Tennis News

The top seeds at this week’s tennis tournaments continue to fall as Andy Murray was ousted from the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament on Friday by an unlikely adversary in Gilles Simon.

Simon, who previously held a 1-12 record against Murray, including 12 consecutive losses, defeated the world No. 4 in straight sets to advance to a semi-final contest against Tomas Berdych.

“It was a great match for me,” said Simon. “I lost 12 times against him, so it was almost an unexpected win. I had a better feeling against him the last two matches I had to play. I was twice one set and a break up, I really felt I was close to win, and I think it helped me to be more confident today.”

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It was a surprisingly straightforward affair, as Simon ousted Murray 6-4,6-2 in 86 minutes. The British No. 1 played far from his best tennis.

“I struggled with most of the shots, to be honest,” said Murray. “At the beginning of the match my backhand, at the end of the match my forehand. It was tough. I felt I was hitting the ball too early. I felt my timing was a bit off.”

Simon will go on to face Tomas Berdych, who stormed into the final four with a 6-1,6-4 victory in 1 hour and 12 minutes.

“It was a very good game,” said Berdych. “I was able to add something extra from the last match I played yesterday, which was a goal. I was able to keep up with the game plan, which was rightly chosen. I was able to execute it all the way to the last point. As we all know, it’s Gael, who’s not an easy opponent. I’m really happy the way I handled it in those two sets.”

Thursday afternoon brought with it some surprising results in Belgium, as three of the top seeds at the Diamond Games were ousted from the tournament, including top seed Eugenie Bouchard.

The slew of upsets began with second seed Angelique Kerber, who was downed at the hands of 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone. The Italian needed just 57-minutes to defeat Kerber 6-1, 6-1. She even won nine consecutive games at one given time during the lopsided encounter.

“For me it was a great match because I was able to play the tactics I wanted to play,” Schiavone said. “I knew it would be a good opportunity for me today, and I’m happy with the way I played.”

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The second upset of the day was the untimely exit of Eugenie Bouchard, who lost to Germany’s Mona Barthel in three sets. The Canadian stormed to a 3-0 lead in the match but quickly fizzled away and allowed herself to be broken back. While she eventually won the opening set, she watched her lead evaporate over the coming two sets, where she won a mere three games overall to lose the match 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

“It’s always tough to play against Genie. She plays so well, you really have to play your best,” Barthel said afterwards. “But today I was able to play my game, play aggressive and come into the net. At the end I had some nerves, but I’m happy I could play well to finish it. It’s a great win for me.”

And to cap the day off, French No. 1 and seventh seed Alize Cornet lost to Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-4, 6-2.

The remaining seeds now are Lucie Safarova, Carla Suárez Navarro, Dominika Cibulkova, and Karolina Pliskova.

Following an impressive start to his 2015 season – one that saw him end a 17-match losing sreak to Rafael Nadal en route to the semi-final round of the Australian Open – Tomas Berdych is looking to build on that momentum with strong showings in Rotterdam. His next match-up is against Gael Monfils, whom he holds a 3-1 lead in the head-to-head series.

Follow the match live here: Berdych v Monfils Live Stream

The third seed at the tournament took part in a surprisingly turbulent second round encounter against Andreas Seppi at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. He eventually downed his Italian adversary 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the quarter-final stage of the event. As the defending champion at the event, Berdych is satisfied with his performance – one that included 10 aces and four breaks of serve in 1 hour and 28 minutes.

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“I think it was a very solid game today,” said Berdych. “The opponent was not easy at all. I had my game plan, which worked perfectly from the beginning. He just started to play much better and took his chance, the only one he had in the second set. But in the third set, I was able to finish it, get my chances and execute.”

In typical swashbuckling fashion, Gael Monfils ousted seventh seed Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets to move into his second quarter-final of the season following a strong showing in Montpellier last week. The Frenchman struck nine aces to close out the match 7-5, 7-6(5) in one-hour and 41-minute match.

This marks the fifth time that Berdych and Monfils will cross paths on the ATP World Tour, with Berdych leading the series 3-1. Monfils won their most recent encounter in the 2013 French Open, but remains 0-2 against the Czech No. 1 on hard courts. It will be interesting to see if he can overturn that record this time around in Rotterdam.

Prediction: Tomas Berdych in Three Sets

Following an entertaining contest in the second round of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, 2009 champion Andy Murray is through to the quarter-final stage of the tournament, where he will next meet France’s Gilles Simon to determine who will advance to the final eight on Friday. This marks the 14th time that Murray and Simon cross paths on the professional tour, with Murray leading the head to head series 12-1.

Follow the match live here: Murray v Simon Live Stream

British No. 1 Andy Murray earned his second straight set victory this week in Rotterdam, even though his contest against Vasek Pospisil was far more entertaining and competitive that the scoreline suggested. Murray struck 64% of his first service points and saved 5 of 7 break points to finish the match 6-3, 7-5. However, the second set was a turbulent affair, as Pospisil was on set point up 5-4 when he was handed a time violation that allowed Murray to break back, and eventually crushed his spirit.

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In a second round match that featured two Frenchmen, Gilles Simon overcame Jeremy Chardy with relative ease to close out the match 6-4, 6-3 in 1 hour and eight minutes of court time. Simon hit 1 ace, won 83% of his first service points and didn’t face a single break point en route to the victory.

“Today I played well from the beginning till the end,” said Simon. “That was a big improvement compared to my first-round match.”

Murray and Simon had met on 13 separate occasions on the ATP World Tour, with Murray leading the series 12-1, including an 12-match win streak dating back to 2007. He has defeated his French adversary on every surface and should have little trouble maintaining that streak come Friday.

Prediction: Andy Murray in Straight Sets

2009 tournament champion Andy Murray is through to the second round in Rotterdam when he defeated Nicolas Mahut to advance. He will next face Vasek Pospisil, whom he defeated in Vienna last season to take a 1-0 head-to-head lead over the Canadian.

Follow the match live here: Murray v Pospisil Live Stream

Eager to rebound from his recent loss in the Australian Open final, Andy Murray kicked off his campaign in the indoor event in Rotterdam with a 6-3, 6-2 win against Nicolas Mahut on Wednesday. While it was a lopsided contest, it was an entertaining affair to watch, as Murray played a strong match for the majority of the encounter to jump to a 6-3, 5-0 lead. At that point, he was broken back before serving out the match in 1 hour and 33 minutes.

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“Today I served well when I was behind up until the second to last service game,” Murray said. “I was down break points in the first three service games of the second set and came up with some big serves when I needed them. Hopefully I can do a little bit better tomorrow.”

World No. 59 Vasek Pospisil reached the second round of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament following a 6-4, 6-2 dismissal of Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber. It was a strong debut for the Canadian at the ATP World Tour 500 indoor hard-court tournament, as he converted three of his four break points to win his first time encounter with the German in 1 hour and 1 minute.

This is just the second time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Murray leading the head to head series 1-0 with a victory in one of the last tournaments of the season in 2014. While Pospisil is a tough second round match for the Scot, Murray appears motivated to perform and will likely edge out a close straight sets victory.

Prediction: Andy Murray in Straight Sets

Following a strong showing in the Australian Open, Eugenie Bouchard will look to build on that momentum and live up to her billing as the top seed in the WTA Diamond Games this week in Antwerp. Her campaign to the title will begin against Mona Barthel, whom she has faced only once previously on the WTA tour. Bouchard leads the head-to-head series 1-0 and will look to extend that lead on Thursday.

Follow the match live here: Bouchard v Barthel

World No. 7 Eugenie Bouchard may have ended her 2014 season in abysmal fashion, but she appeared up to the challenge at the start of the New Year, as she reached the quarter-final stage of the Aussie Open before losing to Maria Sharapova.

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Now, armed with new coach Sam Sumyk, Bouchard will look to continue her rise up the rankings.

“I think it’s important to arrive early at a tournament when you can, and I was able to this time, so I wanted to come early and prepare,” Bouchard said. “I haven’t done much here except practicing, so I haven’t seen much of the city. But from what I’ve seen so far, I think Antwerp is a really cute city.”

“Every tournament I play, I want to try to win,” she said. “Every match is a chance to try and get better, and to try to prove to myself how well I can play. Every match is tough, too – the first round here is just as tough as the first round at Wimbledon. You go to different locations and play under different conditions, but I know I have to try my best anywhere, and I’m happy to win anywhere.”

Germany’s Mona Barthel defeated Klaartje Liebens with relative ease in her opening round match in Antwerp. She struck six aces, won 86% of her first service points, and faced no break points en route to her 6-2, 6-0 victory in 52 minutes.

This is just the second time that Bouchard and Barthel will cross paths on the professional tour, with the Canadian leading the head-to-head series 1-0. Bouchard earned that win last season in Wuhan, where she rallied from a set down to defeat Mona 4-6 6-3 6-4. Given Bouchard’s flakiness at the start of events, this could be another three-set battle to determine who will advance to the quarter-finals.

Prediction: Eugenie Bouchard in Three Sets

Following a surprisingly difficult opening round in Rotterdam, Canada’s Milos Raonic will look to make quick work of his second round opponent Simone Bolelli, whom he has met once before on the professional tour. Raonic leads the head-to-head series 1-0, with a win last season at the Rome Masters.

Follow the match here: Raonic v Bolelli Live

The world No. 6 had a difficult opening match at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, as he needed three sets to get past Andrey Kuznetsov 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-5. Raonic struck 19 aces and won 90% of his first service points, but still managed to drop the second set 6-1 before finishing the match in 1 hour and 54 minutes.

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“It’s about fighting through,” Raonic said after his three-set victory. “I kept my attitude together, which allowed me to get my game and find answers towards the end, and that’s why I was able to win.”

“I think there is a big target on my back. I’m the No. 6 player in the world right now, and I feel like I can do much better. Every round is an opportunity for someone to pick up a positive win.”

In his opening round match several days ago, Italy’s Simone Bolelli defeated Lukas Rosol in straight sets to reach the second round of the tournament. He beat his Czech adversary 6-3, 6-1 in a match where he won 79% of his first service points and four aces.

“He’s played great over the past 12 months,” Milos said of Bolelli. “I played him in Rome, and that was a very difficult match. I’m going to expect much of the same here.”

This marks just the second time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Raonic leading the head-to-head series 1-0 with a victory last season at the Rome Masters. While the Canadian had a difficult time in his opening match, he remained strong on serve and that will likely be the difference against the Italian on Thursday.

Prediction: Milos Raonic in Straight Sets