France’s world number 10 Richard Gasquet is beaten 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 by American Steve Johnson in a rain-affected opening day at Queen’s Club.
WATCH MORE: Andy Murray says Ivan Lendl reunion happened quickly
British number two Heather Watson dug deep to win 6-4 7-5 against Italy’s Camila Giorgi at a rain-affected Aegon Classic in Birmingham.
Their first-round match did not start until after 17:00 BST as downpours delayed the day’s play until 15:30.
Watson claimed the only break point of the first set, then saw off six break points for Giorgi in the second.
The world number 55, ranked 11 places higher than Giorgi, will play Barbora Strycova or Karolina Pliskova next.
“I was very focused at the end and I’m so glad we got to play the full match without any rain delays,” said 24-year-old Watson.
“She’s a very tough opponent and hits the ball extremely hard. I had to accept she will hit a lot of winners but had to take advantage when she made mistakes.
“I feel fully fit and think I’m playing very well.”
American seventh seed Madison Keys won 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 against Hungary’s Timea Babos in Monday’s opening match.
However, British number three Naomi Broady and Australia’s Daria Gavrilova were forced off court about 19:00 by more rain.
British number one Johanna Konta and Tara Moore begin their Edgbaston campaigns on Tuesday.
Konta, 25, faces Japan’s Misaki Doi, while Moore, 23, plays Austria’s Tamira Paszek.
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| Summer of tennis on the BBC |
|---|
| Tournaments: Queen’s, Eastbourne and Wimbledon Dates: 13 June to 10 July |
| Coverage: Live on BBC TV, radio and online. Click for more details |
Rain has disrupted the start of the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club.
Play was scheduled to begin at 12:30 BST on Monday, but was put back until about 14:40 because of intermittent showers over London.
Richard Gasquet and American opponent Steve Johnson managed eight minutes of action before the covers came on, with the French fourth seed leading 2-0.
British number four Dan Evans’ is scheduled to play France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu after the opening match.
Top seed Andy Murray also faces a Frenchman – world number 49 Nicolas Mahut – in his first-round match on Tuesday.
Mahut, 34, goes into the tournament having claimed the fourth ATP title of his career at the Ricoh Open in the Netherlands.
The defending champion completed a rain-interrupted 6-4 6-4 victory over Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller on Monday.
Meanwhile, rising Austrian star Dominic Thiem became the first player to win titles on three different surfaces this year when he won the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart.
The French Open semi-finalist won 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 6-4 against Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber after Sunday’s final had been stopped by rain before the first-set tie-break.
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| Summer of tennis on the BBC |
|---|
| Tournaments: Queen’s, Eastbourne and Wimbledon Dates: 13 June to 10 July |
| Coverage: Live on BBC TV, radio and online. Click for more details |
The return of coach Ivan Lendl could be key to Andy Murray overcoming world number one Novak Djokovic and winning more Grand Slams, says former British number one John Lloyd.
Murray, 29, will resume working with Lendl on Tuesday, having split with the Czech-born American in 2014.
Eight-time major champion Lendl guided Murray to his two Grand Slam titles and Olympic gold in 2012 and 2013.
“I think it’s a great signing and the right time to do it,” said Lloyd.
“This to me could be the missing ingredient. He has to beat Djokovic.
“I know there’s a lot of other good players. But, let’s face it, Andy’s figured everyone else out, he hasn’t figured Djokovic out. No-one has.”
Murray split with coach Amelie Mauresmo last month, having won his first clay-court titles and established himself as the world number two during their time together, but failed to add to his two major victories.
He has reached both Grand Slam finals in 2016, but lost to Djokovic at the Australian Open and French Open.
It was with Lendl on his team that the Scot won Olympic gold and the US Open in 2012, and Wimbledon in 2013 – beating Djokovic in all three tournaments.
“There was certainly a difference with Andy when he had Lendl,” added Lloyd.
“His concentration was better, his focus was better, his mind wasn’t wandering in the matches like it sometimes did when he had the other coaches.”
Murray will play France’s Nicolas Mahut in his opening match at the Aegon Championships on Tuesday, with the Briton trying to win a record fifth title.
Leon Smith, Britain’s Davis Cup captain, expects Lendl to bring the same qualities that helped Murray during their first partnership.
“I think it’s really good news for him,” said Smith. “Ivan just brought this authority, sense of direction and confidence for Andy.
“Andy’s got a good radar for everything. He’s had to make a lot of choices with his coaches in the past and he normally gets it right. He normally improves.
“He’s got a big hurdle to get over in Djokovic and I think this will really help.”
Murray announced on Monday that Lendl would be returning to the team, with the eight-time Grand Slam champion expected to take his first practice session at Queen’s Club on Tuesday.
“Ivan is a leader,” Murray told BBC Sport. “He’s very, very experienced.
“I spoke a lot about the psychological side, just because we went through a lot of the same things as players before I finally broke through.
“Ivan lost 11 Grand Slam finals and I’ve lost eight – not that I want to catch him in that number!
“But we’ve both been in that position before and know how to bounce back.
“I had my best results with him, the most successful period of my career was working with him, and hopefully it goes well again.”
Jamie Delgado joined the coaching set-up earlier this year and has already seen Murray win the Rome Masters and reach the French Open final.
He will continue to travel with Murray throughout the year, as Lendl joins up for the major tournaments and training blocks.
Former British number one Andrew Castle believes Lendl adds an element of authority to the Murray team.
“Jamie Delgado is not going anywhere,” Castle told BBC Sport. “He’s an important part of the set-up.
“To tell your boss off is not easy. If you are a coach, you have to have real authority and Ivan will be able to say to Andy, ‘This is the way it is’, and then back it up. He’s got that gravitas, no question.”
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Thiem gets the better of Kohlschreiber in Stuttgart
Dominic Thiem completed victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber on Monday in a rain-interrupted Mercedes Cup final.
Third seed Thiem captured his seventh ATP World Tour crown with a 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-4 victory in two hours and 11 minutes. The match had been suspended due to rain on Sunday with seventh seed Kohlschreiber leading 6-6 (3/2) in the first set tie-break.
“It feels absolutely unreal because I came here without any expectations basically, and I’m pretty sure that it’s the most special title for me,” said Thiem. “I didn’t play that well on grass over the past two years, and this tournament was so strong. I’m the winner here, I really cannot believe it.”
In recording an ATP World Tour-best 45th match win of the season, Thiem received €107,900 in prize money and earned 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points. Kohlschreiber now travels to the Gerry Weber Open in Halle with €56,830 and 150 points.
With his first grass-court trophy, 22-year-old Thiem has become only the ninth active player – and 29th in Open Era history (since May 1968) – to win three titles on three different surfaces in the same year. Thiem has also won titles in Buenos Aires (d. Almagro on clay); Acapulco (d. Tomic on hard); Nice (d. A. Zverev on clay) this year.
SURFACE TITLES SWEEP IN SAME YEAR
|
Active Player
|
Year First Achieved
|
Titles
|
|
Dominic Thiem (AUT)
|
2016
|
Buenos Aires, Acapulco, Stuttgart
|
|
Andy Murray (GBR)
|
2015
|
Munich, London-Queen’s, Masters 1000 Canada
|
|
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)
|
2014
|
Acapulco, Bucharest, London-Queen’s
|
|
David Ferrer (ESP)
|
2012
|
Auckland, Buenos Aires, ‘s-Hertogenbosch
|
|
Novak Djokovic (SRB)
|
2011
|
Australian Open, Belgrade, Wimbledon
|
|
Sam Querrey (USA)
|
2010
|
Memphis, Belgrade, London-Queen’s
|
|
Rafael Nadal (ESP)
|
2008
|
Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo, London-Queen’s, Masters 1000 Canada
|
|
Ivo Karlovic (CRO)
|
2007
|
Houston, Nottingham, Stockholm
|
|
Roger Federer (SUI)
|
2003
|
Marseille, Munich, Halle
|
(Federer also achieved the feat in 2004, 2005, 2007-09, 2012, 2015. Nadal also achieved the feat in 2010 and Djokovic in 2014 and 2015.)
It was Thiem and Kohlschreiber’s second ATP World Tour final on German soil in the past six weeks. Kohlschreiber had beaten the World No. 7 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(4) for the BMW Open by FWU AG title last month.
Kohlschrieber, who had led Thiem 2-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, had a 3/2 advantage in the first set tie-break when the final got back underway in Stuttgart on Monday morning. He won four straight points to seal the 59-minute opener.
Thiem regrouped to break Kohlschreiber to 15 in the first game of the second set. It proved to be enough for Thiem, despite being forced to recover from 30/40 at 5-4, and a further break point in a 14-point game.
Kohlschreiber came under pressure at the start of the decider, saving two break points from 15/40 in the first game. Thiem eventually broke and opened up a 3-1 lead.
“It’s sad to lose the final, but I think it was a very good final,” said Kohlschreiber. “It was a tough situation, because of the rain, but overall it was a great finish for the tournament and for Dominic. I’m happy with the performance, the loss is a little bit annoying, but I am happy with the week. I’m now looking forward to playing another tournament in Germany [at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle].”
The 32-year-old Kohlschreiber has won five of his seven ATP World Tour titles in Germany. The 2016 Mercedes Cup final marks his 10th title match on home soil.
Thiem saved two match points against top seed Roger Federer in Saturday’s semi-finals. He is now 19-1 in deciding sets this year, according to the FedEx ATP Performance Zone.
“I started to play better and better [throughout the week],” said Thiem. “Saturday and today were two unbelievable victories against the best ever and against a really, really good grass-court player.”
Andy Murray says his reunification with former coach Ivan Lendl “happened very quickly” following his defeat to Novak Djokovic in the French Open final.
Watch live coverage from Queen’s Club
WATCH MORE: British pair test cricket skills
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has served up a new campaign – ‘Tennis for Kids’ – which aims to inspire 10,000 children aged five to eight to pick up a racket and play tennis for the first time with free lessons across Great Britain.
The campaign launched with the help of Andy Murray and Great Britain’s Davis Cup-winning team with their video on why you should fall in love with tennis.
Former British number one Annabel Croft says: “As someone who has played tennis for decades, the Tennis for Kids initiative is extremely exciting as it offers children who are completely new to the sport an easy way to start getting involved.
“It is also a lovely way to get parents in on the action, as they are actively encouraged to attend the final session.”
“After our momentous Davis Cup win in 2015, we wanted to ensure we did something that really focused on the younger generation and inspired them to get involved in a sport that they could continue to enjoy throughout their lives,” added LTA chief executive Michael Downey.
READ MORE: Find out how you can get into tennis with our special guide.
Revisit the week that was on the ATP Challenger Tour as we applaud the achievements of those on the rise and look ahead to who’s in action in the week to come
A LOOK BACK
Citta’ Di Caltanissetta (Caltanissetta, Italy): More than 2,000 people came out to watch an all-Italian final that saw top seed Paolo Lorenzi save six championship points in defeating wild card Matteo Donati, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(7). The final was the longest on the ATP Challenger Tour this year at two hours and 48 minutes. It gave the 34-year-old his second ATP Challenger Tour title of the year (having prevailed this January in Canberra, Australia) and 18th of his career. He also eclipsed 350 career match wins during the week, moving to 353-216.
Match Points Saved In 2016 Finals
|
Winner |
M.P. Saved | Tournament |
| Sergiy Stakhovsky | 7 | Seoul, South Korea |
| Paolo Lorenzi | 6 | Caltanissetta, Italy |
| Andrey Golubev | 4 | Jonkoping, Sweden |
Although he wasn’t able to win his first ATP Challenger Tour title, the week was a success for Donati. Prior to Caltanissetta, he had won just four main draw matches all year on the ATP Challenger Tour.
Sparta Prague Open (Prague, Czech Republic): No. 6 seed Adam Pavlasek of the Czech Republic delighted the local crowd by defeating No. 3 seed Stephane Robert of France, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. The win gave Pavlasek his first ATP Challenger Tour title of the year after finishing runner-up in three other events this year. He also recorded the biggest win of his career this week by defeating local favourite and World No. 59 Lukas Rosol in the quarter-finals. Pavlasek becomes the ninth player this year to break into the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings.
Robert was looking for his second Challenger title of the year, having won the $50,000 event this February in New Delhi, India. He has more than cut his ranking in half this season to be ranked inside the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings.
Aegon Surbiton Trophy (Surbiton, England): No. 3 seed Yen-Hsun Lu of Taipei completed his return from elbow surgery by defeating qualifier Marius Copil of Romania in this grass-court final, 7-5, 7-6(11). Lu led 5-4 in the first set before rain forced the match to be moved to an indoor hard court. The win gives Lu an unprecedented 23rd ATP Challenger Tour title and his first on grass. He has now reached back-to-back finals on grass, having finished as runner-up last week at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Manchester.
Challenger Title Leaders
| No. |
Player |
Titles |
| 1 | Yen Hsun Lu | 23 |
| 2 | Dudi Sela | 20 |
| 3 | Paolo Lorenzi | 18 |
| 4 | Go Soeda | 17 |
Despite the loss, Copil achieved his best result of the year in reaching his first final of 2016. Qualifiers are now 1-6 in finals this year on the ATP Challenger Tour.
Open Sopra-Steria De Lyon (Lyon, France): In just his third tournament since undergoing wrist surgery in February, No. 8 seed Steve Darcis of Belgium stormed through the final stages of the championship match against No. 4 seed Thiago Monteiro of Brazil to take the title, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0. The 32-year-old showed his resilience throughout the week by prevailing in four three-set matches. This is his seventh career ATP Challenger Tour title.
Monteiro was looking for his second career ATP Challenger Tour title, having won last month in Aix-en-Provence, France. The 22-year-old has jumped well over 300 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings since the start of the year.
Hoff Open (Moscow, Russia): Top seed Mikhail Kukushkin won back-to-back ATP Challenger Tour titles with a convincing win in the final over Steven Diez of Canada, 6-3, 6-3. The 28-year-old also won last week at the $125,000 event in Prostejov, Czech Republic. He was in peak form at the latter stages of the tournament, dropping just 10 games in his final three matches. Kukushkin is now on a 15-match win streak on the ATP Challenger Tour, having also prevailed last July in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Despite the loss, Diez can be satisfied with reaching his second ATP Challenger Tour final, with his other runner-up showing coming in Noumea in January 2014. He has climbed over 500 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings in the past 12 months.
WHAT THEY SAID
Lu: “I’m very happy, especially to make the final last week and come here this week and focus on each match one by one.”
“I’m really happy with the way I’m playing on the grass this season. I didn’t put high expectations in the first two tournaments, but I got used to it very quickly and played good games over the last two weeks. There’s still a while to go to Wimbledon, so I hope I can keep in this condition.”
A LOOK AHEAD
Five $50,000 Challengers take over the calendar this week. The third and final event on the ATP Challenger Tour’s grass court run through England will commence in Ilkley. The tournament is back for the second consecutive year and features world No. 90 Jordan Thompson of Australia as the No. 1 seed. Lu, the second seed, will recreate his final with Copil in Surbiton when they square off in the first round. Other notable names in the draw include American Bjorn Fratangelo, the No. 3 seed this year, and #NextGen star Quentin Halys of France.
The Challenger in Perugia, Italy, returns for the second consecutive year. World No. 83 Rogerio Dutra Silva of Brazil is the No. 1 seed and Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain is the No. 2 seed. #NextGen star Elias Ymer of Sweden, the No. 3 seed, has a tricky opening round in local favourite and last year’s runner-up Matteo Viola. Donati is also in the draw and will look to continue his form from Caltanissetta. Other notable names in the draw include former Top 25 player Filippo Volandri of Italy.
The event in Poprad Tatry, Slovakia, is also back for the second straight year. Local favourite and World No. 51 Martin Klizan is the top seed, while World No. 92 Horacio Zeballos of Argentina is the No. 2 seed and World No. 98 and #NextGen star Karen Khachanov of Russia is the No. 3 seed. Other notable names include defending champion Pavlasek, who looks to replicate his run in Prague as the No. 5 seed, and No. 6 seed Gerald Melzer of Austria, a winner of three ATP Challenger Tour titles this year. A major name in the qualifying draw is former World No. 8 Jurgen Melzer of Austria, who is competing in his first tournament since having shoulder surgery after last year’s US Open.
The tournament in Blois, France, returns for the fourth consecutive year. Former Top 25 player Albert Montanes of Spain is the No. 1 seed and Carlos Berlocq of Argentina is the No. 2 seed. Monteiro and Darcis will look to continue their form from Lyon as the No. 4 and No. 6 seeds, respectively. Another notable name in the draw is local favourite and defending champion Mathias Bourgue, this year’s No. 7 seed.
Lastly, the event in Fergana, Uzbekistan, returns for the 17th consecutive year. Konstantin Kravchuk of Russia is the top seed and Radu Albot of Moldova is the second seed. Other notable names in the draw include former Top 70 player Blaz Kavcic of Slovenia and Sam Barry of Ireland, who reached the final last month at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Bangkok.
View Draws & Watch Free Live Streams
ATP CHALLENGER TOUR ON TWITTER: New in 2016, the ATP Challenger Tour has launched a dedicated Twitter account for the latest news and information about players and events. Follow @ATPChallengerTour at twitter.com/ATPChallengerTour.