The ATP World Tour hasn't existed without Mark Darby. Literally. Darby has been an ATP supervisor since 1990, the first season of the tour. But after more than 27 years of traveling the globe and making sure tournaments and players follow the rules, Darby will retire from the ATP World Tour to spend more time with his family, including his wife and his 14-year-old triplets. The Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston was his final tournament. Darby was honoured on Saturday during an on-court ceremony. Asked what he'll miss the most, Darby said the countless number of good people he's worked with during his career. “As in a lot of jobs, I think it's more...
Fourth seeds Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos won their fourth ATP World Tour team doubles title on Sunday, holding off the first-time pairing of Dustin Brown and Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-5, 10-6 to take the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston. Peralta of Chile and Zeballos of Argentina saved 10 of 12 break points in the one-hour and 37-minute final. The champions won the final four points of the Match Tie-break to claim their first championship trophy of the season. [ALSO LIKE] The South American pairing also played in the Quito final earlier this year (l. to Cerretani/Oswald). Peralta/Zeballos won all three of their other team crowns last season – Sao Paulo, Gstaad and Metz....
Fourth seed Steve Johnson has covered plenty of ground in the past three weeks, traveling from the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Miami to a Davis Cup tie in Australia and then back stateside for the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston. But after countless miles in the air and in his legs on court this week, the American captured the title after fighting off cramps and a determined eighth seed Thomaz Bellucci 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(5). “To win on U.S. soil and win when you’re not feeling great is a testament to my willpower and competitiveness,” said Johnson. “My body has just physically run out of gas after this week. Coming in from...
First moment I realised I loved tennis I don’t have a specific memory of when I was younger, but I’ve obviously played it my whole my life and have really enjoyed it almost every time I’ve stepped out on the court. It’s a privilege and a passion for me, so I just feel gratitude to be able to play this sport as much as I can. First tournament I played It was at Ridgeline Country Club in Orange, Calif. I was about five or six years old. I couldn’t tell you how I did, but I’m sure my parents could and that there’s some funny footage of it floating around their house. First professional tennis match I ever watched In...
Who said Americans can’t or won’t play on clay? With 12 Americans in the singles main draw this week at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston, more Americans than ever are playing a loaded clay-court schedule. And not only are U.S. players showing up on the dirt, but they're winning. Steve Johnson is through to the Houston final after defeating fellow American Jack Sock, while #NextGenATP American Ernesto Escobedo reached his first ATP World Tour semi-final. In doubles, another #NextGenATP player in Frances Tiafoe reached his first ATP World Tour final with German Dustin Brown. “I feel like Americans can play on clay. There’s a stereoype that we can’t, but I think it can be...