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Roger Federer wins 10th Halle title with victory over David Goffin

  • Posted: Jun 23, 2019

Roger Federer got his Wimbledon preparations off to the perfect start by claiming a record-extending 10th title at the Halle grass-court event.

The Swiss 20-time Grand Slam champion beat Belgium’s David Goffin 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 to win a 102nd career title.

Federer, chasing a ninth Wimbledon title next month, was made to work in earlier rounds but dominated the final.

“It’s unbelievable. I never thought when I first played here that I would win 10 titles,” the 37-year-old said.

It is the first time Federer has reached double figures at one tournament, with eight at the Dubai Open and Wimbledon and nine at his home event in Basel.

Federer had been taken to three sets by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the last 16 and Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarter-finals.

But after a tight first set, he was handed a break in the first game of the second set when Goffin double-faulted on break point.

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Queen's: Andy Murray 'didn't expect to be playing in the final'

  • Posted: Jun 23, 2019

Andy Murray says he “didn’t expect to be playing in the Queen’s final” on his return to tennis, five months after career-saving hip surgery.

Murray, 32, and Feliciano Lopez, 37, beat John Peers and Henri Kontinen 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 10-7 in the semi-final.

The pair have dropped one set and beaten top seeds Robert Farah and Juan Sebastian Cabal en route to the final.

“I didn’t have high expectations at all,” said two-time Wimbledon singles champion Murray.

“I had a tough, tough draw, playing the top seeds in the first match and I’ve never played with Feli [Lopez] before.

“I think things have probably got a little bit better maybe with each match as well.”

In Sunday’s final, Murray and Lopez will play Britain’s Joe Salisbury and American Rajeev Ram after they claimed a shock victory over fourth-seeded US brothers Bob and Mike Bryan.

Spaniard Lopez will take on 34-year-old Frenchman Gilles Simon in the singles final at 13:30 BST before returning to the court for the doubles final.

  • Andy Murray & Feliciano Lopez into Queen’s doubles final
  • Relive Murray and Lopez’s semi-finals win
  • Lopez to play Simon in Queen’s final

‘Zero pain in my hip’

Before his surgery in January, Murray limped and grimaced between points and his suffering culminated in a tearful news conference at the Australian Open, when he revealed retirement plans.

But the Scot, who has won the singles title at Queen’s five times, has looked sharp on court all week and his body language reveals how much he is enjoying playing again.

Murray said there was “no pain at all” in his hip after the semi-final, although he admitted he was feeling the effects of the three matches he has played.

“My back’s a bit stiff,” he said. “You’re sort of getting down low for a lot of balls and you’re always kind of in a crouched-over position in doubles a bit more than when you’re in singles.

“I’m not used to that as much, so my back has been a little bit stiff after some of the matches. My arm is a little bit tired from serving and stuff. But my hip’s been brilliant so far. I don’t feel anything at all. It’s amazing.”

‘I wanted to play every tournament with one partner’

Murray won his last doubles title with brother Jamie in Tokyo eight years ago, but has not announced any plans to team back up with his sibling.

Instead, the former world number one will play with Brazilian Marcelo Melo at Eastbourne next week before partnering France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the men’s doubles at Wimbledon.

“I ideally would have liked to have played with the same partner every single week,” Murray said.

“I have got three brilliant partners, so hopefully we can do OK. But I have to do a few things differently each week.”

The Scot’s mixed doubles partner is yet to be decided for his return to Grand Slam tennis at the All England Club in July.

After revealing in his BBC Sport column that French Open champion Ashleigh Barty had turned him down, many players took to Twitter to offer to play with Murray.

But the three-time Grand Slam winner said he had not spoken to anyone personally about it yet.

“My coach had a few messages from players,” he explained. “A few people have said stuff online, but I haven’t actually spoken to anyone since.”

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Queen's: Andy Murray & Feliciano Lopez into doubles final

  • Posted: Jun 22, 2019

Andy Murray reached the doubles final at Queen’s as the Briton’s dream return to tennis continued five months after career-saving hip surgery.

He and Feliciano Lopez beat third seeds John Peers and Henri Kontinen 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 10-7.

It was a third match of the day for Lopez, who reached the singles final before heading straight out to resume their suspended doubles quarter-final.

They play Britain’s Joe Salisbury and American Rajeev Ram in Sunday’s final.

After completing a 6-4 7-6 (7-3) win over Britons Dan Evans and Ken Skupski in a quarter-final that had been suspended on Friday for bad light, they stayed on court to play the semi-final.

“I’m very happy to be in the final,” Murray said.

“It was a good match. It was an unbelievable effort from Feliciano. He’s played a lot of tennis in the last couple of games. He’s not young any more!”

Lopez, 37, takes on 34-year-old Gilles Simon in Sunday’s singles final (13:30 BST) before returning to the court for the doubles final with Murray.

  • Lopez to play Simon on Queen’s final
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More Murray magic

In his three matches at his first tournament since having his hip resurfaced in January, Murray has looked sharp.

Gone is the limp and the grimace that accompanied his obvious discomfort at times pre-surgery.

Instead a relaxed and smiling Murray has returned – and while it is clear he is enjoying simply being back on court, it is also clear that his competitive desire is as great as ever.

A fist pump and roar greeted the ace that sealed the opening set, while in the sixth game of the second set, where he and Lopez were 15-40 down at 1-4, he unleashed a fantastic forehand return that was key to them eventually holding serve.

They broke in the following game and took it into a tie-break, where they were just edged out.

With questions over when fatigue might creep in for Lopez – and when a lack of match fitness might begin to show for Murray against two doubles specialists – they drew enough strength to push themselves over the finishing line, sealing victory when the Spaniard’s serve was not returned.

Murray, who has won the singles title at Queen’s five times, will now have the chance to add the doubles crown – five months after a tearful news conference in Australia where he was revealing his retirement plans.

Murray, whose last doubles title was eight years ago in Tokyo alongside brother Jamie, is playing at Eastbourne next week, where he is swapping Lopez for Brazilian partner Marcelo Melo.

The former world number one and three-time Grand Slam singles champion is then scheduled to partner France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the doubles at Wimbledon next month.

But the Scot’s mixed doubles partner is yet to be decided for his return to Grand Slam tennis at the All England Club.

Salisbury & Ram upset Bryan brothers

While all the attention has been on Murray’s return, compatriot Joe Salisbury has flown under the radar and into the final.

The 27-year-old and American Ram claimed a shock 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (10-8) victory against fourth-seeded American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan in their semi-final.

Bob Bryan, who has won 16 men’s doubles Grand Slams, returned to tennis at the beginning of this year after having the same hip surgery as Murray in 2018.

Salisbury has three doubles titles to his name, winning the most recent one with Ram in Dubai in March.

The pair also reached the Brisbane International final in January.

They are doubles specialists but since Murray and Lopez knocked out top seeds Robert Farah and Juan Sebastien Cabal in the opening round here, that is unlikely to bother the Scot and the Spaniard.

Analysis

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

There were understandable signs of fatigue in Lopez after his three-set singles semi-final win, but with Murray alongside – bursting with energy and intent – he was able to rouse himself to win a third match of the day.

It was a chilly evening and Lopez had eaten very little for several hours. The pair lost their way at times in the second set, but were not to be denied in the match tie-break.

What a week this has been for Murray, who on Sunday has the chance to win his first doubles title for eight years.

And what a week for Lopez: a 37-year-old wildcard, with a chance on Sunday to do the double.

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Lopez and Simon to meet in Queen's final – with combined age of 71

  • Posted: Jun 22, 2019

Feliciano Lopez and Gilles Simon – who have a combined age of 71 – will meet in the final at Queen’s on Sunday after three-set wins in their semi-finals.

Lopez, who played twice more on Saturday to reach the doubles final with Andy Murray, beat teen Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-7 (7-3) 6-3 6-4.

Frenchman Simon, 34, reached his first final of the season by beating fourth seed Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-3.

Lopez, 37, is appearing in his first final since winning Queen’s in 2017.

“I’m so happy, I can’t believe I’m in the final here again. It’s crazy how we old guys can still perform well,” said the Spaniard, who spent nearly five hours on court on Saturday.

“I feel very lucky to still be competitive at this stage of my career. I would never have imagined I could reach the final of Queen’s at 37 years old.”

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Lopez plays three matches in one day – and reaches two finals

Lopez headed back on court just 12 minutes after his victory to resume a doubles quarter-final alongside Britain’s Murray, beating Dan Evans and Ken Skupski, before overcoming third seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers in the semi-final.

“Of course I’m tired,” Lopez said after the doubles semi-final.

“I’ve been playing a lot this week. I haven’t played much because I was injured. I haven’t played three matches in a row in six months. My body feels sore but I’m ready for tomorrow.”

He had trailed promising Canadian 18-year-old Auger-Aliassime in a meeting that featured the largest age gap in an ATP semi-final since 1977.

Auger-Aliassime, seeking to reach his fourth final of the year, had not lost a service game all week and delivered 14 aces on his way to taking the opening set.

But Lopez got the breakthrough to go 2-0 up in the second set when the youngster hit a forehand long and went on to force a decider, and then broke again in the fifth game of the third to set himself on the way to victory.

Another long match for Simon

World number 38 Simon has also spent a lot of time on court here, playing the longest Queen’s match since records began when he beat Nicolas Mahut in the quarter-finals in three hours and 20 minutes on Friday.

And the 34-year-old needed another two hours and 39 minutes to come from behind to beat Russia’s Medvedev, who was the highest-ranked player left in the draw.

“It was hard to recover for this one,” said Simon.

“It was tough until the end with long rallies. It was a tough match. But you relax a bit when you’re really tired and you’ve played a long match.”

Simon could now become the first Frenchman to claim the Queen’s title.

Medvedev, at a career-high 13 in the world rankings, was the first Russian to reach the semi-finals of the tournament in the professional era.

The 23-year-old appeared to struggle with injury throughout the match, icing his shoulder during changeovers several times and holding his back in pain.

  • Watch live coverage of Queen’s
  • Andy Murray’s Queen’s doubles quarter-final halted because of bad light
  • Roger Federer goes for 10th Halle title against David Goffin

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Read & Watch: Felix Fires Four Aces In A Game At The Queen's Club!

  • Posted: Jun 22, 2019

Read & Watch: Felix Fires Four Aces In A Game At The Queen’s Club!

Auger-Aliassime completes rapid service game in semi-final loss

#NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime fell short in the semi-finals of the Fever-Tree Championships on Saturday against Feliciano Lopez. But the 18-year-old did something that you don’t see every day on the ATP Tour.

Auger-Aliassime hit four consecutive aces at 2-2 in the first set, holding to love without allowing Lopez to touch a ball. The teen crushed 25 aces in his loss.

You May Also Like: Lopez Wins Queen’s Club Battle Of The Ages Against Felix

It is another sign of the World No. 21’s improving service performance. Last year, Auger-Aliassime struck 101 aces in 16 tour-level matches, an average of just more than six aces per match. But this season, he has tallied 333 aces in 40 matches, a rate of more than eight per match. At The Queen’s Club, Felix launched 68 aces in just four matches, an average of 17 aces per match.

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Lopez/Murray Double Their Pleasure To Reach Queen's Club Final

  • Posted: Jun 22, 2019

Lopez/Murray Double Their Pleasure To Reach Queen’s Club Final

Popular duo to play Ram/Salisbury in championship match

Andy Murray arrived at the Fever-Tree Championships with no expectations for his first tournament back after hip surgery, but he’s now one match from leaving with the doubles title.

Murray and Feliciano Lopez completed a busy Saturday by reaching the final with a 7-5, 6-7(5), 10-7 win over third seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers. Earlier in the day, Lopez/Murray won their darkness-delayed quarter-final over Daniel Evans and Ken Skupski 6-4, 7-6(3). Lopez/Murray led 6-4, 4-5 when play was suspended on Friday night.

“I didn’t know what to expect and obviously I had a tough draw as well, playing the top seeds (Cabal/Farah) in the first match and never played with Feli before,” said Murray. “I think things have probably got a little bit better with each match… I didn’t expect to be playing in the final, that’s for sure.”

Read: Marathon Gilles Wins Another Queen’s Club Thriller

The Brit is into his first ATP Tour doubles final since reaching the 2013 Montreal championship match with Colin Fleming (l. to Peya/Soares). He seeks his first doubles title since prevailing with brother Jamie Murray at Tokyo in 2011 (d. Cermak/Polasek).

Lopez scored his third win of the day with the semi-final victory over Kontinen/Peers. The 37-year-old Spaniard started his Saturday by defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in three sets to reach the singles final.

“He did brilliant. Not just in the way he played, but in the way he carried himself at the end of the match. Big energy. Was getting pumped,” said Murray. “It was cool for me to see that. He’s been on the tour for 20 years and I appreciate that he’s got a big final in singles to play tomorrow and it’s getting dark and late, second day in a row. He did really, really well. It was a great effort from him.”

You May Also Like: Lopez Wins Queen’s Club Battle Of The Ages Against Felix

Lopez/Murray and Kontinen/Peers traded service holds until 5-5 in the first set, when Peers pushed a forehand volley long to drop serve. An ace from Murray on set point gave his team the early advantage.

Down 1-4, 0/40 in the second set, Lopez/Murray completed a remarkable turnaround by winning 12 consecutive points. A return winner from Murray on Kontinen’s serve at 5-5 gave the Brit an opportunity to serve out the match, but he couldn’t convert. Kontinen/Peers completed another great escape in the tie-break, rallying from 1/3 to force a Match Tie-break.

With the crowd firmly in Lopez/Murray’s corner, the Spaniard rifled a backhand passing shot for a 4/2 lead in the Match Tie-break. The unseeded duo maintained their slight advantage and prevailed in one hour and 44 minutes.

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Awaiting Lopez/Murray in Sunday’s championship match are Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, who defeated fourth seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 7-6(4), 7-6(8). They saved two set points in the second-set tie-break at 5/6 and 7/8 before advancing in one hour and 29 minutes.

Ram/Salisbury are through to their third ATP Tour doubles final this season. They prevailed in Dubai (d. McLachlan/Struff) and finished runner-up in Brisbane (l. to Daniel/Koolhof).

“It’s obviously been an amazing event with Andy coming back here. It’s great to see him back and great for the sport and especially great for doubles having him in the tournament,” said Salisbury. “If I wasn’t playing Andy, I’d get a bit more support in the final!

“I have won two [ATP] 500 titles before, but I think this would be extra special and an even bigger title just because of the fact I’m playing at home… I’m sure it will be a great experience in the final no matter what happens.”

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Del Potro Injury Update: Argentine Completes Knee Surgery

  • Posted: Jun 22, 2019

Del Potro Injury Update: Argentine Completes Knee Surgery

World No. 12 fractured right kneecap at Queen’s Club

Juan Martin del Potro is on the road to recovery. The Argentine underwent a successful surgery on Saturday in Barcelona to repair his fractured right kneecap.

A statement from Del Potro’s team said he “completed his surgery with great success… in the Crue Bianca Clinic in Barcelona. The operation was performed by Dr. Jaume Vilaro and Dr. Angel Ruiz Cotorro, who proceeded with removing a bone fragment.”

Del Potro slipped in the second set of his first-round match on Wednesday against Denis Shapovalov at the Fever-Tree Championships. He hung on for the win, but underwent medical tests after noticing pain and swelling in the knee.

You May Also Like: Del Potro To Undergo Surgery

The fractured right kneecap is the same injury he suffered last October at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, which cut his season short and limited him to five tournaments this year. Del Potro took to his Instagram yesterday and explained that his doctors advised surgery would be the best option.

“I asked them for the best option health-wise, not just for tennis,” said Del Potro. “As you can imagine, this is a tough moment. It’s sad to go through all this again. I didn’t expect this at all…hopefully I will have a good recovery. I hope my knee can heal properly.”

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Lopez Wins Queen's Club Battle Of The Ages Against Felix

  • Posted: Jun 22, 2019

Lopez Wins Queen’s Club Battle Of The Ages Against Felix

Spaniard to play Simon in championship match

Feliciano Lopez arrived at the Fever-Tree Championships with just three ATP Tour main draw wins this season, but the Spanish wild card is now one match away from another grass-court title.

In a battle of experience against youth, he defeated eighth-seeded #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4. The match between 37-year-old Lopez and 18-year-old Auger-Aliassime marked the largest age difference in an ATP Tour semi-final or final since Hong Kong in 1977, when Ken Rosewall (43) defeated Pat Dupre (23) in the semi-finals.

Lopez is also into the doubles final with Andy Murray. The pair won two matches on Saturday, completing a darkness-delayed quarter-final over Daniel Evans and Ken Skupski before defeating third seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers. Lopez spent well over four hours on court to pick up the three victories.

“If someone told me this a week ago, I would say you’re crazy because it feels so great. To be here again in the finals in both singles and doubles, it’s tough to believe,” said Lopez. “I thought that somehow things are going to go well on the grass and this week has been fantastic from the very beginning.”

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Lopez is through to his first ATP Tour final since prevailing here two years ago (d. Cilic). He also broke ground as the oldest Queen’s Club finalist in the Open Era.

Awaiting him in the final is another veteran in 34-year-old Gilles Simon, who defeated fourth seed Daniil Medvedev in a marathon three-set match earlier in the day. Lopez leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 5-2 and has won all four of their grass-court meetings, including the 2013 Eastbourne final.

Auger-Aliassime drops to 6-2 in his first professional grass-court season. Had he defeated Lopez, the Canadian would have cracked the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings on Monday. He currently sits at a career-high of No. 21.

You May Also Like: Marathon Gilles: Simon Ousts Medvedev In Queen’s Club Thriller

Both players traded service holds throughout the opening set. Auger-Aliassime raised his level in the tie-break, cracking a backhand passing shot winner to take a 4/2 lead. Serving at 3/6, Lopez tumbled at the net while attempting a forehand volley and allowed the Canadian to place a forehand in the open court. The Canadian dropped just five points on serve in the opening set.

Watch: Felix’s Game Of Aces At Queen’s Club 

After 44 consecutive holds, a pair of forehand errors at 0-1 in the second set led to Auger-Aliassime dropping serve for the first time this week. The 18-year-old became frustrated as he struggled with his footing on the grass and timing on his forehand. Auger-Aliassime hit 21 winners to 10 unforced errors in the first set, but hit seven winners and 11 errors in the second set.

Lopez remained steady from the baseline, but also flattened out his forehand and made more frequent trips to the net to force a deciding set. He won seven of nine net points in the second set and prevailed in 79 per cent of his first-serve points.

Auger-Aliassime sent a backhand wide to give Lopez a crucial break to lead 3-2 in the deciding set. But serving at 3-5, the Canadian bravely fought back from 0/40 and saved four match points with a barrage of aces and winners. Lopez remained calm and served out the match in the next game, flicking a forehand drop shot winner and laughing in disbelief as he advanced after two hours after 17 minutes.

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Roger Federer goes for 10th Halle title against David Goffin

  • Posted: Jun 22, 2019

Roger Federer will play David Goffin in the Halle Open final as he bids for a 10th title at the tournament.

The Swiss, 37, beat Andy Murray’s Wimbledon doubles partner Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-3 6-3 in the semi-final.

Belgian world number 33 Goffin, 28, reached his first ATP tour final since 2017 with a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 win against rising Italian star Matteo Berrettini.

“It is very special,” said eight-time Wimbledon champion Federer, who is the top seed at Halle.

“I am glad I got another chance this year, because I really didn’t know if I would ever play another Halle final.”

It has not been a straightforward run on grass in Germany for the 20-time Grand Slam champion so far, who dropped a set against both Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Roberto Bautista Agut in earlier rounds.

Goffin knocked out world number five and home favourite Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals on Thursday, but has lost seven of his last eight meetings with Federer.

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