Tennis News

While the attention on Sunday was focused on Wawrinka and Nishikori’s title wins, there were various players on the ATP and WTA tours that lifted their first titles of 2015.

On the ATP tour, Pablo Cuevas managed to rally late in the Brasil Open final to defeat qualifier Luca Vanni and lift his first title of 2015. He defeated Vanni 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4) to win his third overall title on the tour, and move to 3-0 in finals.

“We were both very nervous,” said Cuevas. “I think it was the first time I played a final as the favourite. I thought that I couldn’t lose when that happens, but the matches become more difficult. In front of me I had someone that was playing with a lot of confidence and with a great serve. I think we both failed at some moments: a double fault, a volley. There were many mistakes at the end and the winner was the one who fails less than the other.

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“I’m having a great comeback. I dream it will be good, but it’s better than I thought. I’m happy and enjoying the moment. But I’m healthy and I want more. I think I can give more and I thought about it when I could not play.”

Cuevas won $80,850 and 250 ATP Ranking Points, while Vanni won $42,600 and 150 Ranking Points. It was a strong showing for a player who had never previously won a match on the ATP World Tour.

“I’m so happy,” Vanni said. “It was a close match. I fought hard against Cuevas. Tomorrow he will be 28, maybe 27, in the (Emirates ATP Rankings)…I’m so proud of myself.”

On the WTA tour, Daniela Hantuchova rallied from a set down to beat Ajla Tomljanovic 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and win the PTT Thailand Open. The contest lasted a total of two hours and seven minutes and saw Hantuchova struggle before finally jumping out to a dominant lead in the deciding set.

“Today was very tough because Ajla was playing some great tennis,” Hantuchova said. “I had to really fight for it – at the end I felt maybe I was a little fresher and sharper, and that decided the match.

“But Ajla has a great future ahead of her. She’s also a very nice girl. It’s nice to have somebody like her in the game. And like I said on the court, I’m sure she’ll have many more finals to come.”

Tomljanovic, however, was still satisfied with her performance, as she had never been in a WTA semi-final before, let alone competing for a title in the final.

One of the bright young talents on the professional tour Garbine Muguruza will continue her campaign in Dubai on Wednesday afternoon when she crosses paths with the former Serbian No. 1 Jelena Jankovic for the third time on the tour. Of their two previous encounters, Muguruza and Jankovic have split the series 1-1.

The Spaniard began her week in Dubai against qualifier Jarmila Gajdosova, who gave her a run for her money during the encounter. After dropping the opening set, Muguruza rallied back to earn the victory in three sets 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. She struck 9 aces, won 83% of her first service points and saved eight of nine break points to close out the match in 85 minutes.

World No. 21 Jelena Jankovic got a monkey off her back on Monday afternoon when she defeated Timea Babos to earn her first WTA victory of the season. It was a hard fought victory for the Serb, as she needed three sets to down her opponent. The contest lasted 2 hours and 7 minutes and ended 6-3, 4-6, 6-1. Jankovic won 62% of her first service points and converted eight break points to earn the victory.

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“I love playing in Dubai. Playing Dubai is one of my favorite places to play at, and I have done very well here in the past, and, you know, I have my residence here. I come, you know, quite often during the year. I love it here. I love the weather. I love, you know, pretty much everything about it. You know, what can I say? Hopefully I can do well at this tournament.”

This mark the third time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with the series tied at 1-1. This will serve as the rubber match in the series, but it is clearly one that favours the Spaniard. Jankovic has not been her best this season, and only beat Muguruza on clay. This should be a quick straight sets encounter unless Jankovic summons some confidence from her win on Monday.

Prediction: Garbine Muguruza in Straight Sets

Following an entertaining week of matches, Stan Wawrinka and Tomas Berdych will cross paths in the final of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament on Sunday. This marks their 16th meeting on the ATP World Tour, and Wawrinka will look to add to his 10-5 lead in the head-to-head series.

Follow the match live here: Berdych v Wawrinka Live Stream

In one of his better showings this week, Stan Wawrinka squeezed past Canadian no. 1 Milos Raonic in straight sets 7-6(3), 7-6(7) to reach the final in Rotterdam – a tournament he had not participated in in a decade. The Swiss No. 2 struck 25 winners, 10 aces and did not allow any of the six break points he faced to get past him. The contest lasted a total of 98 minutes.

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“In general, I’ve been playing really well,” said Wawrinka. “I’ve been really aggressive and moving well in the rallies. I served well when I was (against) a break point. It’s only one or two points that make the difference and I played a good tie-break.”

Wawrinka will come up against Tomas Berdych, who reached the final with a straightforward victory against Gilles Simon. He defeated the Frenchman 6-2, 6-1 in 58 minutes to put himself just one match away from retaining the indoor title. His service games were solid, and Berdych even converted 4 of 5 break points to add to his 14 winners.

“My game was good and the game plan was even better,” said Berdych. “It was a very good game. I need to keep going as there is still one more match to go. I want to go all the way.”

While Berdych has been a force on the tour so far this season, he will have his work cut out for him against Wawrinka, a player who has dominated their rivalry over the past while. Apart from a 10-5 lead in the head-to-head series, Wawrinka has won eight of their last nine meetings, including a thrashing at the World Tour Finals in London.

“I’ve been improving, but he’s been playing really well at the beginning of the year,” Wawrinka said of Berdych. “He won here last year so he will be very dangerous. I need to play my best game to have a chance to beat him.”

Prediction: Stan Wawrinka in Three Sets

Two-time defending champion Kei Nishikori needed to muster up some of his best tennis to overcome his American adversary and arrive at the final of the Memphis Open. He is now one match away from completing the ‘three peat’ at this tournament, and that final obstacle is world No. 15 Kevin Anderson. This is just the second time these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Nishikori leading the series 1-0.

The Japanese No. 1 withstood some serious service power from Sam Querrey on Saturday to arrive at his third consecutive final in Memphis. Nishikori rallied from a set down to defeat the American 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) in a match that lasted 2 hours and 41 minutes.

“I thought a couple times that I might lose today,” said Nishikori, who will bid for his eighth ATP World Tour crown. “I knew it was going to be tough because I didn’t break any of his serves and he was hitting a lot of aces… It was really tough to make any returns.

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“I’m very happy to come to the final again. I’m a little bit tired from playing three tough matches, but it’s just one more match.”

Nishikori will come up against Kevin Anderson in the final, who is seeded second at the event. The South African No. 1 rallied from a set down against Donald Young to defeat the American 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. It was an impressive showing that served to avenge his loss to Young last season, and put Anderson in the running for a third title on the ATP World Tour.

“I thought it was a really tough match,” said Anderson. “There were parts of the match where I didn’t feel like I maybe played my best tennis, but I was able to hang in there.

“I’ve got a shot at winning the title tomorrow and that’s what I came here to do. It feels good to be in the final. I’ve enjoyed this week… I’m going to treat it like any other match. Obviously it’s a final, but I’m just going to focus on what has worked well for me this week.”

This marks the first time that Nishikor and Anderson will meet on the professional tour since 2010, when they crossed paths at the Washington final. It is just their second meeting overall and could make for a riveting match-up. Nishikori is competing for his third title in Memphis, while Anderson is looking to notch his third overall title on the tour.

Prediction: Kei Nishikori in Three Sets

The top seeds at this week’s tennis tournaments continue to fall as Andy Murray was ousted from the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament on Friday by an unlikely adversary in Gilles Simon.

Simon, who previously held a 1-12 record against Murray, including 12 consecutive losses, defeated the world No. 4 in straight sets to advance to a semi-final contest against Tomas Berdych.

“It was a great match for me,” said Simon. “I lost 12 times against him, so it was almost an unexpected win. I had a better feeling against him the last two matches I had to play. I was twice one set and a break up, I really felt I was close to win, and I think it helped me to be more confident today.”

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It was a surprisingly straightforward affair, as Simon ousted Murray 6-4,6-2 in 86 minutes. The British No. 1 played far from his best tennis.

“I struggled with most of the shots, to be honest,” said Murray. “At the beginning of the match my backhand, at the end of the match my forehand. It was tough. I felt I was hitting the ball too early. I felt my timing was a bit off.”

Simon will go on to face Tomas Berdych, who stormed into the final four with a 6-1,6-4 victory in 1 hour and 12 minutes.

“It was a very good game,” said Berdych. “I was able to add something extra from the last match I played yesterday, which was a goal. I was able to keep up with the game plan, which was rightly chosen. I was able to execute it all the way to the last point. As we all know, it’s Gael, who’s not an easy opponent. I’m really happy the way I handled it in those two sets.”

Thursday afternoon brought with it some surprising results in Belgium, as three of the top seeds at the Diamond Games were ousted from the tournament, including top seed Eugenie Bouchard.

The slew of upsets began with second seed Angelique Kerber, who was downed at the hands of 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone. The Italian needed just 57-minutes to defeat Kerber 6-1, 6-1. She even won nine consecutive games at one given time during the lopsided encounter.

“For me it was a great match because I was able to play the tactics I wanted to play,” Schiavone said. “I knew it would be a good opportunity for me today, and I’m happy with the way I played.”

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The second upset of the day was the untimely exit of Eugenie Bouchard, who lost to Germany’s Mona Barthel in three sets. The Canadian stormed to a 3-0 lead in the match but quickly fizzled away and allowed herself to be broken back. While she eventually won the opening set, she watched her lead evaporate over the coming two sets, where she won a mere three games overall to lose the match 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

“It’s always tough to play against Genie. She plays so well, you really have to play your best,” Barthel said afterwards. “But today I was able to play my game, play aggressive and come into the net. At the end I had some nerves, but I’m happy I could play well to finish it. It’s a great win for me.”

And to cap the day off, French No. 1 and seventh seed Alize Cornet lost to Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-4, 6-2.

The remaining seeds now are Lucie Safarova, Carla Suárez Navarro, Dominika Cibulkova, and Karolina Pliskova.