Canada’s Milos Raonic, watched by coach John McEnroe, beats Australia’s Nick Kyrgios 6-7 (5-7, 6-4 6-4 at Queen’s Club.
WATCH MORE: Murray beats Mahut in Queen’s opener
Britain’s Kyle Edmund earned the best win of his career as he beat French eighth seed Gilles Simon in the first round at Queen’s Club.
Edmund, 21, won 6-4 3-6 6-1 to join fellow Britons Andy Murray and Aljaz Bedene in round two of the Aegon Championships.
He will next face Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu, who beat Britain’s Dan Evans 7-6 (10-8) 6-7 (6-8) 6-3.
“I really got my game on court and took it to him.” Edmund told BBC Sport.
It is the first time Britain has had three players through to the second round since Murray, Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski did so in 2005.
Simon, 31, is ranked 67 places higher than Edmund at 18 in the world but was second best for most of their delayed match, struggling badly with his ball toss on serve.
Edmund took advantage of a solitary service break to take the first set and led by a break early in the second, only to hand it straight back.
Simon looked to have taken charge when he clinched the second set but Edmund turned the contest around early in the third.
Facing three break points at 0-40, the Yorkshireman played superbly to win five straight points and – after a brief rain delay – powered through the remaining four games, sealing victory with a sweeping backhand.
“I thought in the back end of the second set I had a bit of a mental lapse, I played a sloppy game to get broken, so I was just trying to concentrate on what I was doing before,” added Edmund.
Evans, ranked 92nd could not make it four Britons in round two despite pushing world number 60 Mathieu.
The 26-year-old from Solihull failed to convert three set points in the first set, edged a similarly tight second in a tie-break, but one break was enough for Mathieu in the decider.
I had a lot of chances in all the sets,” said Evans.”It’s just a missed opportunity I think. It was a tight match and I came out on the wrong side.”
Canada’s Milos Raonic won the serving duel with Australian Nick Kyrgios to clinch a 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-4 victory.
The pair resumed at one set all after they ran out of light on Tuesday evening, and a final set tie-break appeared inevitable until the Kyrgios serve faltered.
Two double-faults handed Raonic an unexpected break at 4-4 and, after falling 15-40 behind, the third seed served his way out of trouble.
Raonic has brought John McEnroe into his coaching team during the grass-court season, and said the three-time Wimbledon champion is a keen practice partner.
“He’s been on the court the whole time,” said Raonic. “It’s been a lot of fun, he’s very competitive and it’s obviously benefiting me as well.”
Elsewhere American seventh seed John Isner hit 25 aces on his way to a 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 win over former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro.
| Aegon Championships |
|---|
| Venue: Queen’s Club, London Dates: 13-19 June |
| Coverage: Live on BBC Two, Radio 5 live & 5 live sports extra, Red Button, Connected TVs and BBC Sport website. Click for more details |
Ivan Lendl is definitely more of a handshake than a hug kind of guy.
I think I’ve only ever had one or two hugs from Ivan – once after I lost my first Wimbledon final against Roger Federer, and maybe also when I won the US Open final. I don’t think there was any hugging when I won Wimbledon.
So it was with a straight handshake that we greeted each other at Queen’s Club on Tuesday morning – the first time we’d seen each other since the US Open last September.
We’d chatted occasionally over the past couple of years and I’d spoken to him a few times at the end of last year.
I was just staying in contact, seeing what he was up to, and I knew he’d done some trials with other players so was interested to know if he was considering getting back on the tour.
We know each other very well and it was good to have him back on Tuesday, it didn’t feel strange at all. Getting a win over someone as good on grass as Nicolas Mahut was certainly a great start.
Ivan is very clear and has strong opinions on things.
That’s important, I like that. I’d rather someone was very strong with what they’re saying and, if I disagree, that’s not a problem for him. He doesn’t take it to heart.
It’s a bit easier to communicate when you don’t feel like you’re going to upset someone.
I also enjoy his company and his sense of humour. He’ll chat about pretty much anything. He’s into his sports and has lots of good stories from when he was on tour.
It was a bit different back then with Johnny Mac [McEnroe] and Jimmy Connors around. There weren’t microphones and cameras everywhere. I’d say it was little bit more interesting in some ways.
Obviously there are rivalries on the tour now but, from the stories that I’ve heard, I’d say the players today are a lot more friendly with each other off the court.
It’s important that Ivan and my other coach, Jamie Delgado, spend time together over the next few days.
Ivan has arrived with his own clear ideas on what he thinks I need to be doing but one of his great strengths is he’s a very good team player. It’s crucial that he and Jamie see eye to eye.
Ultimately I spend 40 weeks of the year with Jamie, and he also needs to believe and buy into the stuff that I’m working on as well.
Jamie knows me well too, he’s spent pretty much every day with me for the last three or four months, and that can help Ivan.
So the two of them will chat about the things we need to concentrate on, especially this week on the grass. I’ll be told before practice that this is what we’re doing, I’ll give a bit of feedback about what I might want to focus on, and we’ll start work.
I’m the number two player in the world by a decent distance in terms of ranking points, so I’m not playing badly, but the goals remain the same as ever.
There are still things I feel I can improve upon, which I need to do if I want to get to number one in the world and try and win majors.
I believe that Ivan, along with the other guys I’m working with, can help me achieve that.
I think my team is very strong right now. I’ve been getting better over the past few months, I’ve improved some things, and hopefully I can get a few percent better over the next few months.
Winning a fifth title at Queen’s Club this week would be the perfect start.
Andy Murray was talking to BBC Sport’s Piers Newbery.
Former British number one Laura Robson will receive a wildcard for this year’s Wimbledon Championships, which begin on 27 June.
The 22-year-old, who reached 27th in the world rankings in July 2013, is fully fit after two injury-plagued seasons but is currently ranked 308th.
Other British players allocated wildcards are Liam Broady, Alex Ward, James Ward, Tara Moore and Katie Swan.
German Dustin Brown, who beat Rafael Nadal last year, is another wild card.
Swan, 17, qualified for the main draw at the Miami Open in March, while Hong Kong-born Moore, 23, reached the quarter-finals of the Nottingham Open at the weekend.
Daniela Hantuchova, the 33-year-old Slovakian who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2005 but is now ranked 163, is another to receive an invitation to the Championships.
Also invited is 37-year-old Czech Radek Stepanek, a qualifier at the French Open who took Andy Murray to five sets at Roland Garros in the first round.
Six more wild cards will be announced in due course, three each in the men’s and ladies’ singles.
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The Portuguese player won eight ATP Challenger Tour titles
After 14 years on tour, one of the best players in the history of Portuguese tennis is hanging up his racquets.
Rui Machado decided to turn down the chance to study Economics at a Catalan university and turned pro in 2002. After nearly a decade of toiling, he peaked at No. 59 in the Emirates ATP Rankings in October 2011. After struggling with injuries lately, the 32-year-old baseliner decided it was time to call it a career.
“What made me decide to retire was having many injuries in recent months that did not let me practise and compete the way I’m used to,” said Machado. “I really felt that my body was asking for some rest.”
After suffering wrist and knee injuries that largely kept him off the tour in 2006 and 2007, Machado was able to return and begin producing the best results of his career. He became a dominant figure in clay-court events on the ATP Challenger Tour, winning all eight of his titles on the surface from 2009-2011. Fittingly, his best result on the ATP World Tour came at home, when he reached the quarter-finals of the 250 Series event in Estoril in May 2010.
“I’m very proud of many things in my career,” said Machado. “I represented my country in Davis Cup for 13 years in 28 ties. I achieved Top 60 in the rankings, which at that moment made me the best player in Portugal’s history. I overcame difficult times with injuries and came back stronger. And in the Challengers, winning my first title in [Meknes] Morocco and the biggest title of my career in [the $125,000 event in Szczecin] in Poland are very special moments for me.”
Although Machado doesn’t have definite plans for what he will do next, he sees himself continuing to remain involved in the sport he loves.
“I will probably be linked to tennis in some way and try to help improve the quality of Portuguese tennis. I see myself as a coach, but also working in the sports industry in general,” he said. “I like challenges and that’s what I’m looking for in my future.”
The ATP Challenger Tour staple enjoyed another successful year
Attendance for last week’s $125,000 event in Caltanissetta was among the highest this year on the ATP Challenger Tour, with more than 2,000 fans coming to watch the all-Italian final between Paolo Lorenzi and Matteo Donati.
The tournament concluded its 18th consecutive year and has become an annual staple in the small Sicilian town. Full crowds turned up each day and had plenty of local players to support, with 10 Italians competing in the main draw this year.
“They start matches late in the day so a lot of fans can come out and watch the matches,” explained American Bjorn Fratangelo, last year’s runner-up. “The tournament is great. The club is very nice and the centre court overlooks a valley. It’s in the countryside and a small town, so the people really appreciate the tennis.”
Part of the tournament’s appeal is the scenic beauty that can be viewed throughout the site. The town lies in an area of rolling hills with small towns and villages, with one of the three hills that surrounds the ancient city visible from center court.
It’s one of the reasons why this year’s champion, top seed and local favourite Paolo Lorenzi, keeps coming back. He made his third career appearance this year in Caltanissetta, but assured it wouldn’t be his last.
“I think that Caltanissetta is great,” said Lorenzi. “This tournament was fantastic and full of people and the organization was great. I’m sure that I will come back here.”
Bryan brothers also move into quarter-finals on Tuesday
How’s this for a close ending?
German brothers Alexander Zverev and Mischa Zverev beat Radek Stepanek and Nenad Zimonjic 7-6(4), 4-6, 19-17 on Tuesday to move into the quarter-finals at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle.
The brothers saved five match points in the Match Tie-break and sealed the contest on their fifth opportunity. They’ll next face third seeds Raven Klaasen of South Africa and American Rajeev Ram, who beat Julian Knowle and Florian Mayer 6-3, 6-7(5), 10-6.
Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Alexander Peya of Austria also saved some match points in their 4-6, 7-6(12), 10-7 win over Philipp Kohlschreiber and Dominic Thiem, who faced each other in Monday’s Stuttgart final. Kubot/Peya saved four match points in the second-set tie-break. They’ll next face qualifiers Brian Baker and Denis Istomin, who beat Andreas Seppi and Joao Sousa 7-6(8), 6-4.
Leave it to Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan to handle things matter of factly on Tuesday. The top seeds swept David Goffin and Lucas Pouille 6-2, 6-3. They erased all three break points and will face Tomas Berdych and Marcel Granollers in the quarter-finals.
Frenchmen Upset Fourth Seeds In London
Frenchmen Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin upset fourth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea 3-6, 6-3, 12-10 on Tuesday at the Aegon Championships in London. Benneteau/Roger-Vasselin, who reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, will face John Isner and Marcin Matkowski or Marin Cilic and Marin Draganja in the quarter-finals at The Queen’s Club.
| Aegon Championships |
|---|
| Venue: Queen’s Club, London Dates: 13-19 June |
| Coverage: Live on BBC Two, Radio 5 live & 5 live sports extra, Red Button, Connected TVs and BBC Sport website. Click for more details |
Ivan Lendl said it felt as if he had “never stepped away” after watching Andy Murray mark the resumption of their coaching partnership with a win.
Lendl was in the players’ box as world number two Murray beat Nicolas Mahut 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (7-1) to reach the second round at Queen’s Club.
“Andy and I have talked over the last few years,” Lendl, who reunited with the Scot on Sunday, told BBC Sport.
“We’ve stayed in touch, and as you know, we parted on good terms.”
Murray won the Olympics, the US Open and Wimbledon during his original spell with the Czech-born American, until Lendl decided in March 2014 that he no longer wished to spend sufficient time on tour.
The 56-year-old – an eight-time singles Grand Slam winner – is expected to work with Murray for up to 20 weeks a year.
He has never talked fondly about the travel involved, and says there is not one overwhelming reason why this feels the right time to return.
“Everybody asked me what was it that made you do it, and I can’t answer that. I really don’t know, there are so many factors in there,” Lendl added.
“I can’t say what changed it from ‘not really’ to ‘yes’.
“I don’t mind living out of a suitcase, and I don’t mind the longer trips – let’s say to London or to Australia – I just hate the ones from week to week where you spend five days somewhere, and you have to go to the airport again.”
Lendl has already been ‘welcomed back to the locker room’ by his former rival Boris Becker, who has recently enjoyed huge success with Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic currently holds all four Grand Slam titles, and helping Murray beat the world number one is one of the principal reasons Lendl has been drafted back into the team.
“Everybody can improve in almost every area – even Novak,” Lendl said.
“There are obviously things which we are going to work on which are more important than some others, but I’m definitely not going to be specific.”
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