Tomas Berdych defeated Mischa Zverev 7-5, 6-3 on Monday to secure his place in the second round of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. Berdych, who won the title in 2014 (d. Cilic) and reached the final in 2015 (l. to Wawrinka), won 82 per cent of his first serve points and recovered from a 3-5 deficit in the first set. Berdych will meet the winner of Jan-Lennard Struff and Viktor Troicki’s first-round clash for a place in the quarter-finals. [ALSO LIKE] Earlier in the day, Feliciano Lopez also booked his place in the second-round, with a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory over 2016 champion Martin Klizan. Watch Klizan Hot Shot Did You Know? Tomas Berdych has now won 20...
Six wins in seven days. Roberto Carballes Baena could not have written a more dramatic script to lift his first ATP World Tour trophy at the Ecuador Open. The Spanish qualifier was made to work to claim his maiden crown, upsetting a trio of seeded players in Quito, while rallying from a set down in both the quarter-finals and semis. The drama was just as palpable in Sunday's championship against countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas, and Carballes Baena would emerge victorious 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in a tense two hours and 28 minutes. The Granada native had not won a match on the ATP World Tour in nearly one year, but, behind upsets of second seed Ramos-Vinolas, fourth seed Paolo Lorenzi and eighth...
In what was the biggest final of both players’ careers, Mirza Basic overcame the seismic serving of Marius Copil to win 7-6(6), 6-7(4), 6-4 and lift his first-ever ATP World Tour singles trophy at the DIEMA XTRA Sofia Open. The title makes No.129-ranked Basic the season’s second first-time ATP World Tour titlist after Daniil Medvedev claimed the crown in Sydney last month, and the 26 year old becomes the second player from Bosnia and Herzegovina to win a tour-level title, following compatriot Damir Dzumhur, a two-time titlist last season. Additionally, Basic becomes the first qualifier to win a title at the tour level since Peter Gojowczyk in Metz last season. The DIEMA XTRA Sofia Open has been a breakthrough tournament...
For the third time in 10 months, Lucas Pouille has saved match points en route to an ATP World Tour title. The 23-year-old overcame three-time champion Richard Gasquet 7-6(2), 6-4 at the Open Sud de France to win his fifth tour-level title on Sunday. Pouille saved two match points at 1-6, 3-5 against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Saturday’s second semi-final before his compatriot was forced to retire with a left hamstring injury. The World No. 17 seized his opportunity in the final with a fine serving performance, scoring an impressive 87-minute win over Gasquet to lift his second title on home soil (Metz, 2016). "I'm very happy with the win today," said Pouille. "Obviously it was a tough match. Richard is...
British brothers Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski captured their first ATP World Tour team title at the Open Sud de France after beating Ben Mclachlan and Hugo Nys 7-6(2), 6-4 on Sunday. Competing in their second final as a team after reaching the 2013 VTB Kremlin Cup final, the Skupskis won 80 per cent of points behind their first serve against the fourth-seeded duo to win the championship match in 75 minutes. "This is a dream come true for us,” Ken Skupski told ATPWorldTour.com. “We've worked very hard over the years that we have played together. To finally win an ATP World Tour title together, we are extremely happy for us, but also for the family. It is a privilege...
