Medvedev dominates Djokovic in ATP Finals

Novak Djokovic, practicing at Indian Wells last year,
remains in the running for his sixth title in the ATP
Finals. Photo copyright by Harjanto Sumali

   Fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev beat top-seeded Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-3 today in the round-robin phase of the Nitto ATP Finals in London.

   Medvedev, a 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Russian, defeated Djokovic, who's still in the running for his sixth title in the ATP Finals, for the third time in their last four matches.

   Medvedev clinched a berth in Saturday's semifinals at 2-0 in the indoor hardcourt tournament. Djokovic will meet Alexander Zverev, both of whom are 1-1, on Friday for the other semifinal spot in the four-man Tokyo 1970 Group. The ATP Finals began 50 years ago in Tokyo.

   The fifth-seeded Zverev, who has denied recent accusations of domestic abuse, eliminated Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

   In doubles, second-seeded Rajeev Ram, a volunteer assistant coach at the University of California, Berkeley from Carmel, Ind., and Joe Salisbury of Great Britain are scheduled to play third-seeded Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies of Germany on Thursday at 10 a.m. PST (Tennis Channel) for a semifinal berth.

   ATP Challenger Tour — This time, Teymuraz Gabashvili and Dennis Novikov's opponents went on a run to win a match tiebreaker. 

   Playing their fifth consecutive match tiebreaker, Gabashvili of Russia and Novikov, a 27-year-old San Jose, Calif., product, fell to second-seeded Andrey Golubev and Aleksandr Nedovyesov of Kazakhstan 6-7 (4), 6-2 [10-5] in the first round of the $52,080 Orlando (Fla.) Open on a windy day at the USTA National Campus. 

   Gabashvili and Novikov won the doubles title in last week's $52,080 Atlantic Tire Championships in Cary, N.C., prevailing in match tiebreakers in all four of their contests. They reeled off the last nine points against fourth-seeded Golubev and Nedovyesov in the quarterfinals and the last four points against Hunter Reese of Knoxville, Tenn., and Sem Verbeek (University of the Pacific, 2013-16) of the Netherlands in the semifinals.

   Reese and Verbeek also lost today, 6-4, 4-6 [10-7] to Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul of France.

   In singles, eighth-seeded Mackenzie McDonald, a 25-year-old product of Piedmont in the San Francisco Bay Area, is set to play Elias Ymer of Sweden on Thursday at 7 a.m. for a quarterfinal berth. The match on McDonald's adopted home courts will be streamed live. 

   ITF Women's Circuit — Second-seeded Maiar Sherif Ahmed Abdelaziz (Fresno State, 2015-16) of Egypt beat wild card Marina Bassols Ribera of Spain 6-2, 7-6 (1) in the opening round of the $25,000 Open Gran Canaria on clay in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, off the coast of northwestern Africa.

   Sherif won a $100,000 clay-court tournament in Charleston, S.C., as a qualifier two weeks ago.

   Kaia Kanepi, 35, of Estonia is seeded first in the Open Gran Canaria. She has reached the quarterfinals of the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open twice each and been ranked as high as No. 15 in 2012. 

San Jose product Novikov claims Cary crown in doubles

Unseeded Dennis Novikov (above) and Teymuraz Gabash-
vili won all four of their matches in the Cary, N.C., Challen-
ger in match tiebreakers. 2018 photo by Paul Bauman

   Here's a shocker: the doubles title in the Cary, N.C., Challenger was decided by a match tiebreaker.

   Unseeded Teymuraz Gabashvili, a Georgia native who plays for Russia, and Dennis Novikov, a San Jose, Calif., product who was born in Moscow, nipped top-seeded Luke Bambridge of Great Britain and Nathaniel Lammons of Dallas 7-5, 4-6 [10-8] today in the Atlantic Tire Championships.

   All six matches played by the finalists in the $52,800 hardcourt tournament went to match tiebreakers. Bambridge and Lammons won by walkover in the semifinals.

   Gabashvili and Novikov, playing in his first tournament since late February, led 5-2 in the match tiebreaker before Bambridge and Lammons reeled off four consecutive points. Novikov netted two forehands during the run but came up big late.

   With Bambridge serving at 7-7, Novikov ripped a forehand passing shot down the middle and pounded a service winner to earn two championship points. Lammons saved the first one, crushing a backhand winner on Novikov's first serve, but Novikov converted the second one with another forehand passing shot down the middle.

   In Sunday's singles final, second-seeded Denis Kudla, 28, of Arlington, Va., is scheduled to meet fourth-seeded Prajnesh Gunneswaran, a 31-year-old left-hander from India, for the first time at 9 a.m. PST. The match will be streamed live.

   Kudla, the runner-up in the 2015 Tiburon (Calif.) Challenger, outlasted third-seeded Daniel Elahi Galan of Colombia 6-7 (6), 6-1, 6-4. Gunneswaran, a semifinalist in the 2017 Tiburon (Calif.) Challenger, beat unseeded Mikael Torpegaard, a former three-time NCAA runner-up (singles, doubles and team) at Ohio State from Denmark, by walkover.

   Gabashvili, 35, and Novikov, 27, split $3,100 after winning their first title together. Bambridge, 25, and Lammons, 27, shared $1,800.

   Novikov, the Cary singles champion in 2015 and a singles semifinalist in the $100,000 San Francisco Challenger in 2018, won his seventh career Challenger doubles title and second of the COVID-shortened season. Novikov and Goncalo Oliveira, a left-hander from Portugal, took the Dallas crown in early February. 

   Gabashvili, a former top-50 singles player who has reached the fourth round of the French Open twice, claimed his 10th career Challenger doubles title and first of the year.

   Bambridge has won three ATP doubles titles, most recently Auckland in January with former University of California, Berkeley star Ben McLachlan. Bambridge also owns seven Challenger doubles crowns, including Fairfield, Calif., in 2017 with David O'Hare of Ireland.

   Novikov will jump 22 places to No. 156 in doubles in Monday's new world rankings, and Gabashvili will rise six spots to No. 149. Bambridge will remain No. 62, and Lammons will improve four notches to No. 99. All of the finalists have been ranked higher in doubles.

   Novikov played junior hockey for six years and tennis at UCLA for two years, helping the Bruins reach the 2013 NCAA final. Lammons played at Southern Methodist University in Dallas from 2013 to 2016 while earning a degree in mechanical engineering.

Gabashvili helps Austin top Dream again in WTT

   Teymuraz Gabashvili is a nightmare for the California Dream.
   For the third time in four nights, Gabashvili beat Tennys Sandgren in men's singles as the Austin Aces beat California. And for the second time in that span, Gabashvili lifted Austin in the final set.
   In a matchup of World TeamTennis rookies, Gabashvili beat Tennys Sandgren 5-2 to give the Aces a 20-18 victory over the Dream tonight in Austin, Texas.
   Gabashvili, 30, was born in the Asian country of Georgia but plays for Russia. He is ranked No. 52 and recently reached the fourth round of the French Open for the second time.
   Sandgren, a resident of Wesley Chapel, Fla., who will turn 24 on Wednesday, is ranked No. 260. The former University of Tennessee All-American has never played in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament.
   California (3-4) led 14-10 at intermission tonight, but Austin (6-0) won 5-2 in women's doubles to cut the deficit to 16-15 entering the last set.
   Austin's Nicole Gibbs, a 22-year-old former Stanford star, split her two sets.
   The good news for the Dream midway through the regular season is that it won't have to play Austin again (unless both reach the playoffs).  
   After a much-needed day off on Monday, California will play the Springfield (Mo.) Lasers (2-5) on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Dream Stadium at Sunrise Mall.

AUSTIN ACES 20, CALIFORNIA DREAM 18

In Austin, Texas

   Men's doubles -- Teymuraz Gabashvili and Jarmere Jenkins (Aces) def. Tennys Sandgren and Neal Skupski 5-4.
   Women's singles -- Jarka Gajdosova (Dream) def. Nicole Gibbs 5-3.
   Mixed doubles -- Anabel Medina Garrigues and Skupski (Dream) def. Alla Kudryavtseva and Gabashvili 5-2.
   Women's doubles -- Gibbs and Kudryavtseva (Aces) def. Gajdosova and Garrigues 5-2.
   Men's singles -- Gabashvili (Aces) def. Sandgren 5-2.

French Open Day 2 highlights: Stephens ousts Venus

Sloane Stephens defeated 15th-seeded Venus Williams
in the first round. 2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   Match of the day -- Sloane Stephens dispatched fellow American Venus Williams, seeded 15th, 7-6 (5), 6-1 in the first round. It was Williams' second opening-round loss in three years at Roland Garros. Stephens has plunged from a career-high No. 11 in the world in 2013 to 40th.
   Upset of the day -- Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia surprised 11th-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain 6-3, 7-6 (9), 6-3. Lopez, ranked a career-high No. 12 at 33 years old, suffered is 10th first-round loss in 15 French Open appearances.
   Notable -- Annika Beck of Germany eliminated 14th-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, the 2012 Wimbledon runner-up, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. ... No. 2 seed and defending champion Maria Sharapova, suffering from a cold, coughed repeatedly during her 6-2, 6-4 win over Kaia Kanepi. 
   Men's seeded winners -- No. 3 Andy Murray, No. 4 Tomas Berdych, No. 12 Gilles Simon, No. 13 Gael Monfils, No. 17 David Goffin, No. 18 Tommy Robredo, No. 21 Pablo Cuevas, No. 27 Bernard Tomic, No. 28 Fabio Fognini, No. 29 Nick Kyrgios, No. 31 Viktor Troicki, No. 32 Fernando Verdasco.
   Men's seeded losers -- No. 11 Lopez, No. 30 Adrian Mannarino.
   Women's seeded winners -- No. 2 Sharapova, No. 8 Carla Suarez Navarro, No. 11 Angelique Kerber, No. 12 Karolina Pliskova, No. 17 Sara Errani, No. 19 Elina Svitolina, No. 26 Sam Stosur, No. 27 Victoria Azarenka, No. 29 Alize Cornet, No. 30 Irina-Camelia "Ain't Too Proud To" Begu.
   Women's seeded losers -- No. 14 Agnieszka Radwanska, No. 15 Venus Williams, No. 22 Barbora Strycova.
   U.S. men's winners -- None. 
   U.S. men's losers -- Sam Querrey, Donald Young, Frances Tiafoe (17 years old).
   U.S. women's winner -- Sloane Stephens.
   U.S. women's losers -- No. 15 Venus Williams, Madison Brengle, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Alison Riske, Nicole Gibbs.
   Fast fact -- Stephens joined Lindsay Davenport as the only Americans to have beaten Serena and Venus Williams in a Grand Slam tournament, the Associated Press reported. Stephens knocked off Serena en route to the semifinals of the 2013 Australian Open.
   Northern California connection -- All three players with NorCal ties in action today lost. Querrey, a San Francisco native, fell to 18-year-old rising star Borna Coric of Croatia 7-6 (8), 6-3, 0-6, 6-3. Gibbs, a former Stanford star making her French Open debut, succumbed to Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania 6-3, 6-1. And Jarmila Gajdosova of the Sacramento-based California Dream in World TeamTennis dropped a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 decision to French wild card Amandine Hesse. ... Stephens is coached by Nick Saviano, a two-time All-American at Stanford in the 1970s.
   Quote -- Saviano on Stephens, according to the AP: "I want her to play with a sense of joy ... and play everything as well as she can, relentlessly, and not be concerned with the result. Let the result take care of itself. And she did a good job of that today."