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Del Potro Prepares To Start 2017 Season

  • Posted: Feb 12, 2017

Del Potro Prepares To Start 2017 Season

Argentine looking for back-to-back healthy and successful years

Juan Martin del Potro is making his way to the U.S. ahead of the start of his 2017 season later this month. The Argentine had been training in Buenos Aires and is headed to Miami to continue practising. He is scheduled to return to tour-level action at the Delray Beach Open, which starts 20 February.

Del Potro won the ATP World Tour 250 event in 2011 and reached the semi-finals there last year. The 6’6” right-hander delayed the start to his 2017 season to get a full pre-season. The 28 year old was unable to train during the 2015-2016 off-season because of rehab on his left wrist.

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Del Potro, who is still without a coach, started playing tennis again a few weeks ago in Tandil and Buenos Aires. He’s coming off his best and – most importantly – his healthiest season on the ATP World Tour in years.

In October, del Potro won the If Stockholm Open for his first title since January 2014. He jumped 552 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings to his current position of No. 38. He also was named the Comeback Player Of The Year in the ATP World Tour Awards presented by Moët & Chandon.

Moet and Chandon off-court news 

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Injured Davis Cup umpire has surgery on fractured eye socket

  • Posted: Feb 12, 2017

Umpire Arnaud Gabas has had surgery to repair a fractured eye socket after he was hit with a ball during Britain’s Davis Cup win over Canada last week.

Canada’s Denis Shapovalov struck the ball in anger and hit Gabas during his game with Kyle Edmund, defaulting the match to hand the tie to Great Britain.

The International Tennis Federation said the 17-year-old’s actions were “unintentional” but fined him £5,600.

The ITF says the surgery was successful and Gabas is now recovering at home.

The Davis Cup World Group first-round tie in Ottawa was poised at 2-2, with Edmund leading 6-3 6-4 2-1 in the final match, but Canada’s hopes ended when Shapovalov was disqualified.

He later apologised to Frenchman Gabas in the match referee’s office and said he was “incredibly ashamed and embarrassed”.

Gabas went to Ottawa General Hospital as a precaution, but no damage to the cornea or retina was found. On his return to France he had an X-ray, which revealed a fracture of the orbital bone under his left eye.

“I am now concentrating on rest and rehabilitation so I can be back on court in the near future,” said Gabas.

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Cerretani/Oswald Prevail In Quito

  • Posted: Feb 12, 2017

Cerretani/Oswald Prevail In Quito

Unseeded pair pick up first title of 2017

James Cerretani and Philipp Oswald picked up their first ATP World Tour title as a team on Saturday at the Ecuador Open in Quito, prevailing over second seeds Julio Peralta/Horacio Zeballos 6-3, 2-1, after Zeballos was forced to retire with a neck injury.

“We’re very happy with the win here, but we feel bad for our opponents. They were a little injured and that’s not the way you’d like to win a match,” said Cerretani. “The event here in Quito was world-class, though, and the people and the organisation were very friendly in every way.”

Cerretani/Oswald grabbed the lone break of serve in the opening game of the match and held their slight advantage through the opening set. Both teams traded three routine service holds to start the second set before Zeballos stopped the match after 37 minutes.

“It was a perfect week for us,” said Oswald. “We came here to try and win the title, so for us this is very important.”

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The unseeded pair recorded several upsets throughout the week, defeating top seeds Santiago Gonzalez/David Marrero in the opening round and third seeds Nicholas Monroe/Artem Sitak in the semi-finals

The American-Austrian duo first teamed up this past July in Kitzbuhel and recorded a semi-final finish. Cerretani picks up his fourth ATP World Tour doubles title and first since Johannesburg in Febuary 2011 (w/Shamasdin), while Oswald also now has four ATP World Tour doubles titles. His most recent trip to the winner’s circle came in Rio de Janeiro in February 2015 (w/Klizan).

Peralta/Zeballos were also contesting their first ATP World Tour doubles final in 2017. They racked up three titles last year in Sao Paulo, Gstaad and Metz.

Cerretani/Oswald pick up 250 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $26,110, while Peralta/Zebalos earn 150 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and share $13,730.

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Lorenzi Soars Into Quito Final

  • Posted: Feb 12, 2017

Lorenzi Soars Into Quito Final

Italian will face Estrella Burgos or Bellucci in championship match

Third seed Paolo Lorenzi continued his outstanding form at the Ecuador Open in Quito, recording a convincing 6-1, 6-4 win on Saturday over second seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas to march into the final.

The Italian dropped just seven points in racing to a 5-0 lead in the opening set. Although Ramos-Vinolas gained his footing as the match wore on, Lorenzi remained in control of the baseline rallies. He broke the Spaniard at 4-4 in the second set and comfortably held in the next game to wrap up the contest in 72 minutes.

Lorenzi improves his FedEx ATP Head2Head record over Ramos-Vinolas to 2-1. He is now into his third ATP World Tour singles final (1-1), having prevailed in his most recent championship match this past July in Kitzbuhel (d. Basilashvili).

Standing between Lorenzi and the title is the winner between two-time defending champion Victor Estrella Burgos and fourth seed Thomaz Bellucci. Lorenzi leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry against Bellucci 2-1, but the Brazilian won their most recent meeting in the 2016 Quito semi-finals.

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Zverev Upsets Home Favourite In Montpellier

  • Posted: Feb 12, 2017

Zverev Upsets Home Favourite In Montpellier

#NextGenATP star will try to deny Gasquet his fourth Montpellier title

Richard Gasquet stayed perfect against countryman Benoit Paire and will go for his fourth Open Sud de France title on Sunday. The 30-year-old Gasquet needed only 68 minutes to get past Paire on Saturday, 6-2, 6-2. Gasquet now leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 4-0.

He will face #NextGenATP star Alexander Zverev, who beat Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-4 to reach his fourth career ATP World Tour final. Gasquet won the Montpellier title in 2013 and again in 2015 and 2016. He’s now 20-3 in Montpellier.

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I [have] never lost against [Paire] but every match is different. It could have happened today because he’s a great player,” Gasquet said. “I’m happy I won. I played really well, didn’t make any mistakes. Every point was difficult, I made him play, I served well. Overall it was a solid match.”

Zverev came back from a set down to battle past Tsonga in a physical contest that lasted two hours and 20 minutes. Zverev erased a break point and held to start the third set, and another break point didn’t surface until Tsonga slapped a sitting forehand wide while serving at 30/30, 4-5. The Frenchman sailed a backhand long on Zverev’s match point.

The 19-year-old German will go for his second ATP World Tour title. He beat Stan Wawrinka last September to win the St. Petersburg Open, which was also played indoors like the Open Sud de France.

More: Zverev Beats Wawrinka For First Title

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Goffin Rallies To Reach Sofia Final

  • Posted: Feb 11, 2017

Goffin Rallies To Reach Sofia Final

Home favourite Dimitrov could await in Sunday’s final

David Goffin came back from a break down in the third set to knock out defending champion Roberto Bautista Agut on Saturday at the Garanti Koza Sofia Open in Bulgaria. The Belgian hit 12 aces and saved six of the 11 break points he faced to beat Bautista Agut 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(3) in two hours and 44 minutes.

Goffin fell behind 1-3 in the third set but rallied in a back-and-forth decider that featured six service breaks. The win is Goffin’s first against Bautista Agut in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. The Spaniard had been 2-0 against Goffin.

The 26-year-old Goffin will go for his third career title on Sunday and his first since 2014. He will face the winner between home favourite Grigor Dimitrov and Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili.

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Watson gives GB lead over Croatia in Fed Cup tie

  • Posted: Feb 11, 2017

British number two Heather Watson beat Donna Vekic 6-2 6-4 to give Great Britain the lead against Croatia in their Fed Cup promotion play-off tie.

The 24-year-old recorded the win over the world number 84 in 80 minutes.

A win for British number one Johanna Konta over world number 37 Ana Konjuh in the next match would seal victory for GB in the best-of-three contest.

Britons Laura Robson and Jocelyn Rae will face Croatia’s Konjuh and Darija Jurak in the final doubles rubber.

“As the week has gone on my opponents have been tougher, but I’ve also been playing better,” said Watson.

“There was a fist pump at the end because it was a lot more close and tense towards the end of the second set.”

Fed Cup format

Unlike the men’s team competition, the Davis Cup, which has a World Group of 16 nations, the Fed Cup divides its top teams into two groups of eight – World Group I and World Group II.

The 91 nations outside the top tiers are divided into three regional zones and Britain have one chance per year to escape – a format that hugely frustrated former captain Judy Murray.

The Europe/Africa Group I event, which this year takes place in Estonia, has 14 teams divided into groups, with Poland, Croatia, Britain and Serbia the seeded nations.

Four group winners progress to the promotion play-offs, and two nations will then qualify for World Group II play-offs in April – which could see Britain given a home Fed Cup tie for the first time since 1993.

They fell at the same stage in 2012 and 2013 – away ties in Sweden and Argentina – under the captaincy of Judy Murray.

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