Defending champion Felix Auger-Aliassime must overcome a dismal record against Daniil Medvedev to go any further at the Rotterdam Open after both won on Thursday to set up a heavyweight quarter-final, while Stefanos Tsitsipas crashed out.

Third seed Auger-Aliassime beat French qualifier Gregoire Barrere 6-4 6-3, while Medvedev earned a 6-2 6-2 victory against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.

Despite being the higher-ranked of the two at present, Canadian Auger-Aliassime has a 0-4 career record against Russian Medvedev.

Those losses include a painful defeat from two sets up in the 2022 Australian Open quarter-finals, and a US Open semi-final knockout blow in the previous season.

It is a record that is all the more surprising considering Auger-Aliassime has wins over Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Carlos Alcaraz to his name.

Auger-Aliassime sits eighth on the ATP ranking list, three places clear of former number one Medvedev, who is relishing their clash on Friday.

Medvedev said on Amazon Prime: "Felix is a top player. He won here last year and played amazing at the end of last season. I'm looking forward to a tough match, and hopefully I can be at my best.

"He's going to take his opportunities. He's going to go for it when he has the chance. So I will need to be at my best and everything has to be better."

Top seed and Australian Open runner-up Tsitsipas was beaten 6-4 6-3 by Jannik Sinner, with last week's Open Sud de France champion winning in an hour and 21 minutes to set up a quarter-final against Stan Wawrinka.

It was Sinner's first career win over a top-three opponent. The Italian held a 0-8 record against such opponents coming into this match.

Fourth seed Holger Rune is also out after retiring hurt while 6-4 4-0 down to Dutch wildcard Gijs Brouwer, who advances to play compatriot Tallon Griekspoor.

Australian Alex de Minaur advanced to the final eight with a 7-5 3-6 6-3 win over American Maxime Cressy, earning a shot at Grigor Dimitrov next.

Carlos Alcaraz overcame a second-set hiccup to win on his return to the ATP Tour over Laslo Djere in the second round at the Argentina Open on Wednesday.

Alcaraz, who rose to the world number one ranking after last year's US Open triumph, won 6-2 4-6 6-2 in two hours and one minute over the Serbian in Buenos Aires.

The match marked top seed Alcaraz's first since losing to Holger Rune in the Paris Masters quarter-finals, having missed last month's Australian Open following abdominal and hamstring injuries.

The Spanish 19-year-old displayed his trademark forehand on occasion, while he was at his tenacious best, saving six of seven break points generated by Djere.

"It's a great feeling to win again," Alcaraz said post-match. "It's been a long time for me with no competition, with no matches, just recovering. Finally, I got my first win of 2023."

Alcaraz will face Serbian qualifier Dusan Lajovic next after he won 6-3 6-1 over local Camilo Ugo Carabelli.

Second seed Cameron Norrie was pushed for three hours by Argentinian wild card Facundo Diaz Acosta before prevailing 4-6 7-5 7-6 (8-6). Diaz Acosta got within two points of victory on three occasions but could not capitalise.

Norrie will face another Argentinian in the third round, with Tomas Martin Etcheverry progressing with a 4-6 6-1 6-2 win over Roberto Carballes Baena.

Third seed Denis Shapovalov was a shock second-round casualty at the Delray Beach Open after going down in here sets to Michael Mmoh on Wednesday.

The American, who is ranked 87th in the world, triumphed 7-5 3-6 6-3 in two hours and 20 minutes at the event in Florida.

The Canadian committed 30 unforced errors across the match compared to Mmoh's 16. Shapovalov also generated 10 break points but only capitalized on two, while Mmoh converted three of five.

Mmoh will take on countryman Mackenzie McDonald who won 6-3 3-6 6-2 over fifth seed Yoshihito Nishioka.

Fourth seed Miomir Kecmanovic cruised past qualifier Nuno Borges 6-3 7-5, while Marcos Giron also progressed in straight sets over Matija Pecotic.

Carlos Alcaraz has described Novak Djokovic as "like a god", but fully intends to take his world number one spot back from the Serbian.

Alcaraz has been out of action for four months through injury, but will return at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires on Wednesday when he faces another Serbian, Laslo Djere.

The 19-year-old had been top of the men's world rankings when he suffered a leg muscle injury, causing him to miss the Australian Open.

Djokovic leapfrogged Alcaraz into top spot after he won in Melbourne, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in last month's final.

"It has been a long time [I spent] at No. 1," Alcaraz said. "Now it's a goal for me to recover No. 1 and try to do my best in these tournaments to be back on that number. I'm looking for that."

The young star acknowledged that he has a big job on his hands though, recognising that Djokovic is one of the greatest of all time.

"He has no weaknesses. Every shot, it's amazing," he said. "His physical condition is amazing, his mental condition is amazing.

"He's like a god and I admire him over the years staying at the same level, staying at the top. It's really, really difficult and I admire that."

Despite his ultimate lofty goals, Alcaraz does not want to push himself too fast after his injury, and suggested his main aim at the Argentina Open is just to regain fitness and confidence.

"It's tough to play my first tournament after a long time for me, after four months," he said. "So it's going to be really, really tough to win the tournament or be close to winning.

"My hope is to feel that I am okay with the injury, with my body and try to play well."

Part-timer Matija Pecotic had to put a request in for another day off work to play in the second round of the Delray Beach Open after pulling off a shock win over Jack Sock.

The Croatian came through qualifying to make his ATP Tour main-draw debut in Florida and the 33-year-old is through to the last 16 after a 4-6 6-2 6-2 victory against former world number eight Sock on Tuesday.

World number 784 Pecotic has a full-time job in finance and he will be in the money after setting up a meeting with Marcos Giron in the last 16 of the ATP 250 event.

The Princeton and Harvard graduate's boss was in his box to watch him see off Sock and Pecotic hopes he will get a chance to book a quarter-final spot on Wednesday rather than return to balancing the books.

He quipped: "I had to leave work early today. I had to send an email to the whole team. [My boss] let me off. I'm going to have to ask for another day off tomorrow."

Pecotic, who served 10 aces and struck 30 winners, added: "I certainly didn't expect to win, but certainly didn't come into the match thinking that I'm definitely going to lose.

"You've got to be realistic. This is a former top 10 guy with an incredible amount of tennis experience, with a huge serve.

"He came out serving 134 [mph] on the first serve. It would be arrogant to think that I'm going to come out and expect to win.

"But I certainly figured if I could sink my teeth into the match and work on the two or three patterns that I prepared before, that I'm going to have a chance. And then let's see... if I was going to fall under pressure or not be able to serve it out at some point. But I didn't and I got the win."

Playing in his hometown of Buenos Aires, Francisco Cerundolo avenged his younger brother's defeat at the Argentina Open by defeating Yannick Hanfmann 6-2 4-6 7-5 on Tuesday.

Francisco's younger brother Juan Martin had been eliminated by Hanfmann in the qualifying stage, but the fifth seed got one back on the German after leading the break point opportunities 17 to six.

Fifth-seed Cerundolo was the highest seed in action Tuesday, while sixth seed Sebastian Baez fell 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 to Serbia's Dusan Lajovic.

In the only all-Argentine clash it was Facundo Diaz Acosta prevailing 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 against Federico Coria – who sits over 100 places higher in the rankings – while Roberto Carballes Baena collected a seeded scalp with a 7-5 6-4 win over Spanish compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

Meanwhile, Australian Open quarter-finalist Ben Shelton was eliminated from his own hometown tournament as the Florida resident was bounced out of the Delray Beach Open 6-4 6-4 by Marcos Giron.

Shelton beat J.J. Wolf to reach that grand slam quarter-final, but Wolf will be moving on after he emerged with a 7-5 6-3 win against Ilya Ivashka. 

Wolf will play France's Adrian Mannarino following his 4-6 6-3 6-4 triumph over Germany's Daniel Altmaier, and Mackenzie McDonald will get a shot at redemption against fifth seed Yoshihito Nishioka after a comfortable 6-2 6-2 success against Taro Daniel.

McDonald and Nishioka have played twice this year – once at the Adelaide Invitational and once at the Australian Open – and Nishioka has won all five sets.

It was also a day 33-year-old Matija Pecotic will never forget, with the world number 784 winning his first ever ATP Tour match by defeating Jack Sock 4-6 6-2 6-2.

Rotterdam Open top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and defending champion Felix Auger-Aliassime were joined by Daniil Medvedev in progressing through their first-round ties.

Auger-Aliassime won his first Tour-level title at the event last year and went from strength to strength in 2022, winning another three singles trophies.

The world number eight, seeded third, started his title defence with a convincing 6-2 6-3 defeat of Italy's Lorenzo Sonego on Tuesday.

"Of course, I was hoping to win and get through, but 6-2, 6-3 is a great performance against a player that is tricky like he is... it's a great way to start the week," said Auger-Aliassime, who needed just 82 minutes to clinch victory and set up a last-16 meeting with qualifier Gregoire Barrere.

The Canadian is relishing his title defence, and feels he is a stronger competitor than this time last year in a warning shot to his rivals.

He added: "Last year was an amazing year, but this year is a different one. I think I'm a better player overall.

"Of course, the best thing I can do compared to last year is win again, so hopefully I can do that. The draw is really strong, but I'm confident if I can keep playing the way I did today I'll get my chances and then we'll see."

Auger-Aliassime might be the reigning champion, but world number three Tsitsipas is the favourite.

Emil Ruusuvuori was no match for Australian Open runner-up, who prevailed 7-5 6-1 and has a 13-1 record for the season.

"The process that you get to repeat these things over and over again, it gives you tremendous understanding of how things actually work," Tsitsipas said. 

"I think being able to get in these moments more and more often on the Tour helps you understand, makes you wiser when you're trying to deal with all these problems."

Tsitsipas, who could face Open Sud de France champion Jannik Sinner in the next round, ensured there would be no curse of the top seed in Rotterdam, where the favourite had lost their first match in two of the last three editions.

On both occasions (2020 and 2021), that was Medvedev, but the former world number one fought from a set down to beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 4-6 6-2 6-2.

World number 10 Hubert Hurkacz also had to battle against a Spaniard in the form of Roberto Bautista Agut. The fifth seed needed three hours to win 7-5 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (7-4) and tee up an encounter with Grigor Dimitrov. 

Alexander Zverev defeated Soonwoo Kwon in straight sets to book his progress, while Gijs Brouwer got the better of Marc-Andrea Huesler.

Yoshihito Nishioka made it eight wins from his first 10 matches this year after defeating Oscar Otte 6-3 0-6 6-4 in Monday's opening round at the Delray Beach Open.

Nishioka was the highest seed in action on the first day of the tournament, and he had his back up against the wall after failing to win a game in a troubling second set, but produced three breaks of serve in the back-and-forth decider.

Meanwhile, Ecuador's Emilio Gomez earned a shot at top seed and world number seven Taylor Fritz after advancing 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 against Taiwan's Tung-lin Wu.

Portugal's Nuno Borges continued his winning run after earning his spot through the qualifiers, eliminating America's Steve Johnson 6-4 3-6 6-4, but the crowd got something to cheer for when the USA's Denis Kudla got the better of Australia's Jordan Thompson 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-2).

Further south at Argentina's Buenos Aires Open, Serbia's Laslo Djere booked a blockbuster showdown against world number two Carlos Alcaraz after repelling the challenge of Italy's Fabio Fognini 6-4 6-4.

Argentinian Pedro Cachin put on a show for his hometown fans with a 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 victory over Brazil's Thiago Monteiro, but Cachin's compatriot Guido Pella had less success with a 6-4 7-5 defeat at the hand of Spain's Jaume Munar.

Pablo Carreno Busta was a surprise first-round casualty at the Rotterdam Open after falling to Richard Gasquet on Monday.

World number 16 Carreno Busta, the seventh seed at the ATP 500 event in the Netherlands, took the first set with ease but fell to a 2-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 defeat against Frenchman Gasquet.

Veteran Gasquet, ranked 45th in the world, will next meet Stan Wawrinka after the Swiss overcame Alexander Bublik in dominant fashion with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 triumph.

Grigor Dimitrov recorded a 6-1 6-3 victory over Aslan Karatsev in just 59 minutes to set up a potential second-round tie with fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz, who must first get past Roberto Bautista Agut.

Qualifier Gregoire Barrere was another straight-sets winner, defeating David Goffin 6-0 7-6 (7-3).

The Frenchman, who is ranked 71st in the world, could meet third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the next round if the Canadian overcomes Italy's Lorenzo Sonego.

Argentina's Sebastian Baez tasted success in his home country on Sunday as he defeated Federico Coria 6-1 3-6 6-3 in the Cordoba Open final.

In the fourth ATP Tour final of his career, Baez secured his second title, showing a slight edge both in his service game and with his returns.

He rattled through the first set in just 31 minutes, winning 17 of his 20 total service points (85 per cent), while Coria could only convert at a 48 per cent rate (11 of 23).

Coria tightened things up in the second set and turned the tide, winning 81 per cent of points on his serve while Baez plummeted to 61 per cent, not allowing a single break point opportunity.

Each player created two break point chances in the deciding set, and while Coria failed to convert either, Baez got the job done at the first attempt, jumping out to an early lead and serving it out the rest of the way.

Coria shot himself in the foot with five of the six total double faults, while Baez served the only ace of the match.

The 22-year-old Baez, who entered the contest ranked 47th in the world, will now climb into the top 40 as he edges closer to his career-best ranking of 31st.

Wu Yibing triumphed in an extraordinary final against local hero John Isner at the Dallas Open to become China's first winner of a singles title at ATP tour level in the Open Era.

Isner served 44 aces but still lost, with the 37-year-old going down 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (14-12) in a match that saw neither player break serve at any point, climaxing in a marathon tie-break.

Former world number eight Isner was chasing a 17th singles title, and a first at an indoor tournament, and he saw a match point slide by at 6-5 in the second set.

Wu resisted one of the best serves in tennis history and took the match all the way. The first 22 points of the third-set tie-break went with serve, before Wu hit a super backhand winner to interrupt the sequence. Incredibly, Isner won the next rally to bring it back on serve, but the match then got away from him, and a stray forehand from the American gave Wu the title.

Dallas resident Isner, famed for his 11 hours and five minutes win over Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010, featuring a 70-68 final set, said of this loss: "That kind of stunk for me."

Wu said: "It's a very tough match today. I'm not even moving when he serves. I made history here for my country. I'm very proud of myself."

 

There is guaranteed to be an Argentine winner of the Cordoba Open on Saturday, while Taylor Fritz was stunned in Dallas.

Federico Coria, seeded sixth, overcame reigning champion and 2021 runner-up Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-4 7-6 (7-2) after over two-and-a-half hours of action.

The world number 67, who is into his second ATP Tour-level final and is set to rise into the top 50 of the rankings, has dropped just a single set in the tournament.

Sebastian Baez, eight years Coria's junior, is aiming for his second title after winning in Estoril last year.

The 22-year-old fourth seed defeated Hugo Dellien 6-4 6-4.

This will be the fourth singles final of Baez's career, though his first on home soil.

"It means a lot, but [it brings] confidence," said Baez.

"I have my people here, my friends, my family, everything, so that is a big motivation for me."

While Coria and Baez have just five previous final appearances between them, John Isner advanced to a 31st Tour-level showdown of his career as he beat fellow American J.J. Wolff at the Dallas Open.

Playing in his home city, 37-year-old Isner came from behind to prevail 3-6 7-5 7-6 (7-4).

Isner offered up eight break points, but saved seven of them to frustrate Wolff.

"I saved a lot of break points with unreturnable serves," Isner said. "Without that I would have been dusted off the court 6-3, 6-4. I'm of course very fortunate to have that weapon in my pocket, and I needed every bit of it today.

"It was an absolute battle, so I'm pretty tired. But I'm absolutely ecstatic to be in the final tomorrow here in Dallas."

Asked how he was faring up after his long tussle with Wolff, Isner quipped: "Truthfully, it feels terrible right now. I'm 38 in April. It's not getting any easier. I started off a little slow, a little sluggish, but in the third set I actually felt the best I felt the whole match.

"I had a lot of adrenaline there at the end and I was able to hold my nerve and win. Right now the name of the game is recovery."

Isner will be the favourite in the final, after top seed Fritz surrendered a lead in a 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 6-4 loss to Wu Yibing.

Maxime Cressy sprang a shock by beating top seed Holger Rune to reach the Open Sud de France final, where Jannik Sinner awaits him.

Paris-born American Cressy won 7-5 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-4) in a little over two and a half hours, countering 10 double faults with 15 aces on his way to victory.

Rune, the Danish 19-year-old who sits ninth in the world rankings, had won his three previous matches against Cressy, including a second-round clash at the Australian Open last month, but he could not extend that dominance at the indoor event in Montpellier.

It means Cressy faces second seed Sinner, a player he lost to at a low-level tournament in Lexington in 2019, their only past meeting.

Sinner beat 18-year-old French wildcard Arthur Fils in Saturday's first semi-final, ending the teenager's eye-catching run with a 7-5 6-2 victory.

Fils had beaten Richard Gasquet and Roberto Bautista Agut on his way to the last four but found world number 17 Sinner was more than his match.

Last year saw Sinner reach just one ATP final, taking a title on clay in Umag, after making it through to five title matches in the 2021 season.

He had his best year at the grand slams, however, reaching quarter-finals at three of the four majors.

Cressy recognises the threat posed by the Italian, saying in an on-court interview: "Jannik Sinner is an incredible player, just like Holger Rune and everyone else in the tournament. I believe you've just got to bring your 'A' game every time and I'm really looking forward to it."

Competing well in France has been pleasing for Cressy, who is set to climb from 51st in the rankings and into the top 40 on Monday.

"I lived and grew up here, and I'm extremely happy," Cressy said.

World number eight Taylor Fritz is two wins away from his first title of the season after surviving a tough test against Marcos Giron 7-6 (9-7) 3-6 6-3 in Friday's quarter-final at the Dallas Open.

Fritz, who at 25-years-old is seeking the fifth ATP singles title of his career, allowed seventh-seed Giron only one break point opportunity for the entire match. Fritz himself only created two such opportunities, and further illustrating the closely-fought nature of the battle, Fritz edged the total point count 86-85.

With the win, Fritz booked his place against China's Yibing Wu in the semi-final after the 23-year-old defeated 34-year-old French veteran Adrian Mannarino 6-3 6-4.

The other semi-final will be an all-American showdown after J.J. Wolf upset second seed Frances Tiafoe 4-6 6-3 6-4, and 37-year-old John Isner proved too much for Ecuador's Emilio Gomez in a 7-6 (10-8) 7-5 victory.

Meanwhile, Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas is one match away from a final in his home country after defeating Joao Sousa 6-4 2-6 6-1 in the quarter-final of the Cordoba Open.

Ramos-Vinolas will play Argentina's Federico Coria for a spot in the decider after he emerged victorious 6-3 3-0 (ret) against compatriot Francisco Cerundolo.

Heading into the quarter-finals, Francisco and his brother Juan Manuel Cerundolo were on a collision course to meet in the final, but now both are eliminated after 21-year-old Juan Manuel fell 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-0 to Bolivia's Hugo Dellien.

Dellien will play fourth seed Sebastian Baez in the other semi-final after eliminating Chile's Tomas Barrios Vera 6-1 3-6 6-1.

Top seed and world number eight Taylor Fritz made a winning start to his Dallas Open campaign on Thursday, eliminating Jack Sock 7-6 (7-5) 6-4.

In an all-American showdown, Fritz played a near-flawless match, converting 91 per cent of his accurate first serves into points while not allowing Sock a single break point opportunity.

Fritz will face seventh seed Marcos Giron in the quarter-final after the American defeated Germany's Oscar Otte 6-4 6-3, while the USA's John Isner also advanced past Germany's Daniel Altmaier 6-3 7-6 (7-1).

Earlier in the day, Serbian fourth seed Miomir Kecmanovic was upset by Ecuador's Emilio Gomez 2-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 to earn a crack at Isner in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, the top seed fell at the Cordoba Open as red-hot 21-year-old Juan Manuel Cerundolo shocked his Argentinian compatriot Diego Schwartzman 7-6 (8-6) 6-1.

It continues a remarkable run for Cerundolo – the defending champion in Cordoba – who has begun 2023 with 14 wins from his first 15 matches, while his older brother Francisco Cerundolo also advanced with a 6-3 3-6 7-5 win over Federico Delbonis.

If the two brothers both win their next two matches, they will meet in the final.

Holger Rune made a winning start at Open Sud de France after defeating Marc-Andrea Huesler 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals in Montpellier.

Appearing as the top seed at an ATP event for the first time, Rune had lost both his previous meetings with Huesler, including last season's Sofia Open.

However, the world number nine made it third time lucky to set up a last-eight clash with Gregoire Barrere, who beat Nikoloz Basilashvili in straight sets.

Meanwhile, third seed Borna Coric is now just one win away from securing a return to the top 20 in the ATP rankings. The world number 23 – and reigning Cincinnati champion –saw off Arthur Rinderknech 6-3 7-5.

Although, there was no joy for Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The fifth seed was ousted 6-3 6-3 by world number 70 Quentin Halys, who claimed only his second top-50 career win in 20 attempts.

Seventh seed Emil Ruusuvuori was also eliminated in straight sets by Maxime Cressy, but Lorenzo Sonego overcame Filip Krajinovic to book a quarter-final date with Jannik Sinner.

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