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Kohlschreiber Claims Second Kitzbühel Crown

  • Posted: Aug 05, 2017

Kohlschreiber Claims Second Kitzbühel Crown

German streaks past Joao Sousa for eighth ATP World Tour title

It was home cooking for Philipp Kohlschreiber at the Generali Open, as the local resident captured his second Kitzbühel crown on Sunday.

In what was the final clay-court match of the year on the ATP World Tour, Kohlschreiber dismissed Joao Sousa 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 22 minutes to take his eighth tour-level title. It was an emotional victory for the 33 year old, who was forced to retire from his Hamburg semi-final just one week ago with a leg injury.

But Kohlschreiber would bounce back strong in Kitzbühel, fighting back from a set down to defeat Dusan Lajovic in the quarters and ousting Gstaad champion Fabio Fognini in the semis before downing Sousa on Sunday. The local resident, who rides his bike to the site all week during the tournament, previously lifted the trophy in 2015 (d. Mathieu).

“It was an amazing week for me,” said Kohlschreiber. “I never expected to win this title when the tournament started. I really enjoy playing here, it is such a nice event. Everyone is doing a great job and the crowd loves to come here.

“I started to play more aggressive and offensive tennis. He is a very good mover on the court. He’s a great fighter and takes the ball early, so I tried to play faster and more aggressive. I was also very focused in the crucial moments and the two breaks I made was at 30/0 up for him.”

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, in the shadow of the famous Hahnenkamm Mountain in the Austrian Alps, Kohlschreiber would rally from a break down in both sets to overcome Sousa. A chipped forehand that landed wide gave the Portuguese the initial break for 2-1 in the first set, but his German opponent stormed back to snatch the opener, reeling five of the next six games.

Sousa was once again on the front foot in the second set, edging ahead 3-1, but could not maintain the advantage, as Kohlschreiber broke back immediately and cruised to the finish line. He would take his first championship point as a Sousa backhand sailed wide.

It marked the fourth consecutive year in which Kohlschreiber has won an ATP World Tour title. He earns €85,945 in prize money and 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points, rising a projected 10 spots to World No. 37. Following two defeats to open their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, Kohlschreiber has rebounded to draw level with Sousa at 2-2. He most recently earned a three-set win at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle last month.

Sousa, meanwhile, takes home €45,265  in prize money and 150 Emirates ATP Rankings points for reaching his ninth ATP World Tour final. The 28 year old was bidding for his third title and first since 2015, when he triumphed in Valencia.

“Even if I lost today it was a great week,” said Sousa. “I haven’t been playing that well for a while, so I’m very happy with how I played here in Kitzbühel. Philipp was the better man today and deserves to win the title. He played great tennis.”

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#NextGenATP Kokkinakis Stuns Berdych For Maiden Final

  • Posted: Aug 05, 2017

#NextGenATP Kokkinakis Stuns Berdych For Maiden Final

Querrey plays Dzumhur on Friday

#NextGenATP Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis continued his remarkable run this week by reaching his first ATP World Tour singles final on Friday at Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex, rallying to defeat top seed Tomas Berdych in Los Cabos 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.

“I showed some glimpses of good tennis this year, so to do that consistently this week in Los Cabos means a lot,” said Kokkinakis. “I’ve had great support from the fans here all week. I love it here and I’ll definitely be coming back a few more times.”

The 21-year-old was sidelined from singles competition for 18 months with a laundry list of injuries, but returned to singles action this past May. In just his fourth tournament back, he defeated Milos Raonic at the Aegon Championships. Kokkinakis is currently No. 454 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after six tournaments, but will move to around No. 225 when the newest standings are released on Monday. A win in the final will put him around No. 165.

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Berdych grabbed the lone break of the opening set at 4-3, but Kokkinakis regrouped in the second set by storming to a 6/2 lead in the tie-break before eventually forcing a decider. The Aussie led by 5-2 in the final set, but nerves began to take over trying to close out the match. He dropped his serve and squandered four match points, but ultimately regrouped to prevail in two hours and 18 minutes.

Kokkinakis celebrated the milestone moment by holding an impromptu autograph session to thank the fans in Los Cabos for their support all week.

Standing between Kokkinakis and the title is second seed Sam Querrey, who defeated Damir Dzumhur 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a match that ended well after midnight. Querrey is enjoying an outstanding run of form that recently saw him defeat World No. 1 Andy Murray to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals. The American has already enjoyed success in Mexico this year by defeating Rafael Nadal this past March in the Acapulco final.  

“I’m going to move here,” joked Querrey. “I really love this tournament and hope I can win both tournaments in Mexico this year.”

Querrey won his lone FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting with Kokkinakis at the 2015 Mutua Madrid Open, but said the rising Aussie is a different player compared to the one he faced two years ago.

“He’s obviously playing much better now. He’s hitting his forehand big and played really well against Berdych,” said Querrey. “He’s playing loose and tournaments don’t get any easier from here, so it’s going to be a tough match.”

Cabal/Huey Move Into Doubles Final

Second seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Treat Huey outlasted fourth seeds Purav Raja and Divij Sharan 3-6, 6-4, 10-7 to move into Saturday’s final. Cabal/Huey will take on Sergio Galdos and Roberto Maytin, who upset third seeds Marc Lopez and David Marrero 6-3, 2-6, 11-9.

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Tsonga: "Every Year The First Round Is Tougher"

  • Posted: Aug 05, 2017

Tsonga: "Every Year The First Round Is Tougher"

2014 champion looks ahead to Coupe Rogers

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga helped out with the draw ceremony Friday at the Coupe Rogers, but the draw didn’t do the 2014 champion any favours. The Frenchman was placed onto line 32, opposite Sam Querrey and Gilles Muller.

“I’m playing the winner of the last two players to beat me,” he told the crowd in French with a laugh.

Tsonga, indeed, lost to Querrey and Muller respectively during Wimbledon and the Aegon Championships, victims of his opponent’s memorable runs. Querrey went on to reach the semi-finals at the All England Club, knocking out defending champion Andy Murray in the process, while Muller ran up a seven-match winning streak that included the Eastbourne title.

Flash back to three years ago at this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, and it’s easy to remember Tsonga’s inspired run on the hard-courts of Toronto. During that dream week, he upset four straight Top 10 players – World No. 1 Novak Djokovic (3R), No. 9 Andy Murray (QF), No. 8 Grigor Dimitrov (SF) and No. 3 Roger Federer (F) – to claim the title.

Looking ahead to his campaign this week, Tsonga said he didn’t feel any differently about his chances now at age 32.

“I’m feeling good,” said the World No. 12. “I’m in good shape. I did a good start this season. I won three tournaments, and today I’m still in the game to play a Masters. For me it’s a big challenge to play here in Montreal, try to beat these guys and try to get some important [Emirates ATP Rankings] points for the end of the season.”

And though his three titles (Rotterdam, Marseille, Lyon) are the most he’s won in a single season since turning pro 13 years ago, Tsonga also commented that the quality of the field – particularly at the Masters 1000 tournaments – continued to improve with each passing year.

“Every year the first round is tougher. It’s more difficult,” he said. “We are lucky because at this time tennis is great. I think it’s good for the fans.”

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Murray/Soares Save 7 M.P. In Washington Thriller

  • Posted: Aug 05, 2017

Murray/Soares Save 7 M.P. In Washington Thriller

Kontinen/Peers save 2 M.P. to advance on Friday

Third seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares scored a monumental comeback win on Friday at the Citi Open, saving seven match points to advance into the semi-finals over qualifiers James Cerretani and #NextGenATP Aussie Marc Polmans 2-6, 6-3, 19-17.

Murray/Soares saved match points at 8/9, 9/10, 10/11, 11/12, 12/13, 14/15 and 16/17. The British-Brazilian pair ultimately made good on their third match point to prevail in one hour and 37 minutes.

Next up for them are top seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers, who also fought back from the brink by saving two match points to topple Ivan Dodig and Mate Pavic 7-5, 4-6, 14-12. Kontinen/Peers erased match points at 9/10 and 11/12.

Second seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo were also pushed to the brink before moving into the last four over Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau 7-6(3), 4-6, 10-7. Kubot/Melo are on a 19-match win streak dating back to their flawless grass-court season, in which they prevailed at the Ricoh Open, Gerry Weber Open and Wimbledon.

Awaiting them are fourth seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, who had the least dramatic match of the day in defeating wild cards Rohan Bopanna and Donald Young 7-5, 6-4. 

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Zverev Cruises Into Washington SFs

  • Posted: Aug 05, 2017

Zverev Cruises Into Washington SFs

Nishikori plays Paul on Friday

Fifth seed Alexander Zverev wasted no time getting down to business on Friday at the Citi Open, prevailing in an all-#NextGenATP battle over Russian Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 6-4 in 57 minutes to reach the semi-finals.

“I love the atmosphere and the people in Washington. It’s a young crowd and they’re very loud, so it’s always fun to play here,” said Zverev. “I’m just happy to be through to the semi-finals, but obviously don’t want to stop here.”

The German broke Medvedev twice and maintained control throughout the opening set to grab the early advantage. Medvedev, who upset fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov on Thursday night, found his range in the second set and made it a far more competitive affair. Zverev was not to be denied, though, grabbing the lone break of the set at 4-4. He improves his FedEx ATP Head2Head against Medvedev to 2-0.

“I think Medvedev has a huge game, like a lot of the Russian players who are playing very aggressively,” said Zverev. “He looks much stronger in the past year and moves very well, so his game is coming along.”

Next up for the World No. 8 in the Emirates ATP Rankings is second seed Kei Nishikori or wild card and #NextGenATP American Tommy Paul. Zverev has never faced either player.

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Montreal 2017

  • Posted: Aug 05, 2017

Montreal 2017

The content of this article took place at Coupe Rogers

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Federer, Nadal Take Top Two Spots In Montreal

  • Posted: Aug 05, 2017

Federer, Nadal Take Top Two Spots In Montreal

Main draw action starts on Monday

In a sight that many tennis fans wouldn’t have expected at the start of the season, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are once again the top seeds at an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event as the Coupe Rogers kicks off next week in Montreal. It marks the first time since 2009 that Federer and Nadal have held the top two spots in Canada. 

Federer and Nadal have won four of the five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events held this year. The Swiss star won both hard-court events in Indian Wells and Miami, while Nadal prevailed in Monte-Carlo and Madrid. 

Should Nadal reach the semi-finals in Montreal, he will unseat Andy Murray for the top spot in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Winning the title on Sunday would also have the Spaniard break a tie with Novak Djokovic and set a new record for most ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles won (31). Federer won’t be able to take No. 1 this week, but he could take it later during this American hard-court swing as he and Nadal are in a hot two-way battle for year-end No. 1 honours. 

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Second seed Federer looks to build on his second Grand Slam title of the year at Wimbledon by winning his first title in Canada since 2006. Federer, who has a first-round bye, is guaranteed to open his week against a Canadian when he plays the winner between wild cards Vasek Pospisil and Peter Polansky. Looming ahead is a possible third-round clash with 15th seed Jack Sock and quarter-final battle with fifth seed and 2016 runner-up Kei Nishikori.

Federer leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head with Nishikori 5-2 and has won their past four matches, including a five-set win this year in the fourth round of the Australian Open. He also leads the rivalry with Sock 3-0 and has yet to drop a set to the American, including in their most recent match this March at the BNP Paribas Open.

Meanwhile, top seed Nadal has a bye in the opening round and will start his campaign against Borna Coric or a qualifier/lucky loser. His draw doesn’t get easier from there, with other potential roadblacks including red-hot 14th seed John Isner or Juan Martin del Potro in the third round and home favourite Milos Raonic, seeded sixth, in the quarter-finals.

If Federer and Nadal make it to the final, it would be their first meeting in Canada. Nadal leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 23-14, but Federer has won their past four matches and all three encounters in 2017. Nadal leads 12-6 in their ATP World Tour Masters 1000 matches.

More: What Everyone Overlooks About Federer And Nadal’s Game

Third seed Thiem is in the same half of the draw as Federer and kicks off his Montreal quest against Diego Schwartzman or a qualifier/lucky loser. The Austrian will be eager to rebound after squandering a match point this week in his third-round loss to Kevin Anderson at the Citi Open.

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev is in the same half of the draw as Nadal and starts out against local wild card Brayden Schnur or Richard Gasquet. The 20-year-old German clinched his maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown this May in Rome (d. Djokovic).

The most intriguing first-round match will be between Isner and del Potro, with the American riding an eight-match win streak after back-to-back titles this past month in Newport and Atlanta. Other notable first-round matches include Gilles Muller taking on Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson facing Gael Monfils.

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Washington Open: Simona Halep retires from quarter-final with heat-related illness

  • Posted: Aug 04, 2017

World number two Simona Halep was forced to retire from her Washington Open quarter-final against Ekaterina Makarova with a heat-related illness.

After complaining that severe heat left her feeling “a bit dead” on Wednesday, Romanian Halep was trailing 2-6 6-3 1-0 when she withdrew in the third set.

The on-court temperature reached a punishing 47C on Wednesday.

In the men’s event, Canadian Milos Raonic lost 7-5 6-4 to USA’s Jack Sock in their quarter-final.

World number 10 Raonic has now gone 30 tournaments since lifting his last trophy in Brisbane in 2016 – a drought of 19 months.

Sock, ranked 19th, will face the winner of Yuki Bhambri, ranked 200th, and South Africa’s Kevin Anderson, who defeated Austrian top seed Dominic Thiem.

Next up for Makarova is a semi-final on Saturday against the winner of French fifth seed Oceane Dodin and Germany’s Sabine Lisicki.

Elsewhere, Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza reached the semi-finals of the Stanford Classic with a 6-1 6-3 victory over Croatia’s Ana Konjuh.

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