London ,JUN 24
The 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic toppled Carlos Alcaraz to claim the second spot while Tommy Paul became the American No. 1 for the first time in the latest ATP Rankings issued on Monday. On the ATP Tour, the grass-court swing persisted at the Terra Wortmann Open and the cinch Championships, where Paul and Jannik Sinner, respectively, took home titles. The 27-year-old Paul won his third tour-level victory in London, making him the first-ever American No. 1. Paul dropped just one set on his way to winning the title, defeating Lorenzo Musetti in the final. With his run, he became the American No. 1 ahead of Taylor Fritz. “It’s an honour to become the No. 1 American, but we both have big goals and we want to be in the Top 10 [of the] rankings. That’s where both of us want to be,” Paul said of rising to No. 1 and Fritz as quoted by ATP. Hubert Hurkacz rose to a career-high No. 7 in the ATP Rankings after advancing to the final of the ATP 500 event in Halle. Hurkacz defeated Alexander Zverev in the semifinals to earn his fifth Top 10 victory on grass, but he was unable to overcome World No. 1 Sinner in the championship match. Star Chinese player Zhang Zhizhen advanced to his first tour-level semi-final of the season in Halle, where he vaulted nine ranks. In the German second round, Zhang defeated Daniil Medvedev, one of the top five players. Rinky Hijikata shot up 23 spots after recording his best performance of the year at the Queen’s Club. The Australian advanced to the ATP 500 quarterfinals through qualification. Hijikata made it to the final eight earlier this year at ATP 250 events in Brisbane and Delray Beach. The Belgian David Goffin returned to the Top 100 after his victory on the ATP Challenger Tour. The 33-year-old defeated Harold Mayot to win the title on grass in Ilkley.
