Pavic and Soares win U.S. Open men's doubles title Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares won the U.S. Open men's doubles title after beating Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic 7-5 6-3. In their first Grand Slam men's doubles final as a team, Pavic did damage with his powerful serve while Soares did well to force their opponents into difficult shots and they sealed the win when Mektic sent a backhand volley into the net. "That's what we practise for and that's what we were tying to do during those five months off, working for this moment," Soares said during the trophy presentation.

ATP allows four new events for 2020 ATP added four new tournaments to the calendar for the remainder of the 2020 season. The German city of Cologne will host back-to-back ATP 250 events on indoor hard while Sardinia will stage a claycourt event and Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan will host an indoor event. The Cologne events begin on Oct. 12, the same day as the claycourt tournament in Sardinia. The Astana Open in Nur-Sultan starts on Oct. 26. The events will be on single-year licence as the ATP offers professionals the opportunity to earn money and ranking points in the wake of the coronavirus shutdown.

Rafael Nadal to return to tennis at the Italian Open Rafael Nadal will be in action again next week at the Italian Open. "The Foro Italico is always a special place for me and even more so this year as it will be my first tournament following a long period without playing," Nadal said in a video message played at the event's presentation. Because of concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic, Nadal preferred not to travel to New York for the ongoing U.S. Open. He last played in February, when he won a tournament in Acapulco, Mexico. Novak Djokovic will be playing here as well while Roger Federer is out due to injury. No fans will be permitted inside to watch matches at the Foro Italico and players will be placed inside a "bubble" similar to that at the U.S. Open. There will be frequent virus tests for players, coaches and others working at the tournament. Players traveling from New York and other areas will not be subjected to the 14-day quarantine rule being applied to normal travelers - as long as they do not test positive for COVID-19. Without ticket sales, prize money has been reduced by 40% from last year's tournament. "The economic damage to our federation is enormous," said Angelo Binaghi, the president of the Italian Tennis Federation. Binaghi was holding out hope until a few days ago that the regional Lazio government would allow a limited number of spectators at the tournament. "It certainly would have made more economic sense to cancel the tournament, as many others have done," Binaghi said. Binaghi added that he expects the ATP Tour to approve a new tournament for Sardinia in October - only for this year.

Nishikori beaten in Kitzbuehel Kei Nishikori lost to Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the Generali Open. Nishikori, who had surgery on his right elbow in October, had to postpone his comeback last month after he was forced to pull out of the Cincinnati Masters and U.S. Open after testing positive for COVID-19. He jumped out to a 5-0 lead over Kecmanovic and later led 6-4, 4-4, but won only two of the next 10 games. Kecmanovic has been a long-term regular training partner of Nishikori's. "It means a lot to me to win this match," the Serbian said. "I have been playing with him since I was 13, so this is very special." Photo AP Photo/Matthias Schrader

Rublev beats Berrettini at 2020 US Open Andrey Rublev made it past Matteo Berrettini with a 4-6 6-3 6-3 6-3 win at the U.S. Open. Rublev rallied from the loss of the opening set to seal the victory over the sixth seed in what was a stark contrast to last year's encounter at the same stage where the Russian was outclassed in straight sets. "I remember last year he was playing really well. Instead of accepting it, I was complaining, I was nervous," Rublev said.

Minaur beats Pospisil to reach U.S. Open last eight Alex de Minaur defeated Vasek Pospisil 7-6(6) 6-3 6-2 to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the US Open. Minaur will next play Dominic Thiem, who beat Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6(4), 6-1, 6-1. The opening set unfolded like the first round of a prize fight with both players probing for openings and neither managing a single break chance.