Nottingham Open: Dan Evans beats Jordan Thompson to win title
Dan Evans beats Jordan Thompson for his second Nottingham Open title without dropping a set in an ideal boost to his Wimbledon preparations.
Dan Evans beats Jordan Thompson for his second Nottingham Open title without dropping a set in an ideal boost to his Wimbledon preparations.
Dutch wild card Tim Van Rijthoven shocked top seed Daniil Medvedev to end his fairytale week in style Sunday, capturing his maiden ATP Tour title at the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
Competing in just his second tour-level event, the 25-year-old produced a series of stunning wins to become the lowest-ranked ATP Tour champion of 2022. Following his dream run, Van Rijthoven, who is up to No. 106 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, spoke to ATPTour.com.
What does it mean to you to win your first ATP Tour title?
To win an ATP Tour title means a lot to me. But to win it at home means the world to me. The support has been incredible here. The crowd has been amazing and it is a great achievement for me.
Did you feel that this was possible before you arrived here?
I never thought I would win the tournament. I wanted to maybe upset one player. But to upset a couple of players and win the title is just incredible.
Could you take a moment to acknowledge some of the key figures in your life and career who have helped you to reach this milestone?
There are a lot of coaches in the past who would know I mean them. My girlfriend. My parents are just incredibly supportive all the team. The Dutch Federation have always believed in me and stayed with me in the tough times.
How would you describe yourself as a player, and how would you describe yourself off the court?
Very humble and relaxed guy off the court. And actually a very humble guy on the court. Playing style, I am a very aggressive player. Big forehand, I like to go forward and dictate the points.
How do you feel about Dutch tennis at the moment? Has what Tallon Griekspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp have done breaking into the Top 100 had an impact on other players?
I think Dutch tennis is in a pretty good spot right now. We have one Top 30 player [van de Zandschulp] and a Top 60 player, which is Tallon. Hopefully I will break the Top 100 soon, so will have three players in the Top 100. For a small country like the Netherlands that is a good amount. Botic and Tallon paved the way.
How did you make it through the difficult challenges in the past, having suffered some injuries?
I made it through by having the right people around me. The Dutch Federation kept believing in me and supporting me in all the ways they could. My mother was always there to support me. I am here now with an ATP Tour title, so I am very glad that I went through it all.
What is your next goal?
To win another title! To break the Top 100 would be a good achievement.
What do you consider to be your biggest passion outside of tennis and can you tell us a little bit about that interest?
I love golf. I am addicted to golf. I am following Casper’s Instagram golf page. I was thinking about playing some holes tonight!
You’ve said before your dream job is restaurant owner. What kind of restaurant would it be and why?
If I had to choose a restaurant I would probably choose a noodle restaurant because I love noodles.
Your favourite TV show is Peaky Blinders…but which Peaky Blinders character do you think you are most like?
Tommy Shelby is my guy.
This is a milestone moment in your career. How will you celebrate this victory?
With my family and friends. We are going to have a nice drink, some good food and really enjoy and take in all the emotions of the week and enjoy it a lot.
No matter the surface, Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski are proving hard to stop in 2022.
The second-seeded duo dug deep to clinch a 4-6, 7-5, 10-6 victory over Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell in the final of the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch on Sunday.
It is a first grass-court title for the Dutch-British pair, which has also won trophies on hard in Melbourne, Adelaide and Doha, and on clay in Madrid this year. Sunday’s win solidifies Koolhof and Skupski’s position at the top of the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Team Rankings.
Things didn’t look to be going the second seeds’ way early on in the championship match in The Netherlands. Houston champions Ebden and Purcell claimed the only break of the opening set to move ahead and broke again immediately for 1-0 in the second set to ramp up the pressure on their opponents.
The momentum turned midway through the second set, though, as Koolhof and Skupski first reclaimed the break and then converted their third set point to break again at 6-5 and level proceedings. They continued to dominate early in the Match Tie-break, opening up an initial 6-2 lead that proved unassailable as they sealed their fifth title of the season.
Koolhof and Skupski’s win avenged their quarter-final defeat to Ebden and Purcell in the two teams’ only previous meeting at the Australian Open in January. The duo now holds a 39-9 match record for 2022, placing Koolhof and Skupski in a strong positon to qualify for November’s Nitto ATP Finals in their first year together as a team.
Matteo Berrettini capped his return to Tour by winning his first title of the season Sunday, overcoming former World No. 1 Andy Murray 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 in the BOSS OPEN final.
The Italian missed the clay season after undergoing a minor operation on his right hand in late March, but has played like he has never been away in Stuttgart, improving to 28-6 on grass.
In a tight final, the the second seed demonstrated good footwork to dictate play on his forehand, hitting with brutal power to pin Murray back and triumph after two hours and 35 minutes. With his victory, Berrettini has improved to 2-1 in his ATP Head2Head series against the former World No. 1.
The 26-year-old now holds a perfect 9-0 record at the ATP 250 event, having won the title in his only previous appearance in Stuttgart in 2019. Berrettini also clinched the crown on grass at The Queen’s Club last year, defeating Cameron Norrie in the final in London.
The World No. 10 will aim to retain his title at the Cinch Championships next week and could play record five-time champion Murray in the second round.
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Playing in front of a packed crowd in Germany, Berrettini made a fast start, breaking in the third game to lead. The Italian hit with good precision throughout the first set to dictate the tempo, moving ahead after 50 minutes.
However, Murray showed his fighting spirit by responding in the second set. After fending off three break points on serve at 4-4, he capitalised on his chance in the 12th game, seizing the set on his first set point. Berrettini would not be denied, though. He broke in the first game on the third set as Murray started to tire, with the Scot receiving a medical timeout in the decider. Berrettini kept his concentration on serve, holding his nerve to capture his sixth tour-level title.
Murray was playing in his first tour-level singles final on grass since he lifted the trophy at Wimbledon in 2016. The Scot, who upset World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to his 10th tour-level championship match on grass, is up to No. 47 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.
Tim Van Rijthoven completed a dream week at the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch on Sunday, when the World No. 205 raced to a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Daniil Medvedev to clinch a maiden ATP Tour title.
The Dutch wild card was playing in a maiden championship match on just his second appearance in a tour-level main draw. However, he showed no sign of nerves in front of an ecstatic home crowd on his way to a 65-minute victory over a player who will reclaim the No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday.
“This is new for me, it’s going to take some time getting used to,” said Van Rijthoven, who had not won a tour-level match prior to this week, in his on-court interview. “What a dream this week. I would like to thank my team for staying humble this week, doing the normal things, not making this thing any bigger than it was.
“I would like to thank all of you,” added Van Rijthoven when addressing his home crowd. “Your support was incredible this week.”
As well as Medvedev, Van Rijthoven beat Matthew Ebden, Taylor Fritz, Hugo Gaston and Felix Auger-Aliassime in ‘s-Hertogenbosch to become the first Dutchman to win the ATP 250 event since Sjeng Schalken in 2003.
Van Rijthoven enjoyed a bright start to his maiden tour-level meeting with Medvedev, breaking the World No. 2 in the second game to move ahead early. He was pegged back immediately by the top seed, however who restored parity at 2-2 with a break of his own.
The opening set seemed destined for a tie-break when Van Rijthoven struck again for a crucial break in the 10th game, converting his first break point on the Medvedev serve to clinch it 6-4. That proved a decisive moment in the match as the wild card’s momentum took him to an unassailable 5-0 lead with a double break in the second set. The 25-year-old served out for the title in style, holding to love to become the lowest-ranked tour-level titlist of 2022.
Van Rijthoven’s win was powered by his ability to pressure the Medvedev serve. The Dutchman carved out 10 break point opportunities in the match, converting four of them.
“Amazing week. [You] destroyed the No. 2 in the world in straight sets in the final, so I think it must be a good feeling!” said Medvedev to Van Rijthoven. “An amazing match today. Keep it going. I remember you from juniors, you have the talent so now you need to make more matches like this and more tournaments like this! Congrats to you and your team.”
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The defeat means Medvedev remains trophy-less for 2022, but the 26-year-old will nonetheless be heartened by his run in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, which culminated in his first tour-level championship match appearance since the Australian Open in January.
“I’d like to show huge respect to Daniil,” said Van Rijthoven of the soon-to-be World No.1. “You’re a great player, I’ve watched you on TV many times, and now to play you myself, that was already a dream. Playing against you was amazing and it was an honour to share the court with you, and you are for sure going to win many more titles. I’ll see you hopefully in the future many more times on the court.”
Van Rijthoven’s run in ‘s-Hertogenbosch is set to propel the Dutchman up 99 places to a career-high No. 106 in Monday’s update of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
Stuttgart Open organisers say they are investigating a racism claim made by Nick Kyrgios on Saturday.
Hubert Hurkacz and Mate Pavic ended their debut week as a team in style Sunday, overcoming Tim Puetz and Michael Venus 7-6(3), 7-6(5) to capture the BOSS OPEN title in Stuttgart.
The thirds seeds, who dropped just one set en route to the trophy, produced a strong serving display, firing 13 aces and winning 87 per cent (41/47) of points behind their first delivery to secure victory at the ATP 250 grass-court event in 88 minutes.
The 28-year-old Pavic has now won three tour-level titles in 2022, having triumphed with regular partner Nikola Mektic in Rome and Geneva. Last season, the Croatians won a Tour-leading nine trophies, including three ATP Masters 1000 crowns and Wimbledon.
Mektic withdrew before the tournament in Stuttgart, leaving Pavic to team with Hurkacz for the first time. With their victory, Pavic earned his 350th tour-level doubles win, while Pole Hurkacz improved to 4-1 in tour-level doubles finals. Earlier this year, the 25-year-old clinched the title in Miami with John Isner.
Top seeds Puetz and Venus were aiming to win their second tour-level title of the season together after earning the crown in Dubai.
Watch the best shots as Great Britain’s Dan Evans reaches the Nottingham Open final with a 6-4 6-3 victory over USA’s Jack Sock.
Britain’s Dan Evans defeats American Jack Sock in straight sets to reach the Nottingham Open final.
Yet to pick up a title in 2022, Daniil Medvedev seems intent on rectifying that record this week at the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
The World No. 2 ended Adrian Mannarino’s eight-match winning streak at the ATP 250 event with a 7-5, 7-5 victory on Saturday to book a championship match appointment with Dutch wild card Tim Van Rijthoven.
A feature of Medvedev’s performances this week in the Netherlands has been his ability to find a way to win even when struggling for rhythm. The win over Mannarino was again more solid than spectacular, but Medvedev will be delighted with the way he handled a genuine grass-court threat in the shape of the flat-hitting Frenchman.
“Adrian plays good and some games in this match I was like, OK, I can’t do anything,” said Medvedev in his on-court interview. “I had to just continue playing my tennis. He was unbelievable sometimes, missing sometimes, so I just continued my game and it managed to work today.”
Should Medvedev defeat No. 205-ranked Van Rijthoven in Sunday’s final, it will give the 26-year-old a double cause for celebration. Regardless of the result, he will reclaim the No. 1 spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday when rankings points from 2021 Roland Garros drop.
“Last time I saw him was in juniors,” said Medvedev. “Probably we saw each other last when we 18 years old and he was always playing good on grass, so I’m not surprised. It’s a surface where sometimes we have these sensations. He’s a great player so I’m ready for a big fight tomorrow.
“It would be great [to win] but it is never easy. I have to show my best tennis. Even if I lose, I have no regrets, but of course I will try my best. Every time you are in a final you want to win.”
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A topsy-turvy opening set featured five breaks of serve, with Mannarino’s aggressive style keeping the top seed alert, but it was Medvedev who made the crucial move. The 26-year-old broke for a third time when leading 6-5 to clinch the set after a below-bar service game from the Mannarino.
The second set also appeared to be narrowly going Medvedev’s way as his impressive defence secured a break in the fifth game that gave him the chance to serve for the match at 5-4, but Mannarino’s consistent ballstriking and ability to skim clean winners off the grass pegged the top seed back to 5-5.
A mammoth 11th game on the Mannarino serve followed that ultimately proved decisive for Medvedev to secure victory. He broke the Frenchman’s resistance by converting his fourth break point of the game before serving out to complete a one-hour, 56-minute victory.
The win avenged Medvedev’s second-round loss to Mannarino in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 2016 and reduced his deficit in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series to 2-3. Medvedev is hunting the second grass-court title of his career this week, having lifted the trophy at the Mallorca Championships in 2021.