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Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Rio Open – Rio de Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Delray Beach Open – Delray Beach, FL USA
Open 13 Marseille – Marseille, France

Last Week’s Winners:
Memphis Open – Ryan Harrison
ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament – Jo-Wilfred Tsonga
Argentina Open – Alexandr Dogopolov

Ryan Harrison Wins 1st ATP Title
24-year-old American Ryan Harrison won his first ATP title at the Memphis Open!   The win puts Ryan back up to his career high ranking of #43 in the world, which he first reached in 2012.  Since his breakout, Ryan has had a tough few seasons, but he never gave up.   Ryan made it to both the singles and doubles finals in Memphis, with partner Stevie Johnson.  Even though he lost in the doubles final, it means Ryan gets the full set of Memphis trophies:  a Gibson guitar as singles champion, and a gold record as doubles runner-up.   We’re glad to see Ryan playing well and hope he can keep the momentum going!

Juan Martin Del Potro Back In Action
Delpo is back this week, playing his first tournament of 2017 at the Delray Beach Open in Florida.  Delpo decided to take a longer off season to rest, after leading Argentina to the Davis Cup title in late November of last year.    Delpo’s 2017 campaign kicks off tonight against Kevin Anderson.  Vamos!

World Team Tennis Marquee Draft Announced
The Mylan WTT marquee player draft took place last week,   and we are already excited for what looks to be a fun season coming up this Summer!  Jack Sock was the first overall pick, tapped by the Springfield Lasers to head up their team.  Genie Bouchard, John Isner, and Mardy Fish will join the New York Empire, who are moving their home court from Forest Hills to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and US Open fan favorite Court 17.   Venus Williams, the Bryan Brothers, and Martina Hingis will play for the Washington Kastles, while Andy Roddick and Sloane Stephens join the Philadelphia Freedoms.  Stay tuned for additional player announcements and the full schedule coming up in March.  The dates for this year’s World Team Tennis season are July 16 – August 2nd, with the finals on August 5th.

Vasek Pospisil to Launch YouTube Channel
Canadian player Vasek Pospisil announced he will launch his own YouTube Channel this Friday, February 24th.  The channel, which he has been working on for some time, will take a look at Vasek’s life off the court.  You know we’ll be tuning in!  #AnythingIsPospisil

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQvmGSIjsMR/?taken-by=vasek.pospisil&hl=en

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Memphis Open – Memphis, TN, USA
ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament – Rotterdam, Netherlands
Argentina Open – Buenos Aires, Argentina

Last Week’s Winners:
Open Sud de France – Sascha Zverev
Garanti Koza Sofia Open – Grigor Dimitrov
Ecuador Open – Victor Estrella Burgos

Grigor Dimitrov Wins Hometown Tournament
Grigor won the Sofia Open, the first ATP World Tour tournament he’s played in his home country.  He defeated David Goffin in the final, 7-5, 6-4, in front of an enthusiastic hometown crowd.  The 12,000 capacity arena was sold out for the finals, with the Bulgarian fans out in full force to support Grigor.  The win is Grigor’s 2nd title of the season, and brings his record for the year to 14-1.  Let’s go Grisha!

 

Sasha Zverev Takes Singles & Doubles Titles In Montpellier
#NextGen star Sascha is also having a great 2017 so far.  He just won the 2nd singles title of his career at the Open Sud de France, defeating hometown favorite Richard Gasquet, 7-6 (4), 6-3, in the final.  Sascha then teamed up with his brother, Mischa Zverev, to win the doubles title, with a victory over Fabrice Martin and Daniel Nestor.  This is the first time an ATP player has won both the singles and doubles titles in the same tournament since Lleyton Hewitt in 2014.  The win also puts Sascha up to a career high ranking of #18 in the world, and at #1 in the #NextGenATP Race to Milan.

 

Toni Nadal To Step Down as Rafael Nadal’s Coach
The tennis world was shocked over the weekend when it was announced that Rafa’s uncle and longtime coach, Toni Nadal, would be stepping down at the end of 2017.  Toni has worked with Rafa for most of his life and for his entire professional career to date.   Carlos Moya joined Rafa’s coaching team before the start of this season.  Toni will no longer travel with Rafa and will instead focus on training emerging players at the recently opened Rafa Nadal Academy in Majorca.

https://twitter.com/ESPNTennis/status/831156105229119489

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Open Sud de France – Montpellier, France
Garanti Koza Sofia Open – Sofia, Bulgaria
Ecuador Open – Quito, Ecuador

Davis Cup Quarterfinals Set
It was a dramatic weekend of Davis Cup action, that lasted well into Monday.  The Argentina – Italy tie went to a decisive 5th rubber, with the final match pushed to Monday due to rain and darkness at the outdoor clay match in Buenos Aires.  Fabio Fognini defeated Guido Pella from 2 sets down, 2-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, in a 5 set match that won the tie for Italy and knocked out defending champions Argentina.

The Quarterfinals will take place April 7-9, so stay tuned for venue announcements!
USA vs Australia (host: AUS)
Italy vs Belgium (host: BEL)
France vs Great Britain (host: FRA)
Serbia vs Spain (host: SER)

Denis Shapovalov Defaulted In Canada-Great Britain Tie
The most dramatic moment of Davis Cup weekend happened in Ottawa, during a decisive 5th rubber between Canada and Great Britain.  17-year-old Canadian, Denis Shapovalov, playing in his first Davis Cup tie, hit a ball out of the court in frustration, accidentally hitting the umpire in the face.  The incident caused Shapovalov to lose the match, and Canada to lose the tie.  Let’s hope that ALL players learn from this – there have been way too many close calls in the past.

https://twitter.com/MRisingStar18/status/828368872592044032

USA Defeats Switzerland 5-0
It was Team USA all the way this weekend, with a brand new Davis Cup squad defeating Switzerland 5-0.  The Bryan Brothers announced their retirement from Davis Cup earlier this year, making room for some new players to step in.  Captain Jim Courier selected John Isner, Jack Sock, Stevie Johnson, and Sam Querrey for the tie.  Team USA will head back to Australia in April for the Quarterfinals.  We hope we’ll see more of this American flag waving celebration in the future!

Dimitrov, Thiem Headline Sofia Open
Dominic Thiem is the #1 seed at the Sofia Open in Bulgaria this week.  The tournament’s #3 seed, Grigor Dimitrov, is playing a tournament in his home country for the first time since the Juniors.  Grigor receives huge support from Bulgarian fans no matter what country he is playing in, so we know the crowd will be fully behind him!   Grigor has been having an outstanding 2017 so far, winning a title in Brisbane and reaching the Semifinals in Australia.  Let’s go Grisha!

https://twitter.com/GrigorDimitrov/status/828160750669676545

Ryan Harrison Wins Dallas Challenger Title
American Ryan Harrison is back into the Top 70 in the rankings for the first time since 2013.  He defeated #NextGen American Taylor Fritz in the final of the RBC Tennis Championships in Dallas, 6-3, 6-3, on Saturday.  The win puts Ryan at #62.   Ryan had won a title in Dallas before – the Little Mo tournament in 2000!   Andy Roddick was also a Little Mo champ in 1992.   Ryan took a moment to pose with this amazing banner showing he and Andy’s matching trophies and bowl cuts.

 

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: Australian Open Recap

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Davis Cup – Round 1

Last Week’s Winners:
Australian Open:
Roger Federer
Serena Williams
Henri Kontinen & John Peers
Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Lucie Safarova
Abigail Spears & Juan Sebastian Cabal

Roger Federer Defeats Rafael Nadal To Win 18th Major Title
We got the dream final we’d all been hoping for since the draw came out:  Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal!   It was the first time they’ve played against each other in a slam final since 2011.   The 5-set match was thrilling from start to finish, with Federer winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.  The surprising final was especially sweet considering both players had been sidelined with injuries just months ago.  It’s wonderful seeing both players back on tour and on top of the game!  We’re looking forward to the rest of the season.

Grigor Dimitrov!
The Bulgarian fans were out in full force throughout the Australian Open, cheering on Grigor Dimitrov through the Semifinals.  Grigor was very impressive in his run to the Semis.  He pushed Nadal to 5 sets in one of the best matches of the tournament.  We’re glad to see Grigor playing at such a high level again, and can only hope this leads to a great season for him!

Mischa Zverev Reaches Career High Ranking
Zverev was a name heard frequently over the last two weeks, but it wasn’t talk of the 19-year-old #NextGen star Sascha Zverev.  His older brother, 29-year-old Mischa Zverev, reached the Quarterfinals of a slam for the first time, defeating current #1 Andy Murray in the process.  He lost to eventual champion Roger Federer in the Quarterfinals, but Mischa is now at a career high ranking of #35.


Davis Cup Round 1 Action
We’re already going through tennis withdrawl with the Australian Open ending.  Lucky for us, the 2017 Davis Cup gets underway this weekend, with first round ties happening around the world February 3-5.   Make sure you tune in and cheer for your favorite teams!
World Group Round 1: (host country in bold)
Argentina vs Italy
USA vs Switzerland
Germany vs Belgium
Australia vs Czech Republic
Japan vs France
Canada vs Great Britain
Serbia vs Russia
Croatia vs Spain

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: Australian Open Week 1

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This Week’s Tournament:
Australian Open – Melbourne, Australia

Last Week’s Winners:
ASB Classic – Jack Sock
Apia International Sydney – Gilles Mueller

We love how the tennis season starts off with a bang – it’s just the third week of January but it’s already time for the first slam of the year!

Where to Watch: ESPN and WatchESPN
Tournament Dates: January 16 – January 29
Time:  Play nightly starts at 7pm EST
Social Media: #AusOpen @AustralianOpen

Jack Sock Wins 2nd Career Title in Auckland
Jack had a strong end to 2016, reaching the finals in Stockholm (where he lost to Juan Martin del Potro), and the Quarterfinals of the Masters tournaments in Paris and Shanghai.  He’s been working hard in the off-season and it shows!  Jack was impressive in his run to a second career title in Auckland, where he defeated Joao Sousa in a high quality final.  We’re excited to see how he’ll fare at the Australian Open!

Reilly Opelka Qualifies for First Grand Slam
Part of the #NextGen of young American players, Reilly Opelka qualified for the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in Melbourne.  Reilly was the only player to go through qualifying without dropping a set – or dropping serve.  He’ll face David Goffin in the first round.  Other American qualifiers include Frances Tiafoe, Noah Rubin, Bjorn Frantangelo, and Ernesto Escobedo.  Let’s go USA!

Sasha Bublik Interviews “Rafa”
It’s been an awesome week in Melbourne so far for the Sasha Bublik – he qualified for the main draw of a grand slam for a first time AND managed to grab Rafael Nadal for a quick interview.   Wait a minute, for sure this is Rafa, no?

https://twitter.com/AlexanderBublik/status/819750031259406336

Lleyton Hewitt & Andy Roddick Join BNP Paribas Showdown
As if we weren’t already hype enough for the BNP Paribas Showdown coming up at Madison Square Garden on March 6th, it just got even better with the announcement that Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick are joining the lineup!   We’re pretty sure that we filled out the “Who do you want to see at the BNP Paribas Showdown?” survey last year with “ANDY VS LLEYTON WOULD BE EPIC” so thank you tennis gods for making this happen!   The new format for the showdown, the 10th anniversary of the event, will be Team Americas Vs. Team World.   That means Andy Roddick, Jack Sock, Juan Martin del Potro, and Venus Williams will be taking on Lleyton Hewitt, Nick Kyrgios, Kei Nishikori, and Garbine Mugaruza.    Tickets are on sale now!

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: 2016 Season Comes To An End

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Davis Cup Finals – Zagreb, Croatia

Andy Murray Is Year End #1
For the first time in history, the battle for the year end #1 ranking came down to the final match in the last tournament of the year.  Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray fought for the #1 spot in the ATP World Tour Finals, with Murray  winning 6-3, 6-4.


Davis Cup Finals November 25-27
If you thought the tennis season was officially over, not yet!  The Davis Cup Finals are happening this weekend.  Argentina will take on Croatia at the Arena Zagreb.   Argentina has never won Davis Cup, but have come close as 4 time runners up.   Croatia won their only Davis Cup title in 2005.   With Delpo in action (remember his 5-set epic win over Andy Murray in the semi-finals?)  and a strong Croatian team, it should be an exciting final.

Argentina: Juan Martin del Potro, Guido Pella, Federico Delbonis, Leonardo Mayer

Croatia: Marin Cilic, Borna Coric, Ivo Karlovic, Ivan Dodig


ATP #NextGen Finals Launching in 2017
The ATP announced that Milan will host a season-ending final tournament for the top players under 21 starting next year.  The format will be similar to the ATP World Tour Finals, with the top 7 players under 21 qualifying based on ranking points earned throughout the season.  The 8th spot will be awarded via wildcard.  We love this idea and if anyone would like to send us to Milan next year, we are so there.

The tournament will feature “rule changes and innovations,” to make tennis more appealing to “the millennials,” to which we must again say please, please leave the format and rules of the game alone.

If the tournament existed in 2016, the players would have been: Nick Kyrgios, Sascha Zverev, Kyle Edmund, Borna Coric, Karen Khachanov, Taylor Fritz, Yoshihito Nishioka, Hyeon Chung


It’s The Off Season!
For everyone not participating in Davis Cup this week that is.  That means vacation Instagrams from your favorite players for the next month or so.  Also a reminder the Australian Open is in 55 days!

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournament:
NONE! 😦

It’s hard to believe the regular ATP World Tour season has come to an end.  While we’re trying to adjust to life without live scores and results to check everyday, we still have a couple of big events left to look forward to in 2016!  The ATP World Tour Finals kick off on Sunday in London and the Davis Cup Final between Argentina and Croatia is November 25-27.

Andy Murray Reaches #1 Ranking
Andy Murray captured the BNP Paribas Masters title in Paris, securing the #1 ranking in the process.  The #1 spot has been a long time coming for Murray, who has spent significant time as #2.  It’s a fitting end for a year that has seen Murray win 8 titles, including Wimbledon, along with an Olympic gold.

 

Draw Revealed for ATP World Tour Finals
The ATP World Tour Finals start on Sunday, November 13th from the O2 Arena in London.  Novak Djokovic will take on Dominic Thiem and Milos Raonic will take on Gael Monfils on Day 1.

Singles Group John McEnroe
Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, Marin Cilic

Singles Group Ivan Lendl
Novak Djokovic, Milos Raonic, Gael Monfils, Dominic Thiem

Doubles – Group Fleming/McEnroe
Pierre-Hugues Herbert & Nicolas Mahut; Marc Lopez & Feliciano Lopez; Henri Kontinen & John Peers; Raven Klassen & Rajeev Ram

Doubles – Group Edberg/Jarryd
Jamie Murray & Bruno Soares; Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan; Ivan Dodig & Marcelo Melo; Treat Huey & Max Mirnyi

 

Reilly Opelka Wins Charlottesville Challenger
2016 has been a great year for the next generation of young American players.  Reilly Opelka just won his first pro title over the weekend at the ATP Challenger event in Charlottesville, VA.   Opelka joins fellow American teens Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe, who also won challenger titles this year.   USA!  USA!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMfMDdmgTq9/?taken-by=reillyopelka

 

Juan Monaco Trends Worldwide on Twitter
We were surprised to see Juan Monaco, AKA Pico, trending worldwide on Twitter on Sunday night.  Turns out he was a guest on a talk show in Argentina (hello, off season!)  In case anyone needs advice on “selling tennis to the millennials,” we suggest going this route instead of trying to find ways to re-invent and shorten the game.

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournament:
BNP Paribas Masters – Paris, France

It’s hard to believe we’ve already made it to the last tournament of the regular season of the ATP World Tour!   The tour wraps up this week in Paris, with 2 more spots on the line for a spot in the World Tour Finals happening later this month in London.  Marin Cilic moved up to the 9th position after winning the title in Basel Last week, with Dominic Thiem just ahead at #8.  The year end #1 ranking is also on the line in Paris as Andy Murray closed in on current #1 Novak Djokovic by winning the title in Vienna last week.

 

Jack Sock Wins Doubles in Basel
American Jack Sock won his 2nd doubles title of the year, this time with partner Marcel Granollers.  This was Jack’s 4th final (singles and doubles) since the end of the US Open.  Jack Sock for President!

 

BNP Paribas Showdown 2017 Lineup Announced
2017 marks the 10 year anniversary of the BNP Paribas Showdown.  The annual event, held at Madison Square Garden, features the top names in tennis facing off in an exhibition match in celebration of World Tennis Day.  This year’s event features Venus Williams vs Garbine Mugaruza, Jack Sock vs Nick Kyrgios, and Kei Nishikori vs Juan Martin del Potro.  The showdown is March 6th 2017 at MSG and tickets are on sale now!

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Erste Bank Open 500 – Vienna, Austria
Swiss Indoors Basel – Basel, Switzerland

Juan Martin del Potro Wins First Title Since 2014
Delpo won the first title of his 2016  comeback at the If Stockholm Open in Sweden.  He defeated Jack Sock in the final 7-5, 6-1.  With the win, Delpo is back in the top 50 (where he belongs!).   Impressive considering Delpo started 2016 ranked 1041.  Welcome back!

 

Richard Gasquet Wins Inaugural European Open
Gasquet won his 14th career title at the new 250 ATP tournament in Antwerp, Belgium.   2016 has been an up and down year for Gasquet, who battled some injuries.  The title is his second of the year and puts him up to #18 in the race to London.

 

Thiem Dominates Tie Break Tens in Vienna
Homeboy Dominic Thiem won the Tie Break Tens exhibition in Vienna, kicking off the Erste Bank Open.  The event featured round robin play, with each “match” consisting of one 10-point tiebreak.  Thiem defeated Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, Tommy Haas, and Goran Ivanisevic en route to the final, where he played against Andy Murray in a winner-take-all tiebreak.  Wimbledon hero Marcus Willis was also in lineup, playing entertaining tiebreaks against Murray and Ivanisevic.

 

Rafael Nadal Ends 2016 Season Early
After struggling with a wrist injury for the second half of the season, Rafa officially shut down his 2016 season last week.  We’re looking forward to a well rested and healthy Rafa next year!

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: News Roundup

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This Week’s Tournaments:
Shanghai Rolex Masters – Shanghai, China

Kyrgios Wins 3rd Title Of 2016
Nick Kyrgios won the biggest title of his career so far at the Rakuten Japan Open in Tokyo!  The title is Kyrgios’ 3rd of the season, and his first 500 level trophy.

 

Murray Defeats Dimitrov in Beijing
Andy Murray won the 40th title of his career in Beijing, defeating Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 7-6(2) in the finals.

 

Frances Tiafoe Enters Top 100
#NextGen American Frances Tiafoe won the challenger title in Stockton, defeating fellow American Noah Rubin 6-4, 6-2 in the final.  The win puts Tiafoe into the top 100 for the first time in his career.

 

The Return of Tommy’s Pumpkin
It’s that time of year again, Tommy’s pumpkin is back!  If you have no idea what we’re talking about, you need to be following Reilly Opelka and Tommy Paul on social media.  Trust us, just do it.

https://twitter.com/ReillyOpelka/status/784951620421332992

In case you missed it, the OG pumpkin of 2015:

https://twitter.com/ReillyOpelka/status/650835110854430720