Układ sił 2021

[Damian]

Ruusuvuori, Brooksby Wins Among Biggest ATP Tour Upsets Of 2021

Spoiler:

Stricker shocked Hurkacz in Stuttgart
Continuing our review of the 2021 season, today ATPTour.com looks at three of the top five upsets of the year at ATP Tour events. We'll review the top two tomorrow. On Friday and Saturday, we'll look at the biggest upsets at majors in 2021.

5) Miami Open presented by Itau, Second Round, Emil Ruusuvuori d. Alexander Zverev 1-6, 6-3, 6-1
As tournament debuts go, they don’t get much better than Emil Ruusuvuori’s at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

The Finn had edged past #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in his first-round match to set up a clash against the in-form Alexander Zverev, who had just won the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC title.

Prior to the match, World No. 83 Ruusuvuori had earned just one Top 10 victory in his career, with that coming against Dominic Thiem in Davis Cup play in 2019. The task of facing then-World No. 7 Alexander Zverev looked to be a daunting one, and it proved that way in the opening stages.


Zverev made a fast start, racing ahead to clinch the opener as his powerful ball striking forced Ruusuvuori into errors. However, with the pressure off, the 22-year-old remained calm and changed up tactics to impose himself on the match.

In the second set, Ruusuvuori varied his game plan and took the ball early, increasingly moving forward to finish points at the net when given the opportunity. Ruusuvuori broke Zverev four times in the set to level, before he maintained this tactic in the decider to shock the 19-time tour-level titlist after two hours and five minutes for his biggest career win.

"I don't even know myself [how I turned this match around]," Ruusuvuori said in his on-court interview. "I wasn't feeling very comfortable in the first set and I was making a lot of unforced errors. But slowly in the second I was starting to feel a bit better...

“Of course, it's one of the biggest wins in my career, so it feels good."

It was the first time Ruusuvuori reached the third round at a tour-level event this season and just the second time he had made the third round at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament. The 22-year-old would go on to overcome Swede Mikael Ymer in the third round, before falling to Jannik Sinner.

4) MercedesCup, Second Round, Dominik Stricker d. Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(5), 7-6(5)
Dominic Stricker began the season No. 1,168 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Following his triumph at an ATP Challenger Tour event and a run to the quarter-finals at the Gonet Geneva Open on his tour-level debut, the 18-year-old was up to No. 335 when the MercedesCup rolled around in June.


Stricker had received a wild card for the grass-court ATP 250 event and made the most of it with a tight victory against Radu Albot in the first round. The reward for the Swiss youngster was a second-round match against Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz, who would go on to to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon and play at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin in 2021.

For Stricker, this was where his journey was supposed to end, with Hurkacz the second seed and the World No. 20. However, the 18-year-old clearly didn’t read the script as he produced the best performance of his season to shock the Pole.

Stricker was strong on serve, hitting eight aces and winning 81 per cent (46/57) of his first-serve points to frustrate Hurkacz, with both sets going to tie-breaks.

The more experienced Hurkacz was unable to find a way through as Stricker raised his level in both tie-breaks to upset the 24-year-old and reach the quarter-finals in emphatic style.

3) Citi Open, Third Round, Jenson Brooksby d. Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-4
Jenson Brooksby was voted the Newcomer of the Year in the 2021 ATP Awards last week, and it was down to his stunning performances this season such as his victory against Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Citi Open.

The 21-year-old was making his ATP 500 tournament debut in Washington and was looking to build on his run to his first tour-level final in Newport the previous month. But he knew the challenge would be difficult, with a strong field packed with Top 20 stars.

While Brooksby’s run to the final in Newport was impressive, the American did not beat anyone inside the Top 50 of the FedEx ATP Rankings and was playing on slick grass, a surface that suits his unorthodox game.

You May Also Like: Red-Hot Brooksby Bounces Felix In Washington
The challenge facing the World No. 130 in Washington was seemingly far greater, with Auger-Aliassime No. 15 and in strong form, having recently reached his first major quarter-final at Wimbledon.

However, it was hard to tell who was the rookie was and who was the eight-time tour-level finalist. Brooksby produced a fearless display in front of a lively home crowd to shock the Canadian and earn the biggest win of his career.

The wild card had already scored impressive victories over former World No. 5 Kevin Anderson and countryman Frances Tiafoe en route to the third round, but he upped his level again, causing Auger-Aliassime problems with his variety and solid baseline tennis.

The American made few unforced errors, and by altering the pace of rallies with his deadly drop shot and surprise direction changes, Brooksby prevented the powerful Canadian from controlling play to claim victory after 85 minutes.

"I have definitely gotten mentally tougher this year, and it's only kept improving. I just really love, truly love playing on these stages," Brooksby said. "No opponent will faze me. I can compete with anyone. This was definitely a very good match today for me.

"I stayed really focussed throughout. I didn't really have any lapses in my strategy or mentally. I'm happy with that match."

Brooksby would go on to defeat John Millman in the quarter-finals, before he lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the last four. The American’s victory against Auger-Aliassime fuelled him with further belief as he went on to reach the fourth round at the US Open in September.

Read more of the Best Of 2021

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[Damian]

Karatsev's Australian Stunner One Of Biggest Slam Upsets Of 2021

Spoiler:

Andujar upset Thiem in Paris, van de Zandschulp shocked Ruud in New York
Rounding off our review of the 2021 season, ATPTour.com looks back at the biggest Grand Slam upsets of the season, starting today with three of the top five upsets. We’ll review the top two tomorrow.

5) Roland Garros, First Round, Pablo Andujar d. Dominic Thiem 4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
A defeat of Roger Federer in Geneva on clay only two weeks before Roland Garros did not harm Pablo Andujar’s self-belief, even if it was the Swiss star’s first match back from knee surgery.

But while the Spaniard arrived in Paris with a career-best win under his belt, the draw had not been kind. He was scheduled in the first round to face fourth seed and two-time finalist Dominic Thiem, a player whom he had not beaten in three prior ATP Head2Head meetings.

Thiem was the reigning US Open champion but had battled with injuries earlier in the season before his return to clay in May, typically his most successful surface. However, there were worrying signs leading up to the tournament where he had reached the final in 2018 and 2019 and the quarter-finals last year.

Thiem lost three of his seven matches on clay leading in, including a second-round departure in Rome and a first-round defeat in Lyon. Still, there was nothing to suggest he was about to hit a wall against the World No. 68 after he took the opening two sets in just under two hours.

You May Also Like: Andujar Upsets Thiem In Five Sets At Roland Garros
The 35-year-old Andujar had not won a match at Roland Garros since he reached the third round in 2015, but he began to exploit a mounting error count from his opponent as he took the third set on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Thiem had never fallen at the first hurdle in seven previous Roland Garros appearances, and his opponent had never come back to win a match after dropping the opening two sets. After breaks were traded at the start of the deciding set, it was Andujar who carried the momentum from a decisive break at 2-2 to a 4-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory after four hours and 29 minutes.

“It is very special to win here at Roland Garros,” Andujar said. “[It was] such an emotional win for me, being two-sets-to-love down against an amazing player.”

It was just the second time Thiem had lost from two sets up, following his fourth-round defeat to Juan Martin del Potro at the 2017 US Open. He finished the day with 61 unforced errors and was at a loss to explain his capitulation.

“Losing after being two sets to zero up, it’s very strange to me, and I have to think about what’s wrong at the moment,” Thiem said. “…I’ve never had losses like that, especially here at Roland Garros.”

4) US Open, Second Round, Botic van de Zandschulp d. Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4

Van de Zandschulp
Photo Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images
Playing from behind requires a certain mindset, a selective amnesia when things don’t begin well. At this year’s US Open, Botic van de Zandschulp didn’t just survive a series of self-dug deep holes, he thrived.

The 25-year-old Netherlands athlete, who had qualified at the three previous Grand Slam events, did it again in New York. The three matches had a curious symmetry; playing against Tomas Barrios Vera, Ben Shelton and Enzo Couacaud, van de Zandschulp lost the first set, only to win the next two. In his first-round main-draw match, van de Zandschulp dug deeper, dropping the first two sets against Carlos Taberner before rallying famously for the victory.

This was all well and good – none of the players were ranked among the ATP’s Top 100 – but second-round opponent Casper Ruud was No. 11 in the FedEx ATP Rankings and in the midst of a sensational stretch that included three consecutive titles on clay in July. The 22-year-old from Norway won in Bastad, Gstaad and Kitzbühel – and then reached the quarter-finals on the hard courts of Toronto and Cincinnati – and was suddenly in play for a berth at the year-end Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.

True to recent form, van de Zandschulp began poorly, double faulting on a pair of break points to give Ruud the first set. Of course, now he had the Norwegian right where he wanted him – and proceeded to win the second set.

“I had the feeling I was leading while it was still one set all and we were on serve for a long time in the second set,” van de Zandschulp said afterwards. “This [season] is the first time for me to play best of five. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”

Across the final three sets, the Dutchman didn’t give him anything – prevailing on each of the 10 break points he faced – riding a dramatically improved service game. He was particularly deft at net, following well-timed, aggressive shots forward and converting 22-for-29. There were an even 50 winners, a plus-15 margin to unforced errors. Surprisingly, fatigue was not a factor, despite the fact van de Zandschulp had been on the US Open courts for nearly 10 hours before encountering Ruud.

“I think I can go further in the tournament if I play like today,” he said after the match.

That approach worked nicely in a win over fellow qualifier Facundo Bagnis in the third round, naturally, after losing the first set. Van de Zandschulp had now won an incredible 16 major matches in 2021, including qualifying.

The Dutchman went on to upset No. 14-ranked Diego Schwartzman in the fourth round in a five-set thriller before falling to Medvedev in the quarter-finals. It was van de Zandschulp’s eighth match of the tournament and those points moved his career-high FedEx ATP Ranking of No. 117 up to a dizzying No. 62. He would finish the season at No. 57.

The good news? He probably won’t have to qualify for Grand Slam events in 2022.

3) Australian Open, Third Round, Aslan Karatsev d. Felix Auger-Aliassime 3-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4
Karatsev
Photo Credit: Matt King/Getty Images
When Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev swept all before them to guide Russia to the ATP Cup title in February, few could have predicted one half of the team’s doubles envoy was about to embark on an extraordinary run in singles at the ensuing Australian Open. World No. 114 Aslan Karatsev had fallen in all three doubles ties contested but Medvedev hailed him Russia’s “secret weapon”.

Competing all week alongside his Top 10 countrymen had clearly rubbed off. Karatsev made an immediate impact in his maiden Grand Slam main-draw appearance, surging into the third round, where he notched his first Top 10 victory over eighth seed Diego Schwartzman.

Russia’s secret weapon was not so secret anymore. Karatsev was outside the Top 250 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in March last year, but since the resumption of the ATP Tour from a Covid-19 pandemic hiatus, the 27-year-old won 18 of his final 20 ATP Challenger Tour matches in 2020.

In the fourth round of this year's Australian Open, the qualifier was tasked with taking on 20th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, after the #NextGen ATP Canadian upset his countryman Denis Shapovalov in the third round. The 20-year-old struck form leading in as he reached his seventh tour-level final at the Murray River Open (l. to Evans).

Auger-Aliassime looked in complete control as he took the opening two sets in just 70 minutes before the Russian began to find his range. After he was broken three straight times to concede the second set, Karatsev was never broken again as he swung the contest in his favour with clean, heavy ball-striking off both wings.

His 3-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 victory made him the first qualifier to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals since Goran Ivanisevic in 1989 and the first to reach the last eight in their Grand Slam debut since Alex Radulescu at Wimbledon in 1996.

“It was really tough in the beginning to play with him,” Karatsev said on court. “He's a really good player and he's playing really fast. It took me two sets to find a way how to play… I'm feeling good. Of course, a bit tired. But what could I do? I put everything in this match. I'm happy.”

Auger-Aliassime was left to rue a missed opportunity to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final. Neither player had gone five sets before, but despite the defeat the Canadian felt he learned plenty.

“It's the first time I played five sets, first time this happens to me, maybe not the last one,” he said. “We'll see, but I'll just try to learn from that and be better next time.”

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[DUN I LOVE]

Medvedev's Career-Best & Ruud On A Roll: Stats Of 2021

Spoiler:

ATPTour.com looks at the stats of the year (Part 1)
The ATP Tour season saw stars including World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev and Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev continue to shine, while others like Casper Ruud and Jannik Sinner broke through.

In the first of a two-part story, ATPTour.com looks at the stats to remember from 2021.

ATP Tour Match Wins Leaders

Player 2021 W/L Record 2021 Titles
1) Daniil Medvedev 63-13 4
2) Alexander Zverev 59-15 6
3) Casper Ruud 57-17 5
T4) Novak Djokovic 55-7 5
T4) Stefanos Tsitsipas 55-19 2
Medvedev earned a career-high 63 tour-level wins in 2021 to lead all players on the ATP Tour. The Russian's previous best was 59 in 2019. Although Djokovic finished fourth on the list with 55 victories, he had the highest winning percentage by a healthy margin at 88.7 per cent. Medvedev was closest at 82.9 per cent.

2021 Hard Court Leaders

Player 2021 W/L Record (Hard) 2021 Titles (Hard)
1) Daniil Medvedev 51-8 3
2) Alexander Zverev 41-9 5
3) Jannik Sinner 39-14 4
4) Andrey Rublev 37-16 1
5) Stefanos Tsitsipas 32-13 0
Jannik Sinner began the year with 30 tour-level wins, and he exceeded that mark in 2021 on hard courts alone. The Italian, who broke into the Top 10 for the first time in November, won four of his five ATP Tour titles in 2021. All of them came on hard courts, in Melbourne (ATP 250), Washington, Sofia and Antwerp.

2021 Clay Court Leaders

Player 2021 W/L Record (Clay) 2021 Titles (Clay)
1) Casper Ruud 28-5 4
T2) Stefanos Tsitsipas 23-5 2
T2) Federico Delbonis 23-13 0
T4) Rafael Nadal 19-3 2
T4) Albert Ramos-Vinola 19-11 1
It is no surprise to see Casper Ruud atop the 2021 clay-court wins list. The Norwegian has long been a standout on that surface, and this year he claimed 28 victories on clay. Stefanos Tsitsipas also surged on the dirt this year with 23 wins. Before the season, the Greek star had won less than 70 per cent of his clay-court matches, but this year he won more than 82 per cent of them (23-5). He claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and advanced to his maiden major final at Roland Garros.

2021 Indoors Leaders

Player 2021 W/L Record (Indoors) 2021 Titles (Indoors)
1) Daniil Medvedev 18-3 1
2) Jannik Sinner 17-6 2
T3) Alexander Zverev 13-3 1
T3) Marin Cilic 13-7 1
5) Andrey Rublev 12-6 1
Two of Medvedev's three indoor losses in 2021 (18-3) came against two of the top three players in the world. The Russian lost against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the Rolex Paris Masters final and World No. 3 Alexander Zverev in the championship match at the Nitto ATP Finals. He also earned an indoor title in Marseille, where he dropped just one set.

Tie-Break Wins

Player Tie-Break Wins
1) Alexander Zverev 25-12
2) Alexei Popyrin 23-13
T3) John Isner 22-12
T3) Jannik Sinner 22-14
T3) Reilly Opelka 22-17
Australian Alexei Popyrin had only won 17 tour-level tie-breaks entering the year, but he showed his prowess under pressure by triumphing in 23 of them this season. Popyrin went 5-0 in tie-breaks at the Singapore Tennis Open, where he lifted his first ATP Tour trophy. He also climbed to a career-best World No. 59 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in November.

Top 10 Wins

Player Top 10 Wins
1) Novak Djokovic 14-4
2) Alexander Zverev 12-8
3) Daniil Medvedev 10-5
T4) Aslan Karatsev 5-4
T5) Stefanos Tsitsipas 5-8
Not only did Djokovic have the best winning percentage of anyone on Tour in 2021, but he also was most efficient against the very best. The Serbian won 77.8 per cent of his matches against Top 10 opponents (14-4). Nobody had more Top 10 victories than Djokovic this year. Only five players had an even or winning record against the elite group (at least five matches vs. Top 10): Djokovic, Medvedev (10-5), Zverev (12-8), Aslan Karatsev (5-4) and Rafael Nadal (4-4).

ATP Masters 1000 Wins

Player ATP Masters 1000 Wins Titles
1) Stefanos Tsitsipas 20-7 1
2) Alexander Zverev 19-5 2
3) Daniil Medvedev 18-6 1
4) Andrey Rublev 17-8 0
T5) Casper Ruud 16-6 0
T5) Hubert Hurkacz 16-7 1
Zverev was the only player who earned multiple Masters 1000 crowns this year. The German was victorious at the Mutua Madrid Open and the Western & Southern Open. Tsitsipas led the Tour with 20 Masters 1000 match wins.

Decisive Set Wins

Player Decisive Set Wins
T1) Casper Ruud 15-3
T1) Stefanos Tsitsipas 15-12
T3) Daniil Medvedev 14-5
T3) Kei Nishikori 14-8
T3) Cameron Norrie 14-10
T3) Marin Cilic 14-11
T3) Andrey Rublev 14-11
A big part of Ruud's breakthrough season came in his performance during deciding sets. After losing his first match of the season against Jiri Vesely in a deciding set, the Norwegian went 15-2 for the rest of 2021. His two other defeats came at majors, falling in fifth sets against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at Roland Garros and against Jordan Thompson at Wimbledon.

Read More From Our Best Of 2021 Series

- Research contributed by Greg Sharko

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/best-stats-of-2021

[Damian]

Alcaraz's Ranking Surge Among Best Stats Of 2021

Spoiler:

ATPTour.com looks at the stats of the year (Part 2)
Yesterday, we began to look at the best stats of 2021, including match records by surface and performance under pressure. Today, we will examine the season's biggest movers, first-time winners and fast facts.

Top Movers For Year-End Top 50 Finishers

Player Ranking Jump Year-End 2019 vs. 2020
1) Carlos Alcaraz +109 No. 141 to No. 32*
2) Aslan Karatsev +94 No. 112 to No. 18
3) Sebastian Korda +77 No. 118 to No. 41
4) Ilya Ivashka +60 No. 108 to No. 48
5) Cameron Norrie +59 No. 71 to No. 12**Career-High
Carlos Alcaraz did not just break onto the scene in 2021 — the Spaniard proved he will be a force to be reckoned with on the ATP Tour for years to come. The teen claimed victories against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Matteo Berrettini, Jannik Sinner, Andy Murray and other stars this season. Those wins helped him climb from World No. 141 to his current spot, a career-high World No. 32 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Alcaraz completed his dream year by triumphing at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.
Top Movers For Year-End Top 100 Finishers

Player Ranking Jump Year-End 2019 vs. 2020
1) Juan Manuel Cerundolo +252 No. 341 to No. 89
2) Jenson Brooksby +251 No. 307 to No. 56*
3) Alex Molcan +225 No. 312 to No. 87*
4) Sebastian Baez +212 No. 309 to No. 97
5) Mackenzie McDonald +138 No. 193 to No. 55*Career-High
Jenson Brooksby was named Newcomer of the Year in the 2021 ATP Awards after a breakthrough campaign in which he showed he is one of the toughest competitors on the ATP Tour. The American soared 251 spots in the FedEx ATP Rankings to move to the fringe of the Top 50. The Californian advanced to his maiden tour-level final in Newport, reached the semi-finals in Washington and won a set against Novak Djokovic at the US Open. Mackenzie McDonald, the Comeback Player of the Year in the 2021 ATP Awards, surged 138 spots.
2021 Fast Facts
- Four players cracked the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time in 2021: Casper Ruud, Hubert Hurkacz, Jannik Sinner and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

- Three players who won ATP Tour titles this season saved at least one match point en route to the trophy. Rafael Nadal did it twice. Jannik Sinner saved a match point in his Melbourne-1 semi-final against Karen Khachanov, Nikoloz Basilashvili saved a match point against Roger Federer in the Doha quarter-finals, Nadal saved a match point against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Barcelona final and he saved two match points in the third round in Rome against Denis Shapovalov.

- Year-end No. 1 team Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic lifted nine tour-level trophies in their first season as a duo. No other player claimed more than four tour-level doubles trophies in 2021.

- There were nine all tie-break matches this year, including two at ATP Masters 1000 events. In Miami, Ilya Ivashka beat Soonwoo Kwon 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 7-6(3) in the first round and in Madrid, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina battled past Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 7-6(4) in the first round.

- One qualifier claimed an ATP Tour trophy in 2021. Juan Manuel Cerundolo, then World No. 335, triumphed in Cordoba as a qualifier on his Tour debut. Cerundolo became the first player to emerge victorious on his ATP Tour debut in 17 years.

2020 First-Time Winners (10)

Player Age Tournament
Daniel Evans 30 Melbourne-2
Juan Manuel Cerundolo 19 Cordoba
Alexei Popyrin 21 Singapore
Aslan Karatsev 27 Dubai
Sebastian Korda 20 Parma
Cameron Norrie 25 Los Cabos
Carlos Alcaraz 18 Umag
Ilya Ivashka 27 Winston-Salem
Soonwoo Kwon 23 Nur-Sultan
Tommy Paul 24 Stockholm
There were 10 first-time ATP Tour champions in 2021, ranging from #NextGenATP stars to veterans who finally made their breakthrough. Daniel Evans was 30 when he lifted the trophy in Melbourne. Three players who competed in Milan — Alcaraz, Cerundolo and Sebastian Korda, also became first-time tour-level winners. So did Cameron Norrie, the Los Cabos champion who later earned a Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells. Aslan Karatsev, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals as a qualifier, earned glory for the first time in Dubai.

Titles Won Without Losing A Set

Player Tournament (Sets Won) Player Tournament (Sets Won)
Hubert Hurkacz Delray Beach (8) Casper Ruud Bastad (6)
Daniel Evans Melbourne-2 (10) Cameron Norrie Los Cabos (8)
Diego Schwartzman Buenos Aires (8) Casper Ruud Gstaad (8)
Alexander Zverev Acapulco (8) Hubert Hurkacz Metz (8)
Stefanos Tsitsipas Monte Carlo (9) Jannik Sinner Sofia (8)
Sebastian Korda Parma (10) Aslan Karatssev Moscow (8)
Marin Cilic Stuttgart (10) Jannik Sinner Antwerp (8)
Fourteen of this year's titlists triumphed without losing a set. Three players who competed in Turin — Hubert Hurkacz (Delray Beach, Metz), Casper Ruud (Bastad, Gstaad) and Jannik Sinner (Sofia, Antwerp), accomplished the feat twice.

Infosys ATP Stats - 2021 Leaders

Stat Category Leader Percentage
Service Games Won John Isner 92.2%
Break Points Saved Matteo Berrettini 73%
Return Games Won Rafael Nadal 35.6%
Break Points Converted Daniil Medvedev 46.6%
Break points saved and converted proved key in 2021 for two Nitto ATP Finals competitors. Italian Matteo Berrettini led the ATP Tour by saving 73 per cent of the break points he faced, which helped him earn a spot in Turin in front of his home crowd. Daniil Medvedev was the best at converting his break points, doing so nearly 47 per cent of the time this year.

Rapid Fire
Most Aces in Best-of-3 Match: 36, John Isner (d. Wolf, Atlanta R1) and Sam Querrey (l. to Gojowczyk, Atlanta R1)

Most Aces in Best-of-5 Match: 49, Kevin Anderson (d. Vesely, US Open R1)

Longest Winning Streak: 22, Novak Djokovic

Youngest Final: Casper Ruud (22) def. Hugo Gaston (20) in Gstaad

Oldest Final: Rafael Nadal (34) def. Novak Djokovic (33) in Rome

Read More From Our Best Of 2021 Series

- Research contributed by Greg Sharko

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/best-st ... 021-part-2

[Nando]

[Damian]

The Two Biggest Grand Slam Upsets Of 2021

Spoiler:

Alcaraz stuns Tsitsipas, Hurkacz topples Federer
Rounding off our review of the 2021 season, ATPTour.com looks back at the biggest Grand Slam upsets of the year. Yesterday we focused on three of the top five upsets at Grand Slam level and today we will complete the list, with #NextGenATP Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz and Hubert Hurkacz pulling off big results.

2) Wimbledon, Second Round, Hubert Hurkacz d. Roger Federer 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-0
The Big Three have staked their claim on history, each winning 20 major titles, neatly dividing the tennis turf into three distinct fiefdoms. Rafael Nadal, of course, has hoisted (and bitten) La Coupe des Mousquetaires an astounding 13 times. Novak Djokovic, the Wonder Down Under, is a nine-time Australian Open champion. With eight titles at Wimbledon, Roger Federer is the epitome of elegance and panache, floating regally over the grass at the oldest Grand Slam.

These are all records, underlining the brilliance of these players in their favourite venues. When Federer went through an awkward stage, going nine straight majors without winning one, he ended that streak with a win at Wimbledon in 2012. On the cusp of his 31st birthday, Federer reinforced the idea that he was largely invincible at the All England Club, and it’s an image that had, correctly, persisted.

When he first saw this year’s Wimbledon draw, 14th seed Hubert Hurkacz knew the possibility of facing Federer existed. After he upset World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round, in a wild, five-set match, it became a reality.

“I don’t know what to say,” Hurkacz told reporters. “It’s super-special for me, to play on this court. Playing against Roger, when you’re a kid, it’s like a dream come true.”

You May Also Like: Cool-Headed Hurkacz Holds Off Federer In Wimbledon Stunner
Could Federer, at the daunting age of 39, possibly add a record ninth Wimbledon title to his resume? Ken Rosewall, the last 39-year-old to reach the final at Wimbledon, in 1974, hoped so. Federer cherished his message of congratulations and support.

It was a career-first major quarter-final for the 24-year-old from Poland – as opposed to Federer’s epic total of 58. And yet, it was Hurkacz who displayed poise under the pressure of the moment on Centre Court.

Standing 6’ 5”, he had powerful groundstrokes and a sizzling serve. Hurkacz won the first set, but soon found himself down 1-4 in the second as Federer, urged on by a supportive crowd, fleetingly returned to vintage form. That advantage, however, disappeared when he was broken in the next game and Hurkacz ultimately prevailed in a tie-break. The effect on Federer was devastating: He lost all six games of the final set.

Hurkacz, who would complete his best-ever major effort with a loss to Matteo Berrettini in the semi-finals, wound up qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals and finishing in the year-end Top 10.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/hube ... ew'>Hubert Hurkacz</a>, <a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/roge ... iew'>Roger Federer</a>
Photo Credit: AELTC/Pool/Getty Images
1) US Open, Third Round, Carlos Alcaraz d. Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2), 0-6, 7-6(5)
There is no easy path to forge when following in the footsteps of countrymen as accomplished on the Grand Slam stages as those from Spain. Under the guidance of Roland Garros champion and former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero and touted as the next great Spanish prospect to eventually succeed Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz is fast learning to juggle the hype.

A maiden tour-level title in Umag in July set off the latest “youngest since Nadal” comparisons, but it was a third-round boilover on Arthur Ashe Stadium against World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas that really sounded his potential. The 18-year-old had already brought down 26th seed Cameron Norrie in straight sets and Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech, but the Greek had reached back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 semi-finals in Toronto and Cincinnati leading in as was considered a strong contender to foil Djokovic’s Grand Slam bid.

<a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/carl ... ew'>Carlos Alcaraz</a>
Photo Credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Alcaraz had never passed the third round at a major and the World No. 55 looked to have met his match when he dropped the fourth set 6-0. But competing with the composure of a player far beyond his years, he shook off the fourth-set blowout and stuck with the third seed on serve throughout the fifth to force a deciding tie-break.

The crowd was baying for the upset and, not to be overawed, Alcaraz jumped to a 6/3 lead. The Spaniard held his nerve to secure his passage on his third match point, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2), 0-6, 7-6(5) and become the youngest player to reach the fourth round at a major since 1992.

“I can't believe that I beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in an epic match. For me it's a dream come true,” Alcaraz said. “I think without the crowd I couldn't have the opportunity to play a great fifth set and be able to beat Stefanos. I think the crowd was really amazing. I really loved it.”

Alcaraz, who went on to reach his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final in New York, was the youngest player to beat a top three opponent at a major since Michael Chang, 17, defeated World No. 1 Ivan Lendl and World No. 3 Stefan Edberg at Roland Garros in 1989. There was nothing but respect from a vanquished Tsitsipas.

“I've never seen someone hit the ball so hard. [It] took time to adjust. [It] took time to kind of develop my game around his game style,” Tsitsipas said. “It's one of these matches and one of these feelings where you pick up [your level] at some point of the match, you feel like you're in control, and it doesn't really go your way at the end.”

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