A LOOK BACK Open Harmonie Mutuelle (St. Brieuc, France): For more than a year, former World No. 50 Ricardas Berankis had plotted his return to the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings. After undergoing hip surgery in late 2016, the Lithuanian had fallen as low as No. 243. Seventeen months later, Berankis is back, soaring to No. 84 after clinching the title at the ATP Challenger Tour event in St. Brieuc. He overcame home hope Constant Lestienne 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in a tense final. Seeded second, he had not dropped a set entering Sunday's championship. The 27-year-old claimed his ninth Challenger crown in total, marking the fifth straight year in which he has lifted a trophy. San Luis Open (San...
Five months of patience and grueling rehabilitation have been rewarded for Ricardas Berankis. The Lithuanian lifted his eighth ATP Challenger Tour title in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, with an emphatic 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Yannick Hanfmann on Saturday. Hip surgery forced the 26 year old to begin his 2017 campaign in May. A first round exit (l. De Loore) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, was a tough re-introduction, but Berankis was delighted by his rapid return to form in Shymkent. “Of course winning a title so quickly gives me confidence. Every point gives me confidence. For me, that was the longest time I've not played tennis during my career,” revealed Berankis. “The other guys are in the middle of the season, but for me...
Ricardas Berankis shows no mercy in his first round win over Milos Raonic in Basel with shots like this fiery forehand. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com. Photo: Peter Staples / ATP World Tour
Ricardas Berankis has Milos Raonic's number on indoor hard courts. The 26-year-old Lithuanian beat Raonic again on Tuesday at the Swiss Indoors Basel, knocking the second seed out of the indoor ATP World Tour 500 tournament 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Berankis, No. 91 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, broke Raonic once in the second set and twice in the third set, including when Raonic was serving to stay in the match. Berankis held for 5-3 the prior game with a rocket forehand winner down the line, which he celebrated with a “Come on!” and a shake of the fist. The qualifier brought the same energy to Raonic's service game. Berankis went up 30/40 and clinched the second Top 10 win of...