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Injured Serena Williams out of Indian Wells

  • Posted: Mar 08, 2017

World number one Serena Williams says a knee injury has forced her to pull out of this week’s BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

Williams, 35, said she will also miss the Miami Open later this month.

The American, who won an Open era record 23rd Grand Slam at the Australian Open earlier this year, said: “I have not been able to train due to my knees.”

She added she would return “as soon as I can”.

Indian Wells organisers said a revised draw would be issued later.

Williams only returned to the Californian tournament in 2015 after a 14-year boycott following claims she had suffered racist abuse at the venue.

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Register Today For #NextGenATP Finals Tickets

  • Posted: Mar 07, 2017

Register Today For #NextGenATP Finals Tickets

Zverev, Medvedev among early #NextGenATP contenders

It’s the exciting new showcase of great, young talent on the ATP World Tour and here is your chance to be a part of it. Beginning today, you can register to get access to tickets for the #NextGenATP Finals when they become available.

Click Here To Register

The tournament, to take place 7-11 November, will feature the world’s top eight 21-and-under singles players. #NextGenATP star Alexander Zverev is currently leading the season-long Emirates ATP Race To Milan, which will track the progress of #NextGenATP players throughout the year. The top seven players in the race will qualify automatically, while the eighth spot will be reserved for a wild card.

See Who’s Pushing Zverev In The Emirates ATP Race To Milan Standings

Zverev has started strong this season. The 6’6” right-hander beat Richard Gasquet last month at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier to take his second ATP World Tour title.

Just behind Zverev, at No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Race To Milan standings, is an exciting new face on the ATP World Tour, Russia’s Daniil Medvedev. The 21 year old reached his first ATP World Tour final in January at the Aircel Chennai Open before falling to then-No. 14 Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain.

At No. 3 in the race is 18-year-old Norwegian Casper Ruud, who reached his first ATP World Tour semi-final last month at the Rio Open presented by Claro. Russian 19-year-old Andrey Rublev, 21-year-old Noah Rubin of the U.S.A. and 20-year-old Hyeon Chung of South Korea round out the top six.

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In addition to great tennis, the #NextGenATP Finals will feature an exciting new dimension for fans. The tournament will trial a number of innovations with a view of ensuring continued growth in the popularity of men’s professional tennis.

The event will award US$1.275 million in prize money, and will follow a similar format to the ATP Finals, with a round-robin group stage followed by knock-out semi-finals and a final. While Emirates ATP Rankings points will serve as the criteria for entry, the tournament itself will not carry points.

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Murray Brings Masters 1000 Hot Streak To Indian Wells

  • Posted: Mar 07, 2017

Murray Brings Masters 1000 Hot Streak To Indian Wells

Scot seeks his third successive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title and to end his drought in the desert

On paper, it looks like a place Andy Murray could dominate. Hard courts. The U.S., where the Scot spent weeks of his off-season. A big-time event. But, for reasons even Murray can’t quite name, his haul of 45 tour-level titles is still missing one of the most prestigious crowns in all of tennis: a BNP Paribas Open title trophy from Indian Wells.

Murray has played at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event 11 times, every year since 2006. He’s had great runs, including in 2009, when he reached the final but fell to Rafael Nadal, and in 2007 and 2015, when Murray made the last four but fell to Novak Djokovic both times.

Murray has also had forgettable appearances in the desert, such as 2006, 2011 and 2012, when he fell in the second round all three years.

“I have never really felt that I played my best tennis here,” Murray said last year after his third-round defeat to Argentine Federico Delbonis. “I have tried and had many different preparations, where I’ve got here early and spent a lot of time on the courts, and sometimes I arrive later… Obviously it takes time to get used to new conditions regardless of where it is, but I have just never really found a way to get comfortable here throughout my career. It’s a shame.”

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But if there were ever a year in which Murray could change his luck and win one of his two missing Masters 1000 titles, the other is Monte-Carlo, 2017 certainly seems like the season.

The Scot has won the past two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, finishing 2016 with his third Shanghai Rolex Masters crown and his first Paris Masters title to bring his career total to 14. Murray then ended the season by taking another “Big Title”, his first championship run at the ATP Finals in London.

Masters 1000 Champions

Player  Different Titles Overall Titles
Novak Djokovic  8 30
Roger Federer  8 24
Rafael Nadal 28
Andy Murray  7 14
Andre Agassi  7 17
Pete Sampras  5 11 
Marcelo Rios 5 5

He’s hardly slacked off to start 2017 as well. Murray reached the final in his first ATP World Tour event, the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, before falling to Djokovic in three sets. On Saturday, the Brit captured his first ATP World Tour title of the year by beating Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in straight sets at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Murray has now reached the final in 14 of his past 16 tournaments, including seven of his past eight. “It’s been a great run. Can’t complain about much,” he said after winning Dubai.

For inspiration in Indian Wells, Murray might look to his Paris breakthrough this past November. Before he won the indoor Masters 1000 title for the first time last year, the Scot had room for improvement at that event as well.

Murray had reached the final only once before, in 2015 (l. to Djokovic), and had experienced early losses there, including in 2012 when he fell in the third round to Jerzy Janowicz. Yet in November, Murray went unbeaten in Bercy.

Through The Years: Murray At The BNP Paribas Open

Year  Finish
2016  Third Round
2015  Semi-finals
2014  Round Of 16
2013  Quarter-finals
2012  Second Round
2011  Second Round
2010 Quarter-finals
2009  Final
2008  Round Of 16
2007  Semi-finals
2006  Second Round

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Cuevas Underhands His Way To Sao Paulo Title, History

  • Posted: Mar 07, 2017

Cuevas Underhands His Way To Sao Paulo Title, History

Third seed wins back-to-back-to-back Brasil Open titles

Pablo Cuevas picked the most unorthodox way to win an unconventional final on Monday at the Brasil Open in Sao Paulo. About to deliver a second serve on his fourth match point, the Uruguayan dipped down and tapped an underhand serve to Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who rushed to the service box and successfully returned the surprise tactic.

But Cuevas eventually won the point and made tournament history in Sao Paulo with his 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-4 win. The 31 year old became the first player since the tournament began in 2001 to win three consecutive Brasil Open titles. Spaniard Nicolas Almagro has won the tournament three times but only two of his titles were successive.

Cuevas celebrates his sixth career ATP World Tour title with his third consecutive Sao Paulo crown. All of the right-hander’s titles have come on clay and since 2014.

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To think, on Sunday, Ramos-Vinolas had been only three games away from clutching his second ATP World Tour title. The left-hander led 7-6(4), 3-3, and was serving at 40/40 for a 4-3 lead. But rain delayed play until Monday evening, and Cuevas was the better player when play resumed.

He won the first two points of the renewed action to break and later took the second set. In the decider, Cuevas saved all three break points to improve to 6-3 in ATP World Tour finals. He leaves Sao Paulo with 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points and $81,220 in prize money.

Ramos-Vinolas, who won his first title last July in Bastad (d. Verdasco), falls to 1-3 in ATP World Tour title matches. He will receive 150 Emirates ATP Rankings points and $42,775 in prize money.

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Kwon Becomes Latest Korean Challenger Success Story

  • Posted: Mar 07, 2017

Kwon Becomes Latest Korean Challenger Success Story

The teenager reached the Yokohama final without dropping a set

South Korean tennis is thriving with a talented trio causing a stir on the ATP Challenger Tour.

#NextGenATP player Hyeon Chung leads the charge at No. 92 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. The 20 year old has captured three Challenger titles in the past six months (Kaohsiung, Kobe and Maui).

Just behind is teenager Duckhee Lee. The 18 year old, currently World No. 135, has also reached a Challenger final, losing to Chung last September in Kaohsiung.

And last week, 19 year old Soon Woo Kwon emerged at the $50,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Yokohama. The university student advanced through three rounds of qualifying and then topped four opponents in straight sets to clinch a spot in the final. Top seed and local favourite Yuichi Sugita was forced to fend off two match points against Kwon to eventually prevail 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(2).

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“First of all, reaching this final pulled my ranking up to where I can play at the French Open,” reflected the World No. 231. “Also, the final left a big impression on me, I will play with more confidence in the matches to come.”

Having achieved such an impressive run to the Yokohama final, Kwon revealed that seeing the success of Chung and Lee has inspired his recent progress.

“Duckhee was my junior at Mapo High School, so we are very close. He is one year younger than I am, and he is ranked much higher. Because he is doing so well, it motivates me to do better when I think about how I am ranked lower than my junior,” said Kwon. “I think him doing so well makes me work harder. I am also close with Hyeon (Chung), we eat out together when we are in Korea.”

Kwon admits it would mean a “great deal” to join his countrymen in featuring at ATP World Tour events, but he is also aware of the level of work that is still required to reach that goal. “I need to improve in many regards,” added Kwon. “I need to build up endurance and physical strength, work on physical aspects.”

Should his fledging career continue to soar, who would Kwon like to emulate on the court?

“I like watching Federer and Murray play,” he admitted. “Federer’s game is very glamorous, and above all, very cool.”

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