Marin Cilic tasted victory on clay for the first time in five years, fighting past Milos Raonic 7-6(3), 6-3 for the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open title. Cilic survived the battle of big hitters after two hours and one minute, firing nine aces. He was strong on serve, saving all seven break points faced and claiming 82 per cent of first serve points. It was the 28-year-old's 17th tour-level title and first since lifting the trophy on the indoor hard courts of Basel last October. His lone previous clay-court victory had come on home soil in Umag in 2012. "I'm on a good track and feeling very well," said Cilic, who did not drop a set en route to the...
Ryan Harrison and Michael Venus capped a dream week at the Millennium Estoril Open by taking the doubles title 7-5, 6-2 over Spaniards David Marrero and Tommy Robredo. “Michael has been part of my family for a long time. I’ve known him since I was 11 years old and he’s like a brother. I got married last month and he was my groomsman,” said Harrison. “We’ve played doubles together, but not at the tour level, so to win with one of your best friends in the world is special.” Both teams traded early service holds, but the American-Kiwi duo grabbed the crucial break up 6-5 to take the opening set. They broke Marrero/Robredo twice in the second set to seal...
Roman Jebavy and Jiri Vesely did not put a wrong foot during Sunday's doubles final at the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open. The Czech duo were ruthless in completing a 6-0, 6-0 victory over wild cards Tuna Altuna and Alessandro Motti for their first team title. Jebavy and Vesely needed just 41 minutes to lift the trophy, saving all three break points faced, while converting six of nine of their own. It was the first double bagel in an ATP World Tour final since 2010, when Lukasz Kubot and Oliver Marach did not drop a game in winning the Acapulco title. "We definitely didn't expect to win the final with a score like that," said Vesely. "But we played great,...
Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah won their second ATP World Tour doubles title as a team this year, overcoming Frenchmen Jeremy Chardy/Fabrice Martin 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday at the BMW Open by FWU in Munich. Cabal/Farah were down 0-3 in the first set but won 12 of the final 15 games to win their first Munich crown. The third seeds saved three of four break points, including all three faced in the second set. “It's such a great feeling. We've been coming here for [five] years already. For me it's one of my favourite tournaments. To win it finally – we made the final last year – it's a great achievement, and we're very happy,” Farah said. The...
The TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open will play host to an all-Top 10 final clash on Sunday, as World No. 6 Milos Raonic duels with World No. 8 Marin Cilic. Raonic set their third FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting after dismissing Viktor Troicki 6-2, 6-3 in just 66 minutes. The top-seeded Canadian will appear in his first clay-court final, having not dropped serve all week in Istanbul. He is bidding for his ninth ATP World Tour title and first since lifting the trophy to open the 2016 season in Brisbane. "I've come back from many injuries, so I know how to find my level," said Raonic, who is competing in his first tournament since withdrawing from Miami in March with a...
