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Sun, 10/03/2019 - 8:00am - 2:00pm
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Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC: What You Need To Know
The Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC is a combined ATP 500 and WTA tennis tournament held at the Acapulco Princess Mundo Imperial. In 2014, the tournament switched to blue hard courts after 20 years on clay. Thomas Muster won the first four editions, and David Ferrer tied his tournament record by winning three titles on clay (2010-12) and one on hard court (2015).
Juan Martin del Potro will look to successfully defend his Acapulco title when he returns for the 2019 edition, but will face a field that includes two-time champion Rafael Nadal, Alexander Zverev and John Isner.
Here's all you need to know about Acapulco tennis tournament: when is the draw, what is the schedule, where to watch, who won and more.
Established: 1993
Tournament Dates: 25 February - 2 March 2019
Tournament Director: Raul Zurutuza
Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 23 February at 6pm
Are You In? Subscribe To Get Tournament Updates In Your Inbox
Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Saturday and Sunday at 4pm
* Main draw: Monday – Friday from 4pm
* Doubles final: Saturday, 23 February at 6pm
* Singles final: Saturday, 23 February not before 9pm
How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV
Venue: Princess Mundo Imperial
Main Court Seating: 7,000
Prize Money: USD $ 1,780,060 (Total Financial Commitment: USD $ 1,931,110)
Tickets On Sale: Buy Now
View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown
Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Thomas Muster, David Ferrer (4)
Most Titles, Doubles: Donald Johnson (3)
Oldest Champion: David Ferrer, 32, in 2015
Youngest Champion: Rafael Nadal, 18, in 2005
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 129 Juan Ignacio Chela in 2000
Most Match Wins: David Ferrer (31)
2018 Finals
Singles: [6] Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) d [5] Kevin Anderson (RSA) 64 64 Read & Watch
Doubles: [3] Jamie Murray (GBR) / Bruno Soares (BRA) d [4] Bob Bryan (USA) / Mike Bryan (USA) 76(4) 75 Read More
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Social
Hashtag: #AMT2019
Facebook: @AbiertoMexicanoDeTenis
Twitter: @AbiertoTelcel
Instagram: @abiertomexicanodetenis
Did You Know... The Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC has twice been recognised as the best tournament of the year in its category. It won the ATP Tour Award for the first time in 2007 and reclaimed the honour in 2017, on the tournament's 25th anniversary.
.videoWrapper { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; /* 16:9 */ padding-top: 25px; height: 0; } .videoWrapper iframe { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }Brasil Open: What You Need To Know
The Brasil Open is the final stop of the 'Golden Swing', featuring four ATP Tour clay-court tournaments in Latin America. Former World No. 1s Rafael Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten are both two-time champions at this ATP 250 event.
Here's all you need to know about the Sao Paulo tennis tournament: when is the draw, what is the schedule, where to watch, who won and more.
Established: 2001
Tournament Dates: 25 February - 3 March 2019
Tournament Director: Luis Felipe Tavares
Draw Ceremony: Saturday, 23 February at 12pm
Are You In? Subscribe To Get Tournament Updates In Your Inbox
Schedule (View On Official Website)
* Qualifying: Saturday and Sunday at 11am.
* Main draw: Monday - Friday at 12:30pm and 7:30pm, Saturday at 12:30pm
* Doubles final: Saturday, 23 February not before 4:30pm
* Singles final: Sunday, 24 February at 2:30pm
How To Watch
Watch Live On Tennis TV
Venue: Ginasio do Ibirapuera
Main Court Seating: 8,000
Prize Money: US $ 550,145 (Total Financial Commitment: US $ 618,810)
Tickets On Sale: Buy Now
View Who Is Playing, Past Champions, Seeds, Points & Prize Money Breakdown
Honour Roll (Open Era)
Most Titles, Singles: Nicolas Almagro, Pablo Cuevas (3)
Most Titles, Doubles: Bruno Soares (3)
Oldest Champion: Pablo Cuevas, 31, in 2017
Youngest Champion: Rafael Nadal, 18, in 2005
Lowest-Ranked Champion: No. 107 Guillermo Canas in 2007
Most Match Wins: Nicolas Almagro (22)
2018 Finals
Singles: [2] Fabio Fognini (ITA) d Nicolas Jarry (CHI) 16 61 64 Read & Watch
Doubles: Federico Delbonis (ARG) / Maximo Gonzalez (ARG) d [4] Wesley Koolhof (NED) / Artem Sitak (NZL) 64 62 Read More
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Social
Hashtag: #brasilopen2019
Facebook: @BrasilOpenTenis
Twitter: @BrasilOpenTenis
Instagram: @brasilopen
Did You Know... Ball dogs have participated at the Brasil Open for the past three years, showing their skills by chasing after balls that are hit into the net and returning to the net post like any good ball boy or ball girl would.
.videoWrapper { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; /* 16:9 */ padding-top: 25px; height: 0; } .videoWrapper iframe { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }Del Potro Ends Opelka's Run In Delray Beach
Juan Martin del Potro said it would take time for him to build confidence after a four-month injury layoff, but it could be a speedy process for the Argentine after the tennis he displayed on Thursday night at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com.
The top seed struck his forehand with authority and held his nerve in crucial moments to end the six-match winning streak of Reilly Opelka with a convincing 6-4, 6-4 victory. Del Potro didn't face a break point and booked a quarter-final spot for the fourth time in five appearances in Delray Beach.
Del Potro has always been methodical about his comeback attempts, waiting until he’s fully ready to return rather than rushing back too soon. His performance on Thursday indicated that if his right knee continues to hold up, he can pick up where he left off at the end of last year.
A forehand error from Opelka at 1-1 in the opening set gifted del Potro an early break and the top seed held that momentum to take the early advantage. Little separated the two players in the second set, but a backhand error from Opelka on break point at 4-4 allowed the Argentine to serve out the match after 73 minutes.
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Next up for del Potro is another American in Mackenzie McDonald, who required just a single break in each set to defeat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-5, 6-4. This is the second ATP quarter-final for McDonald, who also accomplished the feat last June at the Ricoh Open.
Radu Albot of Moldova held off Nick Kyrgios of Australia to advance 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. The 29-year-old was especially tidy on serve in the deciding set, winning 80 per cent (20/25) of his service points to advance in one hour and 24 minutes. Albot is playing some of his best tennis, having reached his second ATP Tour semi-final earlier this month in Montpellier.
He’ll take on fourth seed Steve Johnson in the quarter-finals after the American held off Italian Paolo Lorenzi 7-5, 7-5. Johnson saved all six break points he faced and broke Lorenzi in the final game of each set to pick up the win after one hour and 57 minutes.
“I was having a hard time being accurate with my shots, so I’m glad I served well today,” said Johnson. “I’m happy I have a chance to play another competitive match tomorrow and hopefully clean things up.”
Bryan Brothers Move Into Last Four
Top seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan didn't drop serve in a comfortable 6-3, 7-5 quarter-final win over French pair Adrian Mannarino and Hugo Nys. The Americans will seek their first doubles final of the season when they face Marcelo Arevalo and Jamie Cerretani, who defeated third seeds Robert Lindstedt and Tim Puetz 7-6(2), 7-6(5).
#NextGenATP Ruud Upsets Sousa In Rio
#NextGenATP Norwegian Casper Ruud continued to excel at the Rio Open presented by Claro on Thursday. Having reached his maiden ATP semi-final at this event in 2017, the 20-year-old defeated fifth seed Joao Sousa 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to put himself into the quarter-finals again in Rio de Janeiro.
“I always play far away from home, but Rio always makes me feel very welcome,” said Ruud. “I feel the atmosphere here and it’s great to have the crowd on my side.”
Sousa dug deep after facing a break point to trail 1-5 in the final set, but Ruud hung tough to advance after two hours and 11 minutes. The Norwegian, currently No. 135 in the ATP Rankings, will make his Top 100 debut on Monday if he defeats Laslo Djere of Serbia on Friday.
“It’s a great chance for another 500-level semifinal,” said Ruud. “[Djere] is maybe the favourite in the [ATP] Rankings, but I’ve shown some good tennis before here and hopefully I can again."
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Ruud enjoyed success on the ATP Challenger Tour last year by finishing runner-up at $50,000 events in Braga and Francavilla. He also excelled on bigger stages by reaching the quarter-finals last July at the Swedish Open and coming through qualifying at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and US Open, advancing to the second round at the first two majors of the year.
Djere, who defeated top seed Dominic Thiem in the opening round, continued his inspired tennis with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Taro Daniel of Japan. The World No. 90 didn’t face a break point against Daniel and won 83 per cent (20/24) of his first-serve points.
Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay produced a statement win over recent Cordoba Open winner Juan Ignacio Londero of Argentina 6-1, 6-4. The 2016 champion wasted no time getting down to business on Quadra Guga Kuerten, dropping just one point on serve (16/17) in the opening set. He continued to dominate the baseline rallies in the second set and secured the win after just 68 minutes.
Awaiting Cuevas in the quarter-finals is Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain, who scored an impressive 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 comeback victory over Federico Delbonis of Argentina. Delbonis served for the match at 5-4 in the second set, but Ramos-Vinolas rallied to advance after two hours and 20 minutes.
The Spaniard improves his FedEx ATP Head2Head against Delbonis to 2-3. Ramos-Vinolas trails his FedEx ATP Head2Head with Cuevas 1-6 and the Uruguayan has prevailed in their past five matches.
Bellucci & Dutra Silva Upset Top Seeds
Wild card pairing Thomaz Bellucci and Rogerio Dutra Silva won an all-Brazilian quarter-final battle to upset top seeds Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares 6-2, 6-7(6), 10-5. Bellucci and Dutra Silva squandered two match points at 6/4 in the second-set tie-break, but recovered to advance in one hour and 30 minutes. They'll play Roman Jebavy and Andres Molteni, who defeated Marcelo Demoliner and Frederik Nielsen 3-6, 6-4, 10-3.
Second seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah scored a comfortable 6-2, 6-3 win over British pair Luke Bambridge and Jonny O'Mara. Next up for the Colombian duo in the semi-finals are Maximo Gonzalez and Nicolas Jarry, who outlasted third seeds Nikola Mektic and Horacio Zeballos 4-6, 7-6(5), 12-10.
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Humbert Upsets Coric In Marseille Second Round
French wild card Ugo Humbert recorded the biggest win of his career on Thursday by beating World No. 12 Borna Coric 6-3, 6-3 in 80 minutes for a place in the Open 13 Provence quarter-finals.
“My level was good today, very positive,” said the 20-year-old Humbert, a contender to qualify at this year's Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. “The atmosphere was great, and it's always easier when you aren’t the favourite. This was the first time I played a player ranked that high. I was able to stay calm and played well.”
View Marseille Singles Draw | Read More: Humbert Wins Fourth ATP Challenger Crown
Humbert, competing at a career-high No. 75 in the ATP Rankings, broke Coric’s serve three times and will next play German qualifier Matthias Bachinger, who was solid on serve in overcoming Fernando Verdasco, the fifth-seeded Spaniard, 6-4, 6-3 in 77 minutes.
“I watched Ugo in his last match,” said Coric, who will now travel to compete at next week’s Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. “I tried pretty much everything today. He returned well, mixed up his serve and didn’t miss many balls.”
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Russia’s Andrey Rublev backed up his victory over three-time Marseille champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga with a 6-3, 7-6(2) win over Matteo Berrettini of Italy in one hour and 37 minutes. He will next play Kazakhstani Mikhail Kukushkin, who beat fourth seed Denis Shapovalov on Wednesday.
Third seed David Goffin reached his first ATP Tour quarter-final of the season, battling past home favourite Benoit Paire 6-2, 6-3. After a pair of early breaks, the two were back on serve in the second until Goffin won the rally of the match and broke Paire for a 5-3 lead.
The usually quiet Belgian celebrated the break with a fist pump and a shout to the crowd. He will meet Gilles Simon for the fifth time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, which is tied at 2-2.
“Benoit can play very well. I'm happy with the victory tonight,” Goffin said. “I need to go through those kinds of matches in order to improve match after match. Every athlete goes through moments of doubt.”
Hot Shot: Bellucci Shows Off Quick Hands At Rio 2019
Why The Skupski Brothers Don't Look Over Their Shoulders
At the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com on Wednesday, just after 5:00 pm, 29-year-old Neal Skupski was on Court 1 hitting serves just minutes after reaching the doubles semi-finals. Recording those serves was his brother and partner, 35-year-old Ken Skupski.
“He didn’t feel comfortable on his serve [during the match]. Other players might be thinking, ‘Oh, he doesn’t serve well enough. I’m going to potentially look for someone who can serve better to help get me to that next level’,” Ken said. “I don’t see it like that. My idea is that he’s always going to be my partner. He’s the person who I will always play with… I’m always looking for my brother to do the best he possibly can. And he’s always asking for me to be the best I can be.”
As the Skupski brothers spoke to ATPTour.com later in the evening in the Delray Beach players’ lounge, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan sat 10 metres away, preparing for a match of their own. The 40-year-old Bryan brothers have lifted 116 tour-level trophies together, and finished No. 1 in the year-end ATP Doubles Team Rankings 10 times.
In some ways, the sibling pairings are similar: the Bryans (Stanford) and the Skupskis (LSU) all attended college, and each team has a righty and a lefty. But in other ways, they’re different.
When Ken graduated from LSU and began his efforts on the professional circuit, there would still be another year before Neal would start studying at university. While the Bryans have competed together throughout their lives, it took until Ken was 30 and Neal was 23 for the Brits to compete alongside one another on the ATP Challenger Tour. Sure, Ken knocked around balls with his brother when they were younger, but just for fun.
In fact, Neal was only a sophomore at LSU when Ken captured his first two ATP Tour titles (w/Colin Fleming). They are playing with one another as professionals for the 136th time this week in Delray Beach.
“You’ve grown up looking at the Bryan Brothers. They’ve had unbelievable success playing doubles together. Obviously the best of all-time. It was tough at first [for us],” Neal said. “Ken is six years older than me and he took on the role of being the leader of the team, sort of the coach, too, because we didn’t have a coach at the time.”
The Skupskis have found success over the past couple of years. In 2018 alone, they won their first team ATP Tour title in Montpellier, and reached two additional finals.
But Ken, as he puts it, is in the ‘twilight’ of his career. The British left-hander is 35 years old with three kids at home. Ken is No. 68 in the ATP Doubles Rankings, while Neal is No. 35, just four spots off his career-high. So if Neal is able to get into ATP Masters 1000 events and even ATP 500 tournaments, but Ken cannot because of his ATP Doubles Ranking, he is more than happy to support his brother from afar.
“It’s always a dream, isn’t it? Once you get to the idea of tennis potentially being a job, then you set serious goals of where you want to get to,” Ken said. “When you’re very, very young, to say you’re going to be making money off the sport and still playing at 35, I’d sign up for it every day of the week.”
And perhaps the best part of the experience is doing it alongside his younger brother. They were raised differently tennis-wise — Ken played junior tournaments every couple of weeks as a kid, while Neal only competed at four or five big events each year. Yet here they are, competing on the ATP Tour together.
“It is obviously nice to travel as a team, as brothers. It’s better than traveling with someone you don’t know on the Tour. Obviously he speaks the same language as me, likes the same things,” Neal said. “We have a lot of advantages of being brothers and playing together.”
“I can shout at him, he can shout at me and I don’t take it personally,” Ken said. “Some people can take offence to things, but I don’t. If I’m not good enough on the day, I know it, he knows it and we move on from it, find a way to get better.”
Ken’s goal is to maintain his ATP Doubles Ranking as best he can so that he can still play with his brother, as he has no intentions of holding his brother back. The 2017 Wimbledon quarter-finalists want to make a deep run at another Grand Slam, potentially compete at the 2020 Olympics and continue progressing daily. Most importantly, they are in it not just as a pair, but as brothers.
“It is a fantastic thing that our family was able to get two brothers to play professional tennis and make a living out of the sport,” Ken said. “These guys, the Bryans, they’re in the same boat. They’re not looking over their shoulder thinking their partner is maybe going to speak to another guy and go off to play other tournaments. They’re in it for the long haul.”
So are the Skupskis.
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Bryan Brothers Back To Delray QF
Four-time champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan enjoyed a successful – albeit tight – return to the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com on Wednesday night. The twin Americans ousted New York Open champions Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies of Germany 7-6(5), 7-6(3) to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP 250.
“They played well last week... They're doing really well,” Mike Bryan said.
Jackson Withrow and Nick Kyrgios fall on Wednesday at the Delray Beach Open. Photo: Peter Staples/ATP TourBoth teams held throughout the opener, and they twice traded breaks in the second set before the Bryans sprinted to a 5/1 lead in the tie-break. They will next face Frenchmen Adrian Mannarino/Hugo Nys, who beat Americans Steve Johnson/Tennys Sandgren 6-1, 6-2.
Radu Albot and Yoshihito Nishioka eliminated Nick Kyrgios/Jackson Withrow 7-6(2), 6-1 and will meet the Ken Skupski/Neal Skupski of Great Britain in the semi-finals. The brothers beat Italians Paolo Lorenzi and Andreas Seppi 7-6(5), 7-6(3).
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Opelka Crushing Aces, Milestones To Start 2019
Records and milestones are falling at will for 21-year-old Riley Opelka. The 6’11” American won his maiden ATP title at the New York Open on Sunday and rose 33 spots to a career-high of No. 56 in the ATP Rankings this week. An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of Opelka’s biggest weapon, his serve, uncovers just how easily aces flow from his racquet.
1. Career High / Aces Per Match
Opelka has hit 654 aces in 32 tour-level matches to quickly become the career leader in Average Aces Per Match at 20.4. It’s a staggering achievement for such a young player, and it is an extremely positive indicator that his emerging career can go in whatever direction he wants.
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Top 5 Career Leaders: Average Aces Per Match
Reilly Opelka = 20.4
Ivo Karlovic = 19.8
John Isner = 18.1
Wayne Arthurs = 15.8
Sam Groth = 15.4
As good as those numbers are, his record during the past 52 weeks is even more impressive. Opelka is averaging a mind-blowing 27.8 aces per match during the past 12 months. It’s as close to untouchable as our sport has witnessed.
2. Ace Record For A Match
Opelka defeated John Isner 6-7(10), 7-6(14), 7-6(4) in the semi-finals of the New York Open last week, with both players combining to strike 81 aces – an ATP record for a three-set match. Opelka hit 43, and Isner hit 38.
Read More: Opelka Reflects On Winning First ATP Tour Title
The duo also combined to hit 87 aces in their first-round match at the Australian Open this year, with Isner contributing 47 and Opelka 40 during four tie-break sets.
3. New York Open / Aces Per Match
Opelka’s semi-final and final both went the distance to a third set tie-break, with the young American striking 43 aces in both matches. Opelka eclipsed his average ace tally (20.4) in four of his five matches in New York, and more than doubled the average in his final two matches.
New York Open: Opelka Aces Per Match
Round
Opponent
Score
Aces
Final
Brayden Schnur
6-1, 6-7(7), 7-6(7)
43
Semi Final
John Isner
6-7(8), 7-6(14), 7-6(4)
43
Qtr Final
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez
6-3, 6-4
14
Rd 16
Denis Istomin
6-7(8), 7-6(6), 1-0 RET
32
RD 32
Adrian Mannarino
2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4
24
-
-
AVERAGE
31
The simplicity of Opelka’s serve motion is a key component to him being so accurate and often hitting close to the lines when he hits aces. His fluid serve motion can be broken down into five phases.
1. Ready Position: Opelka leans forward on his front foot with the neck of his racquet resting on his left hand. That helps hold the weight of the racquet in the ready position, which in turn keeps his right arm loose.
2. Weight Transfers Back: He rocks to his back foot to build energy and keeps his racquet low while lifting his tossing arm high in the air.
3. Loading Phase: Opelka then brings his back foot up right behind his front foot and drops into a deep knee bend, preparing to explode up and forward into the court. Importantly, he keeps his tossing arm straight up in the air as long as he can to help make his toss more consistent.
4. Explosion At Contact: Opelka keeps his eyes and head up at contact and has his whole body in the air in front of the baseline as he unleashes all his energy into the serve.
5. Into The Court: Opelka lands a long way into the court on his left leg, and impressively, does not go too deep and low with his knee bend to then prepare for the next shot – if indeed there is a next shot.
Opelka is the real deal, and will be looking to break into the Top 50 and beyond in the coming months. He has no points to defend from Indian Wells or Miami. Of the 18 tournaments he currently has points from, 13 are sourced from ATP Challenger Tour events or qualifying for ATP Tour events. That landscape is going to look very, very different 12 months from now.
Felix Earns Revenge To Reach Rio QF
Revenge is best served cold, but why wait if you don't have to? #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime earned some payback on Wednesday night, and in the process, guaranteed his best showing yet at an ATP 500 tournament.
The 18-year-old beat Chile's Christian Garin 7-5, 6-4 at the Rio Open presented by Claro to reach his first ATP 500 quarter-final. Last week, the 22-year-old Garin came back from a set down against Auger-Aliassime in the first round of the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires.
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But the teenager kept his poise on Quadra Central, breaking five times and serving out the match to love. Auger-Aliassime seems to be even surprising himself this week. After match point, he dropped his racquet and wore a look of disbelief.
"I didn't know what to expect when I came here. I hadn't won many matches this year. I knew I was playing well, from the practices," said Auger-Aliassime, who was 1-3 at tour-level this season before this week. "I thought I had a chance to have tournaments like this this year. I came in, believed in my game, and I think it's paying off now. I think I dig deep physically in these conditions, and I was also able to stay really tough mentally."
The 18-year-old aced public relations and earned a few more fans in Rio. During his celebratory post-match dance on court, Auger-Aliassime tossed on a Brazilian football shirt, a gift from a friend earlier in the day, with one word emblazoned on the back: “Felix”.
He will face another up-and-coming player in Jaume Munar for a place in the semi-finals. The 21-year-old Spaniard fought past Brit Cameron Norrie 7-6(6), 5-7, 7-6(4) to reach his first ATP 500 quarter-final. Munar made the semi-finals of the 21-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals last November in Milan.
“I'm feeling happy for the win, but I also know I have to improve in a lot of things. I had many chances in the second, also chances before the tie-break in the final set,” Munar said. “My sentence in my head was just battle for every point.”
Hugo Dellien gave his home nation of Bolivia another reason to celebrate. The 25-year-old beat 2018 Ecuador Open champion Roberto Carballes Baena 7-5, 6-4 to make the quarter-finals. Before this week, no male player from Bolivia had won an ATP Tour or Grand Slam match in 35 years.
“This week has been a dream to me. The past two I struggled, trying to qualify in Cordoba and Buenos Aires, and now I'm playing the quarter-finals of an ATP 500 event. It's been a long time since Bolivia had a tennis player winning matches so this means a lot to me and my country,” Dellien said. “I'm really happy and extremely proud. I never thought people would travel to Rio to see me play. My goal for this year was to be a Top 100 player, and now I guess I can dream about the Top 50.”
He will face Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene, who knocked out home favourite Thiago Monteiro 6-3, 6-4 to make his second consecutive Rio quarter-final.
Isner Sails Into Delray Beach QF
John Isner advanced to his second quarter-final in as many weeks on Wednesday (New York), dismissing Slovakian Lukas Lacko 6-4, 6-3 at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com. The three-time semi-finalist dropped only one first-serve point (31/32) and improved to 4-0 against Lacko in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, which dates back to Auckland 2014.
"It was a good win. I think I'm getting more comfortable on this surface, especially with the positioning on my return... I was challenging him on a lot of return games," Isner said. "I was very happy how I came through that."
The second-seeded Isner will face eighth seed Adrian Mannarino for a place in the semi-finals. The Frenchman beat Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-2, 7-6(3) for his second win of 2019.
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Brit qualifier Daniel Evans reached his third tour-level quarter-final – and first since the 2017 Sydney International. The 28-year-old, No. 148 in the ATP Rankings, routed South Africa's Lloyd Harris 6-0, 6-2 in only 69 minutes.
Evans upset third seed and defending champion Frances Tiafoe on Tuesday night. The Brit will face Italy's Andreas Seppi, who outplayed Aussie Jordan Thompson 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
The Last Time... With Daniel Evans
Daniel Evans on Wednesday advanced to his third tour-level quarter-final, defeating 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals alternate Lloyd Harris 6-0, 6-2 at the Delray Beach Open presented by VITACOST.com. The Brit has won four matches this week after coming through qualifying.
“Still a lot of tennis left this week and hopefully [I'll] keep going," said Evans before speaking of the windy Florida conditions. "I’m moving really well, I think. It’s just the way it is. I’m moving great and the wind actually suits my game quite well. It’s difficult to hit off the slice as well. I feel I’m playing good."
Evans will play Italian Andreas Seppi for a spot in his third ATP Tour semi-final, as he is trying to stay undefeated (2-0) in the last eight at this level. The World No. 148, who upset defending champion Frances Tiafoe in the first round, has never faced Seppi.
“He’s a great player," Evans said. "I love the way he plays. It’s going to be good fun.”
After his victory, Evans revealed to ATPTour.com the last time...
I missed a flight?
Dubai in 2016. Just slept through the alarm.
I lost something important?
My bank card last week. I had to borrow my coach’s credit card for the week. I had to close it.
Being famous helped me?
Never helped.
I strung a tennis racquet?
A long time ago, probably when I was a junior. It was pretty easy, I enjoyed it. Took me about 20, 25 minutes.
I cooked for myself and others?
I can’t cook, don’t cook, won’t cook.
Favourite meal someone cooked for you?
Chicken fajitas, pretty good.
I met a childhood idol?
Tim Henman was here this week, so that was pretty good.
I shared a hotel room with another player?
I shared an apartment in the pre-season this year, stayed in an apartment with some other players in Bradenton. It was a group of us, so that was cool.
I asked someone famous for an autograph or selfie?
I would have been very young. Probably at a tennis tournament when I was watching. It was great fun seeing the guys who were the stars of the tournament at that time. It probably would have been Wimbledon.
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