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Jamie Murray to become world number one

  • Posted: Mar 27, 2016

Jamie Murray will make history as the first Briton under the modern ranking system to become a world number one.

The 30-year-old Scot, Andy Murray’s older brother, will take top spot in the doubles rankings on Monday, 4 April, replacing Brazil’s Marcelo Melo.

Murray will be the first British world number one since Virginia Wade achieved the honour in doubles in 1973.

However, no Briton has previously topped the computer rankings introduced by the ATP and WTA during the 1970s.

Murray gained his first Grand Slam doubles title in January, winning the Australian Open alongside Brazilian partner Bruno Soares.

Melo has relinquished his world number one spot after losing at the Miami Open on Sunday.

The Brazilian’s failure to reach the quarter-finals means he will drop enough points to fall behind Murray, even though the Briton had already been eliminated from the tournament.

“Last night I went to bed wondering if that was the closest I would ever get,” wrote Murray on Instagram. “Today driving in the car my phone started to go crazy. #1”

After losing his top ranking, Melo said: “He really deserves it. He made the final in Wimbledon, final US Open, won the Davis Cup, won the Australian Open, so he deserves it a lot. I’m happy for him.”

Computerised rankings were introduced by the ATP for singles in 1973 and for doubles in 1976. The WTA introduced computer rankings for singles in 1975 and doubles in 1984.

Before that, world rankings were compiled by leading tennis journalists and issued annually. Fred Perry topped the men’s world rankings in the 1930s under this system, while fellow Briton Angela Mortimer was the women’s singles number one in 1961.

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Sela Joins '20 Titles Club' In Shenzhen

  • Posted: Mar 27, 2016

Sela Joins '20 Titles Club' In Shenzhen

ATPWorldTour.com pays tribute to Dudi Sela, who has become the second player to win 20 singles titles on the ATP Challenger Tour

After 14 years on tour, Israel’s Dudi Sela has achieved a career milestone by recording his 20th title on the ATP Challenger Tour.

Competing this week in Shenzhen, China, Sela played flawless tennis throughout the tournament. He raced through the draw without losing a set and comfortably dispatched local favourite Di Wu in the championship match, 6-4, 6-3.

“I am so happy to win my 20th Challenger title in Shenzhen,” said Sela. “Winning a title here is very important because I didn’t play well after the Australian Open. The performance this week can boost my confidence for the rest of the year .”

With the win, Sela joins Yen-Hsun Lu as the only players on tour in the “20-Title Club” for Challenger victories.

Dudi Sela’s 20-Title Haul

Title

Year

Tournament

20

2016

Shenzhen, CHN

19

2015 Suzhou, CHN
18 2015 Vancouver, CAN
17 2015 Batman, TUR
16 2013 Tashkent, UZB
15 2013 Astana, KAZ
14 2013 Busan, KOR
13 2012 Bangkok, THA
12 2011 Nottingham, UK
11 2011 Fergana, UZB
10 2011 Busan, KOR
 9 2010 Vancouver, CAN
 8 2010 Rhodes, GRE
 7 2008 Vancouver, CAN
 6 2007 Yokohama, JPN
 5 2007 Seoul, KOR
 4 2007 Togliatti, RUS
 3 2005 Vancouver, CAN
 2 2005 Lexington, USA
 1 2003 Togliatti, RUS

“The Challengers have been a very important of my career,” said Sela. “These tournaments aren’t easy because most of the players either were in the Top 100 or have the ability to get there. But whenever my ranking dropped a bit, I would always go back to the Challengers to get some matches and confidence.” 

Although the veteran has plenty of good memories to take from the ATP Challenger Tour, he cited the former tournament in Vancouver, Canada, as his favourite event. Having won there four times (2005, 2008, 2010 and 2015), Sela is one of just five current players to win at least four titles at a single tournament.

“I really liked playing in Vancouver,” said Sela. “It’s a nice tournament, so it’s a pity that it got canceled this year. It was more unique than a lot of tournaments I’ve played.”

Currently ranked No. 84 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Sela’s victory in Shenzhen ensures that he will receive direct entry into the main draw of Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year. But while he’s pleased with achieving a career milestone this week, the 31-year-old said he still has bigger things in store.

“I started the year very well and my goal was to get back into the Top 50, but then I lost five matches in a row, so your goal is always changing,” said Sela. “But my main goal is still to win an ATP World Tour title. I’ve been a finalist two times before (at Beijing in 2008 and Atlanta in 2014), so I believe I can reach this one day.”

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Murray Moves On In Miami

Murray Moves On In Miami

  • Posted: Mar 27, 2016

Murray Moves On In Miami

Brit downs Istomin

Andy Murray shook off whatever rust there was from Indian Wells and looked comfortable in a familiar environment on Saturday night at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

Murray, who has a home in Miami, won in straight sets against Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-3, 7-5 in his first match since losing to Argentina’s Federico Delbonis at the BNP Paribas Open last week.

The No. 2 seed broke Istomin four times and performed close to the level Miami fans have come to expect from the Brit. Murray has won the Miami tournament two times (2009, 20013) and finished as a finalist twice as well (2012, 2015).

“I feel comfortable there,” Murray said last week of Miami.

The 28 year mixed spin with power to land 24 winners. He broke Istomin to start the match and never relinquished his serve during the opening set. An Istomin forehand long gave Murray another break and a one-set lead.

In the second set, the two traded holds until Murray netted a forehand to hand Istomin his first break of the match. But down 2-3, Murray played inspired tennis. He broke Istomin at love. Murray then held to go up 4-3 and finished the match by breaking Istomin at 6-5.

It was not Murray’s cleanest match of 2016, though. He landed only 52 per cent of his first serves and committed 24 unforced errors.

Istomin was looking for his second win in the past six months. The World No. 76 upset Croatia’s Borna Coric in Miami for his first win of 2016. With Saturday’s loss, Istomin fell to 1-30 lifetime against Top 10 players.

Murray will face Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the third round. Dimitrov overcame seven double faults to beat Delbonis 7-6(8), 4-6, 6-4. Murray leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 6-2. The Brit also has won their last three meetings on hard courts.

No. 9 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also moved into the third round on Saturday evening. The Frenchman used four service breaks to bypass Colombia’s Santiago Giraldo 6-3, 6-1.

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Miami Open Saturday Doubles Wrap

Miami Open Saturday Doubles Wrap

  • Posted: Mar 27, 2016

Miami Open Saturday Doubles Wrap

Bob and Mike Bryan chasing fifth title

Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan’s quest for history remains intact at the Miami Open presented by Itau. The American duo won their first-round match against the Spanish team of Inigo Cervantes and David Ferrer 6-3, 7-5 on Saturday to move into the second round.

The reigning two-time Miami Open champions are looking to become the first doubles team to win three consecutive titles in Miami since Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde from 1995-97.

Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, who have won four Miami titles, next will play Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut and Serbian Viktor Troicki. They beat Great Britain’s Dominic Inglot and Sweden’s Robert Lindstedt 6-3, 7-5 on Thursday.

A potential roadblock for the Bryans lost on Saturday. No. 1 seeds Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands and Horia Tecau of Romania fell to Frenchmen Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin 6-7(7), 6-7(4).

The Frenchmen will meet the Spanish team of Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez in the second round.

The other seeded doubles team playing on Saturday also was upset. No. 7 seeds Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia fell to Omar Jasika and John-Patrick Smith, the wild-card team from Australia, 1-6, 7-5, 10-12.

The Aussies advanced to the second round to face Spaniard David Marrero and Frenchman Benoit Paire.

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Nadal Retires Against Dzumhur In Miami

Nadal Retires Against Dzumhur In Miami

  • Posted: Mar 27, 2016

Nadal Retires Against Dzumhur In Miami

Bosnian advances in difficult conditions

Rafael Nadal was forced to retire against Damir Dzumhur on a hot and muggy Saturday at the Miami Open presented by Itau. Dzumhur, No. 94 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, was up 2-6, 6-4, 3-0 in the second-round match when the Spaniard was unable to continue. Dzumhur had never beaten a Top-10 player in five previous attempts.

“Everything was fine until the end of the first set,” Nadal said. “Then I started to feel dizzy, not very good. It was getting worse and worse. Finally, in the second set, I realised that I could not keep playing.

“I wanted to finish the match, but I seriously could not. It was tough, because I felt I was playing well. I had good practices after a great week in Indian Wells. I stopped because I was concerned for my health, and I could not finish the match the way I was feeling.”

Despite its final outcome, the match did not start auspiciously for Dzumhur. The Bosnian faced 12 break points in losing the one-sided opening set, and was the first to request the trainer. The 23 year old was visibly affected by Miami’s heat and humidity, but soldiered on after receiving assistance during the changeover.

Nadal was unable to capitalise on Dzumhur’s discomfort. After breezing through his service games in the opening set, the left-hander won only 50 per cent of first-serve points the rest of the way (11/22) and was broken four times in as many opportunities in the last two sets. An ailing Nadal called for the trainer twice before retiring after an hour and 50 minutes. The Spaniard, a four-time finalist in Miami, will have to wait another year to capture the elusive title.

“It’s definitely not the way I wanted to finish,” Dzumhur said. “It was really tough to play today. I also felt tired, heavy, and in some moments dizzy on the court. In the first set we played a very long second game. After that game I felt I could not run that well.

“Between the first and second sets, I calle a medical time-out. I was really thinking about retirement, but just said to myself, ‘I’m playing Rafa. I don’t have a chance to play these guys every day. I want to enjoy this moment.’ So I tried to continue.”

In the third round, Dzumhur will face Mikhail Kukushkin, who advanced when Thomaz Bellucci retired at 7-5, 3-6. The Kazakh, No. 90 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, is into the third round in Miami for the first time. His previous third-round appearance in an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event dates back to Indian Wells 2014 (l. to Lopez).

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Nishikori, Kuznetsov Advance At Miami Open

Nishikori, Kuznetsov Advance At Miami Open

  • Posted: Mar 27, 2016

Nishikori, Kuznetsov Advance At Miami Open

The Japanese and the Russian win in straight sets to move into the third round

The best season of Andrey Kuznetsov’s career reached a new peak on Saturday afternoon at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

The 25-year-old controlled his nerves like a veteran and outplayed World No. 4 Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 19 minutes to move into the third round of the Miami Open for the first time.

Kuznetsov, who’s playing in Miami for the second time of his nine-year career, had never won a match at the tournament before this week. But the World No. 51 looked like the more comfortable player against Wawrinka.

Kuznetsov was more more willing to work the points and stay in rallies than the Swiss, who slapped 34 unforced errors to 16 winners. The Russian also mixed up his attack nicely, rallying with Wawrinka from the baseline and ending points at the net. Kuznetsov won all 11 of the net points he played and hit 22 winners to 21 unforced errors.

He also avenged his straight-set loss to Wawrinka last week in Indian Wells. The Russian also has now won more tour-level matches this year – 12 – than he did during all of 2015 – 10.

Most encouraging for Kuznetsov, though, might have been how he finished on Saturday. He won the final eight points, holding at love and breaking Wawrinka at love as the World No. 4 faltered.

Kuznetsov will face either No. 29 seed American Sam Querrey or Adrian Mannarino of France in the third round.

World No. 6 Kei Nishikori also moved into the third round, dismissing French qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert, 6-2, 7-6(4) on Saturday. Herbert had won the doubles title in Indian Wells last weekend with countryman Nicolas Mahut, but Nishikori broke Herbert three times to advance.

Nishikori, who reached the Miami semi-finals in 2013, will play No. 27 seed Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine in the third round. Dolgopolov beat Italy’s Andreas Seppi 6-4, 6-4. Nishikori leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry against the Ukrainian 3-0.

Canadian Milos Raonic also booked a spot in the third round by winning in straight sets. Raonic beat American Denis Kudla 7-6(4), 6-4. Raonic saved all six break points faced and hit 13 aces against Kudla, No. 63 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

The No. 12 seed will next face another American Jack Sock. The No. 22 seed won by default when Sergiy Stakhovsky retired down 2-6, 2-3 during their second-round match. Raonic leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry against Sock 6-1. His only loss occurred the first time they played, on hard courts in 2013 in Memphis.

Gael Monfils also won easily in Miami. In less than an hour, Monfils dismissed Japanese qualifier Tatsuma Ito 6-3, 6-2 on Court 2. The Frenchman struck nine aces and broke Ito three times. The No. 16 seed next will face No. 23 seed Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay, who eliminated John Millman of Australia 7-5, 6-4.

Nick Kyrgios overwhelmed Marcos Baghdatis 6-2, 6-1 in under an hour to advance to the third round. The Aussie excelled in playing first-strike tennis, firing 14 aces and winning 55 per cent of return points against the Cypriot to set up a meeting against Tim Smyczek. Smyczek survived 24 aces from Isner and secured his second victory against a Top-20 player 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(5) when Isner double-faulted on match point.

Roberto Bautista Agut moved into the third round after Aljaz Bedene retired with the Spaniard up 7-5, 2-2.

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'Dizzy' Nadal retires from Miami Open

  • Posted: Mar 27, 2016

Rafael Nadal retired from a match for the first time in six years after feeling “dizzy” in stifling conditions at the Miami Open.

The Spaniard, seeded fifth, had called for the doctor twice before he pulled out trailing 3-0 in the deciding set against world number 94 Damir Dzumhur.

“Hopefully it’s nothing, it’s just the extreme conditions,” said Nadal.

“I called the doctor a couple of times but I felt I was not safe there, so I decided to go.”

Dzumhur, the world number 94 from Bosnia-Herzegovina, was leading 2-6 6-4 3-0 after one hour and 50 minutes when Nadal called it a day.

“Everything was fine until the end of the first set,” added the 29-year-old.

“I started to feel not very good, it was getting worse and worse and worse. In the second set I realised that I was not able to keep playing. I tried to resist but I got a little bit scared to be too dizzy.

“I wanted to finish the match but I seriously couldn’t.”

The last match Nadal retired from was the 2010 Australian Open quarter-final against Britain’s Andy Murray.

Fourth seed Stan Wawrinka was another leading name to make an early exit, the Swiss player going down 6-4 6-3 to Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov.

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