Ramanathan Running Lob Hot Shot In Tallahassee Final 2017
Ramanathan Running Lob Hot Shot In Tallahassee Final 2017
Apr302017
Brian Baker celebrated his 32nd birthday in style, claiming the doubles title at the inaugural Gazprom Hungarian Open alongside Nikola Mektic.
Baker and Mektic prevailed 7-6(2), 6-4 over Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in Budapest, needing one hour and 27 minutes to secure their second team title on the ATP World Tour. Also the champions at the Memphis Open in February, they improved to 2-0 in tour-level finals together.
The fourth seeds were ruthless on serve, dropping just 17 of 65 points in the final encounter. They took the first set in a tie-break and broke immediately at love to open the second, before eventually emerging victorious on their second match point.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present,” said Baker. “Turning 32 today, it’s going to be my best year yet. This really validates our Memphis win. We haven’t played that many tournaments and sometimes you can do well early [in a partnership], but winning again shows we’re a really good team.”
Baker and Mektic claimed 250 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and split €26,110. It was Baker’s second career title in two finals, while Mektic notched his second in three finals. They are 10-2 as a team this year.
“It was a very good week,” said Mektic. “Today was our best match. I’m happy to win the title. It’s a great city and I think they did a really good job for a first-time tournament.”
Third seeds Cabal and Farah were contesting their 20th ATP World Tour doubles final together, dropping to 9-11. In February, they won the Buenos Aires title (d. Gonzalez/Marrero). The Colombian tandem take home 150 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and split €13,730 in prize money.
Aljaz Bedene’s 16-match winning run came to an end as he lost to Lucas Pouille in the Hungarian Open final.
The British number four was beaten 6-2 6-1 by French top seed Pouille, who secured his second ATP Tour title.
The world number 14 broke the Briton’s first service game, and three further breaks in the second set secured a straightforward victory.
Meanwhile, Spaniard Rafael Nadal beat Austrian Dominic Thiem 6-4 6-1 to win his 10th Barcelona Open title.
Bedene, 27, was ranked outside the top 100 at the beginning of March but has climbed to world number 68 and will move higher still on Monday.
His streak of 16 straight wins includes back-to-back titles on the second-tier ATP Challenger Tour earlier this month.
But his good run of form was finally ended as Pouille won in just one hour and four minutes.
Elsewhere, in Morocco Open qualifying on the women’s tour, British number four Tara Moore lost 6-1 6-2 to fiancee Conny Perrin.
A week after becoming the first man in the Open era to win the same tournament 10 times at the Monte Carlo Masters, Nadal repeated the feat at the Barcelona Open.
The 30-year-old beat world number nine Thiem, who defeated world number one Andy Murray in the semi-finals.
World number five Nadal did not drop a set in Barcelona, and has now won 10 consecutive matches.
He is also aiming for a 10th French Open title at Roland Garros next month.
Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos might have a 1-6 career record against Top 10 players, but the 32 year old likely has the best collection of post-match selfies on the ATP World Tour.
Earlier this year, Zeballos requested his first big-time selfie, smiling with Novak Djokovic following a second-round loss in Dubai. On Saturday, Zeballos added another snap to his portfolio, posing with Rafael Nadal following Nadal’s 6-3, 6-4 victory against Zeballos in the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell semi-finals.
“For me, it’s an honour if someone asks to take a picture with me. Horacio had a great run in the tournament,” Nadal said.
Que linda tarde! Perdi si! Pero que bien la pase! Me queda este recuerdo hermoso. Gracias Rafa!!! Que linda fiesta!! pic.twitter.com/xMrDiPNFat
— horacio zeballos (@HoracioZeballos) April 29, 2017
Zeballos’ tweet roughly translates to, “What a beautiful afternoon! Yes, I lost. But I had a good time. I have a beautiful memory. Thanks, Rafa! What a beautful party!!”
“I asked Rafa and he said, ‘No problem,’” Zeballos said. “Those moments I have had on court… I don’t want them just to be in my memory. Those pictures will stay with me forever.”
The left-hander enjoyed his best run in years in Barcelona. Zeballos reached his first ATP World Tour semi-final since 2013, when he won the Vina del Mar title, beating then-No. 5 Nadal in the final for his first Top 10 win and his lone tour-level singles title.
One more thing for @HoracioZeballos to do before he leaves the court…#selfie #Nadal#bcnopenbs pic.twitter.com/Nq6YM0Q02c
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 29, 2017
World No. 84 Zeballos became the lowest-ranked semi-finalist in Barcelona since No. 85 German Denis Gremelmayr in 2008 (l. to Nadal). The left-hander from Mar del Plata is expected to rise 22 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings to No. 62 when the new rankings are released on Monday.
“I knew it was a difficult match but I felt great on court, very comfortable. The atmosphere was great and I think it was a good battle. I wish [Nadal] the title again because he deserves it,” Zeballos said.
Nadal will go for his 10th Barcelona title on Sunday against Austrian Dominic Thiem. Nadal leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-1.
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Top seed has plenty of Emirates ATP Rankings points to defend in May
Andy Murray lost to Dominic Thiem on Saturday at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, but believes his game is rounding into form as the battle for year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings continues to heat up.
After an early loss last week to Albert Ramos-Vinolas at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, Murray turned the tables on the Spaniard with a three-set quarter-final win this week. The Brit craved matches as he arrived in Barcelona and got just that, playing three quality opponents in lengthy tussles he believes will serve him well for upcoming ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome.
“I got three matches in three days against very different players. Feliciano Lopez is serving well and using a lot of slice and variation, [then] another lefty in Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Thiem is the first right-hander I’ve played in the clay-court season, which changes things with the kick serve and the spin,” said Murray. “It was good for me to play a number of different match-ups. To play for over two hours today and three [hours] yesterday will be good for me as well.”
After taking the title this March in Dubai, a right elbow injury limited Murray to a single match in six weeks. Roger Federer came alive in his absence by winning back-to-back ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami. Rafael Nadal also put himself back in the winners circle by prevailing in Monte-Carlo and could win his 10th title in Barcelona on Sunday.
Learn More about the Emirates ATP Rankings and Emirates ATP Race to London
Murray currently has 11,690 points in the Emirates ATP Rankings. He holds a healthy 3,605 point lead over World No. 2 Novak Djokovic and has at least double the points of everyone else on the ATP World Tour.
But in the Emirates ATP Race to London, it’s Federer (4,045) and Nadal (3,245) who hold a clear lead over their peers in the standings. Murray currently sits at No. 11 (930).
It will be crucial for Murray to continue improving as he returns home for a week of training before competing in Madrid and Rome. Murray prevailed last year in Rome and finished runner-up to Djokovic in Madrid and Roland Garros, for a total of 2,800 points. By comparison, Nadal accumulated 630 points during that three-tournament stretch and Federer only played Rome, earning 90 points for a third-round showing.
The good news for Murray is that he’s fully recovered from his right elbow injury and has been able to resume hard training sessions. His fitness has also passed the test after coming out unscathed in several grueling matches. If he finds himself back in top form, the World No. 1 will be a clear contender to win any of the remaining clay-court events.
Pouille plays Lorenzi on Saturday
Aljaz Bedene continued his outstanding play on Saturday at the Gazprom Hungarian Open in Budapest, sweeping past fellow qualifier Laslo Djere 6-2, 6-4 to reach the final.
“The first set was very solid. I made a few more errors in the second set, but I was serving well the whole match and it helped,” said Bedene. “I was working really hard in the pre-season and staying solid, so I’m really happy with how I’m playing. It’s great to play in a final.”
Next up for the Brit in the final is either top seed Lucas Pouille or sixth seed Paolo Lorenzi. Pouille leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head with Bedene 1-0 after claiming victory this February in Marseille.
Bedene is through to his second ATP World Tour final, having finished runner-up in Chennai in January 2015 (l. Wawrinka). He has been in red-hot form throughout April, winning back-to-back ATP Challenger Tour titles in Sophia Antipolis and Barletta. Including his wins in the Budapest qualifying draw, the 27-year-old Brit is riding a 16-match win streak.
Bedene dropped just three points in racing out a 4-0 lead in the opening set before eventually taking the early advantage. The Brit only needed a single break of serve in the second set at 3-3 to clinch the match in 77 minutes.
Despite the loss, the 22-year-old Djere, currently No. 184 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, completed a career-best week by reaching his first ATP World Tour semi-final.
DOUBLES
Third seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah are through to the final after defeating Robin Haase and Dominic Inglot 6-3, 6-7, 10-3. This is the third ATP World Tour doubles final of 2017 for the Colombian Power, having won the title in Buenos Aires (d. Gonzalez/Marrero) and finished runner-up in Rio de Janeiro (l. Cuevas/Carreno Busta).
Awaiting them in the championship are third seeds Brian Baker and Nikola Mektic, who also seek their second title together in 2017 after prevailing this February in Memphis (d. Harrison/Johnson).