Julian Knowle and Philipp Petzschner were warriors all week at the SkiStar Swedish Open and the Austrian-German tandem were rewarded with their first team title on Sunday.

Knowle and Petzschner defeated Dutch duo Sander Arends and Matwe Middelkoop 6-2, 3-6, 10-7 on Centre Court in Bastad, notching their fourth straight victory in a Match Tie-break. They prevailed after 70 minutes, converting three of 14 break chances.

Competing as a team for the first time, the unseeded titlists split €26,110 in prize money and 250 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points. Both ended lengthy ATP World Tour title droughts, notching their first trophies since 2014.

“It was an amazing week,” said Petzschner. “Coming in, Julian had won in Braunschweig and we just kept hanging in there. It’s a lovely tournament and it’s a great way to finish it. I wasn’t even sure if I could play tennis again (after shoulder surgery), but now I have a title which feels great. Now we’re undefeated so let’s see what happens in the future.”

“We were fighting and hung in there,” said Knowle about the four three-set wins. “We made life more difficult than it should have been, but there’s no complaints when you win. I’m very happy to get the win.”

It has been a resurgent year for the 43-year-old Knowle, who is coming off lifting the trophy at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Braunschweig two weeks ago, with Igor Zelanay. The 19-time ATP World Tour doubles champion captured a second title in Bastad, exactly 10 years removed from his first crown with Simon Aspelin in 2007.

For the 33-year-old Petzschner, it marked the seventh time he has lifted a tour-level doubles trophy and first with someone other than Jurgen Melzer. The German has enjoyed great success with Austrian partners, having also reached the final at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell this year with Alexander Peya.

Meanwhile, Arends and Middelkoop were competing in their first ATP World Tour event as a team. Middelkoop fell to 3-2 in tour-level finals, while Arends was contesting his first title match.

Little by little, Rajeev Ram could feel the end coming. Last year the 33 year old played both singles and doubles at tournaments, but in practices, he couldn’t push himself as much as he would have liked. Little injuries popped up here and there, and he had so much success in doubles with Raven Klaasen, including a run to the 2016 Nitto ATP Finals title match, that Ram started playing singles less and less.

“I had a great year last year in singles even and in doubles. But I could just feel the wear and tear starting to take its toll,” said Ram, who reached the Delray Beach Open singles final and won two doubles titles last year.

Ram wants to continue lifting trophies with Klaasen, which is why he will solely focus on doubles and retire from singles competition. The two-time Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open champion played his final singles match in Newport.

“You grow up trying to be a singles player as a first thought and that’s what I have devoted my whole career to, up until now. It’s a chapter that’s ending and I definitely feel very privileged to end it here,” Ram told ATPWorldTour.com in Newport. “I’ve actually played this tournament every year since I’ve been a pro, since 2004. I can’t say that about anywhere else. It’s special. I’ve had two singles titles here, [two] doubles titles, and a number of great wins, and to top it off with playing my last singles match.”

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Ram, who partnered with Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi to win the Newport doubles title on Saturday, would have preferred a better ending to his singles career. He fell in the first round to Aussie qualifier Matthew Ebden, who plays for his first ATP World Tour title on Sunday against John Isner.

“I wasn’t doing well, but then I just stopped and thought about it for a minute. It still didn’t go my way, but really I just enjoyed the fact that I got to play on the Stadium Court again here, in front of these fans and so many familiar faces over the years. It’s just really special,” said Ram, who had shared his retirement plans ahead of time with tournament director Todd Martin, who granted him a wild card.

Yet the final loss, Ram should leave his singles pleased with what he accomplished. He has surpassed any expectations he had for his career when he was a child. Ram didn’t even take tennis seriously until he was 15.

Yet the 6’4” right-hander went onto enjoy a successful collegiate and professional career. At the University of Illinois, he was part of the 2003 national championship team and also won the 2003 NCAA doubles title.

On the ATP World Tour, he reached a career high of No. 56 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and won two ATP World Tour titles – 2009 Newport and 2015 Newport.

“Rajeev has had a great career, especially in doubles, but he’s also has a very good singles career. He’s won two ATP titles, not many people can say that,” Isner told ATPWorldTour.com. “He’s done a lot with his game and he’s got a very long doubles career to look forward to.”

Ram was a lucky loser in 2009 before beating Sam Querrey of the U.S. In 2015, he outserved Croatian Ivo Karlovic.

“This venue is a little different than most,” Ram said. “It’s a low-bouncing grass court, which apparently was what it used to be like in the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, and I developed my game through that style; it’s how I felt the best and I felt the most comfortable playing.”

Casual tennis fans might look at Ram’s age – 33 – and think about another 30-something – 35-year-old Roger Federer – and wonder if the American is leaving years on the court. But Ram has some breaking news for everyone: Federer is a unique breed.

“If we all were comparing ourselves to Roger, I think we’d all feel badly about what we did in life. He’s a special case,” Ram said. “And it’s not like I’m stopping completely. I feel like I have a lot of goals I want to achieve in the doubles game and a great partner at the moment. We’ve had a good couple years together, and I just feel like it’s time to fully focus on that.”

Playing together for the first time this week, Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Rajeev Ram notched the doubles title at the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open.

Qureshi and Ram defeated Aussie duo Matt Reid and John-Patrick Smith 6-4, 4-6, 10-7 on Saturday. The win came one day after rallying past third seeds Sam Groth and Leander Paes 11-9 in a Match Tie-break, saving eight match points.

It was the second doubles title in Newport for both players, with Qureshi prevailing in 2015 with Jonathan Marray and Ram in 2009 with Jordan Kerr. In total, Qureshi captured his 15th ATP World Tour doubles crown and fourth of the year (with four different partners). For Ram, it was title No. 13 and his third of the season.

“It’s been a pleasure to play with Rajeev,” said Qureshi. “It’s been a great week. I love Newport and I love coming back here. He’s won so many titles on grass so it was a perfect combination. Hopefully we can play in the future again. Winning a tournament when playing together for the first time is a great feeling.”

The Pakistani-American tandem split $29,010 in prize money and 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points. Ram is now a two-time singles and two-time doubles champion in Newport. He defeated Sam Querrey for his maiden title in 2009 and emerged victorious again in 2015, defeating Ivo Karlovic in a deciding tie-break.

“They did good in the second set to come back, but we kept believing like we did yesterday when we came out of one that we maybe shouldn’t have (saving eight match points),” said Ram. “That was a big factor.”

Guillermo Duran and Andres Molteni claimed their first team ATP World Tour doubles title at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag on Saturday.

The third-seeded Argentines needed one hour and 36 minutes to dispatch Croatian wild cards Marin Draganja and Tomislav Draganja 6-3, 6-7(4), 10-6. They fired four aces, while converting four of nine break chances.

Duran and Molteni had an opportunity to close it out in the second set, but failed to convert on a pair of match points in the ninth game. They would drop the ensuing tie-break, but eventually emerged victorious in the deciding Match Tie-break.

“We are so happy to win this week,” said Duran. “Thanks to Andres for playing with me. We were a little nervous in the final, but it’s amazing to win this tournament.”

The duo are the first all-Argentine team to win on the ATP World Tour since Molteni and Horacio Zeballos prevailed in Atlanta one year ago. The third seeds battled to the title, having taken a three-set encounter against top seeds and doubles legends Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor in Friday’s semi-finals.

“It was a great week here with my partner,” added Molteni. “We had a great time in Umag. We are very happy to win the tournament. I hope next we can come back to defend it. It’s a really good tournament and the organisation is really good. It was really nice to be here.”

Duran improved to 3-0 in tour-level finals while Molteni moved to 3-1 in title matches. All of their titles have come with different partners, with Duran previously lifting the trophy in Quito last year with Pablo Carreno Busta and in Marrakesh with Maximo Gonzalez. Molteni’s first triumph also came last year, with Zeballos in Atlanta, before prevailing with Adil Shamasdin in Lyon two months ago.

Duran and Molteni split €26,110 in prize money, while also earning 250 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points.

The Draganja brothers, meanwhile, were appearing in their first team final. Marin fell to 4-5 in finals, while Tomislav was seeking his maiden crown.

Top seed John Isner will vie for his third title at the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open, setting a final clash against first-time ATP World Tour finalist Matthew Ebden on Sunday.

World No. 21 Isner booked his spot in his 23rd tour-level final and first of the year with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-4 victory over Bjorn Fratangelo. The big-hitting American’s serve was on song throughout the 73-minute affair, firing 15 aces, while not facing a break point. He won 78 per cent of total service points.

“It went well and was a pretty good match,” Isner, who has not dropped serve all week, told reporters. “I served well and started it off well. I was all over him from the get-go. I’m happy to get off the court in just over an hour. I was saying on the Tennis Channel set that now I know what it’s like to be Djokovic and Murray and get off the court in an hour in all of my matches.

“I have great memories in Newport. Sometimes that helps when you know in the past that you’ve won a lot of matches here. I came into this tournament with a pretty good mindset.”

Isner previously lifted the Newport trophy in back-to-back years in 2011-12, defeating Olivier Rochus and Lleyton Hewitt for his lone grass-court crowns. The American is bidding to capture his first piece of silverware on the ATP World Tour in nearly two years, when he prevailed in Atlanta in 2015.

Isner will face Ebden for the third time on Sunday. He leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head 2-0, having not dropped a set in prevailing at the BNP Paribas Open in 2012 and Wimbledon second round in 2015.

“I played [Ebden] at Wimbledon I think three years ago,” Isner added. “He’s won six matches here and is certainly match tough. He’s playing the best tennis in a long time. Grass is his best surface. Tomorrow could be my toughest match and his toughest match as well. We’ll be in for a good fight.”

Ebden reached his first ATP World Tour final with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Peter Gojowczyk. He claimed five of 11 break chances during the 63-minute encounter. The Aussie rallied after being broken to open the match, executing his gameplan to claim his first meeting with the German.

“This is pretty cool,” said Ebden. “First time for this. I’m very happy. I’ve been building up my game the last six months. I love it here on the grass. I couldn’t be happier. Not only winning, but getting all these matches. I’ve had some good results here in the last six or seven years. Being out for six months last year allowed me to appreciate being on tour and let me turn the corner mentally.”

Ebden earned a rather straightforward semi-final victory after a quarter-final battle on Friday against another German – Tobias Kamke – where he rallied from a set down. Having won six matches in six days, he is the fourth qualifier to reach a final this year, joining Mischa Zverev (Geneva), Aljaz Bedene (Budapest) and Guido Pella (Munich).

The Aussie, who opened the 2017 at No. 699 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, is on the comeback trail after a six-month absence last year following knee surgery. The 29 year old, who reached a career-high No. 61 in 2012, is playing arguably the best tennis of his career. Up to No. 249, he is the lowest-ranked player to reach an ATP World Tour final since 866th-ranked Raemon Sluiter in ‘s-Hertogenbosch 2009.

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Transitioning between two surfaces in consecutive weeks is a difficult task, even for the most talented and most experienced of players. Ask anyone on tour and they will likely tell you that the summer swing from the European clay to grass and over to the North American hard courts, is the toughest test of their abilities.

Ruben Bemelmans is making the transition look easy this week at The Hague Open, a €64,000 event on the ATP Challenger Tour. The 29-year-old Belgian is peaking at the right time, extending his dominant form from a third round finish at Wimbledon to the clay of Scheveningen, where he advanced to his third Challenger final of the year.

“For me, it’s no problem,” Bemelmans told ATPWorldTour.com at The Hague Open. “I’ve had a week and a half on clay, so I feel good. The transition is going well. I think for my game I don’t have to adjust that much, just be a bit more patient sometimes.

“My ranking is back to the Top 100 but I’ll still need to play Challengers and ATP World Tour events for the rest of the year. It’ll be a mix, but my mindset is the same for every tournament. I just want to win.”

Bemelmans has excelled on faster surfaces throughout his career, but is earning a new reputation in the Dutch beach town after reaching his 17th Challenger final and first on clay. In fact, entering the week he boasted a combined 126 match wins on hard and grass in his career and just 15 on clay.

Just two weeks ago, Bemelmans was surging on the grass of Wimbledon, notching his best result at the All England Club. He reached the third round as a qualifier, defeating former World No. 2 Tommy Haas and #NextGenATP star Daniil Medvedev along the way.

With the result, Bemelmans moved back into the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time in nearly two years. Now just a few spots off his career-high of No. 84 and with little points to defend through the US Open, he is poised to continue plotting his ascent.

“I’ve proven before that I have the game to go far in Grand Slams. I’ve made the third round at the US Open (in 2015) and have done well in ATP events. I just feel good at Wimbledon. It’s my favourite surface and the Grand Slam where I’ve qualified the most. This year I’ve improved my game a lot and I’ve been very consistent. That’s the key.

“At Wimbledon, I played my game, dominating the points and being in control. I think I have a clear view of how I want to play and that’s been the big difference from the years before. Beating Tommy was something very special. I was very nervous before the match. Obviously he’s a great player and can still play amazing tennis, beating Federer a few weeks ago.

“I handled it well and he said afterwards that I was playing really well and was putting a lot of pressure on him. Against Medvedev, it was the same. On grass, he’s really good and won a lot of matches coming in. As you can see, if I’m in control, I can win some big matches.”

Bemelmans will vie for his sixth ATP Challenger Tour title and second of the year on Sunday, facing Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the Scheveningen final. He lifted the trophy on the indoor hard courts of Koblenz, Germany, in January. Garcia-Lopez, previously the champion in 2006, enters the final with a 12-1 tournament record. It will be their first FedEx ATP Head2Head encounter.

2006 champion @GuillermoGLopez will take on @rubenbemelmans in Sunday’s final in 25th edition of The Hague Open in Scheveningen. pic.twitter.com/AEHtZC2zaH

— The Hague Open (@TheHagueOpen) July 22, 2017

They beat him in ATP World Tour finals and denied him his Grand Slam dreams. But Andy Roddick said on Saturday during his induction speech at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport that he feels fortunate, not lucky, to have played at the same time as all-time greats Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

“I can’t believe the level of tennis that I got to see in my career. The shots hit, the records that were broken, and the records that continue to be broken. Thanks to Murray, Novak, Roger and Rafa for playing the game at a higher level than it’s ever been played,” Roddick said.

Trying to win titles against the ‘Big Four’ had its downside, to be sure, he said. But the American views the timing through this prism: He had the privilege of competing against some of the greatest players who have gripped a racquet.

“The ‘Big Four’ guys really pissed me off most of the time but I’m absolutely proud to have my life and career associated with such quality individuals,” Roddick said. “I got to guard Jordan, I went the distance with Ali, I pitched to Babe Ruth. I feel like I know what it must have been like to watch Picasso. I saw it all.”

He and the foursome also remain friendly. Federer was the first person to send Roddick a congratulatory text on Saturday. “He’s just a great human,” Roddick said.

Sporting his new Hall of Fame jacket, Roddick, as he was throughout his career, was self-deprecating and witty during his 27-minute speech that concluded the induction ceremony on Stadium Court at the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open. The big-hitter who thrived on quick surfaces joked about his clay-court skills, remembering how he felt destined after watching the 1989 Roland Garros final between Michael Chang and Ivan Lendl, the first match Roddick saw.

“That’s when I knew I was going to win Roland Garros,” he said to a stadium full of laughter. “I actually wrote, ‘Pause for laughter’.”

He also mocked his overall level while taking time to individually thank all of his coaches, including Brad Gilbert and Larry Stefanki, who both attended. “I’ve had a lot of coaches, that’s what happens when you’re not very talented,” said Roddick, who won 32 tour-level titles, including the 2003 US Open and five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns.

But the model for consistency on the tour – Roddick finished in the year-end Top 10 nine consecutive years – was also serious and immensely appreciative in front of a supportive crowd. He fought back tears when talking about those who couldn’t be with him today and about what the prestigious Hall of Fame honour meant to him, his team, and his family and friends.

“We’re all getting into the Hall of Fame,” Roddick told those close to him when he learned the news.

He remarked about his late agent, Ken Meyerson, and what he would say to his late father, Jerry Roddick, who passed away suddenly on 8 August 2014.

“It would have meant the world to me to know that he approved of the way my life turned out. I would have loved hearing it,” Roddick said. “It won’t happen but I sit here knowing he would have been proud and satisfied. He wasn’t an easy man to satisfy.”

Longtime fans of his made their emotions known as well. “We love you, Andy!” they shouted.

Doug Spreen, Roddick’s longtime trainer, introduced the American, recounting his accomplishments and playing style.

“Andy played the game of tennis the way it should be played. He played with enthusiasm, pride, passion, and insatiable desire to win, and he played with great effort and with great heart. And, yes, there was that serve, Andy played with power,” Spreen said.

Roddick’s booming delivery led him to much of his success, but, more than his 140 m.p.h. serve, the Nebraska native was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame for his drive and his desire to squeeze everything about of his abilities. He fell short of some of his goals, but Roddick retired with no regrets; he had tried everything.

“I’m not the best of all-time. I’m not going to win Wimbledon. I’m not the best of my generation. I’m not the most well-behaved. I’m not the most polished,” Roddick said. “I’m also never going to take this honour for granted. I’m never going to forget those who paved the way for us… I may not be a lot of things, but from this day forward, I’ll never be anything less than a Hall of Famer. I thank you from the deepest parts of my heart.”

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