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Read & Watch: Isner Announces Family Expansion With Unique Gender Reveal

  • Posted: Apr 30, 2019

Read & Watch: Isner Announces Family Expansion With Unique Gender Reveal

American looking to return to ATP Tour action next week

John Isner and his wife Madison welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Hunter Grace, last September. But the two already are expecting their second child.

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Isner and his family recently hosted a “Gender Reveal Party, Tennis Edition”. Watch the below video to see the reveal.

The World No. 9 is currently nursing a stress fracture in his left foot that he suffered during the Miami Open presented by Itau final against Roger Federer. isner, 34, expects to return to tour-level action at the Mutua Madrid Open, which starts Sunday.

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'End a shameful period for our sport' – Wawrinka calls for response to Gimelstob case

  • Posted: Apr 30, 2019

Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka has called on the ATP player council to act after Justin Gimelstob’s sentencing for assault and end “a shameful period” for the sport.

Gimelstob, 42, is one of three player representatives on the ATP board.

The American, also a former player, received three years probation and 60 days community service after pleading “no contest” to a battery charge.

Swiss Wawrinka, 33, says players “need to speak out” about the subject.

The player council, led by 15-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia, has the power to remove Gimelstob, but would need the consent of at least six of its 10 members.

“It simply cannot be possible for anyone to condone this type of behaviour and, worse, support it,” Wawrinka, who has won Australian Open, French Open and US Open titles, posted on social media.

“In any other business or sport we would not be discussing this.

“The ATP council needs to do something about this and finally end this conversation and shameful period in our great sport.”

Wawrinka’s comments come after Britain’s Andy Murray became the first leading player to call on Gimelstob to quit his role on the ATP board.

Gimelstob, who has also worked as a coach and TV commentator, was sentenced in Los Angeles last week.

Former friend Randall Kaplan alleged that early in the evening of 31 October, Gimelstob “punched him in the head and face more than 50 times” in front of Kaplan’s pregnant wife Madison and two-year-old daughter.

Mrs Kaplan went on to have a miscarriage, which the couple believe was a result of the stress of the attack.

“I don’t see, with everything that has gone on, how it’s possible for him to remain in a position of authority or management at the ATP right now,” Murray told The Telegraph.

Following Gimelstob’s sentencing, the ATP said his future was a “subject for review by the board and/or the player council”.

It added: “The election for the role of the next Americas player representative on the ATP board – the position currently held by Gimelstob – will take place as scheduled on Tuesday, 14 May in Rome.”

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Sousa Survives Popyrin Test

  • Posted: Apr 30, 2019

Sousa Survives Popyrin Test

Lajovic, Carreno Busta beaten in first round

Defending champion Joao Sousa was made to work hard for his place in the Millennium Estoril Open second round on Tuesday.

The Portuguese No. 1, who defeated Frances Tiafoe in last year’s championship match, needed two hours and 13 minutes to battle past #NextGenATP Australian Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. Sousa entered Estoril with an 0-3 event record last year, but has now won six consecutive matches at his home tournament.

The 30-year-old will meet fourth seed David Goffin in the second round. Sousa owns one victory from five FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters against the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals runner-up.

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Last year’s finalist Tiafoe made a winning return to Estoril, beating Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 7-5. The #NextGenATP American improves to 5-1 at the ATP 250 event and will face Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan in the second round.

Leonardo Mayer upset Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters finalist Dusan Lajovic 7-6(3), 6-4 in one hour and 53 minutes. The Argentine will play Malek Jaziri for a place in the quarter-finals. Jaziri defeated Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell quarter-finalist Nicolas Jarry 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

Jeremy Chardy became the first man to defeat Pablo Carreno Busta before the semi-finals in Estoril, recovering from a set down to overcome the 2017 champion 5-7, 6-1, 6-2. Carreno Busta entered this year’s tournament with a 13-3 event record, having reached the semi-finals or better in each of his four previous appearances.

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Konta 'very proud' of gutsy Morocco comeback

  • Posted: Apr 30, 2019

British number one Johanna Konta saved three match points – on her way to winning 11 straight points – to level her Morocco Open first-round match before going on to claim victory.

Konta, 27, saw off China’s Yafan Wang, ranked 56th – nine places below the Briton – in a 4-6 7-6 (7-0) 6-4 win.

She was on the verge of defeat as she trailed 40-0 at 6-5 in the second set, only to stage a remarkable fightback.

“I’m very proud of myself, for the way I competed,” Konta said.

“It was a tough match and I’m very happy to have battled through to find a way to win that second set and then come back from 3-1 down in the third.

“I also had match point at 5-3 so there was very little in the match.”

Konta will play Romania’s 132nd-ranked Ana Bogdan in the next round.

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Munich Open: Kyle Edmund's losing run continues with loss to Denis Kudla

  • Posted: Apr 30, 2019

British number one Kyle Edmund lost to American world number 82 Denis Kudla in the first round of the Munich Open, his third straight defeat.

Fifth seed Edmund was beaten 6-4 6-3 in the first ATP meeting between the pair.

Defeat continued an ordinary start to the clay-court season for Edmund, whose only win has been against French youngster Ugo Humbert in Marrakech.

Edmund went out to former Grand Slam finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, then lost in Monte Carlo to Diego Schwartzman.

Now ranked 22nd in the world, the 24-year-old Englishman was unable to turn around his form on a surface on which he has good pedigree against Kudla, who dominated to win in just one hour and seven minutes.

The 26-year-old ended his own losing of streak of five matches by taking three of 10 break points, while Edmund did not manage to muster any opportunities on Kudla’s serve.

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Wimbledon goes digital with 2020 ticket ballot

  • Posted: Apr 30, 2019

Fans will no longer need to use pen, paper and a stamped addressed envelope to apply for Wimbledon tickets after the grass-court showpiece announced an end to a 95-year tradition.

The move, to be introduced for 2020, was among several changes confirmed by the All England Club on Tuesday.

Prize money will increase by 11.8% this year, with the total pot at the Grand Slam standing at £38m.

The men’s and women’s singles champions will win £2.35m, a rise of £100,000.

Prize money for early-round losers will increase by more than 10%, while there is also a double-digit increase for men’s and women’s doubles.

The new retractable roof over Court One will be in operation this year but the shot-clock – used at January’s Australian Open – will not be.

But the device, which counts down the seconds allowed between points, is “very likely” to be introduced from 2020, All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) chief executive Richard Lewis told a news conference.

Meanwhile, the wheelchair event has been expanded to include quad singles and doubles after a trial last year.

This year’s grass-court Grand Slam runs from 1 to 14 July.

Going digital

Since 1924 Wimbledon has sold the majority of its tickets through a postal ballot, which requires fans to send a stamped addressed envelope to receive an application form, which they then need to post back to the All England Club to enter the ballot.

The completed forms need to be returned by the end of the December before the July championships and fans cannot apply for specific dates or courts.

The system is set to remain the same for the online application, just without the paper and stamps.

The new online ballot does not affect the popular queue – where people often camp overnight to buy on-the-day tickets.

Prize money increases

Wimbledon has once again announced higher percentage increases in prize money for players who go out in the first three rounds of the main draw or in qualifying.

“It is a clear demonstration, once again, of our continued commitment to do what we can for players for whom it will have the most impact,” AELTC chairman Philip Brook said.

Since 2011, the prize money for first-round losers has increased almost four fold, from £11,500 to £45,000.

Meanwhile, if Britain’s Jamie Murray wins the men’s doubles title this year, he would share £540,000 with his partner, which is a rise of 20% compared to last year.

Selected Wimbledon prize money
Singles champions £2.35m +4.4% (compared to 2018)
First-round singles loser £45,000 +15.4%
Doubles champions £540,000 +20%
Mixed doubles champions £116,000 +5.5%
Wheelchair singles champions £46,000 +15%
Wheelchair doubles champions £18,000 +28.6%
Total prize money £38m +11.8%
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What are the other changes for 2019?

Among other changes announced on Tuesday was that play on the outside courts will begin half an hour earlier than previously, at 11:00 BST, and four more courts will offer Hawk-Eye technology for line calls.

The capacity of the grounds will rise to 42,000, an increase of 3,000 following the completion of work to put a roof on Court One.

The cost of the project, which comes 10 years after Wimbledon installed a retractable roof over Centre Court, has not been disclosed but Brook said it had been completed on time and on budget.

The roof will be tested at a tennis and music exhibition event on 19 May, which will be broadcast live on the BBC and raise money for a homeless fund set up by the Wimbledon Foundation.

Organisers also announced plans for a greener championships, by using only 100% recycled and recyclable water bottles and scrapping plastic bags from its racquet-stringing operation.

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Schwartzman Records First Munich Victory

  • Posted: Apr 30, 2019

Schwartzman Records First Munich Victory

Kohlschreiber, Pella through in straight sets

Diego Schwartzman earned his first win at the BMW Open by FWU on Tuesday, beating Benoit Paire 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 to reach the second round.

The Argentina Open finalist recorded his 13th victory in 23 tour-level matches this season after one hour and 41 minutes, saving nine of 13 break points to end Paire’s hopes of a debut win in Munich. Schwartzman levels his FedEx ATP Head2Head series at 1-1 against Paire, having lost their only previous meeting at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia last year.

Aiming to reach his fourth tour-level quarter-final of 2019, the 26-year-old will face Houston champion Cristian Garin for a place in the last eight. The Chilean fired eight aces and broke serve on four occasions to defeat Yannick Maden of Germany 6-4, 6-2 in 77 minutes. Schwartzman owns a 1-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Garin.

Three-time champion Philipp Kohlschreiber opened his campaign with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Andreas Seppi. The World No. 41, who improved to 34-11 in Munich after 80 minutes, will meet second seed Karen Khachanov in the second round.

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In-form Guido Pella dropped just three games to defeat Mischa Zverev 6-2, 6-1. The Brasil Open champion saved all three break points he faced throughout the 53-minute contest and moved through to a second-round encounter against Taro Daniel of Japan.

Former champion Martin Klizan will meet third seed Marco Cecchinato in the second round. The 2014 winner beat Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6-3, 7-5 in two hours and one minute.

Cordoba Open titlist Juan Ignacio Londero defeated German wild card Maximilian Marterer 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 to join countrymen Schwartzman and Pella in the second round. The Argentine will meet two-time defending champion Alexander Zverev for a quarter-final spot.

Thiago Monteiro needed just 51 minutes to book a second-round clash against eighth seed Marton Fucsovics. The Brazilian won 80 per cent of service points (28/35) to defeat 2014 semi-finalist Jan-Lennard Struff 6-1, 6-1.

Did You Know?
Alexander Zverev is aiming to become the first man to win three consecutive titles at the BMW Open by FWU.

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Puerto Vallarta Receives 2018 'Challenger Of The Year' Award

  • Posted: Apr 30, 2019

Puerto Vallarta Receives 2018 ‘Challenger Of The Year’ Award

It was a special opening night at the Puerto Vallarta Open presentado por La Afición

One year ago, the Puerto Vallarta Open presentado por La Afición made a dazzling debut on the ATP Challenger Tour. And on Monday, they were recognised with the highest honour on the circuit.

In front of a sold-out crowd on Estadio Puerto Vallarta, ahead of the Day 1 night session, the tournament was presented with the 2018 Challenger of the Year award. Tournament organisers and founders Javier Romero, David Davila and Javier Ramirez received the crystal trophy along with tournament director Adhemar Rodriguez.

“Tonight we received the award from the ATP and it was an incredible experience,” said Romero. “It was very important to do it in front of all the fans and we prepared a big party. We always look to improve every day and offer the people a great show, and most importantly make the players feel like they are at home. In Mexico, there is a famous saying: ‘My home is your home’ and this is what we look to provide for our players.”

Last year’s runner-up Danilo Petrovic, semi-finalist Carlos Gomez-Herrera and former World No. 43 Victor Estrella Burgos were also on court during the ceremony. The Serbian, the Spaniard and the Dominican star are three of many players who have adopted Puerto Vallarta as their new home on tour. With world-class hospitality and captivating off-court activities in the local region, as well as perfect conditions between the lines, the players’ appreciation for the tournament is at the forefront.

You May Also Like: Puerto Vallarta Kicks Off Second Edition In Paradise

The Challenger Awards are a recognition of excellence, selected by players from the global Challenger Tour of 160 events staged in 40 different countries. In its inaugural year, the Puerto Vallarta Open was instantly recognised as being outstanding in terms of facilities, organisation, imagination, promotion and player welcome.

Led by the Puerto Vallarta Office of Tourism, the commitment and hard work of the tournament team, the support of the municipality, local authorities, sponsors, the press and the public produced a wonderful week of professional tennis. The tournament made Challenger history by winning the award in its first year, joining only the Abierto GNP Seguros in nearby Monterrey (2015) in achieving the feat.

In 2018, three tournaments were recognised with the Challenger of the Year award, with Puerto Vallarta accompanying the NECKARCUP in Heilbronn, Germany, and Odlum Brown VanOpen in Vancouver, Canada, in the winners’ circle. Heilbronn will be presented with their trophy in two weeks, with Vancouver holding their ceremony in August.

Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta

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