2018 in review: Karen Khachanov wins Paris. Roger Federer reigns in Basel
* ATP 250 Moscow: Karen Khachanov (RUS) vs Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 6-2 6-2
The 22-year-old Moscow native Karen Khachanov won the title in front of his crowd in the Russian capital, defeating Adrian Mannarino 6-2 6-2 in 54 minutes for his third ATP crown and the second of the season, entering the top-20 for the first time! Karen won their previous two matches as well but he had to work much harder than today, doing just about everything right in his hometown to leave Mannarino empty-handed in his sixth ATP final, still seeking the maiden ATP crown. The Russian served at 78% and he lost 11 points in eight service games, saving the only break point he faced to mount the pressure on the other side of the net and wait for a chance on the return patiently.
Adrian was in all kind of troubles after missing the first serve, winning just two points on the second and getting broken four times from six chances he gave to Karen who controlled the scoreboard from start to finish to wrap up the title in style. The youngster drew first blood in the third game when he forced an error from his rival and he moved 5-2 up with a return winner in game seven, serving for the set in the following game. A service winner secured the opener for the Russian after just 24 minutes and he was on a steady title course, overpowering his rival in every department.
Khachanov put one hand on the trophy after breaking Adrian at the start of the second set following a costly double fault from the Frenchman and the winner was decided when Karen grabbed another break in game three thanks to a lucky net cord winner. Mannarino earned that break point in the fourth game but Karen kept his serve intact with a service winner, bringing the match home with another great hold and a forehand winner at 5-2 for the 39th and one of the most important wins of the season. Khachanov had much more winners and he also forced 20 errors from his opponent, dominating in both the shortest and more extended rallies to secure the title in no time at all.
* ATP 250 Antwerp: Kyle Edmund (GBR) vs Gael Monfils (FRA) 3-6 7-6(2) 7-6(4)
World number 15 and the top seed in Antwerp Kyle Edmund claimed his first ATP title after a thrilling 3-6 7-6 7-6 win over the 6th seed Gael Monfils in two hours and 26 minutes, becoming the 13th different first time winner of the season and the newest one after Stefanos Tsitsipas who did that 30 minutes before him in Stockholm! Kyle played amazing tennis in the first three matches, fending off all six break points he faced to keep the serve intact but he had to work much harder against the experienced rival who competed in his 28th ATP final, staying on just seven titles after another defeat in the decisive matches.
Last year at Wimbledon, Gael prevailed in three close sets and he was on a verge of winning today as well, taking four points more than Kyle thanks to that opening set and also being three points away from the title in the deciding tie break. The Frenchman fired 17 aces and he repelled six out of seven break points to stay in contention all the time, creating six break chances on the other side, two in each set, and converting two in total. It was a great start for Monfils, earning a break at 15 in the second game of the match when Kyle sent a forehand long.
Edmund saved a set point at 2-5 thanks to a forehand error from Gael but the Frenchman clinched the set after 31 minutes with a solid hold in game nine, moving a set away from the title. The youngster had to dig deep in the rest of the encounter and he broke in the fourth game of the second set to build a 3-1 lead, saving a break point with a forehand down the line winner in the following game to cement the lead and extend the gap. Monfils pulled the break back in the seventh game when Edmund netted an easy backhand and he saved four break points in the following game to level the score at 4-4.
Both players served well in the remaining four games and it was a tie break to decide the winner of the set, with no room for errors on Edmund's side. He won all five points on serve and grabbed a mini-break already in the second point after a forehand winner to move ahead, extending his lead with another mini-break in the sixth point and clinching the set in the ninth point after a lucky net cord, surviving a scare and setting up a decider. Kyle saved two break points in the second game of the third set and he had a chance to move 5-4 ahead after creating two break chances in game nine.
Gael saved them with service winners and the set went into a tie break that was to determine the champion, in what had been the best way to conclude this entertaining clash. They traded mini-breaks in the fifth and sixth points and it was Edmund who clinched another one at 4-3 following a terrible forehand from Gael, forcing an error from his rival in the 10th point for a 6-4 and two match points. The first one was enough to send the youngster over the top, blasting a forehand down the line winner to take the breaker 7-4 and celebrate his maiden ATP title.
* ATP 250 Stockholm: Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs Ernests Gulbis (LAT) 6-4 6-4
It was third time lucky for the 20-year-old Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in Stockholm, defeating a qualifier Ernests Gulbis 6-4 6-4 in an hour and 21 minutes for his maiden ATP title, becoming the first player from his country to lift an ATP trophy! This was the third final of the season for the super talented youngster but the first without Rafael Nadal on the other side of the net, facing a little bit forgotten former top10 player who never lost an ATP final before. He had to settle with the runner-up spot in this one, though, missing a chance to become the third-lowest champion on the Tour in 2018 (ranked 145th) and to maintain a perfect score in the title matches.
Stefanos earned a win after a great performance on serve, dropping 10 points in 10 service games and fending off the only break point he faced to keep his games intact. On the other hand, Gulbis served at only 48% and that significantly plagued his chances for a better result, struggling on his second serve and dropping serve once in each set to hand the win to his rival. Stefanos saved a break point in the very first game of the match after forcing an error from Ernests and they both served well in the next eight games, with the Latvian serving to stay in the set at 4-5.
His focus dropped in the worst possible moment and Stefanos broke him at 15 after a long rally that provided a huge boost for the youngster before the rest of the match. Just like in the opener, the rivals played on the level terms in set number two and Gulbis had to serve to stay in the match at 4-5 after nine easy holds on both sides. He couldn't deal with the pressure and Tsitsipas broke him at love after four unforced errors from Gulbis, securing his first ATP title in one of the most memorable moments of his young career so far.
* ATP 500 Vienna: Kevin Anderson (RSA) vs Kei Nishikori (JPN) 6-3 7-6(3)
World number 8 and the 2nd seed in Vienna Kevin Anderson won his fifth and so far the biggest ATP title after a 6-3 7-6 triumph over the 5th seed Kei Nishikori in an hour and 58 minutes. This was the 44th win of the season for the 32-year-old South African who secured the place at the ATP Finals in London for the first time. Nishikori had been in a great form lately and he sought his first ATP title since Memphis in 2016, losing the ninth straight ATP final! This was their seventh meeting and the third win for Kevin who prevailed in the semi-final of New York back in February, also on an indoor court.
Anderson fired 13 aces and he delivered fury behind his first serve, winning 39 out of 43 points after landing it in and saving both break points he faced to keep the pressure on his rival. Nishikori was more efficient behind his second serve but that wasn't enough for a more positive outcome or at least a set despite firing 25 winners and 23 unforced errors. Kevin scored the majority of winners with his serve and he made a similar number of unforced errors from both wings to finish with a 36-30 ratio, prevailing in the most important moments and breaking Kei once from seven break chances to secure his first ATP title above ATP 250 level and earn London berth.
It was a rather slow start for the Japanese, fending off a break point in game two with a smash winner before Anderson found the way to convert the fifth break point in the fourth game for a 3-1 lead when Kei sent a backhand long after a 14-minute thriller. Leading 4-2, Anderson saved a break point with a service winner and he erased another one with an unreturned serve in game nine to gain a 6-3 lead after 56 minutes. The second set offered a fine level of tennis on both sides, with just one break point for Kevin in the ninth game that Nishikori saved with a forehand down the line winner to stay on the positive side of the scoreboard. The South African earned a mini-break with a deep return already in the opening point of the tie break and he hit five winners in five points on serve to seal the deal with an unreturned serve in the 10th point that delivered the title for him.
* ATP 500 Basel: Roger Federer (SUI) vs Marius Copil (ROU) 7-6(5) 6-4
World number 3 and the top seed in Basel Roger Federer claimed the ninth title in his hometown after a hard-fought 7-6 6-4 triumph against a qualifier Marius Copil in an hour and 34 minutes. Competing in his 14th Basel final, Roger delivered the 71st win (the 20th in a row) in front of the home fans for the title number 99 and the 21st ATP 500 crown, leaving Rafael Nadal on 20. Also, Roger played in his 200th ATP semi-final here and it really turned out to be a great week for him despite struggling in all five matches, celebrating the 25th indoor title.
Like never before in Basel, Roger got broken 11 times in the opening four matches against Filip Krajinovic, Jan-Lennard Struff, Gilles Simon and Daniil Medvedev and he allowed Copil to steal his serve twice as well, having the advantage in both sets but crumbling under pressure to waste the opportunity for a much better result and a possible first ATP crown. Roger was magnificent behind his first serve, winning 32 out of 34 points and saving three out of five break points, creating the same number of chances on the other side and converting three to wrap up the win in straight sets and made his crowd erupting in joy.
The Swiss had 22 winners and 14 unforced errors while Copil stood on a 25-31 ratio, playing brave and aggressive tennis and giving his best against the mighty rival. Federer made the biggest difference in the mid-range rallies, spraying a fewer number of unforced errors and forcing more errors from his rival to prevail in straight sets. The Romanian drew first blood in the third game of the match when Roger hit a double fault, firing a backhand winner in the following game to confirm the break and forge a 3-1 lead. Federer pulled the break back in the sixth game after a poor drop shot from Copil, with both players serving well after that to reach a tie break.
Roger scored the only mini-break in the seventh point and he forced an error from Marius in the 12th point for a 7-5 after 46 minutes. Copil was there to fight and he grabbed a break in the second game of the second set when Roger's forehand landed into the net, saving two break points in the fifth game with service winners to move 4-1 ahead. Federer stayed focused, breaking back with a smash winner in game seven and taking all the momentum now, securing another break at 4-4 and closing the match on own serve in the following game after saving a break point, rattling off five straight games to secure the 99th ATP trophy of the amazing career.
* Masters 1000 Paris: Karen Khachanov (RUS) vs Novak Djokovic (SRB) 7-5 6-4
In the third round of the US Open, Karen Khachanov gave his 120% against world number Rafael Nadal before losing 5-7 7-5 7-6 7-6 in almost four and a half hours, showing his full potential and the signs of what will come by the end of the season! Karen won the second ATP title of the season in Moscow and he saved the best for the last event of 2018, delivering his best tennis to conquer Paris Masters for his fourth and by far the biggest ATP title! The 22-year-old Russian had a great run in the French capital, becoming only the fifth player in the history of Masters 1000 series with four top-10 wins at one event after Goran Ivanisevic, Tomas Enqvist, Guillermo Canas, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and another youngster Stefanos Tsitsipas who did that in Toronto this summer.
Karen saved two match points in a thrilling third round encounter against John Isner and he went on to defeat Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem for the place in his first Masters 1000 final. Karen entered the top-15 for the first time with those wins and he finished the season at the 11th place after a 7-5 6-4 triumph over world number 2 and the four-time Paris champion Novak Djokovic in an hour and 37 minutes, becoming only the fourth Russian with the Masters 1000 title and the first since Nikolay Davydenko nine years ago in Shanghai.
Novak was the favorite in this match but a clash against Roger Federer on the previous night that lasted for more than three hours apparently took too much from him, playing without his usual stamina and the ability to impose his shots and keep the pressure on his rival with deep and accurate groundstrokes. He lacked all these elements in his game and he couldn't do much on the return against the rival who served at 75% and fends off four out of five break points. The Russian dominated with his forehand, keeping the points on his racquet and overpowering the rival who scored 22 straight wins since Cincinnati and also 43 of the last 47 matches after Madrid!
In addition, Novak never lost the final in Paris before but he couldn't keep the perfect score after this encounter, facing five break points and suffering three breaks to propel his rival over the finish line, missing a chance to grab the 33rd Masters 1000 crown and join Rafael Nadal on the eternal list. Karen had 31 winners and 27 unforced errors and Novak stood on an 18-24 ratio, staying in touch with the youngster in the shortest points but losing the edge in the mid-range rallies to finish on the losing side. Khachanov saved a break point in the second game but Novak converted the fourth chance two games later to grab a break and move 3-1 up.
Still, Karen pulled the break back in the very next game after a poor forehand from the Serb and he was the better player in the rest of the set, serving well and waiting for another chance on the return. It came in game 11 when he passed Novak with a backhand down the line shot to move 6-5 in front, claiming the opener after a service winner in the following game, taking the set 7-5 after 57 minutes. Carried by this momentum, Khachanov barely missed the first serve in set number two, losing just six points in his games and breaking Novak in the third game when the Serb netted an easy backhand.
Djokovic saved three break points in the seventh game to at least stay in touch but it wasn't to be for him in this match, sending a backhand long in game 10 to push Karen over the finish line in what was the biggest moment in a career for the youngster so far.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2R3efGZ
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