World No. 4 Stan Wawrinka received a sweet surprise from tournament organisers at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open: a replica US Open trophy handmade entirely of chocolate!
The full-size trophy, carefully crafted from several kilos of chocolate, took two full days to build and was presented to the 2016 US Open champion at a pre-tournament press conference Wednesday in Geneva. The World No. 4 also won his first title on home soil this past May in Geneva and will return to the ATP World Tour 250 tournament in 2017 to defend his crown.
“This is a lovely idea from the tournament,” said Wawrinka. “The trophy looks great, what a nice surprise! It’s good that I already started working on my fitness with Pierre Paganini.”
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The 31-year-old Swiss, who defeated Novak Djokovic at the US Open to claim his third Grand Slam title, asked how long he could keep the chocolate trophy and was told it would be edible for about a week. The tournament wrapped and delivered the trophy to Wawrinka following the presentation to ensure it would arrive intact.
Tickets for the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open will be on sale from 8 December.
Coverage: Live coverage of the semi-finals and finals on Red Button, Connected TV and BBC Sport website. Highlights on BBC2 13:00 GMT, Monday 5 December
Britain’s Gordon Reid moved closer to a place in the Wheelchair Masters Singles semi-finals and the end-of-year world number one slot with his second win out of two in the group stages.
The Paralympic champion beat the world number four Gustavo Fernandez 6-1 6-2.
There were also victories for British trio Alfie Hewett, Lucy Shuker and Andy Lapthorne.
However, Grand Slam doubles winner Jordanne Whiley will miss the rest of the tournament with a wrist injury.
Following his opening three-set win over Sweden’s Stefan Olsson on Wednesday, Reid, the world number two, was too strong for Fernandez and will face Dutchman Maikel Scheffers in his final group game on Friday.
“It was some of the best tennis I’ve played,” he said. “I was aggressive and served well.”
Teenager Hewitt claimed his first Masters win with a 6-0 6-3 success over France’s Nicolas Peifer and a win over world number one Stephane Houdet on Friday will secure a semi-final berth.
Shuker, the British women’s number two, battled hard against 2015 beaten finalist Sabine Ellebrock of Germany before coming through 1-6 6-3 6-4 and will face Jiske Griffioen, the world number one, with the winner advancing to the last four.
Lapthorne easily secured his spot in Saturday’s quad semi-finals, beating Korea’s Kyu-Seung Kim 6-2 6-2.
Rivalries Of 2016: del Potro vs. Murray & Wawrinka
Dec012016
ATP World Tour Season In Review: Best Rivalries
Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPWorldTour.com revisits the fiercest rivalries of 2016. Today we feature Juan Martin del Potro vs. Andy Murray & Stan Wawrinka:
Juan Martin del Potro was a man on a mission in 2016. The Comeback Player of the Year in the 2016 ATP World Tour Awards Presented by Moët & Chandon, del Potro turned in multiple watershed moments of magic in his return to action from wrist surgery. Indelible images of the emotional Argentine with tears of joy came early and often.
After reaching the semi-finals in his debut in Delray Beach, he would streak to the third round at Wimbledon with an upset of Stan Wawrinka, claim the silver medal at the Rio Olympics behind stunning wins over Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, reach the quarter-finals at the US Open with a victory over Dominic Thiem, notch his first ATP World Tour title in nearly three years at the If Stockholm Open and cap it off with a thrilling win over Marin Cilic to guide Argentina to its first Davis Cup crown.
The common theme? Inspired performances against the Top 10.
In his first full season back, del Potro was one of just six players to earn at least six Top 10 wins in 2016, joining Andy Murray, Milos Raonic, Nick Kyrgios, Djokovic and Cilic.
The spark immediately returned for the Argentine, rekindling old rivalries with a pair of pulsating match-ups against both Murray and Wawrinka. Murray led the FedEx ATP Head2Head 5-2 entering the season, but they hadn’t faced off for more than three years. Two of the more consistent performers throughout the season, the Scot and the Argentine battled for the gold medal at the Rio Olympics, followed by a five-set, five-hour affair in the Davis Cup semis.
With both players relying on their final reserves, Murray persevered past a dogged del Potro 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 in more than four hours to become the first man to win back-to-back singles gold medals at the Olympics. Coming into the match, del Potro had spent 11 hours and 36 minutes on court; Murray, eight hours, 10 minutes. It was a pure war of attrition. Murray saw his win streak extend to 18 straight, while del Potro capped a remarkable week that featured wins over Djokovic and Nadal en route to the silver medal.
“I know tonight’s one of the hardest matches that I’ve had to play for a big, big title,” Murray said. “Emotionally it was tough… Physically, it was hard. There were so many ups and downs in the match. It was one of the toughest matches that I’ve played to win a big event.”
Murray’s defence looked to neutralise del Potro’s firepower once again, as he took a two-sets-to-one lead in the Davis Cup semi-finals a month later. But this time the Argentine powered across the finish line with a furious finish. He prevailed 6-4, 5-7, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 in five hours and seven minutes to open the tie against Great Britain. On his third break chance of the fifth set, del Potro chased down an apparent winning volley from Murray to strike a running forehand winner and secure the decisive advantage.
“It’s amazing. Amazing. I really enjoyed the match,” del Potro said. “He is a ridiculous player, a fighter, a great champion. I was trying to find a way. I played good forehands and good serves. That was the key.”
View FedEx ATP Head2Head (Murray Leads 6-3)
Del Potro vs. Murray: 2016 Meetings
Event
Surface
Round
Winner
Score
Davis Cup
Hard
SF
del Potro
6-4, 5-7, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4
Rio Olympics
Hard
F
Murray
7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
Arguably the greatest Grand Slam rivalry of the year was between del Potro and Wawrinka, with the Argentine’s forehand firepower clashing with the Swiss’ backhand prowess. Del Potro led the FedEx ATP Head2Head 3-2 entering the season and their first meeting in four years took place in the second round at Wimbledon. With the roof closed on Centre Court, the featured match of the first week did not disappoint.
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In just his second match at a major since the 2014 Australian Open, del Potro stormed back from a set down, advancing with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-3 victory over the fourth seed.
“As we all say, it’s great for tennis to see him back. He’s a great guy, a really good player, a big champion,” Wawrinka said. “He’s beaten some good guys. Today he was playing really well. I think he was serving really well and his forehand is there.”
Wawrinka would avenge the defeat at the US Open, needing four sets to advance through their quarter-final encounter, en route to lifting the trophy. He prevailed 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 over the 2009 champion under the lights on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The match ended at 1:20 a.m. local time, with the Swiss firing 53 winners, including 10 aces.
“It was important to stay there, to stay tough,” said Wawrinka. “I knew before the match that against del Potro it’s a tough challenge. He’s playing well. He’s strong mentally. He doesn’t give you much. It’s going to be painful physically and mentally to stay there, so I had to adapt my game a little bit. It’s not a player that I can really always play the way I want to against, because he’s so aggressive”
Johanna Konta has parted company with her coach Esteban Carril at the end of a year in which she made her debut in the world’s top 10.
The 25-year-old has not commented yet, but Carril confirmed to the BBC that the partnership has come to an end.
Konta has been training in the Spanish city of Gijon with Carril and Jose-Manuel Garcia for the past two years.
The British number one is now preparing for the new season at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.
Konta reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January before going on to win her first WTA Tour title at Stanford in June.
Ranked world number 147 in June 2015, Konta climbed to a career-high position of ninth and is currently in 10th place.
She won the WTA’s most improved player of the year award for 2016.
Konta became the first British woman to reach the top 10 of the world rankings since Jo Durie achieved the feat in 1984.
Analysis
Russell Fuller, BBC tennis correspondent
The news comes as quite a surprise given Konta’s stellar year. Both sides are keeping the reasons for the split private for now, and only time will tell how the decision will affect the British number one in 2017.
The news follows a pattern: Milos Raonic and Madison Keys are among other players to have just split with their coaches at the end of hugely successful seasons.
Konta is currently mulling over the future and preparing for the new season at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton. Whoever coaches her next will have a hard act to follow, as her decision to move her training base to the Spanish city of Gijon to work with Carril and Jose-Manuel Garcia transformed her career.
Milos Raonic will try to improve upon his career-best 2016 without the guidance of coach Carlos Moya. The Canadian announced on Wednesday that the two will no longer be working together.
Raonic first partnered with the former World No. 1 in January, and he went on to experience his best season on the ATP World Tour. The 25 year old kicked off the year by winning his eighth ATP World Tour title in Brisbane (d. Federer). Raonic proceeded to reach the Australian Open semi-finals, the BNP Paribas Open final, The Queen’s Club final and his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon (l. to Murray).
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Raonic also earned a career-high 52 wins in 2016 and finished at a career-best year-end No. 3 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, up 11 spots from his 2015 year-end ranking of No. 14.
“Thank you to Carlos Moya for helping me tremendously this year, alongside my team, to get the best out of me. Under Carlos’ direction and tutelage I have played my best yet to date,” Raonic posted on Instagram. “We will no longer be continuing our coaching relationship but remain close friends. I wish him all the best.”
Raonic also works with Riccardo Piatti on a full-time basis. The Canadian had also brought on John McEnroe for a stretch during the grass-court and U.S. hard-court swings. Before working with Moya, Raonic had worked with Croatian Ivan Ljubcic for more than two years.
Milos Raonic has parted company with coach Carlos Moya.
Former French Open champion Moya, 40, joined Raonic’s team in January and helped the 25-year-old Canadian reach the final of Wimbledon in 2016, where he lost to Britain’s Andy Murray.
Raonic, who also lost to Murray at the semi-finals of the Australian Open, ended the season at a career-high third in the world rankings.
He confirmed the split on Instagram and said the pair remain “close friends”.
He wrote: “Thank you to Carlos Moya for helping me tremendously this year, alongside my team, to get the best out of me.
“Under Carlos’ direction and tutelage I have played my best yet to date. We will no longer be continuing our coaching relationship but remain close friends. I wish him all the best.”
Raonic also worked with three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe for the grass court season and during the ATP finals.
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