Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau took just 49 minutes to reach the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament semi-finals, on Wednesday, with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Robin Haase and Matwe Middelkoop. The fourth seeds, bidding for a second title in Rotterdam after success in 2015, secured 80 per cent of points behind their first serves and won 20 of the 41 points contested in their Dutch opponents’ service games to dominate the match. Rojer and Tecau won seven successive games from 1-1 in the first set to take a firm hold of the match and looked comfortable throughout as they notched their 13th win in 16 matches as a team in Rotterdam. Third seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut reached...
Roger Federer began his quest to return to No.1 in the ATP Rankings for the first time in over five years with a 6-1, 6-2 win over qualifier Ruben Bemelmans at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. Federer, who will overtake Rafael Nadal at the top of the ATP Rankings if he reaches the semi-finals, moved to within just two wins of the achievement after his 47-minute, first-round win over the World No. 116. Watch Highlights: Roger's Having Fun Chasing No. 1 In Rotterdam “[It was] very surprising how good things went today,” admitted Federer. “I think the key was to start off well and put Ruben (Bemelmans) under pressure right away and make him feel like he...
Grigor Dimitrov began his campaign for a first ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament title with a hard-fought 6-4, 7-6(5) win over Yuichi Sugita on Wednesday. Watch Hot Shot As Sugita Floors Dimitrov The 2013 semi-finalist was made to work hard throughout the one-hour, 46-minute encounter against Sugita, but found his best level at the tail-end of both sets to secure the win. In the first set, Dimitrov broke his Japanese opponent at the perfect time, in a marathon tenth game, to take a one-set advantage. Sugita, who was making his debut in Rotterdam at the age of 29, served to force a deciding set at 5-4, but Dimitrov once again showed his quality in the crucial moments to break serve....
David Goffin, once again, produced a scintillating performance at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament to beat Feliciano Lopez 6-1, 6-3 and book his place in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. Goffin who has lost just eight games en route to the last eight, hit nine aces and lost just one point in each set behind his first serve to beat the Spanish left-hander in 55 minutes. The 2017 runner-up raced out to a 4-0 lead in the first set before securing the set on his third set point. The Belgian’s momentum flowed seamlessly into the second set with a crucial fourth break of the Lopez serve proving the key to victory in Rotterdam. The World No. 7 now leads their...
Noah Rubin couldn't have envisioned a better start during his homecoming on the ATP World Tour. The Long Island native, facing former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori, broke and led 3-0 on Tuesday at the New York Open in Long Island. A win over Nishikori would have been among the biggest of Rubin's young career. But then Nishikori, who's continuing his comeback from right-wrist surgery, ruined the party. The 28-year-old played steady tennis and came back to win his first tour-level match since 9 August (l. Monfils in Montreal) 7-5, 6-3 in New York. [ALSO LIKE] “He started very well, very aggressive. Serving well. I think he played a little better than me in the first set. Second set I...