, will face third seed Daniil Medvedev in his first championship match of the season.

“We are really good friends, we have known each other since 10 or 11 years old. We have been together since juniors,” Rublev said of his relationship with Zverev. “He was always like an older brother to me and in all the previous matches he beat me. Today when I was going on court I thought I had nothing to lose. He always beats me, so why need to be tight.”

The World No. 6 arrived in Dubai off the back of a disappointing quarter-final exit in Doha last week. He has rediscovered his best form at the hard-court tournament, though, and played with confidence against Zverev.

Rublev flew out of the blocks, breaking in the first game as he took the ball early to force Zverev back. The second seed glided around the baseline to cleanly strike an array of winners down the line, while he committed just six unforced errors in the first set.

After moving ahead, Rublev continued to play aggressively and demonstrated good defence, soaking up Zverev’s heavy-hitting. He squandered one match point on the German’s serve at 5-6 before sealing victory on his sixth match point, after saving a set point at 7/8 in a mammoth tie-break.

Rublev will be chasing his sixth ATP 500 crown and 13th title when he competes in his 18th tour-level final on Saturday. Looking ahead to the final, Rublev is anticipating a hard-fought battle against Medvedev, who leads their ATP Head2Head 4-2 despite losing the past two contests.

"Daniil, he plays really low and flat," Rublev said. "Daniil is like the one that counterattacks, waits for the right moment. It's going to be maybe 30 shots [a] rally."

Zverev was playing in his first semi-final since he suffered his right ankle injury against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros last year. The German is up two spots to No. 14 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings following his run in Dubai.

The top-seeded duo of Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski were the lone seeds to advance to the quarter-finals at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC. On Thursday, the Dutch-British team stayed on course for its first title of 2023 with a second straight-sets win on the week.

Koolhof/Skupski defeated Rio de Janeiro semi-finalists Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the last four in Acapulco. They did not face a break point in the match and won 83 per cent of their first-serve points in the win. Despite losing one of the points of the week, when a Reboul lob capped a defensive masterclass from the French team, the top seeds are through to their second semi-final of the season.

Their next opponents will be Austrians Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler, who beat William Blumberg and Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-3.

In the day's most dramatic match, Andre Goransson and Ben McLachlan edged Americans Mackenzie McDonald and Ben Shelton 6-1, 6-7(4), 11-9. The Swedish-Japanese team clinched victory on its fourth match point after missing out on two on serve at 5-4 in the second set. In the Match Tie-break, they fell behind 7/8 after holding leads of 5/0 and 7/2, but recovered to win four of the last five points.

SFs Set In Dubai
Two straightforward Thursday quarter-finals rounded out the last four at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Third seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara beat Indian lucky losers Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni 6-4, 6-3, while Maxime Cressy and Fabrice Martin defeated Dutchmen Robin Haase and Matwe Middelkoop 6-4, 6-3. Neither pair has dropped a set this week at the ATP 500.

Glasspool/Heliovaara will face top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in the semis, with Cressy/Martin set to meet Belgian lucky losers Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen.

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Chileans Barrios Vera/Tabilo Down Top Seeds In Santiago
All three seeded teams in action on Thursday at the Movistar Chile Open were upset, with home favourites Tomas Barrios Vera and Alejandro Tabilo knocking off top seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.

The Chileans scored a 6-1, 3-6, 10-7 victory to advance to the semi-finals. They will meet Italians Andrea Pellegrino and Andrea Vavassori, who upset third seeds Nicolas Barrientos and Ariel Behar 7-6(12), 6-3.

In the other half of the draw, Spaniards Pedro Martinez and Jaume Munar downed fourth seeds Francisco Cabral and Nikola Cacic 6-4, 6-4, while Thiago Seyboth Wild and Matias Soto beat N.Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan.

In a Thursday matchup of the top two Americans in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Taylor Fritz underlined his status as the No. 1 man from the United States with a straight-sets win against Frances Tiafoe at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC.

The Acapulco third seed earned a 6-3, 6-4 victory in an entertaining match that crescendoed as it neared its conclusion. Tiafoe, playing to the crowd, turned on the style with an underhand serve and a slew of drop shots as he tried to recover an early break in the second set. But Fritz, who landed just 50 per cent of his first serves, finished the job to reach his third semi-final in as many events.

"I'm happy with how I played the big points," said the 25-year-old, who saved all four break points he faced, including three in the second set. "It's really easy to get frustrated with myself when I'm missing every first serve.

"It's really easy to get down on myself for that, and I kind of just fought it out, accepted that I'm going to have to play and grind out all these points and I wasn't going to be getting the amount of free points that I'm used to getting. I'm pretty proud of how I competed through a lot of those long games on my serve."

1/2 Finals day @AbiertoTelcel @Taylor_Fritz9 leading the way on Serve & Backhand #ShotQuality@alexdeminaur leading on Return and Forehand #ShotQuality

Are @holgerrune2003 and @TommyPaul1 poised to turn the tables?

Who are you backing to make the final?#TennisInsights pic.twitter.com/AFR0K9Ktz5

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) March 3, 2023

Fritz scored an early break in both sets, in the fourth game of the opener and the first game of set two. While Tiafoe challenged the World No. 5's serve, Fritz was able to erase each of those four break points — not with big serves, but by coming up with the goods in several dramatic rallies.

With Tiafoe trailing 2-4 in the second, he mixed in a well-placed underarm serve at 40/0 to spark a fun point that ended on a missed Fritz tweener, sparking smiles from both men and cheers from the crowd. But after missing out on two break points in the previous game, Tiafoe was not able to threaten on return down the stretch.

Fritz earned his sixth straight win against Tiafoe, improving to 6-1 in their ATP Head2Head that dates back to 2016. He also extended his current winning streak to seven after his Delray Beach title last month, with just two sets lost in those seven wins.

Fritz will next face another American in seventh seed Tommy Paul, a 6-2, 6-2 winner against countryman Mackenzie McDonald earlier in the day.

"I'd say it's similar to how I would play Frances," Fritz said of the matchup. "He's one of my close friends, we both know each other's game really well. Tommy's been playing well. It's been a while since we've played each other and it's going to be a good match."

Fritz leads their ATP Head2Head 2-1, with their most recent meeting last year in Miami.

In Paul's win against McDonald, both sets played out identically in terms of games won, with the seventh seed breaking serve in the fourth and the final game of each. After saving an early break point, Paul won 16 straight points on serve beginning in his last service game of the opening set. He finished with 19 winners and 6 unforced errors.

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Fourth seed Holger Rune also advanced to the Acapulco semi-finals when Matteo Berrettini retired due to a right-leg injury with the Dane leading 6-0, 1-0. The 19-year-old dominated from the start, pulling the Italian around the court by dictating the baseline rallies.

"I think it was close to perfection from my side. I was playing so disciplined from the start to the finish," said Rune, who lost just seven points in the match. "Of course it's never nice to end this way. I wish Matteo the best. But if I look at my own level, I was super proud of how I handled the situation so I just can't wait for the semi-final."

Eighth seed Alex de Minaur is next up for Rune. The Aussie reached the last four with a 6-2, 6-2 win against Japan's Taro Daniel.

De Minaur won the final four games of both sets in the victory and did not face a break point after he dropped serve at 2-0 in the opener. The 24-year-old was untouchable on his first serve, losing only one point behind it (21/22) in the one-hour, 37-minute match — though he landed his first delivery at a 42 per cent clip.

The World No. 22 has stormed into the Acapulco semis with the loss of just eight games in three matches. He defeated Mexican wild card Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez in the opening round and qualifier Jacopo Berrettini in the last 16.

Tomas Martin Etcheverry played one of the best matches of his career to defeat fellow Argentine Francisco Cerundolo on Thursday at the Movistar Chile Open. The 23-year-old earned a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory on his fifth match point in Santiago to reach his second ATP Tour quarter-final.

Fuelled by a strong serving day and aggressive hitting off his forehand wing, Etcheverry scored the second Top 50 win of his career by beating the World No. 32. The good friends shared a warm embrace at the net following the match.

"Francisco is one of my best friends on the ATP and in life," Etcheverry said after his two-hour, 28-minute victory. "It was an incredible match for me. I think I started with pressure because it's hard to play with a friend. We know each other a lot. I made the difference in the first set when I got the break, and the same in the last set."

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Both of Etcheverry's quarter-final runs have come this season; he also reached the last eight in Buenos Aires two week ago. After recording three tour-level wins in 2022, he has already notched five this season, including his Santiago first-round win against Fabio Fognini.

Next up for the Argentine is Dusan Lajovic, who defeated Francisco's brother Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(2) earlier in the day. In a dramatic conclusion to that match, Lajovic saved two break points at 4-4 in the third set, then missed out on a match point at 5-4 before losing serve to fall behind 5-6. The Serbian was able to break back to force a tie-break, in which he won all five of his return points to secure victory.

After Etcheverry edged Cerundolo, he was expecting another difficult test against the 32-year-old Lajovic: "Always here on the ATP Tour, all the matches are really tough," he said, looking ahead to the pair's first ATP Head2Head meeting.

Also on Thursday, third seed Sebastian Baez and sixth seed Laslo Djere advanced to set a Friday quarter-final meeting. Argentina's Baez, a returning finalist, knocked off home favourite Cristian Garin 6-4, 6-3 to close the day's play after Djere scored a 7-5, 7-5 win against Riccardo Bonadio in early action.

Baez and Djere are the lone seeded players remaining in the ATP 250 singles draw.

Novak Djokovic is one of the toughest puzzles to solve in sports. The World No. 1 frustrates the best players in the world and quickly finds an answer to every question they pose. Even when the Serbian is not at his best, he manages to stay in contact before delivering a heartbreaking blow in the most critical moment. The 35-year-old has shown that plenty in 2023 en route to his 15-0 start to the season.

But on Friday, in the semi-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Djokovic will face a different challenge. The top seed will play the winner of 12 consecutive matches, Daniil Medvedev, the one man who consistently frustrates him like the five-time Dubai champion does everyone else on the ATP Tour.

Djokovic leads the pair’s ATP Head2Head series 9-4, but that record does not tell the full story of their matchup. The Serbian has enjoyed a legendary rivalry with Rafael Nadal, but that is a different clash of styles entirely. Nobody drives Djokovic crazy the way Medvedev does.

“Daniil is one of the best players in the world the last five years. Grand Slam winner. Former No. 1 in the world. Not much to talk about,” Djokovic said. “His quality is as tough as it gets when you are supposed to face someone on the hard court, particularly.”

When excellence in attack meets relentless defence, something has to give ????????@DjokerNole #Conversion 99/133 = 74%@DaniilMedwed #Steal 34/77 = 44%
(Dubai Tournament Averages)#TennisInsights | @atptour pic.twitter.com/Cur1jATtr1

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) March 3, 2023

In January, Medvedev fell to No. 12 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, just five months after sitting atop the standings. He won just two titles in 2022 — an ATP 250 in Los Cabos and an ATP 500 in Vienna — and was struggling as much as he has since exploding into the Top 10 for the first time in 2019.

The problem-solving magician was becoming his own toughest opponent. At his very best, Medvedev mows through service games and plays like a wall in return games, waiting out his opponents and making them uncomfortable. But suddenly, tough losses piled up and a loss of confidence made him more vulnerable.

The good news for fans around the world excited for Friday’s blockbuster showdown is that a lot can change in a month. And it has. Medvedev is back to World No. 7 and firing on all cylinders again.

After capturing back-to-back titles in Rotterdam and Doha, he carries a 12-match winning streak into his battle with Djokovic. Medvedev has faced just two break points in Dubai and his inimitable forehand — effective, if not pretty — is increasingly becoming a weapon again.

Watch Medvedev Thursday Hot Shot:

This is the true Litmus test for Medvedev. The third seed is back in form, but is he ready to defeat Djokovic and begin his pursuit to return to the very top of the sport? Is his level already among the two or three best players in the world?

“I’m playing good right now. But when you play Novak, Novak is always the favourite. He won probably, I don’t know, [his last] 50 matches and lost maybe four or five. So he’s huge. He’s playing great, moving great. You can never say that he’s 35 years old. But I always had some good fights with him, so I’m hoping for my best shape tomorrow because it’s the only way to beat him.”

Medvedev’s memory is accurate. Since the start of Rome last May, Djokovic has won 50 of his 53 matches. Three times during that stretch, Djokovic has defeated Medvedev, including a straight-sets victory in Adelaide earlier this year.

Watch Dubai Thursday Highlights:

None of those matches came with Medvedev in the form he is in now, but he still took a set in two of the three. And nobody will soon forget when Medvedev stunned Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the final of the US Open in 2021, when the Serbian was one match from completing a historic Grand Slam.

But even an in-form Medvedev will need to be at his very best to challenge the Serbian. The same way Medvedev frustrates Djokovic, it works the other way, too.

According to a TennisViz analysis for Tennis Data Innovations, Medvedev won an astonishing 43 per cent of points from a defensive position in Rotterdam and Doha. But it will be a far more difficult challenge to “steal” points at the same rate against Djokovic under the Dubai lights. The World No. 1 has also been a serving machine in 2023, according to an Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis. 

“I’m just really happy to be on a streak right now,” Medvedev said earlier in the week. “Streaks always finish. I will try to extend mine as long as I can.”

The question is, will it come to an end against Djokovic?

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In another star-studded semi-final, two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev will try to continue his return to form against longtime friend and second seed Andrey Rublev.

Zverev began the week with a 3-6 record in 2023. He missed the remainder of 2022 after hurting his ankle last year in the semi-finals of Roland Garros against Rafael Nadal. But the German rallied from a set down against powerful Czech Jiri Lehecka to begin his week and has gained momentum since.

“I’m starting to play decent tennis, which is nice after nine months,” Zverev said. “I’m happy about that.”

The former World No. 2 owns a 5-0 ATP Head2Head advantage over Rublev, who has shown a great fighting spirit this season. He has saved at least one match point and gone on to win the match three times in 2023.

“I want to do my best. That's it. I want to fight,” Rublev said. “I want to show [a] great match and we'll see what's going to happen. If he's better, he will deserve to win. If I'm better, I will deserve to win. So it's simple.”

Tennis United took on a new meaning Thursday. ATP player Bjorn Fratangelo and WTA player Madison Keys, longtime partners, announced their engagement on social media.

“Forever ????,” they wrote on Instagram with a picture of their hands, a ring on Keys’ ring finger.

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Their friends quickly congratulated the Americans on their special moment.

“Yesssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Sloane Stephens wrote. “We are getting married!!!!!!!!!!! ????????????????????????”

“That ring is tuuuuffff,” Frances Tiafoe added.

Robert Lindstedt, the former doubles star who coached American Denis Kudla until earlier this year, spent time with Team United States during the United Cup. The Swede commented: “@bjornfrat the overachiever!! Congratulations to both of you but mostly to him. ❤️????❤️”

Two years ago, Fratangelo and Keys joined forces by playing mixed doubles together for the first time at the US Open.

“He finally wore me down,” Keys said, cracking a laugh. “I was always just saying I was going to be so nervous and I was going to have to try so hard, but he finally said, ‘We’ll just have some fun.’ I’m very happy that we did it.”

They were so happy, they did so again at the 2022 US Open, reaching the second round.