Lorenzo Musetti won the first ATP Tour title of his career as he defeated fellow up-and-comer Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday's Hamburg European Open final.

Top seed Alcaraz ensured he would become the youngest player in the top five of the ATP rankings since Rafael Nadal in 2005 with his semi-final victory over Alex Molcan.

But the 19-year-old paid the price for an error-strewn display on Sunday, as Musetti, 20, took the crown 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-4.

Alcaraz was guilty of a slow start on the clay, with four wild unforced errors helping Musetti go a break up after the very first game. Although the Spaniard instantly hit back, his opponent gobbled up his next break point to take a 4-3 lead en route to winning the set.

Musetti then took charge early on in the second to go 2-0 ahead, but Alcaraz showed admirable resolve to see off a couple of match points and level the set at 5-5, before remarkably tying the contest in a tie-break that saw three more championship points squandered.

The deciding set was evenly contested almost throughout, until Musetti broke serve to make it 6-4 and take the match on his sixth championship point as Alcaraz hit a backhand long.

On a momentous day for the Italian, his jubilation was plain to see as he spoke afterwards.

"I have no words because it was a rollercoaster until the end," Musetti said on court. "I had so many match points. Carlos was so good on the match points, [I had] so many chances.

"But I think the key of the match was to keep calm and [have] all the patience [with] myself because it was really not easy.

"Carlos was putting so much effort in the match points when he was down, so it was not easy to find the energy to come back.

"But I cannot describe what I am feeling right now. I think I am still dreaming."

On the subject of the five match points he surrendered, Musetti added: "Of course I was really upset, but I tried to not show my opponent my reaction.

"I tried to forgive [myself for] all the match points and all the points [when] I couldn't do it. I think that was the most [important] thing, even for me, because I didn't expect the win after all this rollercoaster, so I'm super happy to be here and to be the champion."

Musetti and Alcaraz could end up meeting again in the coming week in Umag, where the latter is the defending champion and top seed.

Casper Ruud mounted an impressive comeback to defend his Swiss Open crown, after seeing off Matteo Berrettini in a three-set thriller in Gstaad.

The Norwegian, the beaten finalist at this year's French Open, made it successive triumphs at Roy Emerson Arena, after overcoming a first-set deficit to win 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-2.

It takes clay specialist Ruud to an eighth overall title on the surface and a third of the year, following victories at the Argentina Open in February and Geneva Open in May.

For Berrettini – also chasing a third title of the year after victory at the Stuttgart Open and Queen's – he will be left to rue letting his first-set advantage slip, after getting the drop on his rival.

The Italian was competing in his first event since he was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon with COVID-19, and made an impressive start under glorious sunshine on Sunday.

Yet Ruud was able to take him to the wire in the second set, before breaking his serve twice in the decider to emerge triumphant in Gstaad for the second year in a row in the end.

Irina-Camelia Begu came from a set down to defeat Sara Sorribes Tormo 3-6 6-3 6-4 to set up a final against Lucia Bronzetti at the Palermo Ladies Open.

A contest that lasted three hours and 12 minutes, finishing just 20 minutes shy of 2am local time, began well for Sorribes Tormo, with the fourth seed taking the opening set.

The Romanian came storming back in the second though and was forcing her opponent all the way back to the advertising curtain with a series of deep shots, while also impressing on her own serve, getting 90 per cent of her first serves in across the set.

Begu ultimately served out to take it 6-3 as the local time went past midnight, but there was plenty more to come as a third set that moved at a glacial pace in the early hours of Sunday morning kept the more dedicated fans in the stands away from their beds.

An hour after the second set had concluded, the score in the third was just 3-2 to Begu after the sixth seed forced a break against Sorribes Tormo, who was warned with a time violation during the game.

That seemed to be a turning point as one break became two, before the Spaniard broke back to initially frustrate Begu, only for the Romanian to serve out victory at the second time of asking.

She will face Bronzetti in Sunday's final after the world number 78 also came from behind to win her semi-final with compatriot Jasmine Paolini.

It was a remarkable turnaround considering Paolini won the opening set 6-0, with Bronzetti only winning 33 per cent of points on her own first serve compared to Paolini's 79 per cent on hers.

However, Bronzetti found several more gears in the second set, winning 83 per cent on her first serve this time, and she carried that form into the third, recovering brilliantly to take the match 0-6 6-3 6-3.

Former tennis star Mardy Fish said he was "proud" to be the first person to play on both the ATP Tour and the PGA Tour after swapping his racquet for a bag of clubs.

The 40-year-old won six ATP titles and once ranked as high as seventh in the world in 2011, before retiring from tennis four years later.

However, he has recently been playing amateur golf and was given a special exemption to play in the PGA Tour's 3M Open in Minnesota, his hometown.

Fish was unable to make the cut, finishing 13 over par after his two rounds, with only three players carding higher scores.

He was grateful for the opportunity, though, and took to Twitter on Saturday to reflect on his achievement, posting: "What an incredible experience playing in the 3M Open. Truly a week I will never forget.

"I'm proud to be the first person to play on the ATP Tour and the PGA Tour. Chase your dreams, no matter how ridiculous they may be! Thank you for the incredible support all week Minnesota!"

Although he did not quite perform to the level hoped, Fish did card a respectable 74 in Friday's second round, hitting eight of 14 fairways and seven of 18 greens in regulation.

Golf great Jack Nicklaus has previously labelled Fish the best non-professional golfer he has ever played with.

"We played nine holes, and he drove the ball on every single hole in the middle of the fairway; further than I have seen anybody hit it who is not a professional," Nicklaus said.

"He shot 31 for nine holes. I said, 'Mardy, what are you doing? You have got a talent, and you are young enough to take advantage of it. You need to go play golf.'"

Carlos Alcaraz will play Lorenzo Musetti in the Hamburg European Open final following a straight-sets victory over Alex Molcan on Saturday.

The Spanish teenager is targeting a fifth ATP title of the year, which would move him ahead of Rafael Nadal, having already triumphed in Rio, Miami, Barcelona and Madrid.

Alcaraz is set to move into the top five of the ATP rankings for the first time after seeing off Slovakia's Molcan 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 to reach yet another championship match on his debut in Hamburg.

The top seed broke twice in the opening set but was pegged back on both occasions by Molcan, who was striving to reach a third final of 2022 after finishing as runner-up in Marrakech and Lyon.

But the 19-year-old dominated the tie-break, and found another gear to storm into the final as he made it eight successive sets won this week.

"It was tough," Alcaraz said. "Obviously, [Alex] played really well. The first set was really close; I'm really happy to be able to end the first set playing well.

"I couldn't read the drop shots from him. He was better on the drop shots today, so I was a little bit [frustrated] in the first set.

"In the second set, I think he was down a little bit; he didn't play well. I finished the match with a lot of confidence and played very well."

Standing between Alcaraz and another title is Musetti, who will appear in his maiden ATP final after he overcame Francisco Cerundolo 6-3 7-6 (7-3).

The Italian, who is set to climb into the world's top 50 for the first time, had lost six consecutive ATP Tour matches prior to this week.

But the 20-year-old continued his resurgence; ending the Bastad champion's eight-match winning streak by roaring back from 3-1 down in a second-set tie-break.

Meanwhile, Matteo Berrettini and Casper Ruud will target a third title of 2022 when they lock horns in the Swiss Open showpiece.

Berrettini - a winner in Stuttgart and Queen's before a positive COVID-19 test ruled him out of Wimbledon - registered his 12th successive victory, putting former US Open champion Dominic Thiem to the sword 6-1 6-4 in 78 minutes.

Reigning champion Ruud raced past Albert Ramos-Vinolas; winning five out of seven break points in a resounding 6-2 6-0 triumph.

Bernarda Pera claimed her second WTA title in as many weeks by defeating Anett Kontaveit 6-2 6-4 in the Hamburg European Open final.

The world number 81 continued her rich vein of form, having also captured the Budapest Grand Prix crown last weekend.

Pera, who won four out of six break points, stretched her winning streak to 12 matches, while she has also now reeled off 24 sets without reply.

Kontaveit had prevailed as a commanding straight-sets winner when the pair faced off in the opening round at Wimbledon four weeks ago.

Champion in St Petersburg and runner-up to Iga Swiatek in Doha, the Estonian became the fourth player to appear in at least three finals this season after Swiatek, Ons Jabeur and Veronika Kudermetova.

But the top seed was broken in the opening game by Pera, who won 16 out of 19 points on her first serve as she stormed through the first set.

The American then rescued two break points in the second set, while converting two of her own to secure consecutive breaks and move to the brink of the title.

Kontaveit dug deep; breaking back and winning eight of the next 11 points to stay alive at 5-4, but a long forehand in the next game sealed the deal for Pera.

Carlos Alcaraz outclassed Karen Khachanov to reach the semi-finals of the Hamburg European Open, while Matteo Berrettini will face Dominic Thiem in the last four at the Swiss Open.

Top seed Alcaraz only needed an hour and nine minutes to beat Russian Khachanov 6-0 6-2 in a clay-court masterclass on Friday.

The 19-year-old Spaniard moved a step closer to winning a fifth title this year with a dominant performance, breaking the Russian five times in a one-sided contest.

Alcaraz hit 21 winners as Khachanov was given a harsh lesson and the teenager will next face Alex Molcan, who was 2-0 up in the second set after winning the first on a tie-break when Borna Coric retired due to injury.

"I played unbelievable today, probably one of my best matches this year," Alcaraz said of his win against Khachanov. "I'm pretty happy with the performance that I'm playing in this tournament. Yesterday [a victory over Filip Krajinovic] was amazing as well.

"I'm training every day to be solid and at the same time to be aggressive. That is my game."

Francisco Cerundolo and Lorenzo Musetti will contest the other semi-final in Hamburg after beating Aslan Karatsev and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina respectively.

A rejuvenated Thiem is enjoying another hugely encouraging week and will take on Berrettini in his first semi-final of the year following a 6-4 6-3 defeat of Peruvian qualifier Juan Pablo Varillas in Gstaad.

Austrian Thiem has not played in a final since winning his only grand slam at the 2020 US Open, but he claimed his first ATP-level victory for 14 months in Bastad last week and is through to his first semi-final since May 2021 after bossing the baseline battle with Varillas.

It was not all plain sailing for Berrettini, who roared back to beat Pedro Martinez 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 after the Spaniard was in command of a second-set tie-break at 5-1, but the second seed extended his winning run to 11 matches.

Top seed Casper Ruud got the better of Jaume Munar 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4), booking a showdown with Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who came through a three-set battle with Nicolas Jarry.

A dream team of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray will be complemented by Novak Djokovic at the Laver Cup.

Nadal, Federer and Murray had already been confirmed for the 2022 edition of the tournament, to be held in London in September.

And Djokovic, who won his 21st grand slam title at Wimbledon earlier this month, has now joined his fellow greats to add to a formidable Team Europe line-up.

The Serb last competed in the Laver Cup in 2018, and while it is yet unclear if he will be able to feature at the upcoming US Open due to his COVID-19 vaccination status, Djokovic is relishing the chance to play alongside the best players of the modern era.

He said: "It's the only competition where you can play in a team environment with guys that you're normally competing against and to be joining Rafa, Roger and Andy – three of my biggest all-time rivals – it's going to be a truly unique moment in the history of our sport."

"I don't think I could have imagined having these four icons of the sport on one team together," said Team Europe captain Bjorn Borg.

"I know they, like I, appreciate the significance of this moment and will be truly up for it.

"Each year our goal is to win. With Rafa, Roger, Andy and Novak on the team, I like our chances."

The quartet have accounted for 66 of the last 76 grand slam titles won in men's tennis, while one of them held the number one spot every week between February 2004 and February 2022, when Daniil Medvedev ended that run.

Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz and Diego Schwartzman have been confirmed to be competing Team World - led by John McEnroe.

Six players will compete on each team, meaning Team Europe still have two more spots to fill, while Team World have three spare.

Second seed Yulia Putintseva was eliminated from the Palermo Ladies Open at the quarter-final stage by Diane Parry on Thursday.

Putintseva was the strong favourite to overcome world number 86 Parry, but it was the latter who prevailed 6-3 6-4 to reach her first tour-level quarter-final.

Caroline Garcia also advanced through after recovering from a heavy first-set loss to overcome Elisabetta Cocciaretto 0-6 6-3 6-4.

Home hope Lucia Bronzetti awaits in the final eight following a 6-1 6-3 win over Elina Avanesyan, while Nuria Parrizas-Diaz beat Julia Grabher 6-2 6-4 in the day's other match.

At the Hamburg European Open, in-form Bernarda Pera beat Katerina Siniakova 6-3 6-1 to make it 10 wins in a row without dropping a set.

Pera is through to her second semi-final in a row, where she will take on Maryna Zanevska, who saw off Aliaksandra Sasnovich in straight sets for a second career top-50 victory.

Top seed Anett Kontaveit advanced after Andrea Petkovic withdrew injured when 6-0 2-0 down, but Barbora Krejcikova was on the end of a 6-1 6-3 upset against Anastasia Potapova.

Andrey Rublev crashed out of the Hamburg European Open in straight sets against Francisco Cerundolo, as top seed Carlos Alcaraz cruised past Filip Krajinovic to reach the quarter-finals.

Second seed Rublev was the latest scalp of Cerundolo's fine run of form, the Argentine making it seven consecutive wins by wrapping up a 6-4 6-2 success in just an hour and a half in Germany.

Having furthered his momentum with a second top-10 win in as many weeks, Cerundolo said: "It is the first time it has happened for me. I am playing against the top guys and I am playing well, it is unbelievable."

Cerundolo will face Aslan Karatsev in the last eight after he recovered from a set down to beat Daniel Elahi Galan 3-6 6-3 6-4.

World number six Alcaraz fared better than Rublev, registering a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 win over Krajinovic to tee up a final-four meeting with Karen Khachanov, who beat Fabio Fognini in straight sets.

Meanwhile, a host of big names including Casper Rudd and Matteo Berrettini reached the last eight of the Swiss Open in Gstaad, as Dominic Thiem continued his revival with a win over Federico Delbonis.

Thiem reached his second quarter-final in as many weeks with an impressive 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 triumph despite letting a 5-2 lead slip in the opener, registering his first tour-level straight-sets victory since May 2021.

Having set up a meeting with Juan Pablo Varillas, the 2020 US Open champion beamed: "I have won two matches which means a lot to me right now, I really need those ranking points. Every match win is something very special."

The Austrian will be joined in the next round by first and second seeds Ruud and Berrettini, who eased past Jiri Lehecka and Richard Gasquet respectively.

Spanish duo Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Pedro Martinez also both progressed to the last eight despite dropping a set, with the latter setting up an enticing clash with Berrettini on Friday.

The men's tennis tour has scrapped plans to stage four tournaments in China later this year as the pandemic continues to take its toll on the sporting calendar.

Mandatory quarantine rules make it unfeasible for international players and tour officials to travel to the events, including the Shanghai Masters, a top-tier ATP 1000 tournament.

The lucrative Shanghai event had been due to run from October 9-16 and would have featured many of the world's top players.

Also cancelled are the Chengdu Open and the Zhuhai Championships, which were scheduled to begin on September 26, and the China Open, billed for the following week.

The ATP said it had cancelled the three-week China swing "due to ongoing restrictions related to COVID-19".

It marks a third successive year in which the run of tournaments has had to be cancelled, with China last hosting ATP events in 2019, before the pandemic hit.

At the same time as it cancelled the tournaments in China on Thursday, the ATP made provision for its players to keep earning by announcing six new events to take place in September and October.

Those events will be played in San Diego, Seoul, Tel Aviv, Florence, Gijon and Naples, the ATP said, with all at ATP 250 level, the lowest rung of the main tour.

The WTA, which runs the women's tour, announced last December it would be suspending all its tournaments in China due to concerns over the wellbeing of Peng Shuai, a professional tennis player who appeared to allege she had been sexually assaulted by a powerful former government official.

Former doubles world number one Peng has since denied making the accusations, yet the WTA has remained concerned for her safety and freedom.

Novak Djokovic must be allowed to play at the US Open because a ban over his COVID-19 vaccination refusal would be "crazy", according to John McEnroe.

The Serbian won his seventh Wimbledon title this month, but the All England Club event was just his second major of the year after missing the Australian Open in January.

Djokovic was not permitted to play in the opening major of 2022, where issues surrounding his visa ended with him being deported from Melbourne on public health grounds due to not taking the vaccine.

The 35-year-old hopes to compete at Flushing Meadows in August but has insisted he will not take the vaccination, while the United States is refusing to allow unvaccinated foreigners to enter the country.

The USTA confirmed it would adhere to US rulings surrounding coronavirus protocols, despite including Djokovic on the entry list for the final slam of the year on Wednesday.

Seven-time major champion McEnroe has previously suggested Djokovic should be allowed to compete and reiterated his calls for the 21-time slam winner to be exempt from vaccination regulations.

 "I mean, we have to find a way to get Novak into the US Open," McEnroe told Tennis365.

"How can he not be there? He has just won Wimbledon, he is a great champion and he should be in the US Open.

"I don't agree with his decision not to get vaccinated, but I respect it. He is one of the fittest guys in the world and everything he puts into his body, he is watching carefully.

"Now we are saying that because of his choice, he can't play at the US Open. I mean, come on. He has already been deported from Australia for the same reason and here we are again."

For Djokovic to be allowed into the United States, it would require a change of tack from law-makers, or he would have to be considered suitable for an exemption.

Among those who would be eligible for such an exemption are "persons whose entry would be in the national interest".

"I hope someone finds a way to sort this out," McEnroe said. "It's crazy that Novak misses the US Open at this stage."

Anett Kontaveit cruised into the quarter-finals of the Hamburg European Open with a straight-sets win over Rebecca Peterson, while third seed Zhang Shuai was forced out of the Palermo Ladies Open through injury.  

World number two Kontaveit recorded a 6-3 6-2 victory over Peterson on the clay in Germany, setting up a last-eight meeting with eighth seed Andrea Petkovic. 

The Estonian's win was her third over Peterson and maintained her 100 per cent career record against Swedish opponents, taking her to seven such successes. 

Kontaveit was joined in the quarter-finals by fellow seeds Aliaksandra Sasnovich, who beat Aleksandra Krunic 6-3 6-2, and Maryna Zanevska, who downed Alexandra Cadantu-Ignatik 6-4 6-1. 

They will face off for a semi-final spot on Thursday, while Anastasia Potapova will meet 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova after beating Maria Carle in straight sets. 

At the Palermo Ladies Open, meanwhile, third seed Zhang withdrew from her last-16 clash with home favourite Jasmine Paolini before taking to the court, citing an unspecified injury. 

Fellow seeds Sara Sorribes Tormo and Anna Bondar both reached the quarter-finals with straight-sets wins, however, with the pair set to face off for a semi-final berth on Friday.  

Pablo Carreno Busta saw his title defence at the Hamburg European Open come to an early end as he crashed out on Wednesday, while Andrey Rublev progressed with ease.

Carreno Busta fell to a 6-3 1-6 7-6 (7-5) second-round defeat against Slovakian Alex Molcan, who progressed to a fourth ATP Tour quarter-final this season.

World number 48 Molcan will next meet Borna Coric after the Croatian eased past Tallon Griekspoor 6-3 6-4, registering back-to-back tour-levels wins for the first time in 17 months.

Second seed Rublev coasted through his first-round clash with Ricardas Berankis, triumphing 6-3 6-4 as he improved his record at the ATP 500 clay-court event in Germany to 10-2.

"I am happy with my performance. Ricardas is a really tough player," said world number eight Rublev, who is aiming for his fourth title of the season after success in Marseille, Dubai and Belgrade.

"He hits the ball really hard and plays fast, so I had to bring intensity from the first game. I am really happy with how I was serving today and I hit some great shots from the baseline.

"The game he broke me in the second set he played really well. He returned really aggressively and I don’t think I made one first serve. But then I kept [my] focus and broke him straight away again."

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was another comfortable winner, easing past Jozef Kovalik 6-2 6-2 to set up a quarter-final contest with Lorenzo Musetti, who beat Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4 7-5.

Play was suspended early at the Swiss Open due to bad weather, with Spaniard Jaume Munar downing Alexander Ritschard 6-3 6-3 in the only match of the day to reach the last eight.

That meant top seed Casper Ruud will have to wait until Thursday to face Jiri Lehecka in Gstaad, with third favourite Roberto Bautista Agut also seeing his match with Juan Pablo Varillas pushed back a day.