Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut captured their second straight ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in dramatic fashion on Sunday at the Western & Southern Open. The Frenchmen celebrated a 7-6(6) 6-4 victory over Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares, as Herbert lunged for a stunning return that landed just inside the tramline for the lone break of the match. Herbert and Mahut, who lifted the Coupe Rogers trophy just one week ago, extend their win streak to eight in a row with the win in Cincinnati. It marks the second straight year in which a team has completed the Canada-Cincinnati double, following Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo in 2016. "We're having a good run," said Herbert. "It's our second straight...
If he was away, Nick Kyrgios is without a doubt back, and he's never been in a better position. The 22-year-old Aussie reached his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final on Saturday, beating Spanish veteran David Ferrer 7-6(3), 7-6(4) at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. The semi-final win marks the second consecutive victory against a Spanish great for Kyrgios, who upset incoming-World No. 1 Rafael Nadal 24 hours earlier. “He was a nightmare to play, especially because I'm a tall guy and he's not the tallest guy. He hits the ball pretty flat. The whole time there is nothing shoulder height for me to hit. I'm always trying to hit underneath and trying to hit up and...
Grigor Dimitrov will play in the biggest final of his career after edging John Isner 7-6(4), 7-6(10) in a gripping semi-final encounter at the Western & Southern Open. With the partisan home crowd firmly in Isner's favour, Dimitrov played the role of spoiler, reaching his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final after two hours and three minutes. The seventh seed fired 10 aces, while overcoming 14 blasts off the Isner frame. Dimitrov has found his top gear this week at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati, not dropping a set en route to his 12th ATP World Tour final and third of the year. He lifted the trophy in Brisbane and Sofia to open his 2017 campaign. The...
Nick Kyrgios was at his ruthless best on Friday evening at the Western & Southern Open, blasting past Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-5 to secure a spot in the semi-finals. It was the 100th tour-level victory for the Aussie. Kyrgios dominated from start to finish in his second match of day, reaching his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final of the year (Miami) and first in Cincinnati. Less than seven hours after rallying past Ivo Karlovic 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-3 in their rain-delayed third round affair, he needed just 80 minutes to thwart the soon to be World No. 1. "Being a little kid playing on centre court of Cincinnati against Nadal, that's the way the best has to come out,"...
Never count out the heart of a champion. After two years, David Ferrer is back in the semi-finals of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. The dogged Spanish veteran stunned third seed Dominic Thiem 6-3, 6-3 in just one hour and 17 minutes at the Western & Southern Open, moving into the Cincinnati semis for the second time in four years. A finalist in 2014, Ferrer improved to 21-12 at the hard-court event. It marks Ferrer's first semi-final appearance at an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament since the 2015 Rolex Paris Masters. The 35 year old, who has seen his position in the Emirates ATP Rankings fall to No. 46 earlier this year, is back in the spotlight...