Ante el alemán Dustin Brown en Roland Garros, el parisino registró el número 400 en su lista de triunfos

Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, Rafael Nadal y Roger Federer son el top 5 del tenis

Como anfitrión y con el equipo más fuerte del grupo, los hombres de Enrique Pérez Cassarino tienen grandes posibilidades de ascenso

Top 1 en dobles, su asociación en la cancha duró 12 años y ha continuado durante 20 años más fuera de ella

Uruguay, Puerto Rico, Antigua & Barbuda, Bermuda, Costa Rica, Cuba, Honduras, Jamaica y Panamá competirán en Montevideo

El valenciano es el décimotercer jugador que sobrepasa los 700 triunfos en una cancha de tenis. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal y Novak Djokovic son los únicos en activo que lo hicieron antes

En tandilense se despide del tenis "Agradecimiento por lo que el tenis me dio: educación, disciplina, amistades y momentos inolvidables"

Será en el estadio Pierre-Mauroy por una de las semifinales del Grupo Mundial de la Copa Davis por BNP Paribas el 15-17 de septiembre.

Kazajistán recibe al último campeón en una superficie rápida indoor. El ganador del cruce del 15-17 de septiembre se quedará en el Grupo Mundial en 2018.

Los belgas recibirán a Australia por una de las semis en Bruselas sobre polvo de ladrillo. Por los play-offs, Japón es local en Osaka ante Brasil y Hungría en Budapest ante Rusia.

El equipo juega su sexto año en la Copa Davis por BNP Paribas ganando el ascenso al Grupo III de la Zona Asia/Oceanía en abril.

El madrileño, 31 del mundo, se une a la lista de los cinco españoles que han superado la barrera de los 200. Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Tommy Robredo y Nicolás Almagro son los otros.

Francia clasifica a una nueva semifinal de Copa Davis por BNP Paribas al vencer a Gran Bretaña en cuartos de esta manera.

Serbia no tuvo piedad con España en los cuartos de final de la COpa Davis por BNP Paribas. Aquí, lo mejor de la serie.

Repasa el triunfo de Bélgica en Charleroi ante Italia por los cuartos de final de la Copa Davis por BNP Paribas.

Repasa el resumen del partido de cuartos de final de la Copa Davis por BNP Paribas entre Australia y Estados Unidos en Brisbane.

Argentina viajará a Kazajistán, Colombia serña anfitriona de Croacia y Brasil se medirán a Japón a domicilio

Mañana se realizará el sorteo para los 8 partidos de septiembre. ¿Quiénes son las preclasificadas? Repasa las combinaciones posibles.

Holanda, Bielorrusia y Portugal se unen a Kazajistán e India en lista de participantes en play-offs del Grupo Mundial.

Bellucci pone el 4-0 ante Endara. Los brasileños ya están, desde ayer, en el play-off del Grupo Mundial.

Vive el desenlace de los cuartos de final del Grupo Mundial Copa Davis y de los Grupos I y II América con fotos, entrevistas, resultados, imágenes, tweets... ¡no te pierdas nada!

Los bolivianos sellaron la serie en Santa Cruz de la Sierra con el dobles. Así, salvan la categoría pero mandan a Bahamas al descenso.

Evans había descontado para la visita, pero Chardy amplió la diferencia. Los galos ya piensan en la semifinal, de local, ante Serbia en septiembre.

La derrota en Serbia 4-1 devuelve al tenis español a la realidad de conformarse con la permanencia en el Grupo Mundial.

El uno venezolano puede sellar la serie, tras el 2-1 con el triunfo del dobles de ayer

Rafael Nadal extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head series dominance to 15-0 against Richard Gasquet to start his Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Wednesday. The top-seeded Spaniard saved his only break point faced and converted just the right amount of break points – two – against the Frenchman to advance 6-3, 6-4. Nadal improved to 21-10 at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament and looked prime to fight for his second Cincinnati title this week (also 2013, d. Isner). After Gasquet erased a match point at 30/40, 3-5 in the second set, Nadal served out the match to love. “I think I played a solid match. I think Richard has a great backhand, and his best shot probably goes against my best shot, too. That probably can make the difference,” Nadal said when asked about his undefeated FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Gasquet. [ALSO LIKE] Regardless of what happens this week, Nadal will return to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on Monday because of Roger Federer's withdrawal from Cincinnati (back injury). The Spaniard will be No. 1 for the first time since 6 July 2014. It will mark the fourth different time in his career that the 31 year old has ascended to the top Emirates ATP Ranking. Nadal will next face countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who toppled Nadal's Wimbledon conqueror 16th seed Gilles Muller 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. “I work every day to play better. It's obvious that was an important start for me, a good one. Now I have another opportunity tomorrow to go on court and play another match. I hope to be ready to play well tomorrow. I think I can do it, because I have been practising well,” Nadal said. Adrian Mannarino also knocked off a seeded player to reach the third round. The Frenchman beat 15th seed Sam Querrey 6-2, 7-6(4). Mannarino is coming off his first Masters 1000 quarter-final last week at the Coupe Rogers (l. to Shapovalov). He will next play third seed Dominic Thiem.

Fourth seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan began their campaign for a sixth Western & Southern Open crown on Wednesday in Cincinnati as they defeated Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez 6-2, 6-3. The American twins improved to a 39-14 record at this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament as they dismissed their Spanish opponents in 53 minutes. They last won the title in 2014 (d. Pospisil/Sock), having won their first crown in 2003 (d. Arthurs/Hanley). Third seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares also advanced with victory over a Spanish pairing, beating Pablo Carreno Busta and Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-3 in 61 minutes. The British/Brazilian duo are looking for their fourth title of the season, to add to trophies in Acapulco, Stuttgart and The Queen’s Club. Second seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo are through to the quarter-finals after beating Diego Schwartzman and Mischa Zverev 7-5, 6-2. Kubot and Melo currently lead the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London halfway through what has been a stellar season, highlighted by winning the Wimbledon title (d. Marach/Pavic). They are chasing their third Masters 1000 crown of the year, following victories in Miami and Madrid. Seventh seeds and last week’s Montreal finalists Rohan Bopanna and Ivan Dodig will open their Cincinnati campaign against Juan Sebastian Cabal and Fabio Fognini, after the Colombian/Italian duo defeated American wild cards Jack Sock and Jackson Withrow 7-6(5), 6-4.  

It's only mid-August, but it has already been quite the U.S. summer for Alexander Zverev, whose 10-match win streak was snapped at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Wednesday against #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe. The #NextGenATP German has captured two ATP World Tour titles, including the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., his first hard-court crown, and the Coupe Rogers, his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title. So while Zverev was hoping to a third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown this week, he accepted the loss in context. “It's been great. I won back-to-back weeks, two big events. Visiting Montreal was very, very special, as well. It's been a positive summer so far,” said Zverev, who handed Roger Federer his first loss in a final this year (5-1 record). “I beat a lot of Top 10 players and have beaten a lot of great players, a lot of tough matches.” The match could be one tennis fans see dozens of times during the coming years. Zverev, 20, has quickly ascended the Emirates ATP Rankings, reaching a career-high No. 7. Tiafoe, 19, is No. 87 but has reached No. 60. The American celebrated his first win against Zverev during the third FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting. [ALSO LIKE] “He's good. He keeps improving. I played him three times now, two times in Grand Slams, which I won. He plays very well. Hopefully there's going to be a lot of tough and fun matches against him,” Zverev said. The 6'6” German will next compete at Tiafoe's home Grand Slam, the US Open, where many will be watching to see if he can replicate his hard-court success in Flushing Meadows. “I think Roger and Rafa are the strongest ones and a few guys coming after that. I think I am involved in that group. I am in that small group of players. Obviously the two favourites are Roger and Rafa,” Zverev said. “So I feel very confident the way I was playing in the last two weeks. I feel very confident how I am playing right now. And I think going into the US Open, I feel the best I have ever felt maybe going into a Slam. That gives me a lot of confidence, and hopefully I can show that on court, as well.”

Only three players have won all four ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments on North American soil. Michael Chang was the first, with titles at each stop – Canada (1990), Indian Wells (1992, ’96-97), Miami (1992) and Cincinnati (1993-94) – by the age of 21. The American was alone in the exclusive club before Andre Agassi and Roger Federer completed their sets, respectively in 2001 and 2005.  One of Chang’s most memorable runs came at the Rogers Cup in 1990, the year the Masters 1000 series was introduced. The 18 year old posted back-to-back wins over Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras before prevailing against another American, Jay Berger, in a third-set tie-break to clinch his first Masters 1000 crown. Now 45, Chang shares his Masters 1000 memories and looks back on that week in Toronto. What are your first memories of the Masters 1000s? My first memories, we didn’t call it Masters 1000s back then. I think just being really excited to play. Just knowing that every match was tough from the get-go. The draws were always intriguing because you’ve got the best 56 players, or 64 players... People were excited to watch these great matches and I think especially for me and playing in tournaments like Indian Wells, where I’ve got a lot of family and friends coming to watch, it’s just exciting to come out and play my best tennis.  Do you think the BNP Paribas Open being your home tournament led to your success there? Yeah, it was definitely a part of it. I grew up playing in southern California, so I’m very familiar with the conditions here and the courts… I just feel very comfortable. And obviously great crowd support too, that’s always part of it. Having the crowd behind you and supporting you definitely helps you out.  You first played in that tournament when you were 15. Do you remember that well? I do; I was an amateur. I had just turned 15 and Charlie Pasarell, the Tournament Director, was kind enough to give me a wild card to play in the qualies. I won two matches, and lost in the third round. But it was a great experience. I came back the next year and played the main draw, so I have a lot of fond memories. And obviously having won a few times also brings back great memories.  [ALSO LIKE] You’re one of the few players who has won all four North American Masters 1000 tournaments. How were you able to accomplish this, particularly at such a young age? For me, just playing in the United States and Canada not being very far. This is a surface that I grew up on, so it’s the surface I’m most familiar with. There aren’t a whole lot of tournaments that I didn’t do well at here in North America. The only exception from that list is the US Open in which I got to the final. It’s been great; it’s been a lot of fun to play these events. When you feel very comfortable and feel very much at home, the tennis comes pretty easily.  Is there a particular match that stands out in your memory, or title run? I have a lot of great memories. The Canadian Open (Rogers Cup) in Toronto is one tournament that does stand out quite a bit, in 1990, beating Pete in the quarters and cramping against Andre there and beating him 7-5 in the third set, and then having a really tough match with Jay Berger and winning that one 7-6 in the third. That was a great tournament for me, a tournament that I still remember in many instances. It’s great to be a part of tough matches. Some you win, and some you lose. And you hope you win a few more than you lose, but the experiences have all been great.  Is there a certain player that you would consider the toughest competitor in Masters 1000 history? It’s hard to say because the depth of men’s tennis was so great back then. There weren’t just four or five guys that could win some of these championships. You would have like 10-12 guys that, if their game was on during that week, they were very dangerous to play. I can’t say that it was one guy, there were just so many tough guys to play against.  What makes the Masters 1000s special? There’s just so many reasons why the Masters 1000 series tournaments are so special. For one, it’s really like a miniature grand slam. It’s not as big of a draw, but you’ve got all the top players. The venues are tremendous, whether it’s on hard, whether it’s on clay, whether it’s indoor. The intensity of each of the matches is so tough. To be able to come out and to win one of these events is certainly not easy. All the guys realise that they need to be playing their best tennis in order to do well.  How much do you think has changed since you were a player? Definitely events have changed. Some draws have changed a little bit. The venues have improved tremendously… When I won [the BNP Paribas Open] back in the day the venue was great, but nothing compared to what it is now. They’ve done such a tremendous job, always improving the events, making it better and better for not only the players, but the media, for the sponsors, for all the fans. It’s great for the sport of tennis.

American wild card Frances Tiafoe recorded the biggest win of his career - and only his second Top 50 victory - on Wednesday to stop in-form fellow #NextGenATP player Alexander Zverev at the Western & Southern Open. The World No. 87 ended the 10-match winning streak of Zverev, currently at a career-high No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in Cincinnati. “These are wins that definitely can change your career the right way,” Tiafoe said. “This is a big relief for me. We grew up together playing junior Grand Slams, playing Under-12s, Under-14s. I have known him for forever. Seeing him rise like that, I was, like, 'Maybe I can do the same'. Then he beat me twice, and I was, like, 'All right, maybe I can't'. So me beating him today made me feel pretty good.” Tiafoe improves to 1-2 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. Zverev had previously won 28 of his past 29 best-of-three-set matches when winning the first set, but in clutch situations - Wednesday - it was 19-year-old Tiafoe who found a way to complete just his fifth tour-level victory of 2017. Tiafoe played with power and invention to capitalise on Zverev’s fatigue and open up a 3-0 lead in the second set, before growing in confidence for a third-round clash against compatriot John Isner. “Strategy was just keep him out there. He has to be tired. He's played a tough couple of weeks, tough matches. A lot of night matches, too. Quick turnaround to play the next day,” Tiafoe said. “I was just, like, if I can keep the rallies long and just keep making balls, just run down a lot of balls and keep making him play an extra ball, even if I barely get it over the net, just keeping the balls in. And he was getting pretty frustrated. There were times where he acted like he wasn't going to be there and he would step up. It was a roller-coaster match. I was happy to get it over the line.”  Tiafoe is hoping to join Zverev as a qualifier at the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held in Milan from 7-11 November, by moving up from his current position of No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan for a spot at the eight-player 21-and-under event. “I think it's big for all of us,” Tiafoe said of the inaugural tournament. “It's an honour to be in the Race. Hopefully I can make it.”  Zverev, a winner of five ATP World Tour titles this year, came into the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament on the back of two straight hard-court crowns at the Citi Open (d. Anderson) and last week’s Coupe Rogers (d. Federer). The 20-year-old German is now 47-14 on the season (21-7 on hard courts).  Watch Live On TennisTV  Watch Full Match Replays Two other #NextGenATP players, Russian Karen Khachanov and American Jared Donaldson, also booked their spots in the third round. Khachanov reached the third round of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament for the first time in beating lucky loser Thomas Fabbiano 6-2, 6-2 in 72 minutes. The Russian No. 1 now meets Japan's Yuichi Sugita, who defeated qualifier Joao Sousa 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-1. Donaldson withstood 12 aces and the serve-volley game of Indian lucky loser Ramkumar Ramanathan 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in just under two hours for a meeting against Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili, a 6-3, 6-3 victor over lucky loser Christian Harrison.

ATP World Tour stars, including Alexander Zverev and Nick Kyrgios, reflect on Rafael Nadal returning to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on 21 August 2017.

Watch Hot Shot as Mitchell Krueger gets out of trouble in fine style against Juan Martin del Potro on Wednesday at the Western & Southern Open. Watch live matches at tennistv.com. Photo: Peter Staples/ATP World Tour

Nick Kyrgios will look to his reach his fifth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-final (or better) on Thursday when he challenges big serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic at the Western & Southern Open. Kyrgios leads 3-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, with five of their nine sets going to tie-breaks. The Australian, who continues to struggle to overcome a hip injury, struck 20 winners – including 15 aces – on Wednesday in a 6-3, 7-6(6) victory over Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov, who committed 36 unforced errors, in the 86-minute encounter. Dolgopolov reached the 2015 Cincinnati semi-finals (l. to Djokovic). Former World No. 3 David Ferrer, rebuilding his form and confidence with the SkiStar Swedish Open crown in recent weeks, found a way past lucky loser and former World No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic in a 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-1 win over two hours and 25 minutes. In a match featuring 13 breaks of serve, Ferrer let slip a 5-2 lead in the second set. “It was a difficult match, because I was 6-4, 5-2 serving for the match three times,” Ferrer told ATPWorldTour.com. “So I didn't make it [easy for myself] and I tried in the third set to play consistently point-by-point, and finally my feelings and performance was better than Janko’s. The difference was that I still played consistently all the match. He played inconsistently. When up 6-4, 5-2, I was nervous in the important moments, and he came back into the match. But I think it was my fault.” Ferrer now faces his Spanish compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta, who recorded a 6-3, 7-6(2) win over Mischa Zverev in one hour and 33 minutes.  Watch Live On TennisTV  Watch Full Match Replays

Grigor Dimitrov recorded his 30th match win of the year on Wednesday for a spot in the Western & Southern Open third round. The seventh-seeded Bulgarian hit 27 winners to knock out Spain’s Feliciano Lopez 7-6(5), 6-4 in 90 minutes and will now prepare to face Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina. Del Potro has a perfect 5-0 record in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, with their last meeting coming at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in May. Dimitrov was reliable on serve in the opening set and almost broke Lopez on three occasions, prior to a strong start in the tie-break that he secured on his third set point chance. The 26 year old broke Lopez for a 2-1 lead in the second set and although he could not convert a match point opportunity on the Spaniard’s serve at 3-5, 30/40, in the next game he secured his third win in five meetings. The Bulgarian beat Lopez 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(6) in the Cincinnati second round last year. ""I think early on, he was serving very well," said Dimitrov. "I think it was just important for me to stay in the game and just put as many returns in as I could in order to get in the rally because as soon as that was happening I felt I had a pretty good chance of winning every point. "I felt early on I had almost too many break points. All of them were pretty well served from him. I couldn't do much else, but I think as soon as the tie-break started, I felt a bit more comfortable. I think actually my confidence was very high, especially in those tight moments. So that's a good sign for me." Dimitrov got off to a strong start to the year going 16-1 with two ATP World Tour titles in Brisbane (d. Nishikori) and Sofia (d. Goffin). He is now 30-14 overall and will be hoping to better last year’s run to the Cincinnati semi-finals (l. to Cilic). Currently at No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, Dimitrov is hoping to qualify for the first time to the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 12-19 November. Del Potro, the 2012 and 2013 semi-finalist, broke serve at the end of both sets to defeat American qualifier Mitchell Kruger 6-4, 6-4 in a hard-fought encounter over one hour and 40 minutes. Del Potro, appearing at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament for the first time since 2013, saved five break points at 3-3 in second set and clinched his 18th victory of the year on his fourth match point opportunity.  Watch Live On TennisTV  Watch Full Match Replays

Alexander Zverev is riding on the crest of a wave with two straight ATP World Tour hard-court titles. The #NextGenATP German and other stars, including Rafael Nadal, reflect on his year.

Watch highlights as Rafael Nadal, Grigor Dimitrov Frances Tiafoe and Nick Kyrgios secure spots in the Western & Southern Open third round in Cincinnati. Watch live matches at tennistv.com. Photo: Peter Staples

Kei Nishikori announced on Wednesday that he will miss the rest of the 2017 ATP World Tour season in order to recover from a right wrist injury. The Japanese star flew to Cincinnati, but withdrew from the Western & Southern Open when he felt a sharp pain in his right wrist during a practice session on Sunday at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. A statement from Nishikori's manager read, “Two days ago during practice in Cincinnati, Kei hit a serve and heard a 'pop' in his wrist. We went straight to the hospital to take an MRI. Yesterday, we went to see a very renowned wrist specialist, who works with many of the MLB baseball pitchers. “We saw another specialist today to get a second opinion. On top of that we have sent MRI results to three other wrist specialists to ensure we get several independent opinions from specialists. After consulting with all of them, it has become clear that Kei has a tear in one of the tendons in the right wrist. “At this stage, we have elected not to do surgery and Kei is in a cast. After the swelling comes down in the next weeks, we will evaluate next steps. Kei will withdraw from all the 2017 tournaments and work hard to be ready for next year.” Nishikori, who is currently No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, ends 2017 with a 30-13 match record, including two final runs at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp in January (l. to Dimitrov) and the Argentina Open in February (l. to Dolgopolov). Recently, Novak Djokovic (right elbow) and Stan Wawrinka (knee) also announced their decision to recuperate from injury and return in 2018.  

#NextGenATP star Frances Tiafoe discusses the biggest win of his career after his victory over fellow #NextGenATP star Alexander Zverev on Wednesday. Watch live matches at tennistv.com.

Expectations are high when a young prospect makes Junior Grand Slam finals. Those expectations are only amplified when said prospect is from a nation with as rich a tennis history as Great Britain. For Liam Broady, a run to the second round at Wimbledon in 2015 catapulted him to a career-best No. 158 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. It came after reaching his first ATP Challenger Tour final in the preceding November where he had fallen to James Duckworth in Charlottesville. Progress since his been jittery at best and the 23 year old Stockport native is the first to admit it. But a first Challenger final in three years in Aptos, California, on Sunday, went a long way to restoring belief that a revitalised focus was reaping rewards. Broady went down in straight sets to Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik in the final. It was an impressive run, though, having won through qualifying to get there. “I’ve always believed that I’m capable of competing and living with these guys. It’s telling me my work’s paying off and I’m back,” Broady told USTA Pro Circuit broadcaster Mike Cation. “I’ve been here before. I was probably overwhelmed the first time around but I feel comfortable with these guys and ... it’s just showing people what I can do.” [ALSO LIKE] Broady strung together seven straight match wins for the loss of just one set en route to the decider. Better still, the surprise run shot his Emirates ATP Ranking up 80 spots to No. 256, which meant he could avoid having to play Futures events and coming through Challengers qualifying. “I was actually going to play a $25,000 [Futures event] in Illinois this week. Dave said ‘Do you want to play qualies in Aptos because it’s looking so strong or do you want to play a 25 in Illinois?’,” Broady said. “I said ‘Dave, look, I’m not sure I’m going to be able to carry on playing tennis if I go to a Futures in Illinois on my own when I know Aptos is going on because it’s one of the best tournaments that I play’ so he said ‘OK, I trust you to go play it’. I think the tennis gods responded and gave me a final out of this.” The Brit admitted to frustrations as he made the transition from juniors to the professional ranks. His ranking was not rising anywhere near the rate he wanted it to, or as fast as the British public expected it to given his standout results, which took him as high as No. 2 in the junior world rankings. “I’ve always felt pressured to get there as quick as I can, especially seeing my peers getting there so fast and kids younger than me now like Zverev, Kyrgios even Shapovalov,” Broady said. “I was playing Shapovalov a couple of months ago on the Challengers and it put such pressure on me not seeing my ranking going up as quick as those guys. “But one of the big things for me over the last year or so is learning everyone’s path is different. Everybody gets to where they want to get to at different times. You can’t rush that. I think that’s one of the things that’s kind of matured in me.” 

Watch Hot Shot as #NextGenATP star Frances Tiafoe fires two impressive passes just out of reach of Alexander Zverev. Watch live matches at tennistv.com. Photo: Peter Staples

Watch Hot Shot as Nick Kyrgios blocks in defence before coming up with a thunderbolt winner against Alexandr Dolgopolov on Wednesday at the Western & Southern Open. Watch live matches at tennistv.com. Photo: Getty Images

Watch highlights as Ivo Karlovic upsets eigth-seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Dominic Thiem, Nick Kyrgios, and Juan Martin del Potro also advance Tuesday in Cincinnati. Watch live matches at tennistv.com. Photo: Peter Staples

A lone deciding-set tie-break each week is proving all Alexander Zverev needs to find form and send him on his way to a title-winning run. Such has been the German’s fate over the past fortnight, he’d be forgiven for looking at ease should he find himself in a similar situation at the Western and Southern Open this week. The #NextGenATP star and Race to Milan leader is coming off back-to-back titles on North American hard courts, at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. and last week’s Coupe Rogers in Montreal. In Washington, D.C., Zverev narrowly eked out a deciding-set tie-break triumph over Australian Jordan Thompson before he reeled off four straight matches to clinch the title. Then, last week in Montreal he saved three match points and closed out Richard Gasquet in his opening match before again sweeping through his final four matches. Victory over Roger Federer in the final landed him a second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title for the season. “I feel well on court. I feel very confident,” Zverev said. “Obviously, feeling good about my game as well. I won both first rounds in Washington and Montreal 7-6 in the third and then after that I haven’t lost a set the whole tournament.  Watch Live On TennisTV  Watch Full Match Replays “I think winning those kinds of matches helps as well. I really hope I don’t face 7-6 in the first round here again even though it’s kind of a good-luck charm. Would be nice to have a two-setter, maybe. “Tennis is such a close game. You play the best players in the world and win those kinds of matches and it gives you a lot of confidence for the next few rounds.” [ALSO LIKE] It has been a marked improvement from the 20 year old as he stands at a career-best No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and third behind only Federer and Rafael Nadal in the Emirates ATP Race to London. Since bringing former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero into the coaching fray in mid-July it has brought immediate success, although the improvements have been in the works for much longer. “I think physically I’ve improved a lot, that’s probably been my biggest improvement,” Zverev said of his development in the past year. “The serve’s improved, my returns have improved, but all small things. In general my game has become faster.”

View FedEx ATP Head2Head matchups for Day 4 of the Western & Southern Open and vote for who you think will win! Nadal vs. Gasquet | Dimitrov vs. Lopez | Zverev vs. Tiafoe [GROUP POLL]64[/GROUP POLL] View Wednesday Schedule Top seed and 2013 champion Rafael Nadal, No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev and No. 7 seed Grigor Dimitrov are in second-round action on Wednesday at the Western & Southern Open. In addition, there are three other seeds trying to reach the third round: No. 11 Pablo Carreno Busta, No. 15 Sam Querrey and No. 16 Gilles Muller. Nadal brings a 14-0 head-to-head record against Richard Gasquet in the final match on Center Court. Nadal, who has a 20-10 record in Cincinnati, will return to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings next Monday for the first time since July 6, 2014. This will be the fourth different time that the 31-year-old Spaniard has ranked No. 1 in his career. Nadal will hold the record for the longest gap between debut at No. 1 and most recent date at No. 1.  FIRST AND LAST DAY AS NO. 1 Player              Debut at No. 1             Most Recent Date at No. 1       Time in Between Rafael Nadal   Aug. 18, 2008              Aug. 21, 2017                          9 years, 3 days Jimmy Connors July 29, 1974               July 3, 1983                             8 years, 339 days Roger Federer  Feb. 2, 2004                Nov. 4, 2012                            8 years, 276 days Andre Agassi   April 10, 1995              Sept. 7, 2003                           8 years, 150 days Pete Sampras  April 12, 1993              Nov. 19, 2000                          7 years, 221 days Also on Center Court, #NextGenATP stars Zverev and Frances Tiafoe meet for the third time (Zverev leads 2-0). Zverev, who became the first player to qualify for the ATP Next Gen Finals, is on a 10-match winning streak after capturing his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title of the season in Montreal on Sunday (d. Federer). The 20-year-old German has won a personal-best five titles in 2017 and is co-leader on the ATP World Tour (w/Federer). Tiafoe, who is No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Race to Milan, is looking for the biggest win of his career, having lost his only other match against a Top 10 player to Federer in Miami. Play begins on Center Court with Dimitrov and Feliciano Lopez squaring off for the fifth time (tied 2-2). Two of their previous meetings were decided in a third-set tiebreak, including in this same round at the 2016 Western & Southern Open. The Bulgarian prevailed in that match 57 63 76. Lopez won the last meeting in the semi-finals at London/Queen’s Club in June. Dimitrov advanced to the semi-finals here last year and Lopez is making his 15th consecutive appearance in Cincinnati (QF in 2015). WEDNESDAY BY THE NUMBERS 26 singles players 6 seeds 5 Americans 4 lucky losers 3 qualifiers 2 wild cards 1 former and future World No. 1

Watch Hot Shot as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga fires a backhand passing shot past Ivo Karlovic in the second round of the Western & Southern Open. Watch live matches at tennistv.com. Photo: Peter Staples

They spent their formative years on clay, sliding and grinding away on red dirt. But you could hardly call #NextGenATP American Jared Donaldson and Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta exclusively “dirtballers”. The two, despite their vast experience on clay, have found ways to excel on clay courts and hard courts, including Monday at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. Donaldson, 20, earned his third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 win of the past two weeks, upsetting 12th seed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain 7-6(5), 6-3 to advance to the second round. Carreno Busta, playing in his second match since Roland Garros (due to an abdomen injury), also needed only two sets, moving on with a 6-3, 6-3 win against Italian Paolo Lorenzi. “I think the good thing is I do have experience on both surfaces,” Donaldson said. He grew up on hard courts, like Carreno Busta. The American spent his childhood playing indoors in Rhode Island in the U.S. But when he was 14, his parents and coaches wanted to expand his game, so he moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he trained on red clay for nearly two years. Donaldson worked with the country's up-and-coming stars, including training with current-World No. 33 Diego Schwartzman. The experience matured Donaldson, and it also diversified his game. He already knew how to play on quick courts but, in Argentina, he learned how to fight on slower surfaces as well. [ALSO LIKE] “I have a good base for clay-court play, and I think the big difference is clay gives me a little more time on my groundstrokes, which I think is good, but also I have the ability to take the ball early, which I think is also underrated on clay courts. Players who can do both – take the ball early and are able to play back – those are the toughest players to beat,” Donaldson said. But his biggest successes have come on hard courts. Donaldson reached the fourth round in Miami last year and the third round in Montreal last week. “On hard court... I think it's about attacking, and taking the ball early and serving really well. So my strategy is always to be aggressive and be attacking, and it's more highlighted on the hard courts,” Donaldson said. Carreno Busta also played almost exclusively on hard courts until his teenage years. He was 15 when he began taking tennis more seriously and moved from Asturias to Barcelona. “I started to play more on clay, like Spanish style,” Carreno Busta exclusively told ATPWorldTour.com. He spent the next few years learning how to construct points on clay, and then joined the professional ranks, where he has played most of his matches on hard courts. He has excelled on both surfaces. Carreno Busta's best Grand Slam result came on clay – the quarter-finals of Roland Garros in June. He also won the Millennium Estoril Open in Portugal earlier this year on the red dirt. “The Spanish style is more playing on the clay courts because we fight, we fight a lot,” Carreno Busta said. But his other two titles, including his maiden crown last year at the Winston-Salem Open, came on hard courts. “Now I'm maybe more comfortable playing on clay courts but my first ATP title was on hard courts, so I also am comfortable playing there,” Carreno Busta said. “I have a good serve, I return good. And then when I play on top, I have a good forehand and a good backhand so maybe I have a good game for both surfaces.” His focus now is solely on hard courts – the surface of the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati. “We have chances now in this tournament to do something important,” Carreno Busta said.

Veteran Croat Ivo Karlovic fired 19 aces to upset eighth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the Western & Southern Open on Tuesday in Cincinnati. Karlovic won 82 per cent of points on his first serve and saved both break points he faced. Tsonga could win just 58 per cent of his second-serve points. The 38-year-old has now won three of his four career meetings with the Frenchman. [ALSO LIKE] The 6' 11" giant will next play the winner of Nick Kyrgios and Alexandr Dolgopolov, who on Tuesday upset in-form South African Kevin Anderson 6-4, 7-6(6) after winning 34 of 36 first-serve points. Another big server, 14th seed John Isner, enjoyed a 6-3, 6-3 win over fellow American Tommy Paul 6-3, 6-3. Isner fired 16 aces, and dropped just two points on his first serve, while breaking serve three times.  Watch Live On TennisTV  Watch Full Match Replays Third seed Dominic Thiem breezed into the third round with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Italian Fabio Fognini, dragging himself out of a mini-slump that had seen him suffer early-round defeats in Montreal and Washington during the past two weeks. Thiem attributed his sharply improved performance to an outstanding service night, in which he dropped just three points on his first serve. The Austrian next meets the winner of Wimbledon semi-finalist Sam Querrey and World No. 36 Italian Adrian Mannarino. “I felt great. It was a really, really good performance,” Thiem said. “I was pretty tight at the beginning obviously. It's funny how fast the confidence goes down in tennis after two not-so-good weeks. “If my first serve works well then I'm always playing good, and that was not the case the last two weeks, and that's why I was struggling and I think it's probably the most important shot in men's tennis; it is for me.”

They were the odd couple of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati: a 20-year-old singles star, Alexander Zverev, who's already won five titles this year, and a 44-year-old doubles legend, Leander Paes, who's captured 54 doubles titles. The enticing partnership, which played on a packed Court 11, fell short on Tuesday, but they treated fans to a memorable match during their doubles debut. Paes/Zverev fell to Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez 2-6, 7-6(2), 10-6. “I know him quite well. He's a good guy. Unfortunately we lost today but it was fun playing with him,” Zverev said of Paes. The right-hander said doubles can improve his singles game. “The serve and return helps. You get used to the conditions a little bit more, the match conditions. That's very good. Obviously the volleys improve,” Zverev said. [ALSO LIKE] But Zverev, who's now No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, said he doesn't plan on playing doubles too often in the near future. The Spaniards will next meet fourth seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan in the second round. Meanwhile, Sascha’s older brother, Mischa Zverev, paired with Diego Schwartzman to score a first-round win over Nikola Mektic and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, 7-6(2), 3-6, 15-13. The German/Argentine duo saved 10 of the 13 break points they faced to set a second-round clash with second seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo. Reigning Roland Garros champions Ryan Harrison and Michael Venus advanced to the quarter-finals with a 4-6, 7-6(2), 12-10 win over Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic. They next face either top seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers or Roberto Bautista Agut and David Ferrer.

#NextGenATP American Jared Donaldson can count a second Top 20 opponent as his victim in as many weeks after seeing off Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut at the Western & Southern Open on Tuesday. The 20 year old defeated the No. 12 seed 7-6(5), 6-3 to reach the second round for the third straight year. Ranked No. 60  in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Donaldson was coming off an impressive run to the third round at the Coupe Rogers, where he’d beaten Frenchmen, World No. 18 Lucas Pouille and Benoit Paire, back to back. The Spaniard, too, had a solid week in Montreal where he saved a match point against Gael Monfils en route to the quarter-finals, where he went down to Roger Federer. “I feel that I've been playing really solid tennis. I feel as though a lot of my matches have kind of hinged on my first-serve percentage,” Donaldson said. “I feel that when I get it up above 50 per cent, sometimes 60 per cent, I think the cut off is 50, but I think if I can continue to keep getting it into the high 50s, 60s, maybe even 70s, then I'm going to be really tough to beat. “I feel like I'm returning really well, playing pretty good defence. But I think a lot of it starts with my serve. If I serve really well I think it's tough to beat me because I can play offence so easily and I can also return pretty well.” Wild card Donaldson sent down 11 aces and saved four of six break points against the World No. 14. He will next face India’s lucky loser Ramkumar Ramanathan, who ground out a 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-4 result over American qualifier Christopher Eubanks on Monday.  Watch Live On TennisTV  Watch Full Match Replays #NextGenATP Russian Karen Khachanov avenged a defeat on U.S. hard courts to Diego Schwartzman from earlier this season. The 21 year old had lost his opening round at the Miami Open to the Argentine but turned the tables to level the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head on Tuesday with a 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 result. Schwartzman was coming off a career-best ATP World Tour Masters 1000 run in Montreal last week, where he saved four match points to upset third seed Dominic Thiem en route to the quarter-finals. Khachanov’s six aces helped him on his way to a second meeting with Italian lucky loser Thomas Fabbiano. #NextGenATP Croatian Borna Coric didn’t fare so well. The 20 year old fell to Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-3, 7-6(5) with the Georgian to next meet U.S. lucky loser Christian Harrison.  

Yuichi Sugita is through to the second round of the Western & Southern Open after surprising American No. 1 Jack Sock on Wednesday. In the first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting between the pair, the 28-year-old Japanese player advanced 7-5, 6-4. Sugita, No. 46 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, sent down seven aces and broke four times on his way past the World No. 16. It continues a solid run of form in Cincinnati after he defeated #NextGenATP star Alexander Zverev and Nicolas Mahut en route to the third round last year, where he fell to Milos Raonic. Earlier this summer, he captured his first ATP World Tour title at Antalya (d. Mannarino). Portugal’s Joao Sousa is his next opponent in Cincinnati, with the pair having never faced off on tour.