Olivia Gadecki made her first title match this year at a US ITF event, while Alexei Popyrin was due to contest his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final in Montreal.
Melbourne, Australia, 12 August 2024 | Dan Imhoff
Olivia Gadecki has carried the inspiration of her Paris Olympics debut to success on the ITF circuit, reaching her biggest career final at the W100 hard-court event at Landisville.
The 22-year-old arrived from Paris having reached the quarterfinals or better at just two ITF events this season but strung together four straight wins before her three-set defeat to American fifth seed McCartney Kessler.
Gadecki, who reached six ITF finals last season, was aiming for her third title and first at W100 level. It was her first final since she fell in the W60 Gold Coast final last December.
Hard work paying off 🔒 @AlexeiPopyrin99 earns a spot in his first ATP Masters 1000 FINAL 💪 Let’s goooo! #GoAussies #OBN24 pic.twitter.com/7vqy9tBvD5
— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) August 12, 2024
Also on hard court, James McCabe won his second straight M25 ITF event in the United Kingdom in the past month with victory in the Roehampton final.
This week’s top performers include:
Alexei Popyrin: In the standout Australian result at tour-level, 25-year-old Popyrin enjoyed a birthday week to remember beating four consecutive top 20 opponents to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final in Montreal. Already assured of his top 30 debut, he is due to face fifth seed Andrey Rublev in a rain-delayed final.
James McCabe: Right at home on UK hard courts, the 21-year-old McCabe picked up his second ITF singles title at the M25 tournament at Roehampton. The victory came on the back of his maiden ITF title last month in Nottingham and lifted his record to 31-15 on hard courts this year.
Blake Ellis: The 25-year-old reached his fifth ITF final at the M25 event in Taipei where he fell to Yu Hsiou Hsu in straight sets. While still searching for his first title, Ellis has now won 32 matches or more for a second straight season after finishing with a 51-29 record last year.
Cruz Hewitt: The 15-year-old Hewitt secured his biggest junior title and first this season with victory in the J200 Oceania Closed Junior Championships in Sydney. It marked the teenager’s fifth junior title and first since three J60 hard-court triumphs last year.
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