Playing in his first grass-court match in two years, Rafael Nadal looked like his dominant self on Monday, avoiding an early shocker at The Championships and cruising past Aussie John Millman 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 to earn his 850th match win. Nadal becomes just the seventh player to reach 850 match wins – after Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl, Guillermo Vilas, John McEnroe and Andre Agassi. “It was a very positive match for me, a good start... I am through to the second round. That's a very important thing for me. And I happy because I didn't win a lot of matches the last couple of years here in Wimbledon. Today I win one, and I am looking forward to...
Andy Murray got his Wimbledon title defence off to a strong start on Monday in a rain-interrupted victory at The Championships. Murray improved to 54-9 at the All England Club, where he captured the 2013 (d. Djokovic) and 2016 (d. Raonic) titles, with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over Kazakhstani lucky loser Alexander Bublik, who was contesting just his seventh tour-level match. "I was a bit nervous this morning," said Murray. "I hadn't been able to do as much as I would have liked in the build-up. I didn't know the guy I was playing. Obviously, first match at a slam, there's always a few extra nerves. Once I got out there and got the early break, saved a couple...
Ninth seed Kei Nishikori wasted little time in recording his 30th grass-court victory on Monday as he began his campaign at The Championships with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-2, 6-0 win over Italian Marco Cecchinato in 72 minutes. The Japanese star converted seven of his nine break point opportunities and hit 35 winners. Having overcome a back injury he sustained at the Gerry Weber Open, Nishikori will now meet Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky, who beat Julien Benneteau of France 6-3, 7-6(8), 2-6, 6-2. "This is the only Grand Slam that I haven't done well in," said Nishikori. "I have never made it to the quarter-finals. That's always my motivation, to get into the second week. I think the past couple of years,...
The disappointment was etched all over Nick Kyrgios’ face. Having sustained a left hip injury at the Aegon Championships two weeks ago, the Australian No. 20 seed had worked tirelessly to get fully fit for The Championships at Wimbledon - his "favourite tournament". But on Monday, he found that time had run out. Pierre-Hugues Herbert, one half of the defending Wimbledon doubles champions (w/Mahut) and a fine grass-court player, was solid on serve – losing just five of his first service points – in 58 minutes of play, before Kyrgios called time on the first-round match. “I kind of knew I was in trouble,” said Kyrgios, the 2014 quarter-finalist. “I have been feeling my hip ever since I fell over...
Yuichi Sugita was a man on a mission on Saturday at the Antalya Open, downing Adrian Mannarino 6-1, 7-6(4) for his first ATP World Tour title. Sugita joined an exclusive club in lifting his maiden trophy, becoming just the third Japanese player to ever win on the circuit, alongside Shuzo Matsuoka and Kei Nishikori. He is also the fourth first-time winner on the ATP World Tour this year, needing one hour and 29 minutes to fight past Mannarino on a searing hot Saturday afternoon in Antalya. Just three weeks removed from notching his ninth Challenger title at the Aegon Surbiton Trophy, Sugita becomes the first player to win on grass on both the ATP World Tour and ATP Challenger Tour...
