Rajeev Ram gave himself the best possible 33^rd birthday present on Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open, teaming with Raven Klaasen to defeat eighth seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-7(1), 6-4, 10-8 to take the doubles title in Indian Wells.

The victory gives Klaasen and Ram their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title as a team. It’s the first Masters 1000 title for Ram and second for Klaasen, who previously won Shanghai in 2015 with Melo. This is Klaasen/Ram’s fifth title as a team and second of 2017, having also prevailed last month in Delray Beach.

Four of their five matches this fortnight went to a Match Tie-break. Klaasen/Ram also have the unique distinction of recording back-to-back wins in this tournament over Rafael Nadal (w/Tomic) and Novak Djokovic (w/Troicki) in their second-round and quarter-final matches.

When you think of one to win and how to win it, this is about as good as it gets. To play two legends of the game that are still playing, Nadal and Djokovic, and then to go all the way to finish the trophy out is something that I will cherish for a long time,” said Klaasen. “We thought that we were playing well enough to win it, but it’s still very difficult, specifically this tournament, to go all the way given the amount of good players in the draw.”

The first set saw five of the 12 games go to a deciding point, but there were no breaks of serve going into the tie-break. Kubot proved to be the star player in the crucial stages of the set, helping land an early mini-break on Klaasen’s serve and then hitting a return winner off Ram’s first-serve to give his team a 5/1 lead. A strong first serve from Kubot on their first set point gave the eighth seeds a commanding lead.

It appeared that Kubot/Melo would storm to the title after a volley error from Klaasen gave them the first break of the match to lead 2-1 in the second set. However, nerves from Kubot saw the Polish player hit a double fault down break point to gift the lead back and even the set at 4-4. Two games later, a forehand return winner from Klaasen on set point leveled the match at one set each.

The Match Tie-break proved to be a nervy affair, with both teams recognising the importance of the occasion. Little separated the two pairs throughout, but a big return of serve from Klaasen on match point at 9/8 guided them to the title after one hour and 46 minutes.

I think everybody’s goal, whether singles or doubles, is to make it to the ATP World Tour Finals at the end of the year. A title like this definitely puts us in good position to at least try to do that,” said Ram. “I think it’s good validation for what we’re doing. We are trying to improve all the time. And when you see results that back up the work you have done, it really makes it motivating to keep going and keep trying to continue to get better.”

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At this week’s prestigious $150,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Irving, U.S.A., the elite competitors in the singles draw garnered a lot of attention. A multitude of #NextGenATP players joined a red-hot Nikoloz Basilashvili, Jeremy Chardy and former champions Marcel Granollers, Aljaz Bedene and Lukas Rosol to create one of the strongest fields of the year.

But players and fans around the Four Seasons Resort and Sports Club are quick point out that the doubles draw is just as ruthless, with the level of competition akin to an ATP World Tour event. In fact, at No. 134 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings it boasts the highest cut at any Challenger since 2010. Former Top 10 stalwarts Leander Paes, Rohan Bopanna, Jonathan Erlich, Alexander Peya, Philipp Petzschner, Oliver Marach and Robert Lindstedt have been driving fans to take in the action.

“If you look at the singles and doubles draws this week, you see how many top players are coming here,” former World No. 1 Paes said. “This might be one of the toughest draws for a Challenger in the world.”

“I was really surprised with how strong the draw is,” said 18-time tour-level titlist Erlich. “I came here because I’ve heard good stories about the tournament and I think people were saying that it would be strong, but not like this. It’s not almost, it is like an ATP World Tour event. Not just the facilities, but the level of the players is the same as a tour-level event. With five or so former Top 10 players and Grand Slam winners, it’s amazing. And the rest are very good too. The level of the doubles here is outstanding and could be even better than the singles.”

Good friends Petzschner and Peya teamed up this week for the 38th time in their storied careers, having reached four ATP World Tour doubles finals together from 2008-16. The Austrian-German duo cut their teeth in Irving in preparation for a deep run at the next ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Miami, which begins Wednesday.

It’s a family affair at @IrvingClassic. @AlexanderPeya has a post-match hit with sons Noah and Eliah after 1R win with @PPetzschner. pic.twitter.com/5DiCLnGBsn

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) March 15, 2017

“It’s amazing,” said former World No. 3 Peya. “Me and Philipp didn’t even get into the cut and we’re fortunate to get a wild card. The quality of the draw and level of the players here is special for a Challenger event. There are former Grand Slam champions and Top 10 players across the board. It’s good quality and a lot of people have come out to watch the matches.”

“I love this tournament,” added Petzschner, a former World No. 9 and six-time ATP World Tour doubles titlist. “I’m close friends with the three guys running it and it’s always good fun. The facilities are amazing. You see it with the quality of the draw. I think it’s the toughest I’ve ever seen. A cut in the 120s is ridiculous. I hope this tournament remains for a long time. They are doing a tremendous job.”

On Sunday, top seeds Marach and Fabrice Martin will face Marcus Daniell and Marcelo Demoliner, who are coming off a run to the final at the Brasil Open in Sao Paulo. Marach and Martin lead the FedEx ATP Head2Head 1-0, following a first-round victory in Antwerp late last year.

Third seed Stan Wawrinka is through to the BNP Paribas Open final after his most dominant display of the tournament saw him beat Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-2 in the semi-finals on Saturday in Indian Wells. The 31-year-old Wawrinka is bidding to win his second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown this week, to add to his 2014 Monte-Carlo title. He will face either Roger Federer or Jack Sock in the championship match.

The Swiss had beaten Carreno Busta in their previous two FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings and had the Spaniard under pressure early at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. After being denied a break-point chance in the sixth game, the Swiss created two more opportunities in the eighth game and converted his first with a forehand winner.

In a nine-minute, 53-second third game of the second set, Wawrinka converted his fifth break point to assume a 2-1 lead. From there, the Lausanne native pulled away, breaking again in the seventh game before claiming victory in 65 minutes. The Swiss – a three-time Grand Slam champion – dropped only 10 points on serve in the contest. “I mixed a lot of speed and spin. It’s not always easy here. I was mixing it up, so it was not easy for him to find a solution,” said Wawrinka.

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Wawrinka got through to his first semi-final in Indian Wells the hard way, winning his previous two matches against Yoshihito Nishioka and Dominic Thiem in third set tie-breaks. The tough battles helped bring out his best form, Wawrinka said. “[They helped] a lot. Especially against Thiem, it was a high-quality match. It helps when you win those tough matches. Today I was expecting a tough one. I’m really happy to get through to the final for the first time.”

The right-hander has a 12-3 mark on the season, highlighted up till now by semi-finals in Brisbane (l. to Nishikori) and at the Australian Open (l. to Federer).

Carreno Busta had saved two match points in overcoming Pablo Cuevas in the quarter-finals to reach his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-final. The 25-year-old Spaniard drops to 0-15 against Top 10 players. He came into Indian Wells in a rich vein of form, having reached semi-finals in Buenos Aires (l. to Dolgopolov) and Sao Paulo (l. to Cuevas) as well as finishing runner-up in Rio de Janeiro (l. to Thiem). The Spaniard is projected to break into the Top 20 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday.

All of Canada will be on their feet on Saturday when two of their native sons clash for the first time at the professional level.

Highly touted as the future of Canadian tennis, longtime friends will become rivals as #NextGenATP Denis Shapovalov battles fellow Canadian teen Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-finals of the ATP Challenger Tour event in Drummondville. A spot in a first Challenger final will be on the line for both competitors.

It’s only fitting that the first pro encounter between 17-year-old Shapovalov and 16-year-old Auger Aliassime comes at the Challenger Banque Nationale Drummondville. The tournament holds a special place in both players’ hearts. In 2015, Auger-Aliassime became the youngest to ever qualify for a Challenger main draw and thus the first born in the 2000s to receive an Emirates ATP Rankings point. Last year, Shapovalov streaked to his first Challenger semi-final in just his second main draw entered, becoming the first player born in 1999 to win a match.

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“It feels unbelievable to be back and play just as well as I did last year, if not better,” said Shapovalov. “I’m excited to be in the semi-finals and hope to do better than last year. It would be an unbelievable thing to win the title here. It’s something I’ve dreamed of doing.

“I feel like playing at home with the crowd at my back helps me play my best tennis. They really carry me through the matches and they have a big part in it.”

Auger-Aliassime reached his first Challenger semi-final with a strong finish against 18-year-old Alex de Minaur on Friday, storming back from a break down in the first set to prevail 7-5, 6-3. It came a day after shocking second seed Peter Polansky in straight sets for his first Top 200 win. Shapovalov, meanwhile, has not dropped a set en route to his third Challenger semi-final, dismissing Blaz Rola 7-6(6), 6-4 on Friday evening.

“This year, my level is getting better and better,” said Auger-Aliassime. “I got better physically and my serve is more consistent. It proves that I’m ready to play with the big guys. Polansky is someone the Canadians looked up to over the years. To be able to play him and beat him yesterday was something special for me.

“This is a great tournament. I was here for the first edition in 2015 and made my first [Emirates ATP Rankings] points. It’s always been great here and it’s my first year I’m able to play the main draw. Everyone takes care of you here and they appreciate seeing the young players. Playing at home in the province of Quebec is special.”

The teenage tussle will be second on Court Central on Saturday, with play beginning at 12:30pm. Ruben Bemelmans faces John-Patrick Smith in the first semi-final.

Andrey Rublev is a man on a mission. One of three surging Russian #NextGenATP stars – with Karen Khachanov and Daniil Medvedev – Rublev is setting his sights on joining his countrymen in the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. Competing at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour event in Irving, U.S.A., he is into the semi-finals as a qualifier, reeling off an impressive six wins in five days.

The 19 year old, who is working under the tutelage of former World No. 29 Fernando Vicente, is less than two months removed from reaching his third ATP Challenger Tour final in Rennes. His run on French soil came just weeks after battling World No. 1 Andy Murray in the second round of the Australian Open. ATPWorldTour.com caught up with Rublev at the Irving Tennis Classic.

Andrey, you are at No. 134 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. How do you see your recent progress as you push towards the Top 100?
I’m trying to focus more on the things I have to do on the court. If I do that, the ranking will come. I know that if I do that, getting to the Top 100 is just a question of time. I’ve improved a lot since last year, because I changed my team and the work now is absolutely different than before. I’m improving a lot every day and it’s a good feeling. I just need to keep fighting.

How has coach Fernando Vicente helped improve your game this year?
He tries to get the maximum from me as possible to improve my game. He explains to me how I have to play with my forehand and which balls to hit. That is, which are right to hit and attack with and which balls to defend with. Also, how to use my movement and then what I have to do between the points. He tries to give me everything to be better. Before I wasn’t even thinking about these things and now I see a big improvement.

How have you developed your game since winning your first Challenger title in Quimper a year ago? If you compare me now and last year, it’s another level. I just try to keep going and we’ll see. It’s all about understanding how to play and that it’s not just about hitting the ball. It’s a tough game and if you start to understand how to play the game, you will improve and start to feel these things.

You have had some great results in Challengers recently, reaching the final in Rennes and Mouilleron le Captif and semi-finals a few weeks ago in Quimper. How is the competition at this level helping your confidence?
You start to get confidence when you win more matches. It doesn’t matter if it’s in Challengers or ATP level. It depends. You can win one match against one really good player and it gives you more than if you win a tournament and beat the guys at your level. Of course, it’s hard to play Challengers because it’s really hard to win here. The level is really high and most of the time you play good players in the first round of ATP events, but sometimes it can be first round of a Challenger. For example, here in Irving I was playing second round of qualifying against Peter Gojowczyk and last month I was playing him in the semi-finals of a Challenger. And he was just playing second round of Indian Wells last week. It’s tough when he’s just playing in the main draw of a Masters 1000 and then I have to play him in qualifying at a Challenger. You just have to go through it. That’s it.

What did you learn from facing Andy Murray at the Australian Open to start the season?
It was a great experience for me. Now I can imagine how the top players are and for sure the next match against him I will play even better. From that match I could see the way he’s defending and how he places the ball where he wants to, even if he’s not in a good position. He’s always trying to make me feel uncomfortable. And how he served in the important moments, how he served close to the lines and how he hits so close to the baseline. It’s very impressive. That’s why he’s one of the best players.

You, Karen and Daniil are doing great things for Russian tennis. How does seeing them break into the Top 100 and reach ATP World Tour finals drive you to do the same?
Well, it’s not just them. Even when I see other young players have good results, it gives you motivation and you start to think that if they win, then I also have the chance to win. That helps you push yourself.

How often do you check the Emirates ATP Race To Milan standings and does that also motivate you?
Everywhere I go, I hear a lot about playing in Milan, but first I have to qualify. If I do the right things, then I’m going to have good results and have chances to qualify for Milan. If not, then it’s ok. It’s just the first year. Of course it’s great to try something new and play a tournament between teenagers and young players. We’ll see what happens.

Players competing at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour event in Shenzhen, China, stepped away from the court for a pair of off-site activities.

On Tuesday, Enrique Lopez-Perez of Spain joined WTA player Jovana Jaksic in visiting a Tsing Dynasty villa named Wanshi Habitat. They explored where the ancestors of Shenzhen citizens used to live and learned about Hakka culture and what the lifestyle entailed. They then delighted the local audience by hitting a few balls in a game of mini-tennis.

Enrique Lopez-Perez helps launch the #ATPChallenger event in Shenzhen. The Spaniard visited a Tsing Dynasty villa named Wanshi Habitat. pic.twitter.com/2mAhAhoNn9

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) March 14, 2017

Also during the week, Thai brothers Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana tested their talents in a calligraphy classroom at the nearby Grandale International Tennis Academy. ‘Shenzhen Pingshan’ is the name of the tournament venue and it is the Chinese character they learned to write. After discovering the basic skills on holding a brush pen, the all-time winningest doubles team in Challenger history (42 titles) focused on writing the characters according to the teacher’s presentation.

The fourth annual Pingshan Open continues on Saturday, with Yuki Bhambri taking on Yuichi Sugita in one semi-final and Luca Vanni battling 2017 match wins leader Blaz Kavcic in the second.