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Mahut/Roger-Vasselin Capture Team Title No. 6 In Antwerp

Oct212018

Frenchmen victorious in Belgium without dropping a set

While Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin might not be full-time partners on the doubles court, the Frenchmen have certainly found success when they do team up.

Mahut and Roger-Vasselin defeated Marcelo Demoliner and Santiago Gonzalez 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday to win the European Open, capturing the title in Antwerp after one hour and 14 minutes. It is the pair’s sixth ATP World Tour title together, including a victory in Metz last month.

“This was a great week. Nico was a bit sick at the beginning of the week, so it was tough. But then of course we’re happy to have this wonderful trophy,” Roger-Vasselin said. “I think we probably played our best match of the week today. Tough week, but really happy to have this sixth title together.”

Before that title-run at the Moselle Open, Mahut and Roger-Vasselin had not lifted a trophy together in more than five years. But now, they’ve triumphed twice in less than a month. And perhaps most impressively, the Frenchmen won all 16 sets they’ve played in those two events.

Mahut now owns 24 tour-level titles on the doubles court, while Roger-Vasselin has 16. The latter also won in Antwerp two years ago, when he partnered recently-retired Canadian Daniel Nestor. Mahut and his usual partner, Pierre-Hugues Herbert, have already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, to take place at The O2 in London from 11-18 November. Buy Your London Tickets

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The Frenchmen not only leave Belgium with the title, but they each gain 250 ATP Doubles Ranking points and share €33,210 in prize money. While Demoliner and Gonzalez will be disappointed to not finish the tournament as champions, the Brazilian-Mexican duo add 150 points to their totals and split €17,460. Gonzalez was also the runner-up in Antwerp last season.

“They were playing great. I think they’ve improved a lot this year,” Mahut said. “At the end of the day we have the trophy, a very beautiful one, I have to say.”

'They should say we'll now play the Isner Rule' – American backs Wimbledon change

Posted: Oct 21, 2018

John Isner has backed planned changes to Wimbledon aimed at preventing marathon matches – and says the rule should be named after him.

From next year, tie-breaks will be played at 12-12 in the final set, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has announced.

Isner was involved in the longest match in Wimbledon history in 2010, beating Nicolas Mahut 70-68 in the final set.

“I have said all along 12-all is good,” he told BBC Radio 5 live’s Sportsweek.

“That is sensible – you’re getting people who like the advantage and people who like tie-breaks. It is bucking tradition but a lot of people believe that is not a bad thing,” said the American.

Isner’s semi-final with Kevin Anderson this summer was the second longest match in Wimbledon history, with the final set lasting almost three hours.

“The next match that gets to that, they should just say we will now play the Isner Rule,” he said. “I don’t think they are going to do that, but I think I’ve been a big driving force for it.”

Anderson calls for end to final set marathons

A tie-break is played in the fifth set at the US Open at 6-6, but at the Australian Open and French Open the final set must be won by two clear games.

Isner, 33, thinks the other Grand Slam events could follow Wimbledon’s lead.

“It may be that Wimbledon acting like this could drive them to do it as well,” the world number 10 said.

“There is drama enough in a tie-breaker. You could argue there is more drama in that,” he added.

The AELTC said “the time had come” to introduce a tie-break method at “a reasonable point” in a deciding set.

The winner will be the first player or team to reach seven points with an advantage of two or more points, with the ruling applying to all Wimbledon events – qualifying, men’s, women’s, mixed and junior singles and doubles.

Some of the most memorable Wimbledon matches to go beyond 12-12 in the final set:

2009 final: Roger Federer v Andy Roddick – Federer won 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14

2010 first round: Nicolas Mahut v John Isner – Isner won 6-4 3-6 6-7 (7-9) 7-6 (7-3) 70-68

2012 third round: Marin Cilic v Sam Querrey – Cilic won 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 6-7(2-7) 6-7(3-7) 17-15

2017 fourth round: Rafael Nadal v Gilles Muller – Muller won 6-3 6-4 3-6 4-6 15-13

2018 semi-final: Kevin Anderson v John Isner – Anderson won 7-6 (8-6) 6-7 (5-7) 6-7 (9-11) 6-4 26-24

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Koolhof/Daniell Reach First Team Final In Stockholm

Oct202018

Mahut/Roger-Vasselin move into Antwerp final

Marcus Daniell and Wesley Koolhof reached their maiden tour-level final as a team on Saturday, beating Julien Benneteau and Lucas Pouille 7-6(5), 7-6(7) at the Intrum Stockholm Open.

Daniell and Koolhof saved set points in each set to defeat the French duo after one hour and 43 minutes in the Swedish capital. The third seeds also saved six of eight break points and won 55 per cent of second-serve return points en route to victory.

Daniell and Koolhof will meet Nature Valley International titlists Luke Bambridge and Jonny O’Mara for the title. The British duo reached its second tour-level final of the season on Friday, defeating Simone Bolelli and Ivan Dodig 6-3, 6-4.

Roger-Vasselin Edges Closer To Second Antwerp Crown
Edouard Roger-Vasselin, alongside countryman Nicolas Mahut, reached his second European Open final in three years, defeating defending champion Divij Sharan and partner Artem Sitak 7-5, 7-6(3)

The French pairing, which owns a 5-1 tour-level-final record, reached its second championship match of 2018, winning 40 of 48 first-serve points to advance after 88 minutes. In 2016, Roger-Vasselin won the inaugural European Open crown with recently-retired Canadian Daniel Nestor.

Mahut and Roger-Vasselin, the Moselle Open titlists, will face Marcelo Demoliner and Santiago Gonzalez in Sunday’s final. The Turkish Airlines Open Antalya champions defeated Gerard Granollers and Marcel Granollers 6-3, 6-4 in 59 minutes on Friday.

European Open: Kyle Edmund wins to set up Gael Monfils final

Posted: Oct 20, 2018

British number one Kyle Edmund remains on course for his maiden ATP title after reaching the European Open final in Antwerp with a 6-3 6-4 win over 2016 champion Richard Gasquet.

The 23-year-old world number 15 and top seed beat Gasquet, the world number 28, in one hour 17 minutes.

Edmund will meet another Frenchman, Gael Monfils, in Sunday’s final.

Sixth seed Monfils, 32, who is now ranked 38 in the world, beat Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman 6-3 6-4.

Schwartzman, a beaten finalist in the tournament’s previous two editions, lost in one hour 17 minutes.

It ensured a French participant in the final for the third year in succession, with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga taking the title in 2017.

Edmund broke in the second game against Gasquet and quickly built a 3-0 lead in the opening set, before wrapping up his third win in four meetings.

Meanwhile, in the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, Russian world number 14 Daria Kasatkina, who beat Britain’s Johanna Konta in the semi-finals, won the women’s title with a 2-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 victory over Ons Jabeur of Tunisia.

In the men’s event, Karen Khachanov beat Daniil Medvedev 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 in an all-Russian semi-final.

Khachanov will face Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, who beat Andreas Seppi 7-5 7-5.

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