Stefanos Tsitsipas breezed into the third round of the Barcelona Open with a straight-sets win over Pedro Cachin on Wednesday. Tsitsipas took 79 minutes to see off Argentine Pedro Cachin 6-4 6-2 on Pista Rafa Nadal. The second seed from Greece did not face a break point and won all three that he fashioned to set up a meeting with Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who got the better of Jozef Kovalik 6-4, 6-3. Jannik Sinner, the fourth seed from Italy, eased to a 6-2 6-4 win over Diego Schwartzman at the Real Club de Tennis Barcelona-1899. Cameron Norrie and Lorenzo Musetti will do battle in round three after defeating Pavel Kotov and Jason Kubler respectively in straight sets. Karen Khachanov beat Nicolas Jarry 6-4 6-4, while Grigor Dimitrov, Dan Evans, Alex de Minaur, Yoshihito Nishioka and Francisco Cerundolo also celebrated midweek wins. Rain hit the schedule hard at the BMW Open, where Aslan Karatsev was leading Daniel Altmaie 3-0 in the third set when play was suspended in the only singles action of the day.
The world number four made a fast start to his match against Filip Krajinovic, winning the opening five games, but fell away to lose in three sets after an hour and 59 minutes.
Tsitsipas is due to represent Greece at the behind-closed-doors Games in Japan, where he will be among the medal favourites.
His racket bizarrely fell apart in the second set against Krajinovic, with Tsitsipas left clutching just the handle as the head broke off when he attempted a backhand.
Despite reaching for a replacement racket, Tsitsipas could not get the better of his 44th-ranked Serbian opponent.
Krajinovic said, according to the ATP website: "He started really well, really aggressively. I could not find my game, could not find my serve, he was overpowering me. But at the end of the first set, I started to feel better, I was going for my shots.
"It paid off in the end. I am happy to beat Tsitsipas, he is an amazing player. I always play well here, and I hope I keep playing well here."
Krajinovic advances to take on a fellow Serbian, Laslo Djere, in the semi-finals, after Djere swept to a 6-2 6-2 win over Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Spanish second seed Pablo Carreno Busta prevented a third Serbian reaching the final four, beating Dusan Lajovic 7-6 (7-4) 6-3, and he will face Federico Delbonis on Saturday.
At the Nordea Open in Bastad, Sweden, top seed Casper Ruud had his path to the semi-finals smoothed by the withdrawal of scheduled opponent Henri Laaksonen due to injury.
That walkover means Norwegian Ruud will next tackle Roberto Carballes Baena, who beat Slovakian Norbert Gombos 6-4 6-2.
Chilean second seed Cristian Garin bowed out, beaten 6-4 4-6 6-2 by Argentinian Federico Coria. Coria's semi-final opponent will be Germany's Yannick Hanfmann, a 6-4 6-3 victor over French qualifier Arthur Rinderknech.
Tsitsipas looked sharp throughout the week in central France and was in clinical form on Sunday, pouncing on some minor mistakes from Norrie to triumph 6-3 6-3.
Norrie was by no means an easy opponent, but five double faults handed Tsitsipas an edge he duly made the most of.
This year's Monte Carlo champion had to claw back three break points in the opening game of the match but was firmly in control from then on.
A break to make it 5-3 enabled the Greek to serve for the first set – an opportunity he took at the first time of asking – and another clinical break put him 4-3 up in set two.
Tsitsipas' third and final break came on the second match point on offer, with Norrie overhitting a forehand to seal the world number five's 33rd Tour win of the season.
Having dropped just one set throughout his run this week, Tsitsipas will now switch focus to Roland Garros, where he reached the semi-finals in 2020.
"I felt in a good shape from the beginning of the tournament, felt like things were going my way," he said in a post-match interview.
"I'm proud of today's match. I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron who has played great this week, winning against good players and showing what his left hand can do on clay. I had to handle the nerves and I'm proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused.
"It's about getting there [Paris] as early as possible, getting in practice and getting in shape for the big Parisian grand slam which I adore and love. Hopefully, something good can come out of it."
The world number five won his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Monte Carlo and reached the final in Barcelona before cruising into the last four in France without dropping a set.
However, he was forced to come from behind to beat Musetti 4-6 6-3 6-0 on Saturday to set up a showdown with Cameron Norrie.
Musetti, who broke into the top 100 for the first time this year after losing to Tsitsipas in the semi-finals in Acapulco, broke at 2-2 in the opening set as he caused havoc with drop shots.
It was not until Tsitsipas moved 5-3 ahead in the second set that the Italian's resistance finally seemed to break as he failed to win another game.
"It was important I had a match like this," Tsitsipas said. "It makes me stay humble and focus on some detailed things I can potentially improve and get better at on clay.
"I had to stay calm. It was difficult to be a set down and have to kind of refresh myself and come anew in the second set. He was still putting [in] a lot of work and making me work for every single point. It wasn't easy."
Tsitsipas will contest the final against Norrie, who got better as the day wore on across his quarter-final and semi-final matches.
Norrie concluded a 6-3 3-6 6-3 win over Arthur Rinderknech before dispatching eighth seed Karen Khachanov 6-1 6-1 in superb fashion.
"Everything was working well: serving well, returning well, anticipating the ball well," said the 25-year-old, who reached his second Tour final at this year's Estoril Open.
"I came forward when I needed to and was aggressive with good depth. It was nice to come through like that.
"I had a tough loss in my last final so it's nice I can get another opportunity so soon. It's going to be tough against Stefanos. He's in the zone as well, so it's going to be an interesting final."
Having lost a five-set epic against Novak Djokovic in the French Open final, Tsitsipas crashed out in the first round of Wimbledon against Frances Tiafoe.
The Greek welcomed a return to the clay courts in Hamburg, though, as he saw off a battling Koepfer 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 in a productive workout lasting one hour and 44 minutes on Wednesday.
Tsitsipas dropped serve in the first game of the match but immediately struck back and was not broken again in the contest.
He forced plenty of break opportunities – 14 in total – and converted three over the course of the match which proved enough for victory at the ATP 500 event.
Four set points came and went for Tsitsipas as Koepfer served it out at 6-5 to force a tie-break in the opener, but it mattered little when the world number four won four consecutive points to clinch the breaker.
Koepfer led 3-2 in the second set but two consecutive breaks from Tsitsipas ended the contest and ensured he booked a tie against Filip Krajinovic in the last eight.
Sixth seed Krajinovic beat a German opponent to disappoint the home fans for a second straight day, though he needed a deciding set before seeing off veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-5 4-6 6-3.
In the Nordea Open, held in Bastad, fourth seed John Millman was a casualty as he went down in three sets to big-serving qualifier Arthur Rinderknech, who had 12 aces.
There was no such drama for second seed Cristian Garín, though, as he saw off Pedro Martinez 6-3 6-3, dropping serve just once.
Ahead of a tilt at the French Open, for which he is among the favourites, world number five Tsitsipas has been tuning up his game at this week's ATP 250 tournament.
The Greek star was sharp in posting a 6-3 6-4 win over Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka, and 19-year-old Italian Musetti awaits him on Saturday.
Tsitsipas dropped just four games when he crushed Musetti in an Acapulco semi-final in March, but he senses more of a threat this time from the exciting youngster.
"We played in different conditions. Acapulco was a hardcourt match and with altitude," said Tsitsipas, speaking on Amazon Prime. "The conditions here are different. He's someone who enjoys playing on clay.
"We share a similar game style I think with a one-handed backhand, which is beautiful to see, but tomorrow it's going to be serious business I knew he can play good on this surface. I know he can elevate his game, so it's important for me to be in the semi-finals."
Musetti overcame Slovenian Aljaz Bedene 6-3 7-6 (7-2) in their quarter-final, scrambling through a chaotic second set in which he trailed 5-2 at one stage but then reeled off four straight games, only to fail to serve out.
Thankfully for the youngster, he pulled through the tie-break.
"It was a crazy end," said Musetti. "I was 6-5 up, and at 30-30 played a really bad volley and hit an underarm serve. Sometimes I go out of my mind. I am really proud of myself as I was 2-5 down in the second set and I stayed focused. I tried to play each point at my best."
Russian Karen Khachanov marked his 25th birthday with a 6-1 7-6 (7-3) win over Frenchman Richard Gasquet, veteran doyen of the single-handed backhand.
Khachanov faced a wait to learn who he must face in the semi-finals, however, with Cameron Norrie and Arthur Rinderknech level at one set all overnight, after rain forced an early end to play.
At the Geneva Open, Norway's Casper Ruud will tackle Canadian Denis Shapovalov in Saturday's final.
Ruud saw off Spaniard Pablo Andujar 6-3 6-2, while Shapovalov earned a 6-4 7-5 win against Uruguayan qualifier Pablo Cuevas.
The brilliant Greek has endured a rocky start to 2020 but put a run of early-tournament defeats behind him with another success in the south of France, beating Canadian Auger-Aliassime 6-3 6-4 in the final.
It means that for the second yet in a row, Tsitsipas has run through the Marseille draw without dropping a set, while for Auger-Aliassime the wait for a first ATP singles trophy goes on.
This setback makes it five defeats in five finals for the 19-year-old Canadian, including a loss to Gael Monfils in Rotterdam last weekend.
Tsitsipas was highly impressive and the 21-year-old roared in delight when Auger-Aliassime ripped a forehand over the baseline on match point.
The trophy presentation became a charming love-in between two of the stars of the new generation in the men's game.
Addressing Auger-Aliassime, who held a 2-1 lead in their head-to-head before this clash, Tsitsipas said: "It's great to be fighting on the court against you.
"I feel like you make me a better a player. And I hope I make you that too.
"I would like to congratulate you on a great week. Someone had to win the title - it was a very close match.
"I've been following you, even when you've not been playing the same tournaments as me.
"Keep putting in the extra work and I'm sure you can achieve a lot of things in the future which will be very good for our sport and for the younger generations."
It was a fifth tour title for Tsitsipas, and it seems only a matter of time before Auger-Aliassime begins carrying off the big trophies.
These two could contest many more finals in the years ahead.
Auger-Aliassime said: "We've known each other since juniors. It's getting tougher and tougher to play you - we're equal now - two wins each - so it's a great rivalry and a great fight every time against you, but congrats for this one."
Making his debut at the Mallorca Championships, Tsitsipas sealed his maiden appearance in a grass-court final by cruising past Benjamin Bonzi 6-4 6-4 on Friday.
The world number six has now reached four finals this season, having lost two of the previous three – winning on clay at the Monte Carlo Masters.
It was the second meeting between the pair in as many weeks, with the Greek having also downed Bonzi at the Halle Open.
And Tsitsipas now has a chance to warm up for Wimbledon in winning fashion.
"It was a good match. I am very happy today," Tsitsipas said in his on-court interview. "I have played a final a week before a grand slam before. It was the year I made the final at Roland Garros, in Lyon.
"It worked out pretty well to have that final and consistency of matches. It is different this time. We are talking about a different surface, so we will see."
Tsitsipas has now claimed a tour-leading 39 wins this season, but standing between the 23-year-old and silverware is Spaniard Bautista Agut, who reached a 20th career final by beating Antoine Bellier 7-6 (7-5) 6-2.
Like Tsitsipas, Bautista Agut is aiming for a second title of the season.
At the Eastbourne International, two Americans will vie for the title after Indian Wells Masters champion Taylor Fritz saw off a tough challenge from Alex de Minaur while Maxime Cressy defeated home favourite Jack Draper 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (2-7) 6-3.
Fritz, who triumphed at Eastbourne in 2019 – similarly against an American, in Sam Querrey – but has found his best form hard to come by of late, also needed three sets to get the better of De Minaur, eventually succeeding 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-3.
"It's amazing," Fritz said. "I was having a bit of a rough start coming back from injury to the grass season, and then I came here and the first day I was here I just immediately felt like I was playing good tennis again.
"I just have a lot of confidence being here, obviously great memories, so I'm really excited to come back out and play for the title again."
Second seed Tsitsipas was in impressive form as he dispatched Alexander Bublik in the day's first match, running out 7-5 6-3 victor to reach the final of the tournament for a second year in a row.
The Greek continued his run of not dropping a set at the competition since a first-round defeat to Nicolas Mahut two years ago, racking up a 14th successive win in Marseille.
Tsitsipas was particularly devastating on his own serve in the second set, dropping just a single point, and he was delighted to be able to keep Bublik under control.
"I tried to stay in the match as much as possible and play each point individually," he said, according to quotes on the ATP Tour website. "I know he can be [Bublik] quite unexpected.
"You don't know what to expect. I didn't know what to expect from today's opponent. I am really happy with myself that I found a balance and I didn't panic when things got tight.
"That is a great attitude that I put out on the court. It keeps getting better and better."
Auger-Aliassime will be hoping to go one better than he did in Rotterdam last week, having lost in the final of that event to Gael Monfils.
The Canadian did not have it all his own way against Simon, who eliminated top second Daniil Medvedev in the last round, but Auger-Aliassime showed admirable resilience to claim a double break in the first set after losing his own serve early on.
Simon took the second set to a tie-break, but he rarely appeared to be in the conversation at that stage, with Auger-Aliassime eventually winning 7-5 7-6 (7-2).
Ranked 259th by the ATP after two injury-blighted years, the former world number five scored his first main-tour singles victory since last March in Marseille as he beat Poland's Kacper Zuk at the Open Sud de France on Tuesday.
Tsonga battled for a 6-4 6-4 victory in the first round, and the 36-year-old, who has battled back and leg problems, said: "It's just amazing for me to be here on the court playing.
"For me, the goal is to have fun again, to find a level where I can beat great players again."
The former Australian Open runner-up competed last week at a Challenger Tour event, while the first grand slam of the year was carrying on without him in Melbourne.
He abandoned his 2021 campaign after a first-round loss at Wimbledon, where he was beaten in five sets by Sweden's Mikael Ymer.
Quoted on the ATP website after his return to winning ways, Tsonga said: "I had a few difficult months and to win like this for one of my first matches of the year, it's just fantastic for me.
"You cannot do it without the people around you. I have the chance to have very good people around me, and it gave me the opportunity to live some moments like this."
Qualifier Gilles Simon saw off wildcard Lucas Pouille 7-6 (7-4) 5-7 6-4 in a battle of two French compatriots of Tsonga who are both fellow former top-10 tour stars.
Other winners on Tuesday in Montpellier included Serbian Filip Krajinovic, who will face Tsonga on Wednesday, plus Ymer and France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert.
At the Tata Open Maharashtra, staged in the Indian city of Pune, seeds Emil Ruusuvuori and Stefano Travaglia both came through their opening tests. Ruusuvuori beat Egor Gerasimov 6-0 7-6 (13-11), while Travaglia was pushed hard by India's Ramkumar Ramanathan, eventually scraping through 7-6 (9-7) 4-6 6-3.
World ranked 205 Van Rijthoven had never won an ATP main draw match before receiving a wild card into this event, in which he has enjoyed a dream week.
The Dutchman beat Felix Auger-Aliassime to progress to a final with Medvedev, who is set to return to world number one on Monday.
But he made light of the gulf in tour experience and ranking by powering to a 6-4 6-1 win.
He dominated the contest on serve, landing 74 per cent of his first serves and winning 84 per cent of his first-serve points. Van Rijthoven also lost just four points on second serve.
By contrast, Medvedev won just 56 per cent of points on his first serve and a paltry 38 per cent on his second, the US Open champion facing 10 break points in the contest.
Van Rijthoven raced into a 5-0 lead in the second set and, though Medvedev saved one match point to avoid a bagel, a fairytale win was sealed in the next game when the Russian could only return a serve into the net to spark jubilation among the home fans.
Verdasco, the ninth seed at the ATP 500 tournament, was beaten 6-3 6-3 by fellow Spaniard Pablo Andujar on the clay in Brazil.
The 36-year-old has fallen to three straight losses, the first of which was a third-round defeat at the Australian Open.
Verdasco – the 2018 runner-up – was one of three seeds tested, but Garin survived a test against Andrej Martin.
Garin, who won the title in Cordoba earlier this month, needed more than three hours to edge Martin 4-6 7-5 7-6 (7-5).
Albert Ramos-Vinolas departed, the seventh seed falling to 16-year-old Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (7-2) 4-6 7-6 (7-2) after three hours, 36 minutes.
Federico Delbonis advanced, while wildcard Thiago Seyboth Wild needed almost four hours to get past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 7-5.
There were also upsets at the Delray Beach Open, where John Millman and Adrian Mannarino were beaten in the first round.
Millman, the fifth seed, went down to Yoshihito Nishioka 3-6 6-4 6-2 and seventh seed Mannarino fell to Kwon Soon-woo 1-6 6-3 6-2.
Frances Tiafoe, the champion in 2018, came through his opener against qualifier Emilio Gomez.
Verdasco, the seventh seed at the ATP 250 event played on clay, was beaten by qualifier Carlos Taberner 4-6 6-1 6-4 in Argentina.
In a clash between two Spaniards, Taberner – at 198 ranked 149 places below Verdasco – won three of the final four games.
Verdasco had made the quarter-finals in Doha and third round at the Australian Open to begin 2020, but the 36-year-old bowed out in his opener.
Sixth seed Cuevas had no such problems, beating local hope Federico Delbonis 7-5 6-2.
Earlier, Italian Gianluca Mager beat qualifier Juan Pablo Ficovich 6-2 3-6 6-2 and Attila Balazs overcame Lorenzo Sonego 6-2 7-6 (7-3).
In his first match of 2020, top seed Wawrinka saved six of the seven break points he faced and came from 0-3 down in the second set to book a meeting with Aljaz Bedene, who overcame Alexander Bublik 6-3 7-5.
Laslo Djere defeated Lorenzo Sonego 6-1 3-6 6-2 and Mikhail Kukushkin downed Malek Jaziri 6-0 6-3, earning a clash with second seed Andrey Rublev in round two.
Wawrinka's doubles partner Frances Tiafoe – seeded eighth in the singles – lost 6-4 4-6 6-4 to Marton Fucsovics, while Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Cem Ilkel also progressed.
The ATP released a statement on Monday saying an unnamed player is now isolating after testing positive for the virus and a contact-tracing process is underway to notify people who may have come into contact with him.
While they did not confirm Querrey was the player in question, the American no longer features on the draw and his first-round opponent, Denis Shapovalov, is now scheduled to play lucky loser Viktor Troicki.
On court, meanwhile, Stan Wawrinka saved three match points to overcome Dan Evans 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-5, wildcard Aslan Karatsev saw off Tennys Sandgren 7-5 3-6 7-5 and Cameron Norrie edged past eighth seed Taylor Fritz 6-4 4-6 6-3.
In Cologne, Oscar Otte beat Jan-Lennard Struff in an all-German clash, while Steve Johnson saw off Filip Krajinovic – the fifth seed – in a deciding set.
At the Forte Village Sardegna Open in Italy, teenager Lorenzo Musetti boosted his burgeoning reputation by beating Pablo Cuevas in straight sets, while Jiri Vesely overcame Kamil Majchrzak.
On the same day fellow countryman Roger Federer would hang up his racquet at the Laver Cup, Wawrinka was forced to go all the way by his opponent in Metz, eventually winning 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-5).
The three-time grand slam champion, whose injury struggles and form have seen him tumble to 284 in the world rankings, served up seven aces to Ymer's two, and made no double faults.
Victory moves him into the last four, where he will meet seventh seed Alexander Bublik after the Kazakh saw off Holger Rune in another three-set encounter with a 6-3 5-7 6-4 win.
Defending champion Hubert Hurkacz is also through to the semi-finals after making quick work of home favourite Arthur Rinderknech, winning 6-3 6-2.
The world number 10 will face Lorenzo Sonego next after the Italian also came through his quarter-final in straight sets against Sebastian Korda.
Wawrinka, the third seed at the ATP 500 event in Acapulco, needed two hours, 45 minutes to edge Frances Tiafoe 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-1).
The Swiss three-time grand slam champion squandered four match points before battling through.
Wawrinka was the only seed in action on Monday, as two American qualifiers – Tommy Paul and Marcos Giron – progressed.
Adrian Mannarino overcame wildcard Cameron Norrie 2-6 6-3 6-3, Miomir Kecmanovic edged past Alex de Minaur 3-6 6-4 6-3 and Kyle Edmund hammered Feliciano Lopez 6-4 6-1.
At the Chile Open, sixth seed Hugo Dellien got through the first round, while Roberto Carballes Baena and wildcards Thiago Seyboth Wild and Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera also won.
Wawrinka came through two qualifying matches to take his place in the main draw before defeating Sousa 7-6 (7-1) 6-2 in Metz on Wednesday.
The three-time grand slam champion's victory was only his fourth in a main draw at tour-level this year following a 13-month absence due to a foot injury.
Wawrinka said after setting up a showdown with top seed Medvedev: "It's the first time I won three matches in the same tournament for more than two years, so it's great.
"I'm getting confidence from winning a few matches, so I'm feeling a bit more relaxed, the way I'm moving. I think the level was good from me, and I'm happy with the win."
Dominic Thiem also advanced at the indoor hard-court event, seeing off Richard Gasquet 6-3 7-6 (7-3).
Sebastian Korda was the first man to seal a quarter-final spot, sending third seed Lorenzo Musetti packing with a 6-3 7-6 (8-6) victory in the last match of the day.
Meanwhile, Alexander Bublik, Gregoire Barrere and Benjamin Bonzi were the other first-round winners.
Persistent rain forced an early abandonment of action on the clay courts in Houston, with all eight second-round matches pushed back to Thursday.
Max Purcell's clash with Daniel Altmaier was the only match to get underway, with the Australian leading 6-4 before rain intervened.
Top seed Frances Tiafoe was due to open his campaign against Steve Johnson, with second seed Tommy Paul to face Yannick Hanfmann.
Nakashima's withdrawal for an undisclosed reason meant lucky loser Zizou Bergs will replace him and take on Cristian Garin.
The world number 10, who has recently been praised by both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, took the first set 6-2 with ease before Kopriva, making his ATP Tour debut this week, emphatically fought back 6-3 6-2 to secure a memorable comeback victory.
Number three seed Casper Ruud battled past Dennis Novak 6-4 7-6 (7-5), while Benoit Paire, who only had two ATP wins in 2021 before the Hamburg European Open last week, was 6-4 to the good before Tallon Griekspoor was forced to retire due to injury.
Ruud, who has already won two ATP events in 2021 and three in his career, will now meet sixth seed Paire in the quarter-final stage.
But eighth seed Feliciano Lopez did not enjoy similar success as the world number 96 Mikael Ymer fought past the Spaniard to win 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (9-7) 6-4 and set-up a quarter-final clash with Kopriva.
At the Umag Open in Croatia, third seed Filip Krajinovic breezed past Radu Albot to record a 6-4 6-2 win.
Krajinovic's countryman and number two ranked player Dusan Lajovic also went through with a 7-5 6-4 win against Bernabe Zapata Miralles.
