Newsletter - October 2019
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NEWSLETTER - OCTOBER 2019 FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT It’s a proud moment for the Asian Tennis Family that the Chinese Tennis Association received the 2019 Global Organization of Distinction Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame during the ITF AGM in Lisbon. Mr Faud Al Rowaie General Secretary of Bahraini Tennis Federation was awarded ITF Award for Services to the game of tennis. On the tennis courts around the world, Japan boys’ team won the Junior Davis Cup and made Asia proud. Congratulations to the young Japanese team as well as Naomi Osaka, sisters Hao-ching Chan and Latisha Chan, Sumit Nagal, Divij Sharan, Peng, Zhizhen Zhang, Shuai Shingo Kunieda and all the other Asian players who excelled at various competitions around the world. JAPAN CLAIMS JUNIOR DAVIS CUP CROWN Stunning doubles performance by Japanese youngsters Shintaro Mochizuki and Yamato Sueoka at the IMG Academy in Florida won Japan its second Junior Davis Cup title. Host USA went up 1-0 in the contest with Toby Kodat, who was back in singles line-up for the final and he justified his inclusion with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Kokoro Isomura. The second singles match between Mochizuki and Damm was colossal battle of two top ranked juniors. Mochizuki eventually came out on top, winning 7-6(3) 7-5 against big serving Damm with his aggressive, net-charging style. In the doubles, Mochizuki–Sueoko outplayed Damm and Kodat 6-4, 6-3 to win the contest 2-1. Although Mochizuki was the focal point of this Japanese team, it was Sueoka who impressed the most in the doubles, with the junior drawing gasps from the crowd at times with his stunning passing shots and deft net play. OSAKA WINS HER FIRST TORAY PAN PACIFIC OPEN TITLE – OSAKA, JAPAN Japan’s favorite Naomi Osaka was crowned the singles title at Toray Pan Pacific Open defeating Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 6-3. This was the third final for the Japanese superstar in front of home crowd having finished runner-up in 2016 and 2018. She thus became the first Japanese player to win the Pan Pacific title since Kimiko Date in 1995. "I have played finals here. This is my third time. So I am really glad that I was able to win, and for it to be in the city where I was born makes it really special," Osaka said after the victory. In the doubles category, Taiwanese siblings Latisha Chan and Chan Hao-ching won the title beating compatriots and sisters, Hsieh Su-wei and Hsieh Yu-chieh 7-5, 7-5, thus achieving their fourth championship this season. PENG SHUAI LIFTS DOUBLES TITLE SHARAN CLAIMS FIFTH CAREER TROPHY AT GUANGZHOU OPEN India’s Divij Sharan claimed his fifth career title with Igor Zelenay of Slovak as the pair claimed doubles title at the St. Petersburg Peng, Shuai of China and her partner Siegemund Open. Sharan-Zelenay overcame Italian duo of Matteo Laura of Germany outplayed Alexa Guarachi of Berrettine and Simone Bolelli 6-3, 3-6, 10-8 in the tie-breaker of Chile and Mexico’s Giuliana Olmos 6-2, 6-1 in 56 a hard-fought summit clash that lasted for one hour and 17 minutes to lift the doubles title Championship at minutes. the Guangzhou Open. INDIA’S SUMIT NAGAL ON THE RISE WITH SECOND CHALLENGER VICTORY Emerging Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal who impressed iconic Roger Federer at US Open 2019 with his fearless approach grabbed his career's second Challenger title. Nagal eased past World No. 166 Facundo Bagnis in the final of the Buenos Aires Challenger. Nagal prevailed 6-4, 6-2 over the Argentine in the summit clash. The singles title helped Nagal collect 80 ATP points to help him scale to highest career ranking at 128. WILD CARD ENTRY ZHIZHEN ZHANG MAKES IT COUNT AT 2019 JINAN OPEN Rising tennis star from China, the 22-year Zhizhen Zhang, climbed to new heights after winning his first title on the ATP Challenger Tour. Towering Zhang, who stands 1.93m tall, entered the third edition of Jinan Open as a wild card entry and dropped only one set en route to the final. He overcame No. 7 seed Japanese Go Soeda 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in the exiting final. In the doubles, Matthew Ebden of Australia and Divij Sharan of India won the title defeating Ji Sung Nam and Min-Kyu Song of Korea 7-6(4), 5-7, 10-3. KUNIEDA WINS USTA WHEELCHAIR CHAMPIONSHIPS Shingo Kunieda of Japan became the singles champion at the US Open USTA Wheelchair Championships defeating Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina 6-2, 6-4. Due to an injury that Kunieda suffered during the course of the men’s singles final he and Fernandez withdrew from the men’s doubles final, handing a walkover to British third seeds Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid. OTHER RESULTS: AMERICAN EXPRESS ISTANBUL – ISTANBUL, TURKEY Andrey Golubev partnered Aleksandr Nedovyesov of Kazakhstan were crowned doubles champion after they received a walkover in their scheduled match against Marek Gengel and Lukas Rosol of Czech Republic due to injury at the American Express Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey. ROAD TO ROLEX SHANGHAI MASTERS – SHANGHAI, CHINA Yasutaka Uchiyama of Japan won the singles title against Di Wu of China at the Road to Rolex Shanghai Masters 6-4, 7-6(4). Prajnesh Gunneswaran of India and Yuichi Sugita of Japan also got through the semi-finals. In the doubles final, Xin Gao and Fajing Sun of China defeated Australian’s Marc Polmans and Scott Puodziunas 2-6, 6-4, 10-7. KAOHSIUNG OEC OPEN – TAIWAN Taiwanese duo Hsieh Cheng –Peng and Tsung-Hua Yang bagged the doubles title defeating American’s duo Evan King and Hunter Reese 6-4, 7-6(4). JIANGXI OPEN – NANCHANG, CHINA Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan claimed the runner-up trophy at the Jiangxi Open in China. In the final, Rybakina lost to Rebecca Peterson of Sweden 2-6, 0-6. WUHAN OPEN - CHINA Duan Yingying of China partnered with Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova to win the doubles title at the Wuhan Open defeating Belgium’s Elise Mertens and Belarus Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(7-3), 6-2. CHENGDU OPEN - CHINA Former World No. 10 Alexander Bublik settled as a runner-up after he lost a thrilling final of the Chengdu Open against Pablo Carreno Busta 7(5)-6, 4-6, 6(3)-7. ITF JUNIORS 2019 HYOGO INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR TOURNAMENTS 2(GRADE 4) – JAPAN Xinmu Zhou of China won the singles title against compatriot Yu Zhang of China 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. In the all Japanese doubles final, Kaiyo Teshima and Rikuto Yamaguchi won the title defeating Reiya Komagata and Taiyo Uenoyama 6-3, 6-3. In the girls category, Xichen Zhao of China won the singles title defeating Manami Ukita of Japan 6-2, 6-4. Miyuka Kimoto and Kokomi Koyama of Japan won the doubles title beating Nanari Katsumi and Manami Ukita of Japan 6-4, 6-2. ITF/CAT CIRCUIT JUNIOR DE L’OUEST (WEEK 2) – GRADE 4 – TOGO India’s Vipasha Mehra claimed the singles title defeating Egypt’s Yasmin Ezzat 7-6(0), 6-3. FERGANA CUP GRADE 3– UZBEKISTAN Uzbekistam’s Aziz Dadabaev and Ibrokhimjin Urinov won the doubles title overcoming stiff challenge from Russian pair of Nikita Ianin and Igor Kudriashov 4-6, 6-3(10-8). Tatyana Nikolenko of Kazakhstan won the singles title defeating Yelizaveta Karlova of Kazakhstan 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. CHIGUAYANTE ITF OPEN, GRADE 4, CHILE Mao Mushika of Japan lifted the singles title by defeating Maria Olivia Castedo of Bolivia 6-0, 7-6(4). In the doubles, Mao Mushika partnered compatriot Mio Mushika to bag the doubles title as well beating Valentina Ascarrunz and Maria Olivia Castedo of Bolivia 5-7, 7-5(10-1). I OPEN AENJ BARCELONA, GRADE 4, SPAIN Haoyuan Huang of China partnered with Valentin Lapalu of France to win the double final against Basing of GBR and Cabrera Bello of Spain 6-3, 6-3. ITF JUNIOR CIRCUIT – 3, GRADE 5, SRI LANKA Kai Shiang Yang of Chinese Taipei won the single’s title defeating India’s Uddayvir Singh 2-4, 4-0, 11-9. While in the boys doubles category, India’s Udit Gogoi and Uddayvir Singh claimed the winners title defeating Kai Shiang Yang of Chinese Taipei and Leroy Yong of Malaysia 4-2, 4-1. In the girls singles, Anjali Kurera of Sri lanka bagged the winner’s trophy beating Indonesia’s Jessica Christa Wirahadipoernomo 4-0, 5-3. The doubles title was won by Korea’s Jeong Moon and Hwui Won Wi who beat compatriots Sihyeong Cho and Hee Rae Im 4-6, 6-2, (11-9). ADELAIDE JUNIOR INTERNATIONAL, GRADE 5, AUSTRALIA Janice Tjen of Indonesia won the singles title defeating Taylah Preston of Australia 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. CHINA JUNIOR 15, GRADE 3 CHINA, P.R Bu Yunchaokete of China defeated Wai Yu Kai of Hong Kong to claim the singles title 6-1, 6-0. TENNIS TRIVIA • One of the most interesting facts is that, until 1933, the dress code for Tennis was not too fashionable or trendy. Then, chic looking tennis shorts were worn on the court by Bunny Austin in 1933 and since then, players continue to follow the trend. • Rufus – a Harris Hawk – is stationed at Wimbledon to keep its sky clear of local pigeons. Would you believe that this hawk has more than 10k followers on Twitter? You can also follow the bird on tennis duty on tweeter at @RufusTheHawk.