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 of the country club, everything that goes with it. The people are awesome, everybody involved with the tournament makes it so special. Always happy to come back here and start my clay-court season,” Johnson said.

Read More: Johnson: ‘Life Throws A Curveball Sometimes’

The win was particularly emotional for Johnson, whose father, Steve Johnson Sr., died 11 months ago. Johnson’s 2017 Houston title was the last match his dad saw of him.

On Sunday, after Sandgren’s return of serve sailed long on match point, Johnson leaned over, attempting to compose himself. He walked to the net, making the sign of the cross and fist-pumping to the sky before burying his head in Sandgren’s shoulder.

Sandgren consoled his friend and countryman, patting Johnson on the head and talking him through the moment. Later, Johnson walked to his team courtside, where he buried his head once more.

After the match, Johnson remembered his telephone conversation with his father after he won the 2017 Houston title. “He was just so excited. He’s somebody that I’d still like to call today,” Johnson said. “He’d tell me he was proud of me and be ready for the wedding next weekend.”

It had been an up-and-down 11 months for Johnson on the court, understandably. His year-end ATP Ranking fell to No. 44 last year, his lowest since 2013. But the American is starting to turn it around this season. He made the semi-finals at the Delray Beach Open, and another perfect week in Houston will propel him into the European clay-court season.

He and Sandgren had never faced off in tour-level action, but Sandgren had won both of their prior meetings, at the Futures level and in ATP Challenger Tour action.

In the opener, Johnson’s low-and-cutting backhand slice perplexed Sandgren, particularly when at net. But the 26-year-old Sandgren fought well to force a tie-break, where Johnson pulled away and took the opener with a forehand winner.

Johnson had three more break points in the opening game of the second set, but Sandgren composed himself, saving all three and using the momentum to build his confidence. He broke twice to force the decisive third set.

Read More: Dimitrov Dialed In For Monte-Carlo Run

“He definitely had the upper hand until I could turn the momentum there in the second set. He was doing a lot of good things, and I wasn’t really sure where to attack him. He was a defending well, his slice is tough to hit,” Sandgren said. 

In the decider, though, Johnson, who was playing his fourth ATP World Tour final (3-1), used his experience well against Sandgren, who was competing in his first ATP World Tour title match. Johnson came back from 15/40 to break at 4-4 when Sandgren lifted a forehand wide. Serving for the match, Johnson erased a break point with a forehand winner on the line and later clinched the title on his first match point.

Johnson, who will marry Kendall Bateman on Saturday, will receive 250 ATP Rankings points and $99,375 in prize money. Sandgren, who is expected to crack the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings on Monday, will receive 150 ATP Rankings points and $52,340 in prize money.

“It’s a great week and I’m super excited to get to a final, and I’m happy the match was highly contested. It definitely could have been a lot easier for him,” Sandgren said.

DID YOU KNOW?
Johnson is the first player to win the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship title by defeating five consecutive American opponents since Jaime Yzaga of Peru in 1991 when the tournament was held in Charlotte.

It has not been the best start to 2018 for World No. 5 Grigor Dimitrov. He struggled early on in the year with a virus, and has lost four of his past five matches. But as the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters gets underway, he is well aware that with a positive mentality, it won’t take much for a complete turnaround.

“Sometimes you need one or two matches to get into a tournament and then, all of a sudden, you play the best game. Sometimes you play two, three scrappy matches that turn not only the whole tournament, but the whole year,” Dimitrov told press in Monte-Carlo on Sunday. “I’ve been there, I’ve done that.”

The Bulgarian has certainly proven that he has what it takes to succeed on the grandest stages on the ATP World Tour. He is the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion, after all. But the right-hander recalls one instance in particular when he never expected to have a standout week, and it ended up being the best of his career up until that point.

“Last year before Cincinnati, I did not have one good practice. I could not put the ball in the court. And next thing you know, the next Sunday, I was winning the trophy, which was total craziness for me,” Dimitrov said of his maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 triumph. “I didn’t expect that at all or anything, so I just want to approach things this way.”

Dimitrov feels refreshed as he gets ready to open his first clay-court event of the season against Pierre-Hugues Herbert or Paolo Lorenzi. The 26-year-old resides in Monte-Carlo and trains at the Monte-Carlo Country Club during the off-season. So while he wanted to make a deep run in Miami, where he lost in the second round, spending three weeks at home before playing a tournament there was a nice side-effect.

“I try to take things the way they are and I finished the hard-court season a little bit earlier, so I guess that gave me some time to rest a little bit to kind of rehab my body and kind of start fresh,” Dimitrov said. “I think so far I’ve done all the right things and the only thing that I can do right now is get out there and start competing. I think this is the number one priority for me right now, just to get a lot of matches, to start moving on the clay as best as I can again.”

And Dimitrov knows that he has to be ready, as plenty of players can triumph. While Rafael Nadal is a 10-time champion in Monte-Carlo, the past three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 winners did so by raising trophies at this level for the first time. The Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters is the first clay-court Masters 1000 event of the year.

“Everybody’s been playing such a good tennis. I would say not only the top players, everybody can be a potential winner in pretty much any tournament,” Dimitrov said. “We saw a lot of good results, a lot of different results so I think that time was needed for me. I mean everything else, whatever I say obviously is going to be an excuse. But I’m happy and positive that I had that time. I think you always need that time, regardless, whether it’s maybe off the court, maybe it’s a little holiday, maybe we just need to spend time with the family, whatever it is.”

Now, the fourth seed can completely focus on putting in a good performance on the clay, which he only won four matches (4-5) on last year.

“I grew up on clay. I spent my early years in Spain, so I feel I can play good on clay. Last year I was a little bit unfortunate in certain tournaments,” Dimitrov said. “It’s a new year. One year older, more experienced, more mature in any way possible to try to learn something from last year and you keep on growing and you keep on working. That’s just the way it is.”

When Dominic Thiem retired from his third-round match at Indian Wells with an ankle injury, all questions of his health pointed at the coming clay-court season.

Would he recover in time to play on his favourite surface? Would he be able to defend his exceptional 2017 results? Would he be able to make a run for his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title – or even Roland Garros?

As the Austrian returns to the ATP World Tour this week at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, he intends to answer those questions. 

“I always feel good coming to clay,” said Thiem. “I had some issues with my ankle from Indian Wells, but I think the problems are gone. I had a good preparation first at home and some good practice with amazing players here. So I would say I’m at 98 per cent.” 

Last season, Thiem was one of the best players on clay, winning 22 matches. The only competitor who won more was none other than Rafael Nadal (24). In Europe, the only tournament where they didn’t play each other was in Monte-Carlo; Nadal was able to best the 24-year-old in three of their four FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings on clay. But in Rome, Thiem handed the Spaniard his only loss on the surface last year.

Once again, Thiem knows that Nadal will likely be an obstacle he will have to overcome if he’s to claim the top prizes over the next two months. 

“We had a good rivalry during the period of clay [last season]. Four matches in six weeks, always deep in the tournament. It was amazing,” said the Austrian. “For me, he’s doing [well] for 10 or 11 years and for me it would be great to repeat a good run like last year.”

Thiem’s game has always clicked best on the picturesque clay. The surface affords him time to wind up his massive groundstrokes and build points with his exceptional athleticism. Clay allows the one-hander to combine power with creativity – and he’ll need plenty of it when he kicks off his campaign in Monte-Carlo against either Andrey Rublev or Robin Haase.

“For me it’s a very important part of the season, obviously, and I have a lot of pressure, a lot of points to defend,” assessed Thiem. “If I don’t do it I’m going to drop in the [ATP] Rankings, so big times are coming up for me, but I’m pretty relaxed. This tournament here is to fight again, to hopefully get some matches under my belt and then hopefully I can [be in] my best shape during the clay-court season.”

Karen Khachanov was made to work at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Sunday when the Russian beat Australian wild card Thanasi Kokkinakis 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and 51 minutes.

Khachanov had to bide his time to gain the first service break – missing out on break point chances in the fifth game (three) and ninth game (one) – before winning seven of 11 points. Kokkinakis, making his debut at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, fought hard, but cracked under pressure at 3-3 in the second set. Khachanov, who picked up his second ATP World Tour title at the Open 13 Provence (d. Pouille) in February, will now meet a Frenchman in No. 16 seed Adrian Mannarino or wild card Gilles Simon.

Germany’s Mischa Zverev won his first match at the historic tournament by beating #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-1 in two hours and 36 minutes. Zverev led by a set and 3-1 before the 17-year-old wild card, with a devastating forehand that delighted the Court Rainier III crowd, found his range to clinch the second set. The 30-year-old will next challenge seventh seed and last year’s semi-finalist Lucas Pouille in the second round.

In the only other main draw match, Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics plays Denis Medvedev of Russia. The victor will face Czech No. 12 seed and 2015 runner-up Tomas Berdych or Kei Nishikori of Japan.

Andreas Seppi, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Jeremy Chardy, Dusan Lajovic, Marco Cecchinato and Ilya Ivashka all qualified for the main draw in overcast conditions on Sunday.

Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, who are 10-14 in tour-level finals — including a runner-up finish at the Australian Open in January, knocked out Spanish duo Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez 6-3, 6-4 in 65 minutes. They will next face second seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers.

Marseille titlists Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus stormed past Lucas Pouille and Andrey Rublev 6-1, 6-1 in 46 minutes for a second-round meeting against sixth seeds Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau.

Did You Know?
Khachanov was No. 8 on the ATP World Tour in service games won this season entering the tournament according to Infosys ATP Scores & Stats (86.72 per cent). The Russian did not face break point Sunday.

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 thank my partner Philipp after coming from Davis Cup in Russia last week and fighting through jet lag and different weather conditions. And I also want to thank my daughter, manager and coach Petra. She’s done a great job this week.”

Mirnyi and Oswald needed two match points to prevail after one hour and 36 minutes, surviving a close championship clash. They improved to 20-7 together, taking their third consecutive Match Tie-break after securing a comeback win over Scott Lipsky and Tennys Sandgren and tight affair over six-time winners Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan in the semis.

“It’s a really nice club here in Houston,” said Oswald. “It’s my second year here and just a special place to play.”

The unseeded duo earn 250 ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $30,190 in prize money. Individually, Oswald earned his eighth doubles title and sixth on clay. 

Meanwhile, Begemann and Sancic were competing together for the first time this week. The German fell to 4-6 in ATP World Tour finals, while Sancic drops to 0-3.

For just the second time in the past 15 years, the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship will feature an all-American final. Tennessee native Tennys Sandgren will clash with California’s Steve Johnson for the title, after both battled through tricky semi-final encounters on Saturday.

Johnson and Sandgren are slated to meet for the first time, marking the first championship clash in Houston between home hopefuls since 2015, when Jack Sock defeated Sam Querrey. That year, Sock lifted his maiden ATP World Tour trophy and Sandgren will look to do the same on Sunday.

The 26-year-old toppled Ivo Karlovic 7-6(2), 7-6(4) in one hour and 38 minutes, surviving an offensive onslaught from the big-hitting Croatian. Karlovic fired 35 winners and 10 aces in total, while claiming 83 per cent of first serve points, but the defensive-minded Sandgren grinded to victory on the red dirt. 

“I didn’t feel like I could get to the final this week. I was just trying to win a few matches,” said Sandgren. “But I put myself in that position.” 

In front of friends and family at the River Oaks Country Club, Sandgren surged into his first ATP World Tour final. What a difference a year makes. Exactly one year ago, the American qualified for his first tour-level main draw in Houston and now he is one step from lifting his first trophy. Projected to rise to a career-high inside the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings regardless of Sunday’s outcome, the he is on a tear since progressing from the ATP Challenger Tour to open the season. A quarter-finalist at the Australian Open in January, he has carried the momentum into Houston and will look to become the third American winner of the year (Tiafoe in Delray Beach; Isner in Miami).

Few players can say they have rallied from a break down against Karlovic and his imposing serve, but Sandgren did just that to take the opener. A sublime lob snatched the break back and he would take the first set on an unreturned serve. Sandgren would once against escape the Croatian’s grasp in the second set, forcing another tie-break after sliding into a full split to fire a cross-court pass at 5-6. And he would once again grab the initiative with the set – and match – on the line, emerging victorious after more than an hour and a half.

“I feel like I’m better at engaging myself when things don’t go right,” Sandgren added. “I don’t have a lot of experience at this stage and against [Karlovic’s serve], you just guess. You can only take a stab at it and guess. I tried to read where he liked to go. And the second set was difficult. I double faulted three times in a row to get broken back. The wind was swirling and he likes to run around and hit big forehands. One double fault became two and then it was three.”

In Saturday’s second semi-final, Steve Johnson overcame a stern test from #NextGenATP star Taylor Fritz to move into his second straight final in the Texas metropolis. The defending champion advanced 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-2 in two hours and 22 minutes, converting four of 15 break chances.

Johnson is seeking to become the first player to go back-to-back in Houston since Andy Roddick in 2001-02, when the tournament first moved to River Oaks Country Club. It will be his fourth ATP World Tour title match, having finished runner-up in Vienna in 2015, followed by victories on the grass of Nottingham and clay here last year.

“I’m happy to be back in the final,” said Johnson. “This court has a lot of special memories for me. I’m happy to be in another final and get a title tomorrow. It was windy and gusty today and the shadows were moving in. I was able to find the break early in the third and that made the big difference.”

With two match points while returning at 6-5 15/40 in the second set, Johnson was on the verge of shutting the door in straights. But his 20-year-old counterpart would not go down quietly, fighting to force a tie-break and eventually a decider. Momentum was squarely on Fritz’s shoulders, but Johnson’s experience saw him across the finish line, grabbing a pair of breaks in the third set to return to the championship match.

Following the match, Johnson was presented with the tournament’s sportsmanship award. The Langston Trophy is annually awarded to the player(s) who demonstrate great sportsmanship during the competition. This year’s award goes to a group of players — Johnson, John Isner, Sam Querrey, Frances Tiafoe and Bob & Mike Bryan — who participated in kids clinics at Sunnyside Park this week after donating money to support the resurfacing of the park’s courts following Hurricane Harvey.

Did You Know?
Sandgren will bid to join the honour roll of American champions in Houston and become the eighth winner at River Oaks. Previous home grown titlists include Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi, Mardy Fish, Ryan Sweeting, John Isner, Sock and Johnson.