World No 3 Andy Murray remained on course for a first career clay court title.
Rafa Nadal's below-par season has continued with the former world number one dumped from the Rio Open semi-finals with a 6-7(6) 7-6(3) 6-4 defeat by unseeded Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas on Saturday. The top seed pipped Cuevas in a first set tie-break and denied his opponent two set points in the second but succumbed to his first defeat against the world number 45. "I lost an opportunity, that's it," Spaniard Nadal said after being denied his 100th ATP final by claycourt specialist Cuevas who fired 48 winners to clinch the contest. "I fought until the end. I have to accept it and keep working to try to change the dynamic. That's what's happening today and I have to work hard to change it," added the 14-times grand slam champion. "I didn't win a title, so it wasn't a positive two tournaments. I had my chances in both. I lost in the semi-finals of both tournaments and just have to look forward to Indian Wells."
Nadal will have the chance to claim the top spot back on Monday if he wins his third title in Acapulco
Djokovic was soundly beaten by Zverev in the 2018 final, a match played out in an electrifying atmosphere in front of 18,000 fans. This time the arena was empty because of the COVID-19 lockdown, a surreal backdrop for a match with so much riding on it for both men.
World No 2 Andy Murray overwhelmed Italy's Andreas Seppi 6-2, 7-5 and second seed Rafael Nadal crushed veteran Italian Paolo Lorenzi 6-1, 6-1 to reach the China Open second round on Tuesday.
Nadal has a habit of truly coming into his own at Roland Garros, as his 100-2 win-loss record testifies.
The victory saw him move up by three places to stand only behind Spain's Rafael Nadal and Swiss star Roger Federer.
'Last year I was one point away to the final. I felt competitive last couple of years, so why do I need to change that?'
Top seed Dominic Thiem was knocked out the Rio Open in the first round on Tuesday, going down 6-3, 6-3 to Laslo Djere.
A Spanish left-hander moved into the quarter-finals of the French Open on Sunday. No surprise there, although his name was not Rafael Nadal but Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
Canada named rising star and world number 69 Denis Shapovalov in its squad to take on India in the upcoming Davis Cup World Group Play-off tie, scheduled in Edmonton from September 15.
Five-time champion Novak Djokovic overcame a first-set spill to beat unseeded Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-4 6-1 in the third round at the Miami Open in Florida on Sunday.
Take Norma Godinho's quiz to find out just how much you know about sport.
Home hope Bernard Tomic continued his promising form ahead of the Australian Open by overcoming Kei Nishikori to set up a Brisbane International semi-final against big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic.
A summary of Thursday's play at the French Open.
Andy Murray claimed the biggest win of his comeback and a place in the last 16 of the Western and Southern Open on Monday by taking out self-destructing fifth seed Alexander Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
'This will be my first trip to Eastbourne, I have heard great things about the tournament'
hampion Rafael Nadal and top-ranked Novak Djokovic turned in impressive displays to reach the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals on Thursday. Nadal, chasing a record-extending 12th Monte Carlo title, broke Grigor Dimitrov's serve on four occasions to defeat the Bulgarian 6-4 6-1.
Third seed Stanislas Wawrinka became the latest high-profile casualty at the Italian Open on Thursday when the Swiss was knocked out in the third round by American John Isner.
Images from Day 6 of the 2016 US Open tennis tournament in New York, on Saturday.
Images from the Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday.
Wimbledon finalists Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are on a semi-final collision course at the US Open after they were placed in the same half of the draw.
Stefanos Tsitsipas said he would not be surprised if Daniil Medvedev beat Novak Djokovic
Fourteen-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has entered the quarter-finals of the ATP Acapulco tournament with a comprehensive straight-sets victory over Italy's Paolo Lorenzi.
Novak Djokovic's intentions in organising the ill-fated Adria Tour were good but the world number one could have applied a bit more common sense to how the exhibition event was run, former ATP players' council head Vijay Amritraj said. The Serbian has faced fierce criticism after he, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki contracted COVID-19 following the charity event in Serbia and Croatia.
The cool days of late September, with damp courts expected, will level the playing field and for the first time, other than when Rafael Nadal has been injured, he looks vulnerable on his beloved clay.
Federer being out of the way does not hand Nadal a free path to glory in Melbourne
A very different Australian Open comes to a familiar end on Sunday as Novak Djokovic looks to thwart another challenge to his Melbourne Park dynasty from the latest Grand Slam aspirant in Daniil Medvedev.
Unlike the United States and European countries, which are battling to contain the virus, Australia has not had a case of community transmission for 11 straight days and residents have regained most of their pre-COVID freedoms.
How sweet it is: Eubanks's climb up the ranks is 'icing on the cake'
A look at the top men's contenders at the 2020 French Open.
Nadal has turned back the clock to sweep through the European claycourt season with titles in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid and is a daunting obstacle for anyone with genuine title ambitions.
Ash Barty beat eighth seed Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(7) in Beijing to seal her spot in the final of the China Open on Saturday.
Karolina Pliskova warmed up for Wimbledon in the best possible fashion on Saturday by powering past Angelique Kerber 6-1, 6-4 to win the Eastbourne title.
The Serbian top seed won a fourth successive title at the All England Club to take his overall Grand Slam tally to 21.
The Swiss squandered seven set points in the opener and although he took the second on a tiebreak he capitulated in the decider after dropping serve at 1-2, losing 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-1.
Japan's Nishikori was the first man representing an Asian country to break through to a Grand Slam final at the 2014 tournament before Marin Cilic stopped him in the title match.
World number one Naomi Osaka lost in three sets to unseeded Swiss Belinda Bencic in the Madrid Open quarter-finals on Thursday as Simona Halep, Sloane Stephens and Kiki Bertens completed the final four line-up.
Wawrinka's last ATP title came in 2017 before the former world number three underwent knee surgery.
Serena Williams is unlikely to win a record equalling 24th Grand slam title on the claycourts of Roland Garros, although her chance will come, the American's long-time coach Patrick Mouratoglou said on Friday.
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