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Long-Time ATP Supervisor Mark Darby To Retire

  • Posted: Apr 17, 2017

Long-Time ATP Supervisor Mark Darby To Retire

Darby has served the tour for nearly three decades

The ATP World Tour hasn’t existed without Mark Darby. Literally. Darby has been an ATP supervisor since 1990, the first season of the tour.

But after more than 27 years of traveling the globe and making sure tournaments and players follow the rules, Darby will retire from the ATP World Tour to spend more time with his family, including his wife and his 14-year-old triplets. The Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston was his final tournament. Darby was honoured on Saturday during an on-court ceremony.

Asked what he’ll miss the most, Darby said the countless number of good people he’s worked with during his career. “As in a lot of jobs, I think it’s more the people you meet than it is necessarily the job itself,” Darby told ATPWorldTour.com on Sunday evening.

Houston was the latest tournament in what has been a lifetime of tennis for Darby. As a kid growing up outside of Pittsburgh, he became interested in the sport because his mother played. She dragged him to the tennis court with her, and pretty soon Darby was playing as well. He turned out to be pretty good.

Darby was a talented junior player in Pennsylvania and went on to play at Penn State University, eventually representing the Nittany Lions in the NCAA singles tournament. Darby remains in seventh place on the school’s all-time match wins list.

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He worked as an official for the U.S. Tennis Association before joining the ATP World Tour. Darby is also a member of the USTA Middle States Hall of Fame. After decades of traveling, he has accumulated quite a few stories and some favourites along the way.

Favourite tournament?
“Newport, Rhode Island. It’s a 250-level event… The atmosphere at Newport I think is so good for the spectators and I think the players enjoy going there,” Darby said. “I think it had a certain charm to it. There are a lot of events around the globe that do such a wonderful job. If I had to pick one that would be it.”

Most unusual incident you had to rule on?
In 1994, centre court at the New Haven, Connecticut, tournament had received so much rain that it started to crumble. The tournament had to resurface centre court on Tuesday night and let it dry all night before play resumed on it on Wednesday morning,” Darby said. “We even brought in a helicopter to help blow the lines… That’s probably as unusual of a case as I’ve ever had… I’m glad we didn’t ever top that one.”

What are you looking forward to most about retired life?
“The thing I’m most looking forward to is being at home every day with my kids and not going somewhere and maybe missing some activity that they’re involved in,” Darby said.

He won’t be completely out of tennis, though. As of now, he still plans to work as the referee at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

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Peralta/Zeballos Hold Off First-Time Pairing For Houston Title

  • Posted: Apr 17, 2017

Peralta/Zeballos Hold Off First-Time Pairing For Houston Title

South Americans win their first ATP World Tour team doubles title of the season

Fourth seeds Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos won their fourth ATP World Tour team doubles title on Sunday, holding off the first-time pairing of Dustin Brown and Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-5, 10-6 to take the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston.

Peralta of Chile and Zeballos of Argentina saved 10 of 12 break points in the one-hour and 37-minute final. The champions won the final four points of the Match Tie-break to claim their first championship trophy of the season.

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The South American pairing also played in the Quito final earlier this year (l. to Cerretani/Oswald). Peralta/Zeballos won all three of their other team crowns last season – Sao Paulo, Gstaad and Metz. The team will receive 250 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $29,010 in prize money.

The wild-card pairing of Brown/Tiafoe reached the final during their first week as a team, a stretch highlighted by their opening-round victory against No. 2 seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah. Brown was going for his third ATP World Tour doubles title; Tiafoe, his first overall crown.

The #NextGenATP 19 year old was playing in his first ATP World Tour final. The German/American pairing will receive 150 Emirates ATP Rankings Points and split $15,250 in prize money.

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Top Singles Stars Flood Monte-Carlo Doubles Draw

  • Posted: Apr 17, 2017

Top Singles Stars Flood Monte-Carlo Doubles Draw

Wawrinka, Djokovic among top players in action

The doubles field at this week’s Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters is not only stacked with all the top doubles players on the ATP World Tour, but also many of the world’s best singles players.

Stan Wawrinka prevailed in his first-round match with Fabio Fognini on Sunday by ousting the veteran team of Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor 6-4, 7-6(2). Their path won’t get any easier as second seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut await in the next round.

Two-time Monte-Carlo singles champion Novak Djokovic teams up with fellow Serbian Viktor Troicki and will open against Gilles Muller and Gilles Simon. Djokovic/Troicki ousted Herbert/Mahut en route to a quarter-final finish last month at the BNP Paribas Open. Should they win their first match in Monte-Carlo, they’ll have another high-profile battle on their hands against top seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers.

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In a battle of doubles teams that pair youth and experience, brothers Mischa Zverev and Alexander Zverev will take on Philipp Kohlschreiber and Dominic Thiem. The winner of that match will move on to play fourth seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo. 

Other attractive first-round doubles matches include Marin Cilic and Philipp Petzschner squaring off against Florin Mergea and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, wild cards Grigor Dimitrov and Nenad Zimonjic facing French duo Benoit Paire and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, and Tommy Haas and Treat Huey taking on another French duo in Julien Benneteau and Lucas Pouille.

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First-Time Winner Spotlight: Borna Coric

  • Posted: Apr 17, 2017

First-Time Winner Spotlight: Borna Coric

Coric spoke to ATPWorldTour.com after winning his first title in Marrakech

Borna Coric claimed his maiden ATP World Tour title in stunning fashion at the Grand Prix Hassan II on Sunday. Coric overcame third seed Philipp Kohlschreiber 5-7, 7-6(3), 7-5 for the Marrakech crown, storming back from a break down in both the second and third sets and saving five championship points.

Coric is the third player from the current #NextGenATP contingent to lift an ATP World Tour trophy, joining Alexander Zverev (St. Petersburg 2016 & Montpellier 2017) and Karen Khachanov (Chengdu 2016). He is the third first-time winner this year, joining Gilles Muller (Sydney) and Ryan Harrison (Memphis).

ATPWorldTour.com spoke to Coric after his victory:

How does it feel to win your first ATP World Tour title?
It’s an awesome feeling. I didn’t know what to expect when I came here and I wasn’t in the best shape. But I’ve been working very hard the past three or four months and now it’s paying off.

Was it something you were dreaming of as a child?
Absolutely. It’s a dream if you’re a tennis player. Now I can say I have won a title, so it’s very important for me.

What was your approach preparing for this match, compared to last year’s Marrakech final?
I was just trying to make it very simple and to not go too big with my game. I was trying to be consistent and play my game.

You beat three seeds on the way to the title. What parts of your game clicked this week?
I was focused in all the matches and didn’t lose my calm. I just played very well and served very well and that made it much easier for me.

What are your goals for the end of the year, now that you’ve won your first title?
Top 20 is my goal [in the Emirates ATP Rankings]. I said that at the beginning of the year and that’s still my goal. 

Who are the people that have guided you to this point?
My family definitely. They made all this possible since I was four or five years old. They’ve been supporting me for the past 15 years and it’s very special.

You are close to the top of the Emirates ATP Race To Milan standings. Is that a goal of yours to reach the Next Gen ATP Finals?
For sure it is. I’m not sure if it will happen or not, but that’s a goal for sure. I need to continue to work hard.

Is there a player that you admired while growing up?
Goran Ivanisevic and Mario Ancic. They are top Croatian players. I always watched them when they were playing. Those were the players I looked up to most.

Talking about the Ancic family, how has your coach Ivica Ancic helped you?
We have been working hard the past few months. Like I said, I need to continue to put in the hard work and improve. 

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ATP Firsts: Steve Johnson

  • Posted: Apr 17, 2017

ATP Firsts: Steve Johnson

The American started battling in tournaments at a very early age

First moment I realised I loved tennis
I don’t have a specific memory of when I was younger, but I’ve obviously played it my whole my life and have really enjoyed it almost every time I’ve stepped out on the court. It’s a privilege and a passion for me, so I just feel gratitude to be able to play this sport as much as I can.

First tournament I played
It was at Ridgeline Country Club in Orange, Calif. I was about five or six years old. I couldn’t tell you how I did, but I’m sure my parents could and that there’s some funny footage of it floating around their house.

First professional tennis match I ever watched
In person, I definitely went to the ATP World Tour event in Los Angeles. And then on TV, I remember watching the Pete Sampras-Andre Agassi US Open final [in 1995].

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First pinch-me moment on the ATP World Tour
Probably seeing Roger Federer those first couple of times in the locker room. I got to practice with him right after getting out of college, just having say him hi to me a few times. He’s one of the nicest guys ever and just great to have as the face of our sport.

First time I flew business class
Not until after college and during this crazy life on the ATP World Tour. It’s one of the benefits of flying hundreds of thousands of miles every year. [Smiles].

First concert
I haven’t gone to too many concerts, but the first one was Jack Johnson.

 

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Goffin, Simon Make Confident Starts In Monte-Carlo

  • Posted: Apr 16, 2017

Goffin, Simon Make Confident Starts In Monte-Carlo

The Monte-Carlo Country Club is sun-kissed on day one

Tenth seed David Goffin left no room for sentiment on Sunday at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters when he overcame fellow Belgian Steve Darcis 6-2, 6-1 in 72 minutes. Goffin, who also beat his compatriot at the Garanti Koza Sofia Open in February, lost just three of his second service points (18/21) for his 20th match win of the season.

“I played well from the start,” said Goffin, who will next play Nicolas Almagro or a qualifier. “We had long rallies [and] I was solid. I made him run a lot. I was playing very well tactically. I was playing the right way. I was able to protect my serve with my second serve. I was very solid. I’m very happy with that. It’s never easy to play against a friend. Lately I’ve been playing those matches pretty well. They are special matches.”

Former World No. 6 Gilles Simon, who advanced to the 2012 semi-finals (l. to Nadal), broke a two-match losing streak in beating Malek Jaziri 6-2, 6-2 in 81 minutes. He will now challenge second seed Novak Djokovic, the 2013 and 2015 champion in the second round. Djokovic leads Simon 10-1 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

Elsewhere, Joao Sousa hit six aces past Florian Mayer in a 6-3, 6-2 win and now awaits the result of No. 16 seed Pablo Cuevas or Viktor Troicki.

 Watch Full Match Replays

Adrian Mannarino, Jan-Lennard Struff, Martin Klizan, Carlos Berlocq, Andrey Kuznetsov, Renzo Olivo and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez all qualified on Sunday for the main draw of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournament.

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Qualifier Vondrousova, 17, wins Biel Bienne Open

  • Posted: Apr 16, 2017

Marketa Vondrousova, a 17-year-old qualifier, beat Anett Kontaveit in the final of the Biel Bienne Open in Switzerland to win her first WTA title.

The Czech world number 233 edged Estonia’s 99th-ranked Kontaveit – who beat Britain’s Heather Watson in the first round – 6-4 7-6 (8-6).

Vondrousova had beaten Czech compatriot and world number 18 Barbora Strycova in the semi-final.

Sunday’s victory moves her close to the top 100 for the first time.

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GB's Aljaz Bedene wins second ATP Challenger tournament in a row

  • Posted: Apr 16, 2017

British number four Aljaz Bedene beat Portugal’s Gastao Elias to win his second tournament in a row.

The Slovenia-born 27-year-old won 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 in the clay-court Open Citta Della Disfada final in Barletta, Italy.

Bedene won the Verrazzano Open in France last week, and now has three titles to his name on the secondary ATP Challenger Tour in 2017.

He is on a 10-match unbeaten run, and is forecast to rise from 76th in the rankings to around 69th.

The clay-court specialist has now won 17 of his last 18 matches, with the only defeat coming on hard courts at the Miami Masters.

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Murray Fine Dines At Le Louis XV Monte-Carlo

  • Posted: Apr 16, 2017

Murray Fine Dines At Le Louis XV Monte-Carlo

British star dresses up for memorable evening

World No. 1 Andy Murray paid a visit to Le Louis XV, the world-famous restaurant at l’Hôtel de Paris in Monte-Carlo on Saturday night. Murray was joined at the three Michelin star restaurant by his coach Jamie Delgado, fitness trainer Matt Little and physio Mark Bender.

“It’s supposed to be one of the best restaurants in the world,” said Murray. “We’re playing in one of the most beautiful cities on the tour and I’ve had a few good runs here over the years, but it’s the one [ATP World Tour] Masters 1000 final that I haven’t reached. So I’d love to do that this year.”

Murray has reached the semi-finals of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in 2009, 2011 and 2016 (l. to Rafael Nadal each time).

When asked about his skills in the kitchen, Murray revealed, “I’m not good at all. Scrambled eggs is my best dish. I really enjoy my food, but I’m a horrible cook unfortunately.”

The third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament of the year gets underway on Sunday, with Rafael Nadal vying to capture a 10th trophy (2005-12, 2016) and two other former champions: Djokovic (2013, 2015) and Stan Wawrinka (2014).

 Watch Live On TennisTV

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