Weeks after making his ATP World Tour debut in Rotterdam, teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime is about to tick off another first after winning through qualifying at the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday. The 17-year-old from Montreal defeated Slovak Norbert Gombos 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 to reach his maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 main draw. It makes Auger-Aliassime the first man born in the 2000s to contest a Masters 1000 main draw. And his reward for doing so – a first-round meeting with fellow Canadian qualifier Vasek Pospisil. “I’m grateful. It just shows I’m on the right path,” Auger-Aliassime said “I’m doing some great things. The future is probably bright but there’s still a lot of work to do, to get a...
Federico Delbonis won his maiden ATP World Tour singles title in Sao Paulo four years ago, so it was only fitting that he would find his doubles breakthrough at the Brasil Open, too. Delbonis partnered Maximo Gonzalez to cruise past recent New York Open finalists Wesley Koolhof and Artem Sitak 6-4, 6-2 on Sunday in 73 minutes to triumph at the Brasil Open, earning their first tour-level title as a team. It is Delbonis' first doubles crown and the fourth of Gonzalez's career. The pair had only won a single match together (1-2) at the tour-level prior to the week. "It's great. First time in singles, first time in doubles. I think it's a special city for me," Delbonis said...
If Nicolas Jarry was nervous at the start of his maiden ATP World Tour championship match on Sunday, he certainly did not show it. The 22-year-old won the first 13 points of the Brasil Open final, using his thunderous forehand to race to a one-set lead against Fabio Fognini in just 22 minutes. The Chilean then held break point in the opening game of the second set, but sailed a forehand long while in control of the rally — an unforced error he will rue. From then on, Fognini dug into the red clay in Sao Paulo, and the top-ranked Italian found his game to defeat Jarry 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 in one hour, 33 minutes for his first title since...
For the second consecutive year, Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares captured their first tour-level title of the season at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco. But this year, they have a couple of other milestones to celebrate as well. The third-seeded Murray/Soares overcame fourth-seeded Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan for the second time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series (2-2), securing a late break to win the ATP World Tour 500-level title 7-6(4), 7-5. “The tournament is so difficult. A lot of great teams again coming this year... Just really happy to win, to be successful again,” Murray said. For the 32-year-old Murray, the win marks his 350th doubles match win and his 20th tour-level doubles title. He...
Kevin Anderson was playing some of the best tennis of his life. In only his fourth tournament of the year, the South African had already reached his third final of the season at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco. But none of that mattered to Juan Martin del Potro in Mexico on Saturday night. The 6'6” Argentine outplayed Anderson for the seventh time in a row in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series (7-0), beating Anderson 6-4, 6-4 to win the ATP World Tour 500 title, his biggest trophy since 2013 Swiss Indoors Basel (d. Federer). It's Del Potro's first title of 2018, and he had to fight through a wicked draw, including three Top 10 players, for...
