Fourth seeds Marcin Matkowski and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi captured the ASB Classic crown with a 1-6, 6-2, 10-3 win over Jonathan Erlich and Scott Lipsky on Saturday. Erlich and Lipsky quickly claimed the first set after 23 minutes, but the eventual champions fired up for a comeback, breaking early in the second set for a 1-0 lead. The Polish/Pakistani duo capitalised on all three break point chances in their 61-minute victory. Matkowski and Qureshi topped Ryan Harrison and John Isner 7-6(4), 6-1 in the first round, beat Santiago Gonzalez and David Marrero 6-4, 3-6, 11-9 in the quarter-finals and defeated Marcus Daniell and Marcelo Demoliner 6-4, 6-4 for a final berth. “I’m really happy with our performances throughout the week and...
Rohan Bopanna and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan topped Indian countrymen Purav Raja and Divij Sharan 6-3, 6-4 to win the Aircel Chennai Open doubles title on Sunday. It was the first all-Indian final at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament in 22 years. “I loved the moment, it was great,” said Nedunchezhiyan. “In my backyard… being in the final, not being seeded, it’s already a great start to the season.” Bopanna/Nedunchezhiyan saved four of the six break points they faced and won 86 per cent of their first serve points to claim victory and the title in 65 minutes. This was just their second event as a team after a quarter-final showing in Chengdu last fall (l. to Shamasdin/Siljestrom). They are the...
Roberto Bautista Agut added a fifth ATP World Tour title to his trophy cabinet, beating 20-year-old Russian Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-4 in the Aircel Chennai Open final on Sunday. The World No. 14 is now 5-6 in finals, with Chennai added to his Sofia (2016), Auckland (2016), Stuttgart (2014) and s-Hertogenbosch (2014) titles. “I think it’s a great tournament and that’s why it’s my fifth time in a row coming here,” said Bautista Agut. “This tournament has helped me a lot to get into the Top 50 players [in the world]. I’m a much better player now than five years ago. I have more experience and I’ve improved a lot of things. “There are a lot of tournaments and a...
Grigor Dimitrov’s late-season resurgence in 2016 continues unabated in early 2017. The Bulgarian snapped a two-and-a-half year title drought Sunday at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp, defeating third seed Kei Nishikori 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 in the final. Dimitrov’s title run included three consecutive Top 10 scalps: Dominic Thiem in the quarter-finals, top seed Milos Raonic in the semis and Nishikori in the final. Having lost his past four ATP World Tour finals, he finally claimed his fifth career title, his first since Queen’s Club in 2014. A former World No. 8, Dimitrov saw his Emirates ATP Ranking slip to No. 40 midway through 2016 before a heart-to-heart career reflection with coach Dani Vallverdu saw the 25 year old turn...
Next Gen ATP star Thanasi Kokkinakis made a dream return to the ATP World Tour when he teamed with fellow Australian Jordan Thompson to win the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp title Sunday. The players, who ironically will play against each other in the first round of next week's Apia International Sydney, both claimed their first tour-level doubles title with a 7-6(7), 6-4 win over first-time team Gilles Muller and Sam Querrey. Kokkinakis, who did not play a match on the ATP World Tour last year after undergoing December 2015 shoulder surgery, said: “It's pretty crazy. I haven't experienced that for a while. To be honest, I haven't experienced a competitive match for a while. To go on a run...