The Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open was full of upsets, with just two seeded players advancing to the quarter-finals, where top-seeded Adrian Mannarino was ousted. But one tournament favourite never faltered on the grounds of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Third seed Steve Johnson did not lose more than three games in a set en route to the final, where he defeated first-time ATP World Tour finalist Ramkumar Ramanathan 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 on Sunday to claim his fourth tour-level trophy.

It is the first time that the 28-year-old has won multiple titles in one campaign, after retaining his trophy in Houston earlier this year. Johnson had never moved past the quarter-finals in three previous main draw appearances in Newport. But he won 83 per cent of first-serve points against the World No. 161 to triumph on grass for the second time.

Johnson, who is one of just two players on the ATP World Tour this season (also Roger Federer) to win titles on multiple surfaces, will climb 14 spots to No. 34 in the ATP Rankings thanks to the 250 points he adds to his tally. He will also take home $99,375 in prize money.

Ramanathan was attempting to become the first Indian ATP World Tour titlist since Leander Paes was victorious at the International Tennis Hall of Fame 20 years ago. He earns 150 points for the best result of his career, as well as $52,340.

Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos captured their fifth team title on Sunday, defeating Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-4 to win the SkiStar Swedish Open.

Peralta and Zeballos lifted their first title since the 2017 Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship to deny Fognini a clean sweep on Sweden’s west coast. Earlier in the day, Fognini defeated Richard Gasquet to lift his seventh tour-level singles trophy.

The Chilean-Argentine tandem was dominant on second-serve returns, winning 73 per cent of points in the category to emerge victorious after 71 minutes. Peralta and Zeballos improve to 45-25 as a team at tour-level and 2-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series against their Italian opponents.

Zeballos has now won nine tour-level doubles titles, while each of Peralta’s five title runs have come alongside his current partner.

Bolelli and Fognini were bidding to win their first tour-level title together since the 2015 Australian Open. The Italians drop to 3-5 in tour-level championship matches.

Peralta and Zeballos receive 250 ATP Doubles Ranking points and split €27,170 in prize money for lifting the trophy. Bolelli and Fognini gain 150 points and share €14,280.

Did You Know?
Since 1982, only 11 editions of the SkiStar Swedish Open doubles event have not featured a Swedish champion. The last home titlist was Johan Brunstrom, alongside Nicholas Monroe, in 2014.

Fabio Fognini captured his second tour-level trophy of the season on Sunday, beating Richard Gasquet 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 at the SkiStar Swedish Open.

The third-seeded Italian, who lifted the Brasil Open title in February, converted five of 11 break-point chances en route to the victory. Fognini has now won seven tour-level crowns, with each of his triumphs coming at outdoor clay-court events.

The World No. 15 improves to 7-9 in tour-level finals after securing his 31st victory in 45 matches at tour-level in 2018. Gasquet was also bidding to clinch his second ATP World Tour title of the season after winning his 15th tour-level trophy at the Libema Open in June.

“[Fabio] is a very good player. He played well and he deserved this win,” said Gasquet. “It was my first time in Båstad… I am very happy to be here, finally. It is one of the best tournaments… for sure I will come back next year and try to win.”

As a result of the one-hour, 47-minute win, Fognini levels his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Gasquet at 2-2. The 31-year-old has won both of their encounters on clay, while Gasquet has emerged victorious in their two hard-court clashes.

Gasquet made the first move on a bright day on Sweden’s west coast, capitalising on a series of groundstroke errors to clinch the first break of the match. But Fognini soon found his rhythm, hitting with great depth and approaching the net at times to flip the set on its head. The Italian reeled off five consecutive games to lead 5-2, before closing out the set, after 32 minutes, with a love service hold.

Three consecutive double faults from Fognini gifted Gasquet an early lead in the second set and, despite surrendering the break in the following game, the Frenchman soon re-established his advantage with strong defensive skills from the backhand corner.

Consistent backhand aggression earned Fognini an immediate break of serve in the deciding set and with increased confidence in his service games, the Italian soon moved towards victory. After wearing his opponent down, in an extended rally, to earn a second break, Fognini converted his fourth championship point as Gasquet fired an aggressive forehand beyond the baseline.

Later in the day, Fognini will aim to add a second Båstad title to his trophy cabinet. The Italian, alongside countryman Simone Bolelli, will contest the doubles final against Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos. Fognini and Bolelli have won three doubles titles from seven tour-level finals as a team, including the 2015 Australian Open.

“For sure, I am going to be tired. I have another final to play. I need to take a shower, eat a little bit and try to be ready,” said Fognini.

Fognini receives 250 ATP Ranking points and collects €89,435 in prize money for lifting the trophy. Gasquet gains 150 points and receives €47,105.

Did You Know?
With 31 tour-level match wins already this season, Fabio Fognini is just five victories short of equalling his 2017 match-win total. The Italian ended his 2017 campaign with 36-23 tour-level record.

Jonathan Erlich and Artem Sitak were an unstoppable force on Saturday, taking the doubles title at the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open in just 53 minutes.

The Israeli-Kiwi duo prevailed 6-1, 6-2 over fourth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela to complete a ruthless campaign on the grass of Newport. They dropped just one set all week, including victory over Lleyton Hewitt and Jordan Thompson, before defeating a trio of seeded opponents. 

Competing together for just the second time, Erlich and Sitak notched their first team title. They previously teamed up at the 2015 US Open, falling in the first round. But this time, 41-year-old Erlich and 32-year-old Sitak found their rhythm from the first ball. The Israeli scored his 20th tour-level title and first on grass since 2011, while the Kiwi celebrated his fourth crown.

“We just played each other at Wimbledon (Sitak/Sharan d. Erlich/Matkowski in five sets) and I thought he played really well there,” said Sitak. “I knew we could go all the way this week. We just focused point after point. It’s great to have his experience and he played all the big points just like the big boss he is. He made everything and I’m really happy the way we played today.”

Erlich’s 20th title carries added significance, considering his first also came in Newport. He teamed up with countryman Harel Levy for the 2000 crown in his ATP World Tour debut.

“I can’t believe it was 18 years ago,” said Erlich. “I’m proud of myself that I’m still going and I played great this week. I have great chemistry with Artem and great energy together. I’m glad we connected quickly here and from the first match we played solid together. We helped each other to play the best. That’s why I have a young guy like him.”

The champions split $30,190 in prize money and earn 250 ATP Doubles Rankings points, while runners-up Arevalo and Reyes-Varela take home $15,870 and 150 points. It was the first ATP World Tour doubles final for both players.

Did You Know?
Erlich’s 20 titles have come with six different partners. He has one each with Sitak, Levy, Novak Djokovic, Colin Fleming and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, with the majority of his success coming with compatriot Andy Ram (15 titles together).

Ramkumar Ramanathan made national history on Saturday, becoming the first Indian to reach an ATP World Tour final since Somdev Devvarman at Johannesburg in 2011 when he defeated American Tim Smyczek to advance to the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open championship match. Ramanathan can become the first Indian titlist at tour-level since Leander Paes in Newport 20 years ago.

Ramanathan spoke to ATPWorldTour.com about various ‘firsts’ throughout his career, from his first prize money splurge to the first autograph he ever asked for.

First pinch-me moment on the ATP World Tour
When I beat Somdev [Devvarman] in 2014 in Chennai. I qualified and there was like a one per cent chance I would play him and I played him and beat him 6-4 in the third set. I didn’t imagine that I was going to beat him that day, but I was just focused on giving my best. I was really nervous and that’s where it all started. I was really happy and from that day on, it’s been going upward, so I’m happy for that.

First coach and most important lesson she taught me
My first coach was Thyagarajan Chandrasekaran. He’s from Chennai. I used to play at an academy there for a few years. He really focused on my forehand, I remember. We used to go at 2 o’clock and he’d feed balls to me. That’s where it all started and he always kept saying, ‘You have the game, just keep believing’.

First time I was recognised
In Chennai sometimes. Once I won that match against Somdev, I slowly started getting recognised and also when I beat Dominic Thiem, so it was good to have that win, too.

First time I travelled abroad
When I was 11, to Nick Bollettieri’s academy. I was sent by our federation on that trip, it was sponsored. It was a good trip for 140 days and we all had some fun with Mr. Nick Bollettieri. I still remember he gave a lesson for the group. It was great exposure for us and for me, it was unbelievable, because it’s not easy to train at any academy, so it was a good feeling.

First concert I visited
I went to a couple in Barcelona, but the first was Enrique Iglesias.

First prize money purchase
When I broke the Top 150 [in the ATP Rankings], I told myself I was going to get the Beats headphones. I always liked those.

First autograph I asked for
Mahesh Bhupathi when I was really, really young, when I was seven or eight. I still have that photo. When I made the quarter-finals of the Chennai Open in 2016, they actually put that photo on the big screen of me getting something signed by Mahesh. I still have it on my phone.

First time I flew first class
Not yet.

First pet
A dog.

Ramkumar Ramanathan is one win from ATP World Tour glory.

The 23-year-old from India continued his stunning run at the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open, blasting into the final with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Tim Smyczek on Saturday. Ramanathan has dropped just one set all week on the grass of Newport, reaching his first title match in impressive fashion.

At No. 161 in the ATP Rankings, not only is the Chennai native the third-lowest ranked player to reach a tour-level final this year, but also the first player from his country to do so in seven years on the singles circuit. The last Indian to advance to a championship match on the ATP World Tour was Somdev Devvarman in Johannesburg in 2011 (l. to Anderson).

“I was serving well and I just hung in there,” said Ramanathan. “I didn’t have the greatest first set on return, but I found a groove. He’s a really tricky opponent, especially on these courts. I’m pretty happy to get through.”

Ramanathan will face home hope Steve Johnson in Sunday’s final, as he looks to etch his place in the history books. Victory would see him become the first player from India to lift a singles trophy since mentor and idol Leander Paes exactly 20 years ago in Newport in 1998. 

Ramanathan, who is projected to rise at least 40 spots in the ATP Rankings, would make his Top 100 debut in the ATP Rankings with a title.

2018 ATP World Tour Finalists Outside The Top 100

India’s newest star will face a tall order on Sunday against Johnson, as he seeks his second Top 50 win. Johnson has breezed through the draw in Newport, not dropping more than three games in a set all week. 

Routine victories over Christian Harrison, Dudi Sela and Marcel Granollers put the American into his fifth ATP World Tour final and second on grass. On Saturday, he defeated Granollers 6-3, 6-3 in just 70 minutes to secure his spot in the title match. He was dominant on serve throughout the encounter, relinquishing just seven of 44 service points.

“I just tried to take what the court gave me,” said Johnson. “I actually had a chance to be even more aggressive in the second set with those break points, but I’m really happy with how I served and I managed to get a second break to close out the match. Hopefully I get more of the same tomorrow. Especially out here, you never know what’s going to happen one point to the next. I’m very happy to run down a few balls and hit some good passing shots.

“This is going to be my fifth final, so I feel more comfortable with each one. You have to take it like any other match. I’ll try to take some chances on his serve.”

Johnson, who successfully defended his title on the clay of Houston earlier this year, previously lifted a grass-court trophy in Nottingham in 2016. He is bidding to become just the second player to reign on multiple surfaces thus far in 2018, joining only Roger Federer. Federer has won on the hard courts of the Australian Open and in Rotterdam and on grass in Stuttgart.

Did You Know?
Ramanathan will be just the second player from India that Johnson has faced in his career. The first came in his ATP World Tour debut match in Los Angeles in 2010, falling to Somdev Devvarman.