by Patrick FAVRE | 27 May, 2023 | News_slider-en, News_Tournoi-en
Chile’s Nicolas Jarry (ATP 54) claimed his third ATP Tour title – and his third on clay – on Saturday, beating Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (1) 6-1.
“I’m obviously very happy,” said the Chilean afterwards. “It’s been a long road to get here. “Today is reward for the hard work I’ve put in to get back to my best.” Knocked out in the first rounds at Madrid and Rome recently – both times by players outside the Top 100 – Jarry reversed his fortunes this week, accounting for the No.6, 1, 3 and 4 seeds, including two previous winners of the tournament. Tallon Griekspoor (withdrawal), Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev and Dimitrov make for quite a quartet of victims.
Just as he has been all week, the Chilean was in commanding form against the Bulgarian. “I think I’ve only played one bad set all tournament, against Ruud,” he said “It’s very encouraging for the future.” After two matches lasting nearly three hours, Dimitrov could be forgiven for feeling a little heavy-legged. That did not prevent him from clawing back a break in the first set, but there was no way back for him after a one-sided first-set tiebreak went Jarry’s way. With his high-octane serve firing to perfection, Jarry was too hot to handle for his opponents this week.
And so the 2023 Gonet Geneva Open ended on a high note, as the 2019 runner-up took the title. With a total of 30,000 spectators attending across the week, the Geneva tournament continues to cement its place in the local cultural and sporting landscape and is now one of the city’s main events of the year.
by Patrick FAVRE | 27 May, 2023 | News_slider-en, News_Tournoi-en, Uncategorized
“I must introduce you to my partner,” said Jamie Murray during the trophy presentation that followed the men’s doubles final, in reference to Michael Venus. “He’s got muscles, he’s a good tennis player, but he never talks, so it’s up to me to do the work.” At which point, the stadium fell into fits of laughter.
The British player took the opportunity to thank the tournament organisers, their entourages and his mother, who had made the trip to Geneva but sat at the very top of the stand so her son didn’t have to put up with listening to her during rallies. Cue more laughter. You couldn’t have asked for nicer winners after such a tight match.
And it was expected to be tight, with little to choose between the pairings in the ATP Doubles Teams Rankings. Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos put up a fierce fight and were the first to force a break in the opening set. “I honestly don’t know how we managed to get that break back,” commented Murray. “We played a lot better after that, though.”
It was a final that came down to two tie-breaks: 7-6 (6) 7-6 (3). “We’ll definitely be coming back next year to defend our title,” said the jovial Scot. “We hope to see more Swiss players in the main draw because we missed them this year. And we’ll be back to eat röstis too. They’re even better than the hash browns you get back in the UK.” Cue yet more laughter!
by Patrick FAVRE | 27 May, 2023 | News_slider-en, News_Tournoi-en
The final of the 2023 Gonet Geneva Open (Saturday, 15:00 CET) has all the makings of a classic. On one side of the net Grigor Dimitrov (ATP 33), the man with the impossible return of serve, and on the other, Nicolas Jarry (ATP 54), who accounted for two-time defending champion Casper Ruud in the quarters and Olympic champion Alexander Zverev in the semis, exacting a handsome measure of revenge for the his defeat to the German in the 2019 final, when he passed up two match points.
Jarry is enjoying perhaps the finest week of his career. At the age of 27, he is finally back to his best having had to start from scratch following an 11-month suspension handed down for taking a banned substance in a food supplement mistakenly prescribed to him by his doctor. “There were a lot of tears and sleepless nights,” said the Chilean. Thankfully, for him the tears have dried and his sleep now unbroken.
A deserving winner against Ruud on Thursday, Jarry proved so once more against Zverev. With both serve and forehand working to near perfection, he refused to allow the German to settle and ran out a comfortable 7-6 (3) 6-3 winner. With his all-court game and renowned mental toughness, Dimitrov will prove a formidable opponent in the final. In a repeat of his quarter-final win against Australia’s Christopher O’Connell, the Bulgarian found himself a set and a break down to Taylor Fritz before serving up another unlikely comeback, prevailing 3-6 7-5 7-6(2) in unquestionably one of the finest matches in the tournament’s history. The penultimate point of the match is worth watching alone. It left Dimitrov holding four match points and brought the entire stadium to its feet.
by Patrick FAVRE | 26 May, 2023 | News_slider-en, News_Tournoi-en
A runner-up in 2019 after failing to convert two match points against Alexander Zverev, Nicolas Jarry (ATP 54) has gatecrashed the semi-finals at the Gonet Geneva Open. The Chilean defeated two-time defending champion Casper Ruud 3-6 7-6 (2) 7-5 to set up a rematch against Zverev on Friday.
Unbeaten in nine matches on the Eaux-Vives clay, Ruud can have no regrets about his winning run coming to an abrupt end. His misfortune was to come up against an opponent who did not put a foot wrong, an opponent capable of making a last-gasp adjustment to pull off a breathtaking passing shot down the line and prevent the Norwegian taking a 6-5 lead in the second set. Ruud unravelled after that little piece of magic from the Chilean.
The first match on court on Friday is the other semi-final, with No.2 seed Taylor Fritz taking on No.4 Grigor Dimitrov. Fritz cruised past Belarusian Ilya Ivashka (ATP 86) 6-1 6-2, while the Bulgarian came from nowhere to beat Australia’s Christopher O’Connell (ATP 85). The former world No.3 trailed a set and 4-1 before pulling off the finest remontada of the week to win 6-7(5) 7-5 6-4.
by Patrick FAVRE | 25 May, 2023 | News_slider-en, News_Tournoi-en
Wednesday at the Gonet Geneva Open 2023 was one of those days where the tournament favourites saunter into their post-match press conferences, all smiles and satisfaction, and say things like, “It was a great day at the office”. No.3 seed Alexander Zverev (ATP 27) was in that frame of mind on Tuesday night, and on Wednesday evening it was the turn of the No.1, 2 and 4 seeds. Two-time defending champion Casper Ruud (ATP 4) had every reason to be pleased with himself after making short work of the USA’s J.J. Wolf (ATP 49) and his tricky, quirky game, the Norwegian winning in straight sets, 6-3 7-5.
“J.J. is a player who hits the ball very hard and plays very fast,” said Ruud. “He was a dangerous opponent and I’m happy I made a strong start and finish to the match [Ruud forced breaks at the start of the opening set and right at the end of the second.] It felt really good out there and I’m delighted to be back playing in front of the Geneva fans, who always give me a very warm welcome.” Earlier in the day, wild card Grigor Dimitrov (ATP 33) turned in a near-perfect display to see off Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena 6-1 6-3. “I feel really good,” commented the 32-year-old Bulgarian afterwards. “I really love Geneva too. I love walking by the lake and discovering new things. Everyone – the volunteers, the fans, the organisers – has been lovely to us.” Now back to something like his best, Dimitrov will be one of the players to watch in the last eight.
As for Taylor Fritz (ATP 9), he had to work a little harder to shake off fellow American Marcos Giron (ATP 74) in three sets, 4-6 6-2 6-3. While not truly happy with his overall performance on the night, he at least has some good vibrations from the closing two sets to take into his quarter-final against Ilya Ivashka (ATP 86). “I’ve never played him before,” said the Californian. “I think I’ll take a little look at his game before I go to bed tonight.”
