David Ferrer recorded his 25th match win at the SkiStar Swedish Open on Saturday, where he hopes to claim his third title at the beach resort tournament against Alexandr Dolgopolov. It will be Ferrer’s first ATP World Tour final since October 2015 at the Erste Bank Open 500, one of five titles he won that year.

Former World No. 3 Ferrer, who ranks fifth in the active title-leaders list behind the ‘Big Four’ with 26 career crowns, takes a 9-4 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Dolgopolov into the final. Dolgopolov did, however, win their last clash 6-4, 6-4 at the Rio Open presented by Claro in February.

Eighth seed Ferrer cruised into his fourth Båstad final – and his 52nd overall (26-25 record) – on his 10th tournament appearance, with a 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-4 victory over fellow Spaniard and sixth seed Fernando Verdasco, the 2013 and 2016 runner-up.

Ferrer lost 10 points in the opening set, which saw him sweep to a 4-0 lead in 13 minutes before Verdasco held to 30 for his first game. But it was a different matter in the second set with Verdasco winning eight of the first 10 points and, at one point, holding a 3-1 advantage. Ferrer fought back, breaking in the sixth game, but could not convert two match point at Ad-Out on Verdasco’s serve at 4-5.

Ferrer responded and while Verdasco recovered from 0/40 in the first game of the decider, which included five break points, the pressure mounted. Ferrer broke once to 30 in the third game and held on to complete victory in two hours and 10 minutes. The 35 year old is now 14-14 on the season.

Ferrer beat his compatriot Nicolas Almagro in the 2007 and 2012 finals. He also finished runner-up to Robin Soderling, who has attended the ATP World Tour 250 tournament this week as part of its 70th anniversary celebrations, in 2011.

Ukraine’s Dolgopolov will compete for his fourth ATP World Tour title on Sunday. Dolgopolov defeated Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov, in their first tour-level meeting, 6-3, 6-2 over 64 minutes for a place in his eighth final (3-4 record). The World No. 89 captured the Argentina Open title in Buenos Aires (d. Nishikori) in February.

“We had a lot of tight games and he had a number of chances on my serve, but I kept it tight and ran away with it in the second set,” said Dolgopolov.

The 28-year-old Dolgopolov got off to a perfect start by coming close to taking a 4-0 lead, but could not convert three break point opportunities in the fourth game. He broke twice in the second set at 2-2 and 4-2, before closing out on his third match point chance.

On Friday, Ferrer and Dolgopolov both saved two match points in their quarter-final victories over Henri Laaksonen and fifth seed and #NextGenATP Karen Khachanov, respectively.

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Knowle/Petzschner End Swedes Run
Julian Knowle and Philipp Petzschner knocked out Swedish brothers Elias Ymer and Mikael Ymer 6-4, 2-6, 10-3 in 75 minutes for a place in the final. Knowle and Petzschner won nine of 10 points from a 1-2 deficit in the Match tie-break.

Knowle, who sealed the 2007 trophy with Swede Simon Aspelin (d. Garcia-Prieto), will attempt to win his first ATP World Tour doubles crown since June 2014 at the Gerry Weber Open (w/Begemann). The 43-year-old Austrian has an 18-25 record in finals.

Petzschner will attempt to improve upon a 6-7 record in doubles finals. His last trophy came in October 2014 at the Erste Bank Open 500 in Vienna (d. Melzer).

They will meet Sander Arends and Matwe Middelkoop in Sunday’s championship match.

On the ATP Challenger Tour, some of the most successful tournaments are those that integrate local community and culture into the fabric of the event’s identity. The Hague Open has embraced this concept since the tournament was founded in 1993, evolving into one of the premier Challenger destinations for not only the players, but Dutch fans in the surrounding region.

This week, the tournament is celebrating its 25-year anniversary, having remained a staple on the circuit with a commitment to growing the game and cultivating the talent of its rising stars. With world-class competition including Marat Safin, Marcelo Rios, David Nalbandian, Nikolay Davydenko, Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet, some of the game’s greats have walked through its doors.

Located in the coastal town of Scheveningen, Netherlands, the event is a 10-minute walk from a beachfront promenade that includes a boardwalk, ferris wheel and many shops and cafes. But it’s the immediate community surrounding the historic Mets Tennis Club that gives the tournament its charm.

“Since I was a six-year-old kid, you could find me here at this club,” said local resident and 2016 champion Robin Haase. “I know every inch of it, every court and how it plays. It has a great centre court in an environment between the houses. To have a court named after me and one next to Richard Krajicek’s court, is an honour. It feels like you’re at home and this is home for me, because I grew up here. Tennis needs the consistency of getting to know an event and enjoying it and that’s what they do so well here.”

The venue is embedded in the community, with adjacent houses seemingly rooted in the foundation of the club. Local residents can peer outside their windows and step on their patios for a glimpse of the action. As tournament director Ivo Pols explains, the 78-year-old club and vintage clubhouse has never conformed to the tides of change and always maintained its unique and intimate identity.

“The tournament is the site and the site is the tournament,” said Pols. “That goes hand in hand. This small building is built for the event. The passion is still there. It’s part of the rhythm of the season of this club. The tournament is really part of the calendar of this community.

“We had a linesman who was here for 24 years. This was the first time he hasn’t been here. We see families and people who have been here forever, wearing our old merchandise with t-shirts and sweatshirts with the tournament logo on it. Sometimes you see these people with 18-year-old sweatshirts.”

The club, which includes 13 clay courts and six with floodlights, have also hosted Davis Cup ties on 39 occasions as well as the Dutch National Championships for 40 years.

“Looking back at the 25 years, I played here in 1993 and it’s always been a fantastic Challenger,” said former doubles No. 1 Paul Haarhuis. “But before it was a Challenger, this club already had unbelievable heritage and tradition as one of the top clubs in Holland to produce top tennis. All the international big stars, including Laver, Emerson and Rosewall have all played here at some point.

“It’s still one of the few biggest tournaments we have in Holland. It’s our strongest Challenger and for Dutch tennis it’s very important. Ivo and his team are doing a wonderful job to keep it here and keep it at a great level. It’s nice because you can get very close to the players and that makes it a lot of fun.”

One of four big tournaments held in The Netherlands, including the ATP World Tour events in Rotterdam and ‘s-Hertogenbosch and the Challenger in Alphen, The Hague Open has earned a reputation as a premier sporting event in the nation. The tournament earned Challenger of the Year honours in 2006.

“This is actually my favourite tournament,” said #NextGenATP star Stefanos Tsitsipas. “Scheveningen is one of my favourite Challenger tournaments. The spectators make this tournament so special. They come to support the players. And the organisation is very good. We have a very good hotel and food and I feel like I’m at home here.”

“We were the first Challenger in Holland, so we’re the oldest,” added Pols. “We’ve survived the test of time and change. The level is still really high.”

Andy Roddick has had a busy start to his induction weekend at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport. He toured the museum on Friday, checking out his own exhibit as well as the rest of the museum, which is divided into three sections: The Birth of Tennis (1874-1918); The Popular Game (1918-1968); and The Open Era (1968-present).

Roddick also took time to talk with ATPWorldTour.com about a variety of subjects, including what exactly happened to his trophies and Roger Federer’s continued dominance.

Has it started to sink in yet, that you’re inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame?
I don’t know that it will ever be real, walking through here and seeing my superheroes… It’s just insane and I don’t know that that will ever make sense to me. It’s a pretty humbling experience walking through here. As I’ve said a couple times today I’m happy to here and spend my tennis forever with these legends in Newport.

You came so close to beating Roger Federer at Wimbledon. Do those matches look even more impressive now that Federer is still dominating?
No, I don’t think the fact that Roger is dominant at 35 somehow makes me better. I’m amazed at what he’s doing. I think we all, certainly me more than most, are aware of what he’s able to do on a tennis court. I certainly thought that he was in with a shot, maybe at Wimbledon and the US Open, to make a run at another Grand Slam.

To come back and be dominant at 35 is another conversation. I’m awed by that. I’m surprised by that. There’s not many things that Roger Federer could do to surprise me. It’s amazing to watch.

There’s been a lot of talk about your trophies. What exactly happened?
Yeah, this story kind of took on a life of its own. I don’t know that it was as dramatic as people want to make it out to be. We were just really moving houses. And the story gets retold and all of a sudden I have one trophy left.

I have more than one trophy left. I didn’t want someone to walk into our living room and it to be a shrine to a former career. I was there. I played the matches. I have the memories. They’re not going anywhere. So there were some that exited the premises.

It was more about you didn’t need the shrine then?
Honestly, let’s break it down to the simplest moment: Most people who are in my house probably know that I played tennis at some point. So I don’t know that I need shiny objects to try to enforce the fact that I played tennis at some point.

Ivan Dodig used home soil to his advantage, ousting top seed David Goffin 7-5, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals of the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag on Friday. The 32-year-old Zagreb native fired five aces to advance in 92 minutes. Goffin was making his Umag debut this week after missing the entire grass-court season due to an ankle injury.

“I tried to be aggressive from the first point and tried to play shorter points,” said Dodig. “In the end, today was my day. I really felt good on the court and I was really aggressive.”

Dodig will next face #NextGenATP’s Andrey Rublev, who entered the draw as a Lucky Loser and has now reached his first ATP World Tour semi-final. The Russian advanced Friday with a tight 6-7(5), 6-2, 7-6(2) win over third seed and defending champion Fabio Fognini. In their third meeting, Rublev fired seven aces and won 70 per cent of his first serve points to claim victory after two hours and 16 minutes.

“I have no words to explain it,” said Rublev. “It’s my first semi-final and I’m really happy. This match was so tough. I had to fight for every point. I had to give my all. This match was one of the toughest I’ve ever played.”

Elsewhere, Alessandro Giannessi beat Rogerio Dutra Silva 6-7(3), 6-2, 7-5. The 27-year-old Italian saved eight of the 11 break points he faced to win in a two-hour, 51-minute battle. Giannessi improved his FedEx ATP Head2Head with the Brazilian to 3-0.

Giannessi will next face the winner of the match between Jiri Vesely and Paolo Lorenzi.

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Second seed John Isner continued his bid to reclaim the Newport title, advancing to the semi-finals with a 6-4, 6-4 win over fellow American Dennis Novikov on Friday afternoon at the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open. The top seed fired 20 aces and did not face a break point in the 73-minute victory. 

“Just one of those matches on a surface like this, with two pretty good servers, that’s how it can go – you just get one break and you try to hold onto it. That’s what I did,” he said. “I felt like in the second set I could have extended it to a two-break lead but a lot of times one break is all I need so I’m happy to get off the court in pretty quick fashion so I’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”

Two-time champion Isner (2011, ’12) will be looking to reach his first final since last November’s Rolex Paris Masters (l. to Murray) when he faces fellow American Bjorn Fratangelo for the first time.

“It’s going to be fun, I know John well and he knows me well,” said Fratangelo. “It’ll obviously be our first meeting but we’ve practised together a bunch and we’re pals… I’m going to have to return well and make sure my serve percentage is high… He’s not going to want to lose to me, so I think he’s going to come out with extra motivation… Hopefully I can put up a good battle.”

Fratangelo reached his first ATP World Tour semi-final after beating fourth seed Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-2, 5-7, 6-4, capitalising on four of his five break point chances to seal victory on his first match point opportunity after two hours and nine minutes.

“I feel like I’ve been returning well all week,” he said. “That’s one thing – I do have a good return and I feel like this week I’ve really been making sure that if I get a racquet on it I’m putting it in the court, and I’m doing a great job of that.”

Qureshi/Ram Prevail Against Groth/Paes 

In a hard-fought doubles semi-final, top seeds Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Rajeev Ram battled past No. 3 seeds Sam Groth and Leander Paes 4-6, 7-6(6),11-9 in just under two hours. They will face Aussies Matt Reid and John-Patrick Smith on Saturday evening for the ATP World Tour 250 grass-court title. The Australians defeated compatriots Alex Bolt and Andrew Whittington 6-2, 4-6, 10-5.

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Alexandr Dolgopolov saved two match points to oust fifth seed Karen Khachanov 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(2) and reach the semi-finals of the SkiStar Swedish Open on Friday. The 28 year old from Ukraine withstood 20 aces from his #NextGenATP opponent in the match, which clocked in at exactly two hours.

Dolgopolov, who hoisted the trophy in Buenos Aires earlier this year, will meet Andrey Kuznetsov for the first time for a spot in the final after the Russian ousted seventh seed Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-3. Kuznetsov fired five aces and capitalised on four of his seven break point chances to advance to the semi-finals in 66 minutes.

“It was a good day for me. I played my best tennis so far this tournament. In these conditions it wasn’t easy… but I think I chose the right tactics and it was working. I didn’t make a lot of mistakes,” said Kuznetsov. “I feel good on the clay, and we’ll see.”

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In doubles, the all-Dutch team of Sander Arends and Matwe Middelkoop reached the final with a 2-6, 6-2, 10-8 win over Thomaz Bellucci and Andre Sa. They await the winner of the match between Julian Knowle/Philipp Petzschner and Elias Ymer/Mikael Ymer.

Former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero has joined the coaching team of Alexander Zverev. The 20-year-old Zverev is also coached by his father, Alexander Zverev Sr.

Ferrero has been in the United States with Zverev since the middle of July, consulting during the training sessions of the #NextGenATP star as he prepares for the US Open Series. After two weeks of preparation together on the American hard courts, Ferrero, who reached the US Open final in 2003 (l. to Roddick), will accompany Zverev to the ATP World Tour 500 tournament in Washington, which begins on 31 July.

“Zverev is a different player, he has the manner of a champion,” said Ferrero, speaking from his Equelite Academy. The Spaniard held the top spot in the Emirates ATP Rankings for eight weeks between September and October 2003, the same year he won his lone Grand Slam championship at Roland Garros. “It’s a challenge I’m keen to take on and do the best job I can.”

Zverev currently leads the Emirates ATP Race To Milan and is also in the thick of the race to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. Earlier this year, the German became the youngest player since 2008 to break into the Top 10 after winning his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Rome, where he defeated Novak Djokovic in the final – one of four victories he has recorded over Top 10 opponents this year. 

Look Back On The Career Of Ferrero

Matthew Ebden has never experienced a run like it. The 29-year-old Aussie won his fifth match in as many days on Thursday to reach his first ATP World Tour semi-final at the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open in Newport.

After his big win against German Tobias Kamke, Ebden, who reached a career-high No. 61 in the Emirates ATP Rankings in 2012 and 2014, sat down with ATPWorldTour.com to talk about his “ATP Firsts.”

First coach and most important lesson he taught me
Coach Alf Neal. We always used to have a lot of fun, playing games and competitive games. I just remember one thing, on the volley he used to say, “Stop.” Like a stop sign, you know when you hit the volley, like “Stop” [before your follow through]. Hopefully that’s helping me today. I’ve got pretty good volleys I think and it’s helping me on the grass.

First pinch-me moment on the ATP World Tour
Here in Newport, in 2011… I ended up winning the doubles title with my good friend Ryan Harrison. That was pretty awesome. All of a sudden we won an ATP title. No one can take that away from you. Your name is on the board, on the trophy and to do it here, at the International Tennis Hall of Fame was pretty special.

First thing I bought with prize money
That year when I did break out into the Top 100 [2011]… including making the quarter-finals at the Shanghai Rolex Masters, I obviously picked up some good money. Kim was my girlfriend back then, and we had spent so many months apart. We had a plan that hopefully one day, if I could do well enough, we could get married and she could travel with me.

So that was a big motivating factor. The money went a bit towards the ring – we got engaged the next year – and to getting married. [They married in 2013.]

First celebrity crush
When I was a young kid I think I watched “There’s Something About Mary.” Cameron Diaz.

ATP Firsts: Bryan Brothers | Edmund | Sock

First pet
Little puppy. We had a little poodles growing up. I’m a massive dog lover. His name was Chester, after one of the famous South African rugby players [Chester Williams] who was in the World Cup winning team when I was a young kid. So that was special… He was a miniature French puddle. Super smart dog.

First time I flew first class
I was coming back from Europe and I got stuck in Dubai after a long trip away. I had played club tennis and a bunch of Futures. I was 17 and I was coming back after a four-month trip away. I was a little bit homesick, ready to get home. So I took the flight from Munich to Dubai, thinking I would just hop on the next available flight. The next flight for the next two or three days were all full, and then they told me the flights for the next two weeks were full.

Then my great loving dad, there was a seat in business class the next day, and he definitely spoiled me and got me home on the business class seat. I slept in the airport for a day or two and I was so tired, I slept for the entire way on the plane… I definitely owe my dad for that one. He’s been a big supporter throughout my career.

Private jet… Andy Murray very kindly flew us on his private jet with him to the [Toronto ATP World Tour Masters 1000] one year after we were training in Miami together. That was pretty special and very nice of him… Murray, his coach, who was Amelie Mauresmo, his trainer, Jez Green, and me and my wife and my coach at the time.