Chengdu, October 2, 2016
YOUNG RUSSIAN KHACHANOV WINS FIRST CAREER TITLE IN THRILLING COMEBACK VICTORY

Top seeded pairing Klaasen/Ram defeat Carreno Busta/Fyrstenberg to lift doubles crown

ATP ‘Next Generation’ star Karen Khachanov of Russia completed his dream run in the inaugural Chengdu Open 2016 with an incredible 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-3 comeback victory over fifth seeded Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas to claim his first ever ATP World Tour title and $148,860 in prize money.

Khachanov continued his fine serving form with 14 aces and although he made a number of unforced errors that allowed his opponent to take the first set, the 20-year-old rallied with a strong second set tie-break to force a decider.

Buoyed by a raucous crowd that cheered every point he won, Khachanov took advantage of his tiring 28-year-old opponent to break him twice in the third set and complete his historic win here in China.

The Russian youngster beat four of the tournament’s top seven seeds en route to the title, after victories over seventh seed Joao Sousa in the first round, fourth seed Feliciano Lopez in the quarterfinals and sixth seed Viktor Troicki in yesterday’s semifinal.


Chengdu, October 1, 2016
KHACHANOV STUNS TROICKI TO MAKE FIRST CAREER FINAL AS RAMOS-VINOLAS OVERCOMES DIMITROV IN THREE SET THRILLER

ATP Next Gen star Karen Khachanov continued his dream run here in the Chengdu Open 2016 with a stunning 6-3, 7-5 victory over sixth seed Viktor Troicki in the first of today’s semifinal matches. The 20-year-old becomes the first Russian to make an ATP World Tour final this year and with 125 points guaranteed, is set to eclipse his career best Emirates ATP Ranking of No.81 achieved in early September.

He enters the final with a highly impressive record of having held his serve 40 out of 43 games this week and saved the only two break points he faced against his 30-year-old Serbian opponent in today’s match.

“It feels great for me to be in the final. Dreams are coming true - to be playing in my first ATP final tomorrow,” said the 6-foot-6 Khachanov, who has now defeated three of the tournament’s top seven seeds en route to his first career final, with victories over seventh seed Joao Sousa in the first round and fourth seed Feliciano Lopez in yesterday’s quarterfinal.

“Of course (it gives me confidence). In the first round I also beat the seventh seed and yesterday I beat the fourth seed. It gave me confidence going into today’s semifinals. (To handles my nerves) I will just try to focus on my game and follow the plan I have with my coach. If it goes well, it goes well. If not, I’ll change during the match. The mental aspect is one of the most important - that’s why you have to be focused,” added Khachanov.


Chengdu, October 1, 2016

Chengdu, September 30, 2016
RAMOS-VINOLAS UPSETS TOP SEED THIEM WITH DEVASTATING QUARTERFINAL DISPLAY

Dimitrov completes thrilling comeback to move into semifinal

Chengdu Open fifth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas offered up a master class in returning serve as he overcame top seeded world No.10 Dominic Thiem 6-1, 6-4 in just 59 minutes to make his third ATP World Tour semifinal appearance of the year.

The Spaniard saved the only break point he faced during the match while converting three out of six break opportunities he created against his 23-year-old opponent to round up his second victory over a top ten opponent this year.

“Today I was returning serve very well. It is not easy to return his serve but today I was returning so well. I've played on this court a couple of times already, so I have a lot of rhythm and I felt today I was playing so good,” said the 28-year-old, who picked up his maiden career title at Bastad in July.

The Spaniard will face third seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov for the third time on tour in tomorrow’s semifinal showdown, having lost in the previous two meetings in 2012 and 2014.


Chengdu, September 30, 2016

Chengdu, September 29, 2016
TOP SEED THIEM DEFEATS WILD CARD WU IN CHENGDU OPEN DEBUT TO SET UP RAMOS-VINOLAS QUARTERFINAL

World No.10 and Chengdu Open 2016 top seed Dominic Thiem of Austria took just one hour and seven minutes to overcome Chinese wild card Wu Di in tonight’s final match on Centre Court here at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre in Chengdu.

The fast rising 23-year-old tennis star, who reached a high of No.7 this year, was broken in his first service game but bounced back immediately to defeat plucky local wild card Wu 6-4, 6-4 and set up a quarterfinal date with sixth seeded Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas tomorrow.

“He was serving better than expected. It was a good first set and the second set when it came to the deciding moment, I was able to step up and make the break. He played a really good match and the crowd was cheering for him. It’s going to be very tough against Ramos tomorrow and that is what I will focus on now. I want to win tomorrow,” said the young Austrian.

Meanwhile, fifth seed Ramos-Vinolas took three sets to overcome a spirited performance from Chinese Taipei’s 33-year-old Lu Yen-Hsun, winning 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-4 in two hours and 28 minutes to make his fifth ATP Tour quarterfinal appearance of the year.


Chengdu, September 29, 2016

Chengdu, September 28, 2016
THIRD AND FOURTH SEEDS DIMITROV AND LOPEZ MOVE INTO QUARTERFINALS AS LORENZI FALLS TO IN-FORM SCHWARTZMAN

Thiem and Kyrgios make Chengdu Open debuts tomorrow; Troicki and Baghdatis set for second round showdown

Third seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov and fourth seed Feliciano Lopez of Spain both booked their spots in the Chengdu Open 2016 singles quarterfinals with straight set victories this evening at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre.

World No. 21 Dimitrov defeated Croatia’s Dusan Lajovic 7-6(1), 6-4 in one hour and 30 minutes while world No.27 Lopez swept past Argentine doubles partner Juan Monaco 6-3, 7-5 in one hour and 32 minutes.

“It's nice to start a tournament with a win like that. Dusan is a good player. I think today he played a very good match since the beginning. I was playing some really good tennis too. My main goal today is to come out and go for my shots, play what I really need to play for,” said the former world No.8 Dimitrov, who did not face a single break point during the match.


Chengdu, September 28, 2016

Chengdu, September 27, 2016
LORENZI, ANDERSON AND MANNARINO MOVE INTO SECOND ROUND WHILE REMAINING FIRST ROUND MATCHES SUSPENDED AFTER LATE NIGHT SHOWER

Third and fourth seeds Dimitrov and Lopez set for action tomorrow as second round gets underway

Three first round singles matches of the Chengdu Open 2016 were suspended midway and another postponed as rain disrupted play late this evening on the outdoor hard courts of the Sichuan International Tennis Centre here in the Shuangliu district of Chengdu.

In matches completed, eighth seeded Italian Paolo Lorenzi held off the challenge of Australia’s John Millman to take a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory in one hour and 53 minutes and move into the second round.

In the match prior to that, Adrian Mannarino of France had overcome a spirited comeback attempt by American qualifier Denis Kulda to win 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-4 in an epic two hour and 33 minute encounter.


Chengdu, September 27, 2016

Chengdu, September 27, 2016

Chengdu, September 26, 2016
SEEDED PLAYERS TAKE TO COURT TOMORROW AS CHENGDU OPEN 2016 MAIN DRAW ACTION HEATS UP

Schwartzman and Monaco notch first round wins as doubles fourth seeds overcome local wild cards

The Chengdu Open 2016 moves into the thick of the main draw action tomorrow with all seeded first round players taking to court and a total of ten singles matches and two doubles matches scheduled from 1pm onwards over the three courts of the Sichuan International Tennis Centre.

Fifth seeded Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who is at a career best ranking of No.31, will take on German qualifier Michael Berrer on Court 1 not before 6pm, followed by sixth seed Viktor Troicki of Serbia facing off against exciting teenage Norwegian wild card Casper Ruud.

The 30-year-old former world No.12 Troicki will lean on his experience to get past the fast rising 17-year-old former Junior world No.1 Ruud, who earlier this month became one of the youngest players to win a Challenger event, picking up the crown at Seville.


Chengdu, September 26, 2016

Chengdu, September 25, 2016
CHENGDU OPEN MAIN DRAW SET TO COMMENCE AS SINGLES QUALIFYING CONCLUDES

Monaco and Carreno Busta/Fyrstenberg to take center stage in tomorrow night’s featured matches

With the inaugural Chengdu Open 2016 qualifying rounds concluding this evening, main draw action is set to get underway from 1pm tomorrow at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre, located in the Shuangliu district of Chengdu.

The top billed singles match featuring Argentinian Juan Monaco taking on Japanese qualifier Hiroki Moriya will commence not before 4.30pm, followed by the exciting first time doubles pairing of Pablo Carreno Busta and Mariusz Fyrstenberg meeting wild card local pairing of Bai Yan and Wu Di.

The 32-year-old former world No.10 Monaco comes into the tournament on a protected ranking after a series of injuries over the last couple of years saw his ATP World Tour ranking plummet to as low as No.148.


Chengdu, September 25, 2016

Chengdu, September 24, 2016

Chengdu, September 23, 2016
FIRST EDITION OF CHENGDU OPEN SET TO COMMENCE
TOMORROW WITH QUALIFYING ROUNDS


The inaugural edition of the ATP 250 Chengdu Open is set to commence tomorrow with all eight first round qualifying matches being played from 1pm onwards at the Sichuan Tennis International Centre here in the Shuangliu district of Chengdu.

Top seed in qualifying is exciting American youngster Jared Donaldson, who takes on 31-year-old ATP World Tour veteran Marinko Matosevic. The 19-year-old Donaldson enjoyed an impressive run into the third round of last month’s US Open, defeating David Goffin and Viktor Troicki en route.

The number two seed is 37-year-old former world No.8 Radek Stepanak of the Czech Republic, who takes on Japan’s Takuto Niki, while third seed Vasek Pospisil of Canada meets Korean Soon Woo Kwon.


Chengdu, September 20, 2016
EXCITING DOUBLES ACTION SET FOR CHENGDU OPEN
WU DI GIVEN SINGLES WILD CARD


Grand Slam champions, Grand Slam finalists, an Olympic medallist and players with explosive games come together for the doubles event at the new $US947,735 Chengdu Open.

The doubles game is frequently intriguing, fascinating and thrilling. The rapid fire action at the net and the spins and angles will be on full show at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre, 24 September to 2 October, 2016 and it will leave fans cheering.

The doubles draw is headed by South African Raven Klaasen a former finalist at the Australian Open and Rio Olympic silver medallist Rajeev Ram of the USA, both of which have established themselves as one of the more prominent teams in the world. This year they won the title in Halle, Germany and were finalists together in Geneva and Miami where they beat Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares.


Chengdu, September 18, 2016
RISING STAR DOMINIC THIEM REPLACES THE INJURED
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA AT CHENGDU OPEN


A left knee injury to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga during the recent US Open has meant the French star has had to withdraw from the Chengdu Open. He has been replaced by one of the most exciting young players in world tennis, Austria’s world #10, Dominic Thiem.

“We are all certainly disappointed that Jo-Wilfried cannot make it to the Chengdu Open, but at the same time we are delighted to be able to welcome Dominic Thiem into the tournament,” Tournament Director Nick Freyer of IMG said. “Dominic has one of the most fluid games in world tennis and we have no doubt the fans will be thrilled to see him in action.

“On behalf of the Chengdu Open we send Jo our best wishes for a speedy recovery. Anyone who saw the pain he was in during his quarterfinal against Novak Djokovic in New York would certainly understand his withdrawal. When the physio pressed on his left knee he jumped in pain and he had to retire from that match. He has similarly withdrawn from this weekend’s Davis Cup competition and all the Asian swing events.”


Chengdu, September 16, 2016
Statement From The Chengdu Open
In Regards To The Participation of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga


The Chengdu Open received the following message from French player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga yesterday, in regards to his participation in the Chengdu Open 2016.

I regret not being able to participate at this year’s Chengdu event due to my knee injury sustained at the US Open. I was really looking forward to visiting Chengdu for the first time, playing in the first Chengdu Open and also seeing some of the nice attractions including the pandas. Sadly, I will miss Davis Cup this week as well as the next three events. I do hope to have an opportunity to visit Chengdu at a later time and participate in the Chengdu Open.

Said Tournament Director, Nick Freyer, "We appreciate Jo updating us as soon as it became clear that the injury he sustained in New York would prevent him from playing in the Asian tournaments this year. These are the realities of modern professional sport, and like the athletes on court, sometimes you win and sometimes you don't. We will be announcing a talented and exciting replacement top-ten ranked marquee player in the next few days. The show must go on and we hope that the excitement continues to build regardless, and that with Nick Kyrgios, Feliciano Lopez, Grigor Dimitrov, Kevin Anderson, Marcos Baghdatis, Borna Coric and more, we still have a wonderfully terrific tournament."


Chengdu, September 15, 2016
CHENGDU OPEN WILD CARD AWARDED TO RISING TEENAGER

Norwegian tennis player Casper Ruud is a teenager on the rise. Ruud has become the one of the youngest players to win a Challenger tournament, the Seville Challenger on Sunday, and to help with his development in the game the Chengdu Open has given him a main draw wild card.

He is the son of former player Christian Ruud who reached a career high ranking of 39 in the world. The younger Ruud has been part of the Norwegian Davis Cup team since 2015 and has worked his way out of junior tennis where he had been ranked No.1 in the world.

“We had been watching some of Casper’s results this year when his name was brought to our attention and given his recent Challenger it was an easy decision to give him the coveted wild card,” said Tournament Director Nick Freyer of IMG. “At the start of the year he was outside the top 1000 in the ATP rankings but his results have taken him to a career high ranking of 274 this week, which is outstanding by any measure, especially so given his young age.”

This past week-end while the finals at the US Open were happening, 17 year old Ruud had worked his way through the Seville Challenger and won it becoming the fourth youngest to win a Challenger title on debut, joining the likes of Michael Chang, Richard Gasquet and Jonathan Stark. Ruud is also the youngest winner on the Tour since German Alexander Zverev in 2014.


Chengdu, September 1, 2016
IMPRESSIVE ENTRY-LIST FOR INAUGURAL CHENGDU OPEN

The Chengdu Open today announces the full singles main draw entry list and an entry cut-off of 59, for the US$947,735 ATP 250 tournament which takes place at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre, September 24 to October 2, 2016.

In this inaugural year, eleven nations are represented by the 19 direct acceptances, four of those nations have more than one player with Spain having the most, four, followed by Argentina and France with three each. In addition to the 19 direct entries, the 28 player main draw will have three wild cards, four qualifiers and two special exempts if necessary.

Already confirmed are five marquee names: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (who is joined by fellow-countrymen Jeremy Chardy and Adrian Mannarino), Nick Kyrgios, Feliciano Lopez, Kevin Anderson and Grigor Dimitrov. Today the tournament team put forward the remainder of the field which fans in Chengdu are sure to find exciting. There is a fantastic mix of players - ones who are well established on the Tour being joined by others destined for great things.

One of the exciting young guns of tennis and also part of the “Next Gen” ATP promotion campaign is Croatian Borna Coric. He was a finalist in Chennai and Marrakech this year and made quarters in Estoril and Cincinnati where he beat Rafa Nadal.


Chengdu, August 29, 2016
WORLD-CLASS TENNIS STARS CONFIRMED
INAUGURAL ATP 250 CHENGDU OPEN OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED


Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, known as “the land of abundance” becomes the newest stop on the international tennis circuit as five marquee players are announced for the inaugural Chengdu Open, an ATP World Tour 250 Series event.

The new event to be staged at the impressive Sichuan International Tennis Centre, which has a 6,000 seat centre court and has previously hosted an ATP Challenger, an ATP Champions Tour and the ITF Junior Masters tournaments. The Chengdu Open will offer a total prize purse of US$947,735 and will be played September 24 to October 2, 2016. The tournament will also carry important ATP World Tour Ranking Points, with 250 of those going to the new singles champion.

The Chengdu Open will feature a singles main draw of 28 and the doubles main draw with 16 teams. The qualifying tournament for 16 players who miss the main draw entry cut-off, will be played on 24th and 25th September. The new tournament also allows the chance for Chinese players to gain wild cards into the singles and doubles events.

“On behalf of the entire tournament team and all our valuable partners with special emphasis on the Chengdu city leadership, the CTA and ATP World Tour, we take this early opportunity to thank the many parties who joined forces with total positivity, to create the inaugural Chengdu Open in such a short period of time,” Tournament Director Nick Freyer, of IMG said.