#mikhail kukushkin

[stateofsport211]

Phoenix Ch R2: Kei Nishikori def. Mikhail Kukushkin [Q] 6-3, 2-1 ret. Match Stats

📸 TC Int'l

Even barring M. Kukushkin's physical issues in this match, which stemmed from some stomach-related issues, K. Nishikori remained solid with his game. Through his point construction, he questioned the former's balance, which became more evident through his trademark winners and some volleys that also contributed to generate 4 break points, even though he only converted 50% of them.

Besides, K. Nishikori's firmer service game was also evident through the numbers despite the ending compared to his first-round match. Even though both players scored 4 aces, K. Nishikori won 94% points behind his first serves, which helped him dominate most parts of the flow. Interestingly, even though the former double-faulted once, both of them still won 50% of their second serve points in this match.

K. Nishikori went on to win his quarterfinal match against second seed Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, where he will face Joao Fonseca, who just knocked out Hugo Gaston 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. This could be a lit match of its own thanks to their aggression and point construction combination, but only those who nailed their pressure points could nail the ending of this match. It could be tricky, but nothing is impossible in this generational battle!

[alfredol70]

Andrea Vavassori vs Mikhail Kukushkin | R2 Manama • Highlights

[briefliner]

Mikhail Kukushkin (RUS)

Twelve pics of Mikhail Kukushkin were added to his page in the brieflines archive today.

[loveequalsnothing]

WORLD GROUP QUARTER-FINAL - 2/4 

[olivierdemangeon]

ATTRACTION (2017) ★★★★✮

[nilnews4]

Karen Khachanov reaches Dubai Championships second round

Karen Khachanov reaches Dubai Championships second round

Karen Khachanov earned a 7-6 (7/2), 6-1 win over Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin to succeed in the second spherical of the Dubai Championships on Monday.

The world quantity 17, who lives within the emirate, twice hit again from a break down within the opening set earlier than cruising by the second.

“The primary spherical is fairly robust, I at all times attempt to get used to it,” mentioned…

[stateofsport211]

📸 TC Int'l

Before the rain struck the other day, headlining the (late) afternoon in the Phoenix Challenger had Kei Nishikori, who previously defeated sixth seed Luca Nardi 6-4, 6-3 after being a break down in both sets, faced qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin in their eleventh career meeting, who defeated his fellow qualifier Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-4, 6-2 in the first round. While this match had a promising start, the latter once again was unable to catch a break, thus affecting some parts of the flow.

Despite a slightly nervy start, K. Nishikori still held his serves to 1-0, he got M. Kukushkin off his range thanks to his forehand, topped it off with a swift return to break 2-0 after capitalizing on the latter's frequent forehand errors. After the Japanese held his serves to 3-0, the Kazakh qualifier took a medical timeout in what looked like a stomach problem, where the doctor gave him a medicine in between. He still managed to hold the upcoming game to 3-1.

In the next game, though, K. Nishikori scored a trademark backhand down-the-line winner to put himself a point ahead before holding to 4-1. It took two games before his smart play, which concluded with a rare backhand volley winner, before holding his serves to 5-2. He almost broke for the set at one point, but M. Kukushkin still held to 5-3, which meant the former still had to serve for the set. Ultimately, even though the latter saved a set point through a rare deep, swift forehand winner, K. Nishikori still took the first set 6-3 to put himself ahead in this match.

After two consecutive holds to start the second set, K. Nishikori then continued with a working preceding volley that outhit M. Kukushkin's forehand, followed by a successful drop-shot before somehow having a break point. Even though the latter saved one of them, K. Nishikori's working volley converted the break point to 2-1. Somehow, M. Kukushkin decided to retire over the stomach issue, thus sending K. Nishikori to the quarterfinals.

[alfredol70]

Mikhail Kukushkin vs Joao Fonseca | R1 Bratislava • Highlights

[sergiotacchiniofficial]

Quest for the Cup: An Interview with Sergio Tacchini’s Monte-Carlo Players

Mikhail Kukushkin

What do the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters mean to you? Is there anything unique about playing this tournament for you?

Yeah for sure, it’s a very big tournament, it’s a masters with a very big history, especially in this location, a very nice place to be, and to play of course. It’s a very special way to start the clay court season.

Do you enjoy playing on the clay?

Yeah I do enjoy it, probably it’s not my best surface to play. I don’t get the best results, but still I enjoy playing on clay. I’m looking forward to the clay court season.

Beyond all the physical training, what do you do mentally to prepare for a big tournament?

Yeah for sure, I believe, as every player, I do a lot of stuff. Of course I do a lot of homework, mental stuff, preparing for the matches, for practicing, for the big tournaments, making the game plan. Of course I try my best in every match I play, in every tournament I play, training every day. But I try to get my best condition, my best mental condition, for the big tournaments.

How important is the mental aspect vs the physical aspect? Well it depends. Of course, without the physical aspect you cannot succeed in tennis, because now everyone is so fit and strong. You have to be really fit, so without that you cannot be a good player. But at the same time, when all the players are at a similar level, sometimes the mental preparation could be the deciding point in the match. The way you play the important points like the deuce or the breakpoints, the way you adjust from losing a point and come back for the next one. It can make the difference if you win the match or not. 

And do you think that luck plays a role or do you not believe in luck?

I do believe in luck, but at the same time I believe the one who gets the luck is the one who most deserves it.

What are your biggest sources of inspiration?

Of course tennis is the biggest part of my life. It’s 24/7. I look at the best guys, the way they train, the way they motivate themselves, not only to reach number one but to continue to be on top of the game. And when I see the guy that’s top 50 in the world and he beat the number 1 guy in the world, it’s a lot of motivation for me to keep working, because if I see someone at the same level as me and they can beat the number one, it means one day I can do the same.

What does it feel like for you in those moments when you’re pushing yourself to your limits?

Actually it feels really nice. Of course, when you’re not playing so good or you’re not in the best shape, it’s tough mentally, but when you’re in good shape, even if the match is really tough, I find it really nice. I try to enjoy the moment and give my best. It’s tough to play three sets, five sets, against good players, but still I try to find positive things.

What do you view as your biggest challenge at this point in your career?

The biggest challenge is always to play, let’s say, one year without breaks. I cannot play at the same level all year, most of the time because of the injuries I’ve had in my career, unfortunately. That’s one of the goals I have, to play a whole year without dropping out for injuries or some reason.

Can you recommend something that cannot be missed in Monte-Carlo during the tournament?

It’s not so big, so you can walk everywhere and see everything in one hour. You have the bay, you have the nice center downtown, I really enjoy being here.

[briefliner]

Mikhail Kukushkin, RUS, Barcelona 2018

[loveequalsnothing]

Possible QF’s:

Grigor Dimitrov vs Philip Kohlschreiber

Roberto Bautista Agut vs Richard Gasquet

Viktor Troicki vs Damir Dzumhur

Yuichi Sugita vs Lucas Pouille

[inspiredlovers]

Carlos Alcaraz, Danil Medvedev And Novak Djokovic Learn Astana Fate As They...

Carlos Alcaraz, Danil Medvedev And Novak Djokovic Learn Astana Fate As They... The World No. 1, who is competing in his first singles event since winning the US Open, could face former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka in the second round if the Swiss star can overcome Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. In a stacked field, Daniil Medvedev is the second seed. The 26-year-old, who captured his only title of the season in Los Cabos, will play Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the first round. Felix Auger-Aliassime is seeded to meet Medvedev in the quarter-finals, with the Canadian starting against Roberto Bautista Agut. Carlos Alcaraz, Danil Medvedev And Novak Djokovic Learn Astana Fate As They... Auger-Aliassime is currently seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin and will be aiming for a deep run in Astana to boost his Nitto ATP Finals qualification chances. Fourth seed Novak Djokovic is also in the bottom half of the draw. The Serbian will be aiming to back up his strong run in Tel Aviv with another good result in Kazakhstan. Djokovic opens against Cristian Garin and could meet sixth seed Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals. Sinner, who is still alive in Sofia this weekend, takes on Oscar Otte in his first match. READ MORE: Toni Nadal, former coach and uncle of Rafa Nadal, Slam, has assured this Saturday that the… Third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and fifth seed Andrey Rublev are both in the top half. Tsitsipas will meet Kazakhstan wild card Mikhail Kukushkin in the first round, while Rublev takes on a qualifier. Rublev is currently sixth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin and could edge closer to qualification with a deep run. Read the full article

[sacramentonewsjournal]

Mikhail Kukushkin Seeks His Previous Model At Astana Open | ATP Tour

Mikhail Kukushkin admits it has been a troublesome 12 months for him on court docket however, as he prepares to compete at subsequent week’s Astana Open, the house favorite is happy to be enjoying on the identical courts that performed such an important function in him cracking the Prime 40 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings simply three years in the past. The 34-year-old isn’t intent on becoming a member of the current listing of tennis retirees anytime quickly. The Kazakh is eager for his new child son — an enormous brilliant spot off court docket — to look at him compete up shut sooner or later. Saturday��s draw on the loaded Astana Open in Kazakhstan revealed that the Astana resident would face third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas on the Nationwide Tennis Heart. Grand Slam winners Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka are amongst two of his fellow wild playing cards. “I needed to wait till Friday night to obtain a wildcard as a result of clearly there have been so many requests from well-known gamers to obtain one,” a relaxed Kukushkin, winless in 4 matches in opposition to the Greek, mentioned previous to the draw. “Fortunate in the long run I used to be in a position to get one. There was an opportunity I might play qualifying, which was nonetheless fantastic for me, however principal draw is healthier.” You Could Additionally Like: Alcaraz, Medvedev, Djokovic Be taught Astana Destiny Important-draw victories on the highest stage have confirmed troublesome for the power-baseliner this season. The lone one got here on the Miami Open introduced by Itau in March after he made it by way of qualifying on the ATP Masters 1000 occasion. He then took time without work when his son, Teikhon, was born in Could, and has additionally handled shoulder and hip accidents. Kukushkin dropped outdoors the Prime 200 in July, having been contained in the Prime 100 for an eight-year spell between the top of 2013 and early 2021, apart from about three months. The objective for the remainder of 2022 is to “end effectively”, earlier than he appears ahead to pre-season coaching. “I’m nonetheless motivated to seek out my outdated model,” mentioned Kukushkin, an ATP title winner in St. Petersburg in 2010 who has additionally reached the second week at each the Australian Open and Wimbledon. “I don’t need to end tennis being five hundredth on the planet. I nonetheless consider I can play at stage, so I need to come again to that. I’m going to work exhausting on this. Let’s see how lengthy it takes. “One, two, three years I can play, I don’t know. I’m motivated and in addition need my son to see his daddy enjoying on the massive stage.” Kazakhstan has grown in prominence on tennis’ world stage, one thing Kukushkin famous. Elena Rybakina, the present World No. 25 on the WTA Tour, received Wimbledon in July. Kukushkin relocated to Kazakhstan in 2008, and has represented his nation 50 occasions throughout 14 years within the Davis Cup, profitable 29 of these encounters. Kazakhstan first hosted an ATP occasion in 2020 in Astana — Kukushkin overturned a set and break deficit to defeat Benoit Paire and make the quarterfinals — and this 12 months upgraded from a 250 to 500. “In 2008 after I moved [here], no person knew about Kazakhstan, no person knew about tennis in Kazakhstan, and slowly the federation made a giant step ahead,” mentioned Kukushkin. “We performed good in Davis Cup, so the individuals slowly began to listen to the title of Kazakhstan and that there are good gamers in Kazakhstan. “Slowly we had been all bettering the scenario right here. It’s the third 12 months of the event however all of the gamers, all of the ATP employees, all of the coaches, all of the followers know the event right here is nice. The services are nice and arranged.” Originally published at Sacramento News Journal

[tennistimeblog]

Stephanos Tsitsipas went to the third round of “Masters” in Monte Carlo

Stephanos Tsitsipas went to the third round of “Masters” in Monte Carlo

Greek tennis player Stephanos Tsitsipas overcame the barrier of the second round of the tournament in Monte Carlo, beating Mikhail Kukushkin from Kazakhstan – 6/3, 7/5.

The match lasted 1 hour and 42 minutes. The eighth racket of the world, 20-year-old Stefanos, recorded four breaks and two aces, mistaken twice when serving. 31-year-old Kukushkin, who occupies the 42nd place in the ATP rating,…