The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>The 26th edition of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle starts on Monday and it brings a rock solid field of players, including two out of three best players in the world! The tournament was established in 1993 and over the years it became one of the biggest events on the grass together with Wimbledon and Queen's, upgrading to the ATP 500 level in 2015. As always in the last 15 years, Roger Federer is the player to beat, standing as the top seed and seeking his 10th Halle crown, also the fifth in the last six years. Roger's first rival will be Aljaz Bedene and he has to play against Benoit Paire or Steve Johnson in the second round. Matthew Ebden, Malek Jaziri, Marton Fucsovics or 2011 Philipp Kohlschreiber stand between Federer and the place in the semi-final, all hoping to score a big surprise and stop Roger before the semi-final for the first time since 2001! Dominic Thiem is the 3rd seed and he has a qualifier in the first round before facing Maximilian Marterer or Yuichi Sugita. Lucas Pouille and Stefanos Tsitsipas play one of the most exciting first round matches and the winner of that one should fight with Dominic for the place in the semis. The third quarter is not that strong, with Kei Nishikori, Mischa Zverev, Karen Khachanov, Robin Haase, Joao Sousa, Jan-Lennard Struff and Roberto Bautista Agut fighting for the semi-final spot, and we have some much better matches reserved for the bottom half. A two-time beaten finalist and the 2nd seed Alexander Zverev opens his campaign against Borna Coric and the winner of that one plays against the 17-year-old Rudolf Molleker or Peter Gojowczyk. The 8th seed Richard Gasquet and Florian Mayer should play a nice match as well, with the German playing in front of the home crowd for the last time, planning to retire at the US Open, and we should see if Zverev is capable of reaching the third straight semi-final. Full draw: ↓ SHOW DRAW ↓ [1]Roger Federer (SUI) vs Aljaz Bedene (SLO) Benoit Paire (FRA) vs Steve Johnson (USA) [SE]Matthew Ebden (AUS) vs Malek Jaziri (TUN) [6]Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) vs Marton Fucsovics (HUN) vs Aljaz Bedene (SLO)Benoit Paire (FRA) vs Steve Johnson (USA)[SE]Matthew Ebden (AUS) vs Malek Jaziri (TUN)vs Marton Fucsovics (HUN) [3]Dominic Thiem (AUT) vs Qualifier [WC]Maximilian Marterer (GER) vs Yuichi Sugita (JPN) Albert Ramos-Vinolas (ESP) vs Qualifier [5]Lucas Pouille (FRA) vs Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) [7]Kei Nishikori (JPN) vs Qualifier Mischa Zverev (GER) vs Karen Khachanov (RUS) Robin Haase (NED) vs Joao Sousa (POR) [4]Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) vs Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) [8]Richard Gasquet (FRA) vs [WC]Florian Mayer (GER) Andreas Seppi (ITA) vs Qualifier [WC]Rudolf Molleker (GER) vs Peter Gojowczyk (GER) [2]Alexander Zverev (GER) vs Borna Coric (CRO) ALSO READ: 16-year-old Rafael Nadal losses to Gaston Gaudio in 2003 Hamburg Masters<doc-sep>Alexander Zverev has been tipped to become world No 1 next year When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up forfor news on the biggest players and tournaments Those are the thoughts of the Gerry Weber Open tournament director Ralf Weber. Zverev took a breather after a fine clay court season that saw him win the Madrid Masters and reach the quarter-finals of the French Open. Nadal and Federer continue to dominate the men’s game, but Zverev is part of the next generation of the stars that has come through and looking to topple the established elite. Federer returned to the summit after reaching the semi-finals of the Stuttgart Open and the No 1 ranking has changed hands between him and Nadal this season.<doc-sep>Defending champion Roger Federer headlines the field at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle from Monday June 18 as the nine-time winner continues his Wimbledon preparations. The Swiss great made a successful return to competitive tennis with a maiden victory at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, where he beat Milos Raonic in the final to celebrate his return to the top of the world rankings in perfect fashion. The tournament which runs in parallel to the Fever-Tree Championships at Queen's Club, boasts three of the world's top-10 players including world No 3 Alexander Zverev and French Open finalist Dominic Thiem, with live coverage throughout the week on Sky Sports Arena. There are no British representatives in the event, as British No 1 Kyle Edmund, the returning Andy Murray and Cameron Norrie all fine-tune their Wimbledon build-up in London at Queen's. Two NextGen stars Stefanos Tsitsipas and the returning Andrey Rublev will hope to further their burgeoning reputations in the men's game while experienced campaigners Richard Gasquet, who won the Libema Open on Sunday, and Kei Nishikori also feature in the field. Federer, aiming for his 10th Halle title, will meet former British player Aljaz Bedene in his first round encounter with Benoit Paire or Steve Johnson a potential second-round opponent. Did you know... Federer won his 98th career title in Stuttgart. If he makes a successful defense in Halle he will head to Wimbledon bidding for his 100th tournament win. The 20-time Grand Slam champion will face a stern examination if he is to win once again in Westphalia with Thiem and Zverev, who beat Federer in the 2016 semi-final, seeded to face the world No 1 in the semi-final and final respectively. Thiem will open his grass-court campaign against Russian qualifier Mikhail Youzhny while Zverev faces an awkward opener against world No 36 Borna Coric. One to watch There will be a lot of intrigue about how Thiem can build on his run to a maiden Grand Slam final at the French Open, during the grass-court campaign. Dominic Thiem will hope to replicate his clay-court form during the grass-court season The Austrian does not hold a great record at Wimbledon - having never progressed past the fourth round - but on the evidence of his performance at Roland Garros could improve on that, if he can replicate the impact his punishing forehand and heavy first serve had. The 24-year-old will make his fourth consecutive appearance at the tournament in Germany, with his best result coming in 2016 when he lost in the semi-finals and if he transitions quickly could head to Wimbledon with increased cause for optimism. Dominic Thiem reached his maiden Grand Slam final at Roland Garros "I'm feeling good. I had some days off after Paris and the grass season is always lots of fun for me," said Thiem. "Obviously, [there are] not [as many] long rallies and it is a completely different game, but I enjoy it a lot. It is not that much pressure for me like [it is] on clay, so for the head it is a little bit easier. "I could also lose in the early rounds, so that makes it a bit tougher. But I think I improved a lot in the past [few] years. I even took a title in Stuttgart two years ago, so my goal is to do well and go deep in this tournament." Surprise in store Karen Khachanov possesses a strong all-round game and continues to show increased maturity on the biggest stages of the game. Karen Khachanov reached the semi-finals at Halle last year The highly-rated Russian comes into his first grass-court appearance of the season on the back of an absorbing five-set defeat to world No 3 Alexander Zverev in the French Open fourth round. Khachanov reached the semi-finals in Halle, losing to eventual winner Federer before he underlined his credentials on the surface with a run to the Wimbledon third round on his main draw appearance. The world No 38 will face serve-and-volley specialist Mischa Zverev in the first round. We will return for more tennis coverage from the ATP Tour when we head to Germany for the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, live on Sky Sports Arena from 11am on Monday, 18 June. Never miss the big kick-off or have to deal with interrupted games or low quality streams with a NOW TV Sky Sports Pass this summer. You'll get exclusive coverage of the 147th Open from Carnoustie, The Ryder Cup. England's summer Rugby tour to South Africa, ATP Tour, World Darts Matchplay, and loads more starting from just £7.99. No contract.<doc-sep>
Roger Federer is playing only his second tournament since March Roger Federer recorded a convincing victory over Aljaz Bedene in the Halle Open first round as second seed Alexander Zverev was stunned by Borna Coric. Federer, who has recently returned from injury, defeated fellow Wimbledon hopeful Milos Raonic in the final of the Mercedes Cup last week - his first tournament since losing to Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round of the Miami Open in March. The world No 1 will be bidding for his ninth Wimbledon crown next month but is first looking to make it back-to-back grass-court titles at the Halle Open after missing out on the entire clay-court season which saw Rafael Nadal claim Roland Garros glory. Next up for the Swiss is world No 47 Benoit Pair - looking to make it nineteen consecutive wins on grass - but Zverev, the world No 3, will not progress after suffering an embarrassing first-round exit to Croatia's world No 36 Coric 6-1 6-4. It was Zverev who reached last year's Halle Open final, losing to Federer, and he was widely expected to reach that feat again. With Wimbledon round the corner, it is a concerning result for the German who was considered a dark horse before this shock result. Alexander Zverev has crashed out in the first round after reaching last year's final It was a different story for Federer, though, who was in a jubilant mood after the match against Bedene. "I got out of the box well, I felt good right away," he said. "This is an easier court to play than last week in Stuttgart, the ball bounces up higher into my strike zone. I was connecting well on returns and I could read his serve. "I played a solid first set once I figured out how to break him. In the second I was able to hold all of my serves." Slovenia's Bedene, who represented Great Britain between 2015 and 2017, gave a good account of himself but eventually succumbed to the inevitable against a player who has 98 Tour titles to his name. Elsewhere at the Halle Open, two-time Wimbledon semi-finalist Richard Gasquet suffered a shock defeat to grass-court specialist Florian Mayer with the latter claiming a 6-2 6-2 win. Stefanos Tsitsipas, aged just 19-years-old, stunned World No 18 Lucas Pouille 6-2 7-6 (7-3) while Hungarian Marton Fucsovics was eliminated by Philipp Kohlschreiber after retiring through injury. Australian No 2 Matthew Ebden survived a second-set fightback from Malek Jaziri to prevail 6-0 7-6 (7-2) as Mischa Zverev, the older brother of Alexander, was defeated by Russia's Karen Khachanov 7-6 (7-5) 6-3. Federer's second-round opponent Paire edged American Steve Johnson 7-5 7-6 (7-5) and Andreas Seppi cruised to a 6-3 7-5 win over fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini. We have more tennis coverage from the ATP Tour when we head to Germany for the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, live on Sky Sports Arena all this week. Never miss the big kick-off or have to deal with interrupted games or low quality streams with a NOW TV Sky Sports Pass this summer. You'll get exclusive coverage of the 147th Open from Carnoustie, The Ryder Cup. England's summer Rugby tour to South Africa, ATP Tour, World Darts Matchplay, and loads more starting from just £7.99. No contract.