Watch Hot Shot as David Ferrer comes up with a terrific angle against Steve Johnson in the Erste Bank Open final. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.
require([“modules/global/rolexAd”], function(RolexAd) return new RolexAd( analytics: gaCategory: “Outbound”, gaCategoryInner: “Rolex Clock”, gaClickAction: “Click”, gaToggleAction: “Toggle”, ); );
Nicholas Monroe and Jack Sock defeated compatriots Eric Butorac and Scott Lipsky 6-4, 7-6(3) in Stockholm on Saturday to book their spot in the final. Monroe/Sock got off to a quick start in the 71-minute encounter, breaking serve in the opening game and winning the first set without facing a break point. In the second set, Butorac/Lipsky fought to 3/2 in the tie-break, but saw their opponents sweep the final five points of the match to advance.
On Sunday, Sock will try for his third doubles title of the year (Indian Wells and Beijing w. Pospisil) against Mate Pavic and Michael Venus. It will be a busy day for the American, as he will first face off against Tomas Berdych in the singles final.
Kubot/Melo Make Vienna Final
Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo advanced to the Vienna final by defeating David Marrero and Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday. The Polish-Brazilian duo won 85 per cent of first serve points and did not drop serve (2/2 on break points) during the 66-minute victory. On 2 November, the 32-year-old Melo will move to the top spot in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings for the first time, displacing Bob and Mike Bryan.
Unseeded Teams To Meet In Moscow Final
Radu Albot and Frantisek Cermak downed Ricardas Berankis and Teymuraz Gabashvili 7-6(4), 6-3 in 85 minutes on Saturday to advance to the Moscow final. The Moldovan-Czech partnership saved six of eight break points faced and will play Russian wild cards Andrey Rublev and Dmitry Tursunov for the title on Sunday.
In 2014, David Ferrer‘s quest to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals took a hit with a three-set defeat to Andy Murray in the final of the Erste Bank Open. The Spaniard is hoping for a reversal of fortunes on Sunday in Vienna.
Ferrer downed Gael Monfils 7-6(5), 7-5 in Saturday’s semi-finals, denying all six break points faced during the two-hour and one-minute affair. Currently at No. 8 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, Ferrer will be looking to cement his position among the elite eight as he bids for a 26th title in his 51st tour-level final.
Ferrer crashed the net early and often against Monfils, winning 15 of 19 such points. After converting on his fourth set point to take the opener in a tie-break, he broke to love for 6-5 in the second set and served out the match a game later. The Spaniard has turned around their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, having dropped the first three meetings against Monfils, before reeling off three straight without dropping a set.
“It was a tough match,” said Ferrer. “It was my best match this week. I’m very glad because I am in the final.
“To beat him, I have to play my best tennis. Today, I served well and my forehand worked very nicely. It’s one of the best seasons of my career and tomorrow I will fight for another title.”
Opposing Ferrer in Sunday’s Vienna final will be Steve Johnson, who advanced to his first ATP World Tour title match with a 6-3, 7-6(4) win over Ernests Gulbis. Johnson needed 91 minutes to seal the victory, firing 12 aces and converting on two of four break opportunities.
The former two-time NCAA champion at the University of Southern California is the first American to reach the final of an ATP World Tour 500 event since John Isner finished runner-up to Juan Martin del Potro in Washington 2013. With Jack Sock advancing to the final in Stockholm as well this week, it also marks the first time two Americans have reached two different ATP World Tour finals in the same week since 2008, when Sam Querrey and Andy Roddick hoisted the trophies in Las Vegas and Dubai, respectively.
“It feels great,” said Johnson, who is the first player from the U.S. to reach the Vienna final since 1998, when Pete Sampras won the title. “Hopefully I can get one more win on Sunday. I’m just very excited to be in my first final. I served well in the first set and served well in the second.”
Watch highlights from semi-final day in Stockholm. Video credit If Stockholm Open.
require([“modules/global/rolexAd”], function(RolexAd) return new RolexAd( analytics: gaCategory: “Outbound”, gaCategoryInner: “Rolex Clock”, gaClickAction: “Click”, gaToggleAction: “Toggle”, ); );
Steve Johnson defeats Ernests Gulbis to set up a final meeting against David Ferrer.
require([“modules/global/rolexAd”], function(RolexAd) return new RolexAd( analytics: gaCategory: “Outbound”, gaCategoryInner: “Rolex Clock”, gaClickAction: “Click”, gaToggleAction: “Toggle”, ); );
There was fighting talk from a determined Rafael Nadal on Saturday as he prepares to compete in Switzerland for the Swiss Indoors Basel. The Spaniard is not only looking for a strong finish to the 2015 ATP World Tour season, but also to lay the groundwork for what he hopes will be a return to his best form in 2016.
“I start preparing for next season today,” Nadal told media on Saturday ahead of his fourth appearance at the ATP World Tour 500 indoor hard court tournament. “There will be no rest this year. I have no time. After the [Barclays ATP] World Tour Finals I will try to have a few days off, but that’s it.”
The 29-year-old Nadal has endured up and down fortunes in 2015, but is pleased with the improvements he has made mentally during the challenging campaign. The recent ATP World Tour Asian swing was a great source of encouragement for the left-hander, who reached the Beijing final (l. to Djokovic) and lost a close semi-final in Shanghai (l. to Tsonga).
“I’ve improved most mentally this season,” said Nadal. “I have the motivation to keep going and what motivates me is to find a way to play at the highest level possible and to put myself in a position to fight for the things I want to fight for. My goal is to enjoy tennis and compete in all the tournaments and be happy with what I am doing.”
Nadal is the third seed in Basel, joining Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Kevin Anderson, Richard Gasquet and John Isner in the stacked field. Rising Croatian star Borna Coric also returns, one year on from stunning Nadal in the quarter-finals to reach his first ATP World Tour semi-final (l. to Goffin).
View Full Basel Draw
Nadal opens his campaign against Lukas Rosol and is looking to continue building momentum as he hopes for a strong finish at his remaining three tournaments this year: Basel, Paris and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The Mallorcan is also in the doubles draw in Basel alongside Marc Lopez.
“My main goal is to try and work hard and finish this year with a lot of energy and a better level than I’ve shown this year,” said Nadal. “For sure, every victory and every practice helps. I’m healthy and that’s allowing me to practise quite a lot.
“Mentally I’m feeling great, with the motivation to keep going. The process during this year has been better. I’m working hard to be better tomorrow than today. That’s the way that I’m working. We can’t compare years and we can’t compare levels. I believe I’m going in the right way.”
No. 1 seed and defending champion Marin Cilic needed just 77 minutes to eliminate Evgeny Donskoy 6-3, 6-1 and advance to the final of the Kremlin Cup by Bank of Moscow on Saturday. The Croat finished with 10 aces, won 80 per cent of first serve points and saved the lone break point faced.
It was a first career ATP World Tour semi-final for the 25-year-old Donskoy. The wild card became the first Russian since 2011 to reach the final four in Moscow (Davydenko).
Donskoy had not dropped a set en route to the semi-finals, but was broken at 3-4 after saving three break points and saw Cilic serve out the set in the following game. He swept the final six games of the match to advance to his first final of 2015 and remain in striking distance of a spot at the Barclays APT World Tour Finals. Currently 13th in the Emirates ATP Race To London, he could move to 11th by capturing the title.
On Sunday, Cilic will take on No. 2 seed Roberto Bautista Agut, who downed fourth seed Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-4 in 80 minutes, in a rematch of last year’s final. Bautista Agut is also through to his first final this season, having previously gone 0-5 in semi-finals. It will be the pair’s second FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting. Cilic prevailed 6-4, 6-4 in Moscow exactly 12 months ago.
Watch Hot Shot as Steve Johnson fights off a deep return, then makes an acrobatic play at the net. Watch live tennis at tennistv.com.
require([“modules/global/rolexAd”], function(RolexAd) return new RolexAd( analytics: gaCategory: “Outbound”, gaCategoryInner: “Rolex Clock”, gaClickAction: “Click”, gaToggleAction: “Toggle”, ); );
Jack Sock notched his eighth win over a Top-15 opponent in his budding career, fighting off third seed Gilles Simon in the If Stockholm Open quarter-finals.
Seventh seed Sock, who was taken the distance in his two previous matches this week, beating Spaniards Pablo Carreno Busta and Fernando Verdasco, sealed the victory 7-5, 7-6(5) in two hours and one minute. The American avenged a loss to Simon on the clay of Rome earlier in the year, firing eight aces and denying 13 of 16 break points faced.
“I’m happy to get through on my third match point and not have to stay out there any longer,” reflected Sock, who rallied from two breaks down in the second set. “I played more aggressive tennis in the middle of the second to get it back. With my style I try to come forward as much as I can and I was able to do that there at the end of the second.”
Sock denied an all-French semi-final, with Richard Gasquet awaiting in the semi-finals. One of six first-time champions on the ATP World Tour this year (Houston), the World No. 32 is on the precipice of breaking into the Top 30 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time.
Gasquet, meanwhile, rallied past countryman Jeremy Chardy 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) in two hours and 11 minutes, capitalising on four of five break points. Seeking to become the first French finalist in Stockholm since Gael Monfils hoisted the trophy in 2011, he will hope to avenge a three-set defeat to Sock in Washington. Gasquet remains with an outside chance of qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, currently sitting in the No. 10 spot with 2,535 points in the Emirates ATP Race To London.
“I was a little bit tense, served two double faults,” said Gasquet of his failed attempt to serve out the match at 5-4 in the third set. “It was a little difficult, but I tried to fight and played very good in the tie-break and didn’t make a mistake. It was a good match for me. Jeremy has a very good serve and very good forehand so I need to play my best tennis to win.”
In other action, top seed and defending champion Tomas Berdych halted Grigor Dimitrov‘s upset bid 7-5, 6-4. A rematch of the 2014 Stockholm final, also won by Berdych, the Czech was rock solid on serve, taking 30/35 (86 per cent) of first serve points while stopping both of the Bulgarian’s break chances. He pulled their FedEx ATP Head2Head series level at three wins apiece.
Berdych, who has clinched a spot in the season finale at The O2 for a sixth successive year, further cemented himself among the elite eight in advancing to his ninth ATP World Tour semi-final of the season. He most recently hoisted the trophy at the Shenzhen Open – his first title of 2015. The consistent Czech will square off against Marcos Baghdatis. Baghdatis beat Gilles Muller 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3.
“My serve was working well today and in the tough moments I was able to help myself a lot with the serve,” said Berdych. “In general, it was a very good match.
“It’s different from last year when I was fighting until the last moments to qualify. I’ve qualified the earliest in my career. I’m very pleased with that. I’ve had a great season so far and I think it’s a good reward for that. But I came here to play good tennis and take the trophy.”
Philipp Kohlschreiber moved one step closer to his 14th ATP World Tour final, downing Robin Haase 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 18 minutes Friday in the Kremlin Cup by Bank of Moscow quarter-finals.
Champion on the clay of Kitzbuhel and runner-up in Munich earlier this year, the German fired three aces and saved all six break points faced to deny the Dutchman in what was their second encounter. Haase previously got the better of Kohlschreiber in the 2012 Kitzbuhel final.
Making his fifth trip to Moscow, fourth seed Kohlschreiber has registered his best result in reaching the semi-finals. He was a quarter-finalist in 2006, ’07 & ’11. The 32 year old will next square off against second seed Roberto Bautista Agut for the third time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.
Split at a win apiece, the Spaniard prevailed in their lone meeting of 2015, at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. Bautista Agut turned aside France’s Lucas Pouille 6-4, 6-2 in just 70 minutes.
The runner-up in 2014 (l. to Cilic), Bautista Agut moved to 6-2 in Moscow and further extended his break point dominance this year, converting on four of five opportunities. Ranked second among all players this season in break points won, he has converted 46 per cent of his opportunities. Gilles Simon leads the ATP World Tour with 48 per cent.
In other quarter-final action, home hope Evgeny Donskoy will bid to become the first Russian to reach the final on home soil since Mikhail Youzhny won the title in 2009. Donskoy defeated countryman Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 6-2 on Friday. He will face top seed and defending champion Marin Cilic next, after the big-hitting Croat triumphed 6-2, 6-1 over Andrey Kuznetsov.