Marin Cilic set to start his 2020 season at the ATP Cup in Sydney - UBITENNIS
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Marin Cilic set to start his 2020 season at the ATP Cup in Sydney

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Marin Cilic has started his training for the 2020 season, which will start in the first week of January with the first edition of the ATP Cup. Croatia is set to make its debut in Sydney on 4th January.

Cilic earned more than 20 match wins for the 12th consecutive season, but he failed to win a title for the first time in the past 12 seasons. He fell to world number 39 in the ATP Ranking on 4th November, his lowest ranking since world number 41 on 28th October 2013.

Cilic came back from two sets down and saved two match points against Fernando Verdasco to reach the fourth round at the Australian Open before losing to Roberto Bautista Agut in five sets. Three months later Cilic saved four match points against Martin Klizan en route to reaching the quarter finals at the ATP Masters 1000 in Madrid. During the US hard-court season Cilic beat Felix Auger Aliassime in Washington before losing to Danil Medvedev in the quarter final. At the US Open Cilic beat John Isner before losing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal.

The Croatian star was forced to miss the Davis Cup Final at the Caja Magica in Madrid due to a knee injury.

“My knee is feeling better now and I plan to start the new season in Australia. I start to train slowly, to be ready for the winter preparation that will start in about ten years. My coach Wayne Ferreira will come to Zagreb. We will be in Australia for the ATP Cup. Croatia will play in the Sydney Group and the first match is scheduled for 4th January”, said Cilic.

The 2014 US Open champion is still unsure about playing in the Davis Cup Qualifiers against India next March.

“I have not planned any tournaments beyond the Australian circuit and I am not sure about playing Croatia’s tie against India. I want to see how my knee will hold up. My wife is due to give birth to our first child next February”.

Croatia did not get through the qualifying round-robin group in the recent Davis Cup in Madrid.

“We already knew before that it was hard to pass in such a difficult group against Spain and Russia. Besides me not playing, there were also Borna’s problems. It is how it went”. 

Cilic talked about Zelijko Krajan’s exemption from his role as Croatian Davis Cup captain.

“We must realize that in Croatian tennis we are at a high level. I can only say that certain things must not be repeated. We all know that the timing of the exemption of Krajan was bad. Honestly, I did not know anything. I knew from the media. Goran Ivanisevic will be difficult to convince, if all things are not properly organized”, said Cilic.

Cilic also talked about the calendar issue with the Davis Cup scheduled at the end of November just six weeks before the first edition of the ATP Cup.

“Finally the ATP and ITF have started talking to each other after some years. It has happened in all these years: from the ATP that has removed the points for the Olympic tournament, to the ITF that has not listened to what the players said. It is known that the calendar is too full. There was also the proposal that the Davis Cup finalists could skip the first round, but it did not pass. We will see what the possibilities are and how much both parties are willing to come together in the interests of all”,said Cilic.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas beats Sebastian Ofner in Barcelona to extend his winning streak

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Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Sebastian Ofner 6-4 7-5 at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell to extend his winning streak to seven consecutive matches after claiming his third title at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters last week. 

Tsitsipas earned an immediate break in the first game. Ofner broke straight back to draw level to 1-1. Tsitsipas earned his second break  in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead and served out the first set 6-4 with a hold at 15. 

Tsitsipas broke in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. Ofner won three consecutive games with two breaks of serve to take a 5-3 lead. Tsitsipas came back by winning four consecutive games with two breaks of serve to seal the second set 7-5.

Tsitsipas has a record of 17 wins to 5 defeats in Barcelona. The Greek player reached three finals at this tournament in 2018, 2021 and 2023.  

“I feel pretty good, but it is still early in the tournament. The conditions here are very different to Monte-Carlo and I felt it today when I was playing. My job is to adapt and to ensure I can bring my A game again in Barcelona this week. Today was a great test to see where I stand. I am hoping to keep on improving and getting good wins like this under my belt”, said Tsitsipas. 

Tsitssipas set up a third round match against Roberto Carballes Baena, who beat Lorenzo Musetti 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 in 2 hours and 15 minutes. 

Musetti saved three break points in the first game of the opening set. The Italian player earned two break points with a backhand down the line. Musetti saved two break points in the seventh game. Both players went on serve un the 12th game when Carballes Baena saved a set point. Carballes Baena went up a 5-1 lead with two mini-breaks in the tie-break. Musetti won three consecutive points to reduce to 4-5. Carballes Baena won the final two points to take the tie-break 7-4. 

Carballes Baena converted his fourth break point in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead. Musetti broke back in the fifth game. Carballes Baena saved a break point in the sixth game. The Spanish player sealed the win with a break on his second match. 

Last week’s Monte-Carlo finalist Casper Ruud beat Alexandre Muller 6-3 6-4 to claim his 25th tour-level win of the season. Ruud has drawn level with Jannik Sinner for the most wins in 2024 on the ATP Tour. 

Ruud set up a third round match against Jordan Thompson, who beat Jaume Munar 6-4 2-4 6-4. Roberto Bautista Agut beat Andrea Vavassori 4-6 6-4 6-1 to claim his milestone 400th match win on the ATP Tour. Bautista Agut set up a third round match against Cameron Norrie. 

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Roberto Bautista Agut wins his milestone 400th match on the ATP Tour

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Roberto Bautista Agut came back from one set down to beat Australian Open doubles finalist Andrea Vavassori 4-6 6-3 6-1 after 2 hours and 1 minute at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. 

Vavassori earned an early break in the first game. The Italian player earned three break points in the seventh game, but Bautista Agut saved them. The Spanish player broke straight back in the eighth game. Vavassori broke again in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead and saved two break points before closing out the first set 6-4 on his second set point. 

Both players went on serve in the first four games of the second set. Vavassori earned a break point in the fifth game, but he did not convert it. Bautista Agut broke serve in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead and did not face any break points to win the second set 6-3. 

Bautista Agut broke three times to cruise through to a 6-1. 

Bautista Agut reached the 400th milestone win on the ATP Tour.  The Spanish player has become the 13th active player with at least 400 ATP Tour wins. He achieved 20 wins against members of the top 10, ten wins against top 5 players and four against world number 1s. Bautista Agut is one of the nine players, who have beaten Novak Djokovic as World number 1 more than twice. 

“For me it’s just a number. The important thing is that I have done great work over these years, that I have a very consistent career, a career that I can feel proud of “, said Bautista Agut. 

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Martina Trevisan beats Naomi Osaka to reach the second round in Rouen

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Martina Trevisan upset former world number 1 Naomi Osaka 6-4 6-2 in the opening round of the Open Capfinances Rouen Metropole. 

Osaka has played her first clay-court match since Roland Garros 2022, where she lost to Amanda Anisimova. The Japanese player has not won a match on clay since beating Anastasia Potapova in the first round of the Madrid Mutua Open in 2022. She helped Japan beat Kazakhstan in the Billie Jean King Cup. 

Trevisan reached the quarter final in 2020 and the semifinal in 2022 at Roland Garros. The former world number 18 won her only title in Rabat in 2022. She reached the quarter finals of the Zaragoza ITF 100 tournament. 

Both players traded breaks in the first two games. Osaka earned two break points at 3-2 and three more chances at 4-3, but she was not able to convert them. Trevisan broke serve in the ninth game following a series of forehand errors. 

Trevisan broke twice in the third and seventh games and served out the win on her first match point. 

Sixteen-year-old Mirra Andreeva beat Elina Avanesyan 7-5 6-4 in 1 hour and 41 minutes to reach her second quarter final of 2024. 

Andreeva went up a break in the seventh game, but Avanesyan pulled back on serve to draw level to 4-4. Andreeva broke for the second time in the 11th game to win the second set 7-5. Andreeva broke in the first game to open up a 2-0 lead. Avanesyan converted her third break-back point in the fourth game to draw level to 2-2. Andreeva broke serve at love in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. Avanesyan broke back in the eighth game to draw level to 4-4. Andreeva broke for the third time in the ninth game and served out the win on her second match point after saving two break points. 

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