American moves into the second round on the grass
American Steve Johnson earned his first career Top 10 win on Monday, sweeping World No. 10 Richard Gasquet 7-6(2), 6-2 at the Aegon Championships in London. The 26-year-old had been 0-13 against Top 10 foes before Monday.
Gasquet had a set point on his racquet before a lengthy rain delay halted the match at 5-all. After the rain stopped, Johnson took the tie-break and earned two breaks of serve in the second set to move into the second round.
Last year’s runner-up Kevin Anderson qualified at The Queen’s Club by beating Czech Jiri Vesely 7-6(2), 7-6(5). In last year’s final, Anderson fell to Andy Murray, who also returns to the ATP World Tour 500 event this year.
Canadian Vasek Pospisil also qualified on Monday, overcoming World No. 136 Tobias Kamke of Germany 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
The Aegon Championships was voted Tournament of the Year in its category for the third consecutive year by players in January. This year’s field also features World No. 5 Stan Wawrinka and Milos Raonic, No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Marin Cilic, the event’s 2012 champion, Roberto Bautista Agut, John Isner and Gilles Simon round out the remaining seeds in London.
Two former champions – Grigor Dimitrov (2014) and Sam Querrey (2010) – also will play this week.
David Beckham says watching his son Romeo play tennis with world number two Andy Murray at Queen’s Club was “surreal”.
Romeo, 13, has recently joined the London club, which is hosting the Aegon Championships, and was planning to watch some players warm up.
Former England captain Beckham said: “It’s obviously a huge treat and one that he wasn’t expecting or I wasn’t expecting as well.
“We were just coming down here to see some of the guys warm up and practise, so this is a big plus for him.”
This clip is originally from 5 live Sport on the 12 June 2016.
France’s world number 10 Richard Gasquet is beaten 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 by American Steve Johnson in a rain-affected opening day at Queen’s Club.
WATCH MORE: Andy Murray says Ivan Lendl reunion happened quickly
British number two Heather Watson dug deep to win 6-4 7-5 against Italy’s Camila Giorgi at a rain-affected Aegon Classic in Birmingham.
Their first-round match did not start until after 17:00 BST as downpours delayed the day’s play until 15:30.
Watson claimed the only break point of the first set, then saw off six break points for Giorgi in the second.
The world number 55, ranked 11 places higher than Giorgi, will play Barbora Strycova or Karolina Pliskova next.
“I was very focused at the end and I’m so glad we got to play the full match without any rain delays,” said 24-year-old Watson.
“She’s a very tough opponent and hits the ball extremely hard. I had to accept she will hit a lot of winners but had to take advantage when she made mistakes.
“I feel fully fit and think I’m playing very well.”
American seventh seed Madison Keys won 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 against Hungary’s Timea Babos in Monday’s opening match.
However, British number three Naomi Broady and Australia’s Daria Gavrilova were forced off court about 19:00 by more rain.
British number one Johanna Konta and Tara Moore begin their Edgbaston campaigns on Tuesday.
Konta, 25, faces Japan’s Misaki Doi, while Moore, 23, plays Austria’s Tamira Paszek.
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| Summer of tennis on the BBC |
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| Tournaments: Queen’s, Eastbourne and Wimbledon Dates: 13 June to 10 July |
| Coverage: Live on BBC TV, radio and online. Click for more details |
Rain has disrupted the start of the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club.
Play was scheduled to begin at 12:30 BST on Monday, but was put back until about 14:40 because of intermittent showers over London.
Richard Gasquet and American opponent Steve Johnson managed eight minutes of action before the covers came on, with the French fourth seed leading 2-0.
British number four Dan Evans’ is scheduled to play France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu after the opening match.
Top seed Andy Murray also faces a Frenchman – world number 49 Nicolas Mahut – in his first-round match on Tuesday.
Mahut, 34, goes into the tournament having claimed the fourth ATP title of his career at the Ricoh Open in the Netherlands.
The defending champion completed a rain-interrupted 6-4 6-4 victory over Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller on Monday.
Meanwhile, rising Austrian star Dominic Thiem became the first player to win titles on three different surfaces this year when he won the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart.
The French Open semi-finalist won 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 6-4 against Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber after Sunday’s final had been stopped by rain before the first-set tie-break.
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| Summer of tennis on the BBC |
|---|
| Tournaments: Queen’s, Eastbourne and Wimbledon Dates: 13 June to 10 July |
| Coverage: Live on BBC TV, radio and online. Click for more details |
The return of coach Ivan Lendl could be key to Andy Murray overcoming world number one Novak Djokovic and winning more Grand Slams, says former British number one John Lloyd.
Murray, 29, will resume working with Lendl on Tuesday, having split with the Czech-born American in 2014.
Eight-time major champion Lendl guided Murray to his two Grand Slam titles and Olympic gold in 2012 and 2013.
“I think it’s a great signing and the right time to do it,” said Lloyd.
“This to me could be the missing ingredient. He has to beat Djokovic.
“I know there’s a lot of other good players. But, let’s face it, Andy’s figured everyone else out, he hasn’t figured Djokovic out. No-one has.”
Murray split with coach Amelie Mauresmo last month, having won his first clay-court titles and established himself as the world number two during their time together, but failed to add to his two major victories.
He has reached both Grand Slam finals in 2016, but lost to Djokovic at the Australian Open and French Open.
It was with Lendl on his team that the Scot won Olympic gold and the US Open in 2012, and Wimbledon in 2013 – beating Djokovic in all three tournaments.
“There was certainly a difference with Andy when he had Lendl,” added Lloyd.
“His concentration was better, his focus was better, his mind wasn’t wandering in the matches like it sometimes did when he had the other coaches.”
Murray will play France’s Nicolas Mahut in his opening match at the Aegon Championships on Tuesday, with the Briton trying to win a record fifth title.
Leon Smith, Britain’s Davis Cup captain, expects Lendl to bring the same qualities that helped Murray during their first partnership.
“I think it’s really good news for him,” said Smith. “Ivan just brought this authority, sense of direction and confidence for Andy.
“Andy’s got a good radar for everything. He’s had to make a lot of choices with his coaches in the past and he normally gets it right. He normally improves.
“He’s got a big hurdle to get over in Djokovic and I think this will really help.”
Murray announced on Monday that Lendl would be returning to the team, with the eight-time Grand Slam champion expected to take his first practice session at Queen’s Club on Tuesday.
“Ivan is a leader,” Murray told BBC Sport. “He’s very, very experienced.
“I spoke a lot about the psychological side, just because we went through a lot of the same things as players before I finally broke through.
“Ivan lost 11 Grand Slam finals and I’ve lost eight – not that I want to catch him in that number!
“But we’ve both been in that position before and know how to bounce back.
“I had my best results with him, the most successful period of my career was working with him, and hopefully it goes well again.”
Jamie Delgado joined the coaching set-up earlier this year and has already seen Murray win the Rome Masters and reach the French Open final.
He will continue to travel with Murray throughout the year, as Lendl joins up for the major tournaments and training blocks.
Former British number one Andrew Castle believes Lendl adds an element of authority to the Murray team.
“Jamie Delgado is not going anywhere,” Castle told BBC Sport. “He’s an important part of the set-up.
“To tell your boss off is not easy. If you are a coach, you have to have real authority and Ivan will be able to say to Andy, ‘This is the way it is’, and then back it up. He’s got that gravitas, no question.”
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Thiem gets the better of Kohlschreiber in Stuttgart
Dominic Thiem completed victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber on Monday in a rain-interrupted Mercedes Cup final.
Third seed Thiem captured his seventh ATP World Tour crown with a 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-4 victory in two hours and 11 minutes. The match had been suspended due to rain on Sunday with seventh seed Kohlschreiber leading 6-6 (3/2) in the first set tie-break.
“It feels absolutely unreal because I came here without any expectations basically, and I’m pretty sure that it’s the most special title for me,” said Thiem. “I didn’t play that well on grass over the past two years, and this tournament was so strong. I’m the winner here, I really cannot believe it.”
In recording an ATP World Tour-best 45th match win of the season, Thiem received €107,900 in prize money and earned 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points. Kohlschreiber now travels to the Gerry Weber Open in Halle with €56,830 and 150 points.
With his first grass-court trophy, 22-year-old Thiem has become only the ninth active player – and 29th in Open Era history (since May 1968) – to win three titles on three different surfaces in the same year. Thiem has also won titles in Buenos Aires (d. Almagro on clay); Acapulco (d. Tomic on hard); Nice (d. A. Zverev on clay) this year.
SURFACE TITLES SWEEP IN SAME YEAR
|
Active Player
|
Year First Achieved
|
Titles
|
|
Dominic Thiem (AUT)
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2016
|
Buenos Aires, Acapulco, Stuttgart
|
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Andy Murray (GBR)
|
2015
|
Munich, London-Queen’s, Masters 1000 Canada
|
|
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)
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2014
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Acapulco, Bucharest, London-Queen’s
|
|
David Ferrer (ESP)
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2012
|
Auckland, Buenos Aires, ‘s-Hertogenbosch
|
|
Novak Djokovic (SRB)
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2011
|
Australian Open, Belgrade, Wimbledon
|
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Sam Querrey (USA)
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2010
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Memphis, Belgrade, London-Queen’s
|
|
Rafael Nadal (ESP)
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2008
|
Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo, London-Queen’s, Masters 1000 Canada
|
|
Ivo Karlovic (CRO)
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2007
|
Houston, Nottingham, Stockholm
|
|
Roger Federer (SUI)
|
2003
|
Marseille, Munich, Halle
|
(Federer also achieved the feat in 2004, 2005, 2007-09, 2012, 2015. Nadal also achieved the feat in 2010 and Djokovic in 2014 and 2015.)
It was Thiem and Kohlschreiber’s second ATP World Tour final on German soil in the past six weeks. Kohlschreiber had beaten the World No. 7 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(4) for the BMW Open by FWU AG title last month.
Kohlschrieber, who had led Thiem 2-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, had a 3/2 advantage in the first set tie-break when the final got back underway in Stuttgart on Monday morning. He won four straight points to seal the 59-minute opener.
Thiem regrouped to break Kohlschreiber to 15 in the first game of the second set. It proved to be enough for Thiem, despite being forced to recover from 30/40 at 5-4, and a further break point in a 14-point game.
Kohlschreiber came under pressure at the start of the decider, saving two break points from 15/40 in the first game. Thiem eventually broke and opened up a 3-1 lead.
“It’s sad to lose the final, but I think it was a very good final,” said Kohlschreiber. “It was a tough situation, because of the rain, but overall it was a great finish for the tournament and for Dominic. I’m happy with the performance, the loss is a little bit annoying, but I am happy with the week. I’m now looking forward to playing another tournament in Germany [at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle].”
The 32-year-old Kohlschreiber has won five of his seven ATP World Tour titles in Germany. The 2016 Mercedes Cup final marks his 10th title match on home soil.
Thiem saved two match points against top seed Roger Federer in Saturday’s semi-finals. He is now 19-1 in deciding sets this year, according to the FedEx ATP Performance Zone.
“I started to play better and better [throughout the week],” said Thiem. “Saturday and today were two unbelievable victories against the best ever and against a really, really good grass-court player.”