Cervantes Edges Clezar In 2015 Challenger Finals SF
Cervantes Edges Clezar In 2015 Challenger Finals SF
They say it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
That has been Daniel Munoz-de la Nava‘s mantra this week at the ATP Challenger Tour Finals. The Spaniard, who dropped his opening round robin match in Group A to Inigo Cervantes on Wednesday, qualified for the semi-finals with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Paolo Lorenzi.
A battle of 33-year-old veterans, Munoz-de la Nava exorcised his demons against Lorenzi having dropped five consecutive matches in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series since 2009. The father of two is projected to rise to a career-high position of No. 80 in the Emirates ATP Rankings with the win.
Read Munoz-de la Nava feature
Top seed and World No. 68 Lorenzi was eliminated from semi-final contention with the loss and finishes another successful season with a 43-13 record.
In the other Group A matchup, fifth seed Cervantes capped an undefeated round robin campaign, downing Farrukh Dustov 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 18 minutes. He fired seven aces and did not face a break point. Cervantes remains the 2015 match wins leader with a 48-20 win-loss mark, pulling into a tie for fourth place in the all-time list of most victories in a season.
Meanwhile, Guilherme Clezar qualified for the semi-finals once again, streaking past Radu Albot 6-2, 6-4. The Brazilian home hope was a suprise finalist last year and will look to exact revenge on Cervantes when the pair square off on Saturday. The second place finisher in Group B, Clezar lost to Cervantes in straight sets last week in Montevideo.
Watch Clezar hot shot
“I have great memories from last year,” said Clezar. “The crowd gave me a lot of support today and that is always a great motivation for a player, to be able to feel everyone behind you. I’ve playing Challengers the whole year, I didn’t lose many matches to players with a lower ranking than mine. My level as a Top 200 player is established. I just need to win more matches.
“The situation is different from Montevideo. It was raining there, the serves weren’t going that fast. [Cervantes] is someone that counter-attacks really well. I hope the serve can make a difference and my balls can go faster. The conditions here suit me more.”
The nightcap at the Pinheiros Club featured a meeting between a 2-0 Guido Pella and 0-2 Marco Cecchinato. Already guaranteed a spot in the last four, Pella’s Sao Paulo campaign would come to a heartbreaking abrupt end as the World No. 76 Argentine retired with a torn right adductor. It was the 2012 champion’s second leg muscle tear in three years after suffering a torn hamstring at Wimbledon 2013. He led Cecchinato 6-1, 1-0 when the injury occurred.
Pella, who was slated to face Munoz-de la Nava in the semi-finals, concedes the walkover to the Spaniard, who advances to the title match.
Continuing our Season In Review Series, ATPWorldTour.com revisits the fiercest rivalries of 2015. Today we feature Novak Djokovic vs. Stan Wawrinka:
Novak Djokovic may have claimed three of four FedEx ATP Head2Head match-ups with Stan Wawrinka in 2015, but the Swiss proved anything but a pushover. In their first meeting, Wawrinka extended the World No. 1 to five sets at the Australian Open — the third straight year they went the distance at Melbourne Park. Though the semi-final would feature a combined 118 unforced errors and 12 service breaks, Wawrinka out-aced his opponent 10-5 and collected 42 winners to 27.
Then, at Roland Garros, Wawrinka would pull off a historic 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 upset.
Despite the fact that Wawrinka kept him from completing both a calendar year and career Slam, Djokovic says it’s a friendship unlike any other.
“I feel like I have a very special relationship with Stan, I think like no other top player, honestly,” he said. “I do appreciate that. I do enjoy that good relationship we have. I think that was strengthened even more after the Roland Garros final.”
It was the second time Wawrinka had defeated the Serb on his way to a Grand Slam title.
“This one is really special, for sure, playing Novak here in final, the No. 1 player,” said Wawrinka. “He won almost everything since the beginning of the year. And especially the way I played and the way I finished the match.”
“Of course it was probably the biggest win he ever had and it was disappointing for me to lose that, but I felt like we had that special connection in the end,” Djokovic said. “Look, at the end of the day, we are friends, we are people. Of course we both want to win. When we get on the court, it’s all about business and getting the job done. You do everything that you can to win. But once the match is over, I mean, why not share some nice moments and joke around?”
Djokovic took the next two matches against Wawrinka, in the Cincinnati quarter-finals and Paris semi-finals, upping his FedEx ATP Head2Head advantage to 19-4 overall.
Djokovic vs. Wawrinka: 2015 Meetings
| Event | Surface | Round | Winner | Score |
| Australian Open | Hard | SF | Djokovic | 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 |
| Roland Garros | Clay | F | Djokovic | 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 |
| Cincinnati | Hard | QF | Wawrinka | 6-4, 6-1 |
| Paris | Hard | SF | Djokovic | 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 |
Djokovic vs. Wawrinka FedEx ATP Head2Head
David Goffin completed his first comeback from two sets down in Davis Cup in the opening rubber of the Belgium-Great Britain final tie on Friday. The 24-year-old Belgian faced stiff resistance from 20-year-old Kyle Edmund before prevailing 3-6, 1-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 on an indoor clay court in the Belgian city of Ghent.
Edmund, making his Davis Cup debut, took early control of the match. The No. 100 in the Emirates ATP Rankings put his serve-forehand combination to good use and powered his way to a two-set lead after 70 minutes of play.
Goffin, ranked No. 16, then found his rhythm, taking advantage of the home support to sweep the next three sets in 90 minutes. He broke the Brit nine times in the last three sets (10/19 total). Meanwhile, Edmund broke serve six times in the first three sets, but did not get a break opportunity in the final two sets as Goffin cruised to the finish line.
“He played every forehand really heavy from the beginning,” Goffin said during the post-match on-court interview. “It was tough for me to find my timing on the baseline. I knew I needed to take my chance, and I did well to finish the match quickly in the fourth and fifth sets.
“I wanted to start the match by hitting some balls from the baseline to gain confidence,” Goffin added. “It didn’t work because of how aggressively [Edmund] started. That’s why he won the first two sets, but I’m really happy with the way I turned it around. The atmosphere here is just amazing. I have never played in front of a crowd like this.”
In the second rubber, Belgium’s Reuben Bemelmans will take on World No. 2 Andy Murray.
Canadian makes online announcement
Milos Raonic announced on Thursday that he and Ivan Ljubicic will no longer be working together. The Canadian, No. 14 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, has been working with the former No. 3 for over two years.
Raonic shared the news on his personal Instagram account:
“I wanted to take a moment to reflect. On a year full of many tough challenges, the biggest being myself. In 2015 I faced my biggest challenges yet, in regards to my health. My team, family, loved ones, supporters and fans have stood by me strong through the toughest of these moments and for that I am grateful. Thank you!
I have learned many important lessons throughout this year. Many of which I am sure will assist me in achieving my goals. I have plenty of challenges ahead of and hard work that I look forward to thriving in.
Looking forward to 2016, a year that I believe I can make big strides towards my goals and to the ambitions that I would like to fulfill.
I’d like to thank Ivan Ljubicic for the tremendous amount of support, knowledge and understanding he has given me. The decision has been made that we will not continue our professional relationship in the upcoming year, we will remain close friends and I would like to wish him all the best in his future endeavours.
As for the rest of my team, we will continue charging toward our goals. Training hard, training smart.
I can’t wait to be back competing.
Much gratitude,
Milos”
Raonic will kick off his 2016 season at the ATP World Tour 250 event in Brisbane.
No sooner had Serena Williams got her hands on the Venus Rosewater Dish than the focus of the tennis world immediately switched to the US Open and the quest for that elusive Calendar Year Grand Slam.
Once in New York, everything appeared to be going to plan for Williams, who cleared the opening five hurdles with increasing confidence. Meanwhile her principal rivals were falling like dominos. When No.2 seed Simona Halep lost to Flavia Pennetta in the first semifinal, Williams’ path to the title appeared clear. However, her own final four foe, Roberta Vinci, had not read the script.
When Vinci stepped onto Arthur Ashe the crowd was unequivocally not on her side. Two hours and one heart-warming interview later, it was eating out of the palm of her hand.
By the time she handed the microphone back to ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi following her stunning upset of the World No.1, any animosity felt towards Vinci had completely dissipated. Won over by her gallant display on the court and charmed by her effervescent personality off it, Flushing Meadows had a new darling.
In her four previous encounters with Williams, Vinci had failed to win a set. Expectation levels going into their fifth meeting were low. So much so that in a candid post-match press conference the Italian even confessed that she had booked her flight home to coincide with the final.
This move appeared a prescient one when the World No.43 dropped a one-sided first set, but as the contest wore on belief started to course through her veins. After ending one marvelous exchange midway through the final set by poking away a volley, she cupped a hand to one ear, imploring the Arthur Ashe faithful to put their partisanship to one side. By the time she crossed the finishing line a couple of games later they had.
“That a lot of the public were for her is normal,” Vinci said. “But the crowd was amazing all match. Also, for me at the end, a lot of them were supporting me too, no? It was a nice feeling!”
The magnitude of the achievement was not lost on Vinci, who was appearing in the last four of a major for the first time. She also became just the eighth player ranked outside the Top 40 to beat a World No.1 at a major.
“For me it’s an amazing moment. It’s incredible. I have so many things in my mind right now! It was an incredible match. I lost the first set, but I still tried to stay aggressive. In the end I was serving and it felt impossible, but I tried to stay focused and not think about the match or Serena’s incredible play.
“It’s the best moment of my life.”
HERNING, Denmark – With 7,000 home fans cheering her on, Caroline Wozniacki outdid World No.1 and good friend Serena Williams to win the Energi Denmark Champions Battle on Thursday night.
Wozniacki, who has beaten Williams before in WTA-level competition – at Miami in 2012 – conjured up that magic again, her rock solid baseline game helping her to a 6-3, 6-4 win at the exhibition.
“It was such a great thing to play in front of my home crowd here in Herning, and at the same time to play against a great champion and a good friend,” Wozniacki said afterwards. “I hope very much to be able to play in Denmark again in the future. It’s been a great pleasure to come and play here.”
“It’s been so nice to see Caroline’s home country again,” Williams, who played Ana Ivanovic at the exhibition event last year, said. “I’ve enjoyed my stay and the nice, friendly Danish people I got to meet.
“And playing in front of the Danish tennis fans again was nice, even though I didn’t win!”
Wozniacki didn’t just win the exhibition, she also pocketed a Shamballa bracelet worth 100,000 Danish krones (just over $14,000). The bracelet was on display during the pair’s media day on Wednesday.
And here are a bunch of pics from Thursday night’s big match, all courtesy of Claus Frederiksen:
All week we’ve been counting down the 50 most clicked on players on wtatennis.com this year. We covered 50 to 41 on Monday, 40 to 31 on Tuesday, 30 to 21 on Wednesday and 20 to 11 on Thursday, and we’re finally at the countdown of all countdowns – the Top 10 Most Popular Players Of 2015.
So let’s get right into it, and right now – here are your Top 10 Most Popular Players Of 2015!
10] Venus Williams (USA)
The former No.1 had a renaissance year, winning three WTA titles – including her two biggest in five years at Wuhan and Zhuhai – and finishing at No.7 on the year-end rankings. She’s No.10 here.
9] Petra Kvitova (CZE)
The Czech won three WTA titles in 2015 – including the Premier Mandatory in Madrid, where she became the only player to beat Serena Williams in straight sets this year. She’s No.9 here.
8] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP)
It was a breakthrough year for Muguruza, the finals of Wimbledon and a phenomenal Asian swing taking her all the way to No.3 on the year-end rankings. She was the eighth-most clicked on player.
7] Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)
Always one of the most popular players on the tour, Wozniacki – who finished in the Top 20 for the eighth straight year this year – is actually 10 spots higher on this countdown (No.17 to No.7).
6] Ana Ivanovic (SRB)
Another one of the tour’s most popular names, Ivanovic – whose season was highlighted by her first Grand Slam semifinal in seven years in Paris – is 10 spots higher here as well (No.16 to No.6).
5] Eugenie Bouchard (CAN)
And then there’s Bouchard – after reaching the semifinals or better at three of the four majors and peaking at No.5 in the world in 2014, the Canadian was the fifth-most clicked on player in 2015.
4] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)
The four-time WTA Fan Favorite Of The Year winner revived her game in the fall, winning three titles – including the WTA Finals – and she’s one spot higher than her year-end ranking here (No.5 to No.4).
3] Maria Sharapova (RUS)
Another banner year for Sharapova – her eighth Top 4 finish, ninth Top 5 finish and 10th Top 10 finish – and, as always, she’s one of the most-clicked on players on wtatennis.com, this year No.3.
2] Serena Williams (USA)
The World No.1 had another historic year, winning three more Grand Slam titles to bring her career haul to 21, just one short of the Open Era record. She finished second on this countdown, though…
1] Simona Halep (ROU)
And for the second year in a row, the one and only Simona Halep – who had her best ever season, finishing at No.2 on the year-end WTA Rankings – was the most clicked on player on wtatennis.com.
Thank you for counting down with us and stay tuned throughout the off-season for more WTA fun!