2018 in review: Novak Djokovic wins Shanghai. Medvedev sings 'Big in Japan'
* ATP 250 Metz: Gilles Simon (FRA) vs Matthias Bachinger (GER) 7-6(2) 6-1
The 33-year-old Giles Simon enjoyed a very solid 2018 season, winning the title in Pune at the beginning of the season and adding another one at home in Metz for his most successful season since 2011! 14 years after making a debut in front of the home fans (he lost the opening four matches in Metz), Gilles managed to claim his third Metz crown, beating a qualifier Matthias Bachinger 7-6 6-1 in an hour and 19 minutes for his 14th ATP title overall. Serving at 71%, the Frenchman lost just 13 points in 10 service games, firing 10 aces and fending off three out of four break points to mount the pressure on the other side of the net.
Playing in his first ATP final, Bachinger was far away from those numbers, losing 46% of the points in his games and suffering three breaks from six opportunities he gave to the Frenchman. Simon was the better player right from the start and he broke the German in game five, holding at 15 in the following game to forge a 4-2 lead. Out of sudden, Matthias broke back in game eight to level the score at 4-4 and he had the momentum in the remaining games, earning three set points on the return at 6-5. Gilles saved them all and he won the tie break 7-2 to gain a huge boost before the rest of the encounter.
He scored an early break in set number two as well and another one with a return winner in game six to serve for the title in the following game. Simon did that in style, firing four winners in that seventh game to wrap up the title, happy with the way he performed at one of his favorite tournaments.
* ATP 250 Chengdu: Bernard Tomic (AUS) vs Fabio Fognini (ITA) 6-1 3-6 7-6(7)
Bernard Tomic had to qualify for the main draw in Chengdu after being ranked 123rd but that wasn't an obstacle for him, going all the way to conquer his fourth ATP title and the first since Bogota in 2015. In a thrilling final, Tomic saved four match points in the deciding set tie break against the top seed Fabio Fognini for a 6-1 3-6 7-6 win and his biggest success on the Tour in years, returning into the top-100 for the first time since August 2017. This was their fourth meeting on the Tour and the first since Madrid 2016, with Tomic overcoming a 5-2 deficit and those four match points in the closing stages of the match to cross the finish line first and earn a huge reward for his dedicated tennis in the last couple of months, living the usual tantrums behind him and returning where he belongs.
It wasn't the match of the highest order, with 24 break points in total, but the crowd could have enjoyed in a very dramatic final set and those last few points of the tie break that decided the champion. The Aussie struggled on his second serve big time, winning just nine out of 31 points and facing 11 break points. He fends off seven of those and grabbed 45% of the return points to create 13 opportunities in Fognini's games, scoring five breaks and keeping his focus when it mattered the most to win the title. Fognini had six break points in the opening two return games but he failed to convert any of those, getting broken in games two and six to hand the first set to his rival in under 30 minutes.
They traded breaks in games four and five in set number two and it was the Italian who had the edge in the rest of the set, breaking Tomic in game eight before saving two break points in the game that followed for a 6-3. The deciding set saw four breaks of serve in the opening five games and they served well in the rest of the set to reach the tie break, in what had been the best part of the entire encounter. Fabio was 5-2 up in the breaker but it wasn't to be for him, wasting three match points at 6-3 and one more at 7-6 before Tomic won the next three points to steal the triumph and start a huge celebration.
* ATP 250 Shenzehn: Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) 7-5 2-6 6-4
Just an hour after Bernard Tomic won his first ATP title in three years as a qualifier and ranked outside the Top 100, Yoshihito Nishioka repeated that feat in Shenzhen, defeating Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-5 2-6 6-4 in two hours and 20 minutes for his maiden ATP crown! Ranked 171st, the 22-year-old Yoshihito is the second lowest-ranked ATP champion of the season after Pablo Andujar and he will return inside the Top 100 for the first time since July 2017. Back in Miami 2017, Nishioka suffered a huge left knee injury that required a surgery in April and to miss the rest of the season, making a slow return in 2018 and almost dropping out from the Top 400.
He won Gimcheon Challenger in May but he couldn't stay on the winning path after that, struggling to win matches on the ATP Tour but strongly believing in himself and waiting for the right opportunity to show his best tennis again. That chance appeared here in Shenzhen and Yoshihito grabbed it with both hands, going all the way from qualifications to win the title and score his biggest result in a career so far. This was their first meeting on the Tour and it carried the special weight for both rivals since Pierre-Hugues Herbert chased the first ATP title as well, giving his best before falling down in the deciding set.
The Japanese won just three points more than his rival, serving at 72% and getting broken four times from six chances he gave to the Frenchman. Pierre-Hugues had 12 aces but also nine double faults, struggling on his second serve and playing against 12 break points chances, losing serve four times and having to settle with the runner-up spot. The first break came in the fifth game after a huge forehand error from Herbert but he pulled it back in the very next game after a double fault from a left-hander. Pierre-Hugues saved three break points in game nine but Yoshihito found the way to break him at 5-5 after a costly double fault from the Frenchman.
Serving for the set in the next game, Nishioka delivered a perfect backhand cross court winner to grab the opener 7-5, moving a set away from the maiden ATP crown. He earned another break at the start of the second set and could have moved 3-0, with another break chance up for grabs in game three. Herbert saved it and he broke back in the next game to get back on the right side of the scoreboard, firing a service winner at 2-2 to move ahead. Nishioka suffered another break in the sixth game after a poor forehand and he double faulted on a set point at 2-5, allowing Herbert to win six straight games and send the match into a decider.
The Japanese struggled physically but he earned a break in the fifth game of the third set, hitting a volley winner in the next game to confirm the break and move 4-2 up. Herbert saved three match points on serve in game nine to prolong the match but that was all he could do, with Nishioka sealing the deal with a service winner in game 10 for a 6-4 and the biggest moment of his career.
* ATP 500 Beijing: Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) vs Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) 6-4 6-4
World number 34 Nikoloz Basilashvili claimed his second ATP 500 title of the season after a rock solid 6-4 6-4 win over the top seed Juan Martin del Potro in an hour and 39 minutes, notching his first top-5 win in a career. Del Potro defeated Basilashvili in Shanghai last year but he couldn't find the way to repeat that today, wasting all seven break points he created and struggling on his second serve to suffer one break in each set for the 13th loss in 35 ATP finals. The Argentinian was unable to impose his shots and take advantage in the rallies, staying on 15 winners and 16 unforced errors while Nikoloz counted to 30 winners and 36 mistakes, standing as the more aggressive and determined player on the court.
Juan Martin had the advantage in the shortest points but Nikoloz took charge in more extended rallies, dominating from the baseline to wrap up the win in straight sets. The Georgian drew first blood in the third game when del Potro sent a backhand long and he fends off two break points in the sixth game to move 4-2 ahead after a forehand winner. Del Potro repelled three out of four break points in the following game with winners to stay within one break deficit but he couldn't do much on the return in game 10, with Nikoloz closing the set with two forehand winners for a 6-4.
Nothing could separate them in the first six games of the second set and Juan Martin saved a break point in the seventh game with a volley winner, earning a chance to move ahead after creating three break points in the following game. Basilashvili repelled them all and that proved to be one of the crucial moments of the match, as he broke at 15 in the following game after a terrible backhand error from Delpo. It was not the end of the drama, though, with Juan Martin saving two match points in the 10th game and creating two break chances that could have kept him in the match. Basilashvili dismissed both with winners and he sealed the deal with a backhand drive volley winner on his third match point for the second ATP title and the place in the Top 30.
* ATP 500 Tokyo: Daniil Medvedev (RUS) vs Kei Nishikori (JPN) 6-2 6-4
The 22-year-old Russian qualifier Daniil Medvedev won his third and the biggest ATP title after a thrilling 6-2 6-4 win over a former champion and the 3rd seed Kei Nishikori in 63 minutes. Just like against Milos Raonic and Denis Shapovalov, Daniil was the dominant figure on the court, dominating with his serve and groundstrokes to leave the home favorite far behind and secure his first ATP 500 crown that propelled him into the Top 30 for the first time in a career. Nishikori was hoping to win the first title since Memphis 2016 but this was his eighth straight ATP final loss, unable to challenge the rival who did just about everything right on the court to secure the win in just over an hour.
Kei won their previous match in Monte Carlo this spring but he stood no chance against the Russian on the fast indoor court, winning five points on the return and creating one break point in the entire encounter. Daniil saved it in the opening game of the match and he never looked back, rattling off eight straight service games and losing two points in total behind his initial shot by the end of the match to keep the pressure on the other side of the net all the time. Nishikori struggled a lot on his second serve and he lost 43% of the points in his games, facing five break points and getting broken three times, having to settle with the runner-up prize.
Medvedev had 15 winners and just seven unforced errors and the Japanese was miles off that pace, hitting 10 winners but almost 30 unforced errors, spraying mistakes from both wings and having no clue how to move Medvedev from the comfort zone. The Russian had a clear advantage in the shortest and mid-range rallies and it was more than enough to push him over the finish line in style. Daniil repelled a break point in the first game with a service winner, closing the game after two errors from Kei to settle into a nice rhythm and gain the confidence before the rest of the set.
Nishikori missed a backhand down the line in the fourth game to lose serve at love and Medvedev fired four winners in the following game to move 4-1 up. A former champion was powerless on the return and he gave the serve away one more time at 2-5, handing the set to his rival after just 25 minutes. The second set was more competitive and Nishikori saved a break point in game four when he forced an error from Medvedev to stay on the positive side of the scoreboard until 4-4. Daniil held at love with two winners in game nine and he scored a crucial break in the 10th game when Kei sent a forehand wide, celebrating his third title of the season and a career-high ranking when the new ATP list came out on Monday.
* Masters 1000 Shanghai: Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs Borna Coric (CRO) 6-3 6-4
Just a day after he demolished Alexander Zverev in his 1000th ATP match, Novak Djokovic claimed his 32nd Masters 1000 crown from the 46th final, toppling the 13th seed Borna Coric 6-3 6-4 in an hour and 36 minutes for another great result and a big step forward in the battle for the year-end number 1 place. This was the 45th win for Novak in 2018 and the 39th in the last 43 encounters after Madrid, raising his level to what we were seeing from him back in 2015 and the first part of 2016 to dominate the world of tennis once again.
This was the 18th win in a row for the Serb who claimed Cincinnati and the US Open before heading to Shanghai where he won the record-breaking fourth crown, extending his dominance in China where he now won 61 of the last 65 matches since the start of 2009! This was the 400th Masters 1000 match for Novak and his 328th win, becoming only the third player in Masters 1000 history who conquered the title without losing a serve after Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev! With those 1000 points, Novak returned to number 2 ahead of Roger Federer and he was just 35 points behind Rafael Nadal in the ATP Race, standing as the biggest favorite to finish the season as the year-end number 1 for the fifth time in his career.
Borna played one of his best matches on hard court against Roger Federer in the semis to advance into his first Masters 1000 final but he could never repeat that against such a complete player like Novak who overpowered him in the serving department and also from the baseline, moving around the court beautifully and keeping the pressure on his rival all the time. Djokovic was untouchable in his games, unleashing fury from his first serve and saving the only break point he faced after just nine points lost behind the initial shot. On the other hand, he grabbed 40% of the return points and scored two breaks from nine chances to seal the deal in straight sets and continue his amazing run in the last couple of months.
Just like during the entire week, Novak tamed his shots in a very efficient way, hitting 18 winners and 17 unforced errors while Borna counted to 20 winners but also 38 unforced errors, trying to outplay Novak but finishing with almost 20 mistakes from both forehand and backhand wing as he failed to open up the space and find the way to place his groundstrokes away from Djokovic. The Serb had a clear lead in the shortest points up to four strokes and an even bigger in the mid-range rallies where he won 27 out of 40 points. Coric prevailed in the longer exchanges but that wasn't enough to give him a more positive result despite giving his best in the biggest final in a career so far.
Novak needed only a couple of shots to find the zone and he sailed through his service games in the opener to challenge Borna and seek the desired break. The Croat had three solid service games but he wasted two game points at 2-3 before spraying a backhand error that sent Novak 4-2 ahead. Serving for the set at 5-3, Novak blasted three winners to take the opener in 38 minutes and Borna needed something special if he wanted to turn the things around in the rest of the encounter. That never happened, though, as he missed an easy volley at the start of the second set to give his serve away, drifting further and further away from the positive result.
Novak was in a complete control and he almost grabbed another break in a marathon third game that lasted for 13 minutes, creating four break points but squandering them all to keep Borna within one break deficit after a service winner from a persistent Croat. In addition, Coric created that lone break point in the sixth game but his forehand let him down, allowing Novak to bring the game home with two service winners and move 4-2 ahead. Facing three match points on serve at 3-5, Borna made one last push to erase them all, securing a hold with a volley winner to reduce the deficit and force Novak to serve out for the title. The last game was hardly an obstacle for Djokovic who held at love in game 10 to seal the deal and celebrate his 32nd Masters 1000 title, one of the most dominant ones he ever won.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2Ckm56Z
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