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Stephens & Carreno Busta reach final in Miami

  • Posted: Mar 30, 2018

US Open champion Sloane Stephens staged a magnificent comeback to defeat Victoria Azarenka and reach the Miami Open final for the first time.

American 13th seed Stephens beat the former world number one 3-6 6-2 6-1.

Belarusian Azarenka, now ranked 108th, took the first two games of the second set but Stephens won 10 games in a row to turn the tie around.

Meanwhile, Pablo Carreno Busta beat Kevin Anderson 6-4 5-7 7-6 (8-6) to progress to the men’s final.

Thursday’s last-four match was the second time world number 12 Stephens has defeated wildcard Azarenka this month, having won in straight sets in the second round at Indian Wells.

Three-time Miami Open winner Azarenka, 28, comfortably won the first set but hit four double faults in the second as the American started to dominate.

Stephens will play the winner of Friday’s semi-final between qualifier Danielle Collins – who defeated fellow American Venus Williams in the last eight – and French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia.

“I knew I had to stay in it. Victoria is a great champion,” said Stephens, 25. “I kept battling and I got a little momentum going in the second set.

“Growing up in South Florida, this is so incredible to be in the final.

“I knew I had to focus on my side of the court and be solely focused on myself.”

Carreno Busta holds on

US Open finalist Anderson also looked to have completed a comeback on court but Carreno Busta rallied in the tie-break to book his place in the men’s final.

The Spaniard – seeded 16th – won 6-4 5-7 7-6 (8-6) in a thriller lasting two hours and 42 minutes.

Carreno Busta, 26, won on the third match point after 31-year-old South African Anderson – who hit 14 aces during the match – had held the previous two.

He will play either Juan Martin del Potro – who claimed his maiden Masters 1,000 title at Indian Wells earlier this month – or John Isner, who play their semi-final on Friday, in the final.

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Khachanov/Rublev Advance To Miami Doubles Final

  • Posted: Mar 29, 2018

Khachanov/Rublev Advance To Miami Doubles Final

Mar292018

Bryans, McLachlan/Struff face off in second semi-final

Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev booked their place in the doubles final at the Miami Open presented by Itau, taking only 44 minutes to dismiss Americans Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey, 6-3, 6-1 on Thursday. Johnson and Querrey had marched into the semi-finals at the season’s second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament without dropping a set.

The Russians competed at the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals last November, alongside the top eight 21-and-under singles players, and have continued to grow in confidence. In singles, the 20-year-old Rublev opened his season with a runner-up finish in Doha (d. Monfils), while the 21-year-old Khachanov claimed the Marseille title last month (d. Pouille).

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In Miami, they teamed up to oust sixth seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares and No. 3 seeds Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic. Khachanov and Rublev are playing in their fourth tour-level event together with their best result prior to this week a Round of 16 finish at the US Open.

In the final, they will face either four-time Miami champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan or Australian Open semi-finalists Ben McLachlan and Jan-Lennard Struff.

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Andy Murray: Former world number one to play Libema Open before Wimbledon

  • Posted: Mar 29, 2018

Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray will play at the Libema Open in the Netherlands this June – his first event since hip surgery in January.

The grass-court tournament in Rosmalen – formerly known as the Ricoh Open – will take place from 11-17 June.

Murray, 30, has not played in the Netherlands since reaching the quarter-finals of the Rotterdam Open in 2015.

“It’s the perfect way for me to prepare for Wimbledon,” said the former world number one.

“I’ve heard lots of good things about the tournament and the courts are meant to be very good.”

  • Murray making “progress” after court comeback

Murray, who has won three Grand Slam titles as well as two Olympic gold medals, has not played a competitive match since Wimbledon last year.

The Scot said after his operation that he hoped to return “around the grass court season, or maybe slightly before”.

He could make his return at one of two new indoor events in Glasgow and Loughborough later this spring.

Analysis

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

This is the first tournament Murray has publicly committed to, and could form part of a three-week run on grass in the build up to Wimbledon.

He has a career-long contract to play at The Queen’s Club, in the week which follows, and could opt to play at the Challenger event in Surbiton in the week before Rosmalen.

But if all goes very well, Murray’s return to competition could come sooner. The LTA has recently announced it will be staging two indoor hard court Challenger events during May: one in Glasgow, and the other in Loughborough.

To add to the sense of cautious optimism, further tournaments are expected to be added to Murray’s later season schedule over the next few weeks.

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Zverev, Coric Clash Thursday In Miami QF

  • Posted: Mar 29, 2018

Zverev, Coric Clash Thursday In Miami QF

Mar292018

ATPWorldTour.com previews the quarter-finals in the top half of the draw

View FedEx ATP Head2Head for the following matches from the 2018 Miami Open presented by Itaú & vote for who you think will win! 
Zverev vs Coric | Anderson vs Carreno Busta

[4] A. Zverev (GER) vs [29] B. Coric (CRO)
Coric leads FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-0
Stadium – 7 p.m.

Being the highest-ranked rising prospect, Alexander Zverev is well accustomed to being the hunted. That target only seems to grow when he’s coming up against a rival of a similar age. 

On Thursday, the No. 4 seed will face one such opponent when he takes on the in-form 21-year-old Borna Coric in the Miami Open presented by Itau quarter-finals. The soon-to-be 21-year-old Zverev has surged up the ATP Rankings at a much faster rate than his peers.

But Coric, his former junior rival, leads the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-0. An ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final is at stake and bragging rights again on offer.

“He’s improved a lot, making the semi-finals of Indian Wells, making the quarter-finals here already. I think he’s playing great ball. Hopefully it will be another entertaining one, and we’ll see how it goes,” Zverev said.

After struggling through three-set battles in his opening two matches – against 22-year-old Daniil Medvedev and former No. 3 in the ATP Rankings, David Ferrer – Zverev was all business when he faced Nick Kyrgios in the fourth round. The Aussie was contesting his first tournament since February 4, but had reached the semi-finals in Miami the previous two years. 

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Zverev prevailed in straight sets to level the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head ledger at 3-3. Coric could well be a different prospect, carrying momentum from his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final in Indian Wells last week.

The Croatian will break into the Top 30 in the ATP Rankings on Monday after his fourth-round defeat of #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the fourth round. It was a statement victory over a younger rival and his third straight three-set win after earlier triumphs against No. 8 seed Jack Sock and Leonardo Mayer.

In the most recent Zverev vs. Coric encounter, the Croatian prevailed in the second round of last year’s US Open. He had previously won when they squared off as 18-year-olds in Cincinnati in 2015 and for added measure, in the 2013 US Open junior semi-finals.

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[16] P. Carreno Busta (ESP) vs [6] K. Anderson (RSA)
Anderson leads FedEx ATP Head2Head series 4-0
Stadium – Not Before 3 p.m.

Like Coric, sixth seed Kevin Anderson has never lost to his quarter-final opponent. The South African carries a 4-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head record into his clash with 16th seed Pablo Carreno Busta.
Anderson saw off the Spaniard to reach his first Grand Slam final at last year’s US Open and again last week to reach the quarter-finals in Indian Wells. He will be aiming for a maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final berth as he looks to extend a solid 17-4 start to the season.

Carreno Busta has a second Masters 1000 semi-final in sight, having reached the last four in Indian Wells in 2017. He has been in ruthless form in Miami, dropping just 12 games in three matches, including a 6-0, 6-3 result over countryman Fernando Verdasco in the fourth round. Anderson needed three sets to see off Russian No. 32 seed Karen Khachanov before a convincing display to beat #NextGenATP American Frances Tiafoe. 

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