Federer Marks Milestone To Begin Halle Campaign

Posted: Jun 20, 2017

Federer Marks Milestone To Begin Halle Campaign

Jun202017

Swiss champion next faces Mischa Zverev

Roger Federer added another milestone to his historic career on Tuesday, celebrating his 1,100th match win to start his Gerry Weber Open campaign in Halle. The eight-time champion breezed past lucky loser Yuichi Sugita of Japan 6-3, 6-1 in 52 minutes to move into the second round at the ATP World Tour 500 event.

The 35-year-old Federer rebounded nicely from his early exit last week at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart. Federer led by a set and a break and had a match point against longtime friend Tommy Haas but fell to the German 2-6, 7-6(8), 6-4.

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Against Sugita, Federer started smoothly and stayed aggressive. He hit his fourth ace to claim the opener in only 21 minutes. For the match, Federer won 90 per cent of his first-serve points (26/29).

The top seed improved to 20-2 on the season. He will next face the serve-and-volleying Mischa Zverev, who dismissed Slovakian qualifier Lukas Lacko 6-4, 6-4.

Zverev’s younger brother, #NextGenATP German Alexander Zverev, also cruised in his Halle opener. The World No. 12 saved all three break points faced and needed only 59 minutes to beat Italian Paolo Lorenzi 6-3, 6-2. Zverev reached the semi-finals at the Ricoh Open last week before losing to eventual titlist Gilles Muller.

Zverev will meet compatriot Philipp Kohlschreiber in the second round. The 33-year-old Kohlschreiber leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-0.

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Andy Murray: I can still have great Wimbledon despite Queen's exit

Posted: Jun 20, 2017

Andy Murray says his shock first-round exit at Queen’s will not damage his chances of retaining his Wimbledon title.

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Aegon Championships: Stan Wawrinka & Milos Raonic suffer upsets at Queen's

Posted: Jun 20, 2017

2017 Aegon Championships
Venue: Queen’s Club, London Dates: 19-25 June
Coverage: Comprehensive live coverage on BBC One, BBC Two, Red Button, Connected TV and online daily

Milos Raonic and Stan Wawrinka both lost in the first round of the Aegon Championships on a day of upsets at Queen’s Club.

Australian wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis stunned Canadian third seed Raonic, last year’s runner-up, 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (10-8).

Former finalist Feliciano Lopez of Spain then saw off Swiss second seed Wawrinka 7-6 (7-4) 7-5.

Five-time champion Andy Murray also lost to Australian Jordan Thompson.

Meanwhile, 18-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer earned his first grass-court win of the year at Halle in Germany.

Live scores and schedule
Konta into second round in Birmingham
Injured Evans pulls out of Eastbourne

Wawrinka lost in the first round for the second year running and now has a 4-5 career record at Queen’s Club.

Kokkinakis, 21, was playing only his fifth match of 2017 after missing 18 weeks with an abdominal strain.

The Australian, who was watched from courtside by close friend Nick Kyrgios, has struggled desperately with injuries.

He reached a career-high ranking of 69 two years ago but had shoulder surgery in December 2015 and suffered a pectoral injury after returning last August, before his abdominal strain this year.

“It means everything, this match. It’s huge for me,” said Kokkinakis, who saved eight break points in the first set and three set points in the second-set tie-break.

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“I’ve been out of the game for so long. I’m trying to look forward now – it’s been brutal.

“I’m trying to get myself going week by week. I think it was 22 months out of the game but I can’t wait to play my next game.”

Asked what lesson he would take from the defeat, Raonic said: “Don’t get caught too far behind the baseline, hit the damn ball, and move forward every chance you have.”

He added: “I will go into Wimbledon with a lot of confidence, because I have prepared really well.”

Federer earns first win of grass-court season

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Federer decided to miss the entire clay-court season in order to focus on the grass, returning with a defeat by German veteran Tommy Haas in Stuttgart last week.

But the 35-year-old responded with a 6-3 6-1 win against Japan’s Yuichi Sugita in the first round at Halle on Tuesday.

The Swiss top seed needed just 51 minutes to earn his 1,100th win on the ATP Tour.

“I had never played him. And playing against me, all are always very motivated,” said Federer, who won his 18th Slam at the Australian Open in January.

“That doesn’t make it easy, but I’m very satisfied. That was a very good start.”

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Andy Murray: How world number one was stunned by Jordan Thompson at Queen's

Posted: Jun 20, 2017

Watch highlights of defending champion Andy Murray’s shock first-round exit by world number 90 Jordan Thompson at Queen’s Club.

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Ex-footballer Maldini qualifies for Challenger Tour event

Posted: Jun 20, 2017

Legendary Italy and AC Milan footballer Paolo Maldini has qualified for a professional tennis tournament on the ATP Challenger Tour.

The 48-year-old, capped 126 times by his country, won a qualifier in Italy with doubles partner Stefano Landonio.

Landonio, 46, was once ranked 975 in the world and has coached Maldini since he retired in 2009.

The pair will compete at the Aspria Tennis Cup, a Challenger Tour event in Milan which begins on 29 June.

The Challenger Tour is the tier below the top-level ATP World Tour, which features the best players in the world.

Maldini spent 31 years with AC Milan, 24 of them as a professional, winning seven league titles and the Champions League five times.

He will be 49 on the day the Aspria Tennis Cup begins, with 16 doubles pairings competing on clay.

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Dan Evans: Injured Briton pulls out of Eastbourne International

Posted: Jun 20, 2017

British number three Dan Evans’ hopes of playing at Wimbledon are in doubt after he withdrew from next week’s Aegon International in Eastbourne.

The 27-year-old retired with a calf injury during his quarter-final against Dustin Brown at Surbiton two weeks ago.

He was seen on crutches at a tournament in Nottingham last week and has not competed at this week’s Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club.

The world number 50 has 13 days to recover before the start of Wimbledon.

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Murray to donate winnings to Grenfell fire families

Posted: Jun 20, 2017

2017 Aegon Championships
Venue: Queen’s Club, London Dates: 19-25 June
Coverage: Comprehensive live coverage on BBC One, BBC Two, Red Button, Connected TV and online daily

Britain’s world number one Andy Murray will donate any winnings from the Aegon Championships at Queen’s to families of the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy.

Murray, 30, can earn up to £350,000 in prize money by winning the tournament.

He starts his campaign for a sixth Queen’s title on Tuesday when he faces fellow Briton Aljaz Bedene.

Seventy nine people died or are missing presumed dead after the blaze at Grenfell Tower in Kensington last week.

The government has pledged to give £5,500 to all of those who lost their homes, with more than £200,000 of a £5m emergency fund so far given to families affected.

In 2013, Murray donated his £73,000 winnings from Queen’s to the Royal Marsden Centre, which had been treating his friend and Davis Cup doubles player Ross Hutchins for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

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