Steve Johnson should celebrate his wedding with an extra-wide grin next weekend. The 28-year-old American retained his Houston title during an emotional final on Sunday, beating compatriot Tennys Sandgren 7-6(2), 2-6, 6-4 at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship. Johnson became the first American to go back-to-back in Houston since Andy Roddick in 2001-02. The California native had to go through his compatriots to pull it off. He beat five Americans – Ernesto Escobedo, Frances Tiafoe, John Isner, Taylor Fritz and Sandgren – to hoist his third ATP World Tour title (2017 Houston, 2016 Nottingham). “It means a lot [to win] here. This is one of the best tournaments of the year. You get the atmosphere...
Pablo Andujar became the lowest-ranked ATP World Tour champion in 20 years on Sunday, beating first-time finalist Kyle Edmund 6-2, 6-2 to win the Grand Prix Hassan II for a record third time. The Spaniard, who also won the event in 2011 and 2012 in Casablanca, overcame the Australian Open semi-finalist in 82 minutes to become the most successful player in the history of the tournament, which began in 1990. "I played very well during the whole match," said Andujar. "Trying to make him move as much as I could. He attacks a lot and is a very strong player. I was very solid today and I'm very happy about that." The World No. 355 is the lowest-ranked tour-level titlist...
There is no stopping Max Mirnyi, even at the age of 40. 'The Beast' captured his 52nd tour-level doubles title on Saturday evening at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship, teaming with Philipp Oswald. The Belarusian-Austrian duo rallied past Andre Begemann and Antonio Sancic 6-7(2), 6-4, 11/9 under the lights at the River Oaks Country Club. They captured their third team title and second of the year, having emerged with the trophy on the indoor hard courts of New York in February. "I'm definitely coming to the end of my career and I hope I have another go here next year," said Mirnyi. "It's my first title in Houston after all these years. I want to...
Nikola Mektic and Alexander Peya won their second match of the day to capture the Grand Prix Hassan II title in Marrakech, defeating Frenchmen Benoit Paire and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-5, 3-6, 10/7 on Saturday. Mektic and Peya, who beat Divij Sharan and Jan-Lennard Struff earlier in the day in the semi-finals, won 72 per cent of points behind their first serves in the championship match to win their first title as a team in 86 minutes. It is Mektic’s third tour-level triumph, and the 16th time Peya has lifted a trophy. The Croatian-Austrian duo was appearing in its third final of 2018, after runner-up finishes in Rio de Janeiro and Sofia. "It was our third final together. We didn't want...
It was a fitting sendoff for Crandon Park, as the Miami Open presented by Itau bade farewell to its longtime home on Sunday with a thrilling finale. A captivating championship saw John Isner rally past Alexander Zverev 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 for the title, adding a historic first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown to his trophy case. The American and the German wrote one last chapter in Key Biscayne, battling for two and a half hours in humid conditions. At 32 years, 11 months, Isner is the oldest first-time winner at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level. In fact, only two other players (Agassi, Federer) older than Isner have won a Masters 1000 title. The big-hitting American overturned an...
