Ramos-Vinolas Upsets No. 1 Seed David Ferrer to Reach Swedish Open Final

Posted on July 17, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Albert Ramos-Vinolas is one win away from his first ATP World Tour title…

The 28-year-old Spanish tennis player beat No. 1 seed David Ferrer 7-5, 6-4 on Saturday for the first time in seven tries and will now play in his second career final at the Swedish Open in Bastad.

The third seed will meet another countryman in Sunday’s final: Fifth seed Fernando Verdasco swept Gastao Elias of Portugal 6-3, 6-1.

Elias was playing in his first ATP World Tour semifinal.

Ramos-Vinolas had been 0-6 in his head-to-head series against Ferrer, a two-time champion in Bastad (2007, 2012). But the left-hander broke Ferrer five times to move into the final in an hour and 48 minutes.

“I’m very happy. I beat a great player and one of the best on clay in the last five, six years,” Ramos-Vinolas said.

Ramos-Vinolas last played in a final in 2012 (Casablanca, l. to Andujar). He’ll also try to reverse his head-to-head series against Verdasco as the 32-year-old leads the series 3-1, including a 2014 win in Bastad.

Verdasco reached his second tour-level final of the season with dominant serving. The left-hander won 75 per cent of his service points. He also landed almost eight of 10 first serves. Verdasco, though, was broken once, the first time he’s lost his serve in Bastad (32/33).

The seven-time ATP World Tour titlist will go for his second crown of the season (also Bucharest, d. Pouille).

“It’s a final,” Verdasco said. “A final is never easy.”

Olivo Upsets Top-Seed Philipp Kohlschreiber at German Open to Reach First Career Semifinal

Posted on July 16, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Renzo Olivo has pulled off a major upset…

The 24-year-old Argentine tennis player saved two match points and went on to take down top-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber in the German Open quarterfinals on Friday.

Olivo, currently listed as No. 153 in the ATP World Tour rankings, rallied to win 1-6, 6-0, 7-5, saving two match points in the ninth game of the final set as Kohlschreiber was serving for the match at 5-3.

In Olivo’s first career semifinal, he will have to stop third-seeded Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay.

Cuevas of Uruguay defeated Paul-Henri Mathieu 7-6 (7), 6-1 in a repeat of the 2009 semifinal that was won by Mathieu.

Cuevas, who won consecutive titles in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in February, fired 12 aces and won 79 percent of his service points to beat Mathieu.

Stephane Robert of France beat eighth-seeded Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3.

His semifinal opponent will be seventh-seeded Martin Klizan of Slovakia, who beat Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain 6-4, 6-3.

Ferrer Beats Dustin Brown to Advance to Swedish Open Semifinals

Posted on July 16, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

David Ferrer continues to roll…

The 34-year-old Spanish tennis player battled past Dustin Brown 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 to reach the semifinals of the Swedish Open on Friday.

Ferrer, the top seed and two-time champion at the tournament, improved his head-to-head record versus the German player to 4-0 following the 92-minute win, which was watched in the stands by Swedish tennis legend Bjorn Borg.

Ferrer will next face his compatriot, third seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

“He’s playing his best tennis of this season so I’m going to have to play very good and very consistent to have a good chance to be in the final,” said Ferrer of his opponent.

Ramos-Vinolas reached his second semifinal of 2016 as he defeated Andrea Arnaboldi. The Spaniard saved six of the 11 break points he faced to outlast the Italian 5-7, 7-5, 6-0 in what was their first tour-level meeting.

Fifth seed Fernando Verdasco eased into the last four in Bastad with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Facundo Bagnis in 68 minutes. The Spaniard will continue to bid for his eighth ATP World Tour singles title when he faces Gastao Elias.

“It’s great for me to be in the semifinals here again. Today I’m one step closer and hopefully tomorrow I will keep playing as good as today or even better,” said Verdasco. “I’m feeling pretty good. I’ve been playing better and better every day. Tomorrow I will face a Portuguese player and they are both playing good this week. I know that it’s going to be difficult.”

Elias reached his first ATP World Tour semifinal by upsetting second seed Joao Sousa 6-2, 6-2.

The 25-year-old Portuguese tennis player capitalized on five of his seven break point chances to notch his first win over his compatriot (Sousa now leads rivalry 2-1) in 62 minutes.

Monaco Outlasts Jack Sock to Win U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Juan Monaco has taken down the champion…

The 32-year-old Argentine tennis player rallied to defeat defending champion Jack Sock 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory Sunday to win his second U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship nine months after major wrist surgery.

“It’s amazing, amazing to hold the trophy again in only my fourth tournament back, after three years [without a title],” said Monaco. “It’s almost like a dream come true for it to happen so fast. The hard work really paid off.”

Monaco, also the 2012 winner at River Oaks, held off a surging Sock in the third set after taking a 4-1 lead. Sock won the next four games but suffered the decisive break in the 11th game when, with his left thigh apparently cramping under the cloudy, humid conditions, he missed an underhanded serve. Early in the match, Monaco received attention from the trainer for an apparent back issue.

Sock, seeded fourth and in defense of his lone ATP World Tour title, said after the match that he’d begun experiencing flu-like symptoms Saturday night. He had won 17 consecutive sets in the event dating to his first-round match last year.

“I felt great all week. I’m not exactly sure what happened with my body,” Sock said. “Last night, I didn’t feel great. I was sweating in a very air-conditioned room, so maybe [I’m] possibly coming down with something. But that doesn’t take away from [Monaco’s] battle and fight today. It came down to the wire. I tried my best and put it all out there.”

Monaco won his ninth tour title and first since 2013. Eight have come on clay. In August of last year, he left the tour to have an operation in which a damaged tendon in his right wrist was replaced. Earlier this year, he pulled out of the Australian Open because he didn’t think he was ready to return.

Monaco said he felt a sharp pain in his back after being broken twice to start the match, and that’s why he asked for a trainer. He dominated play for a long patch thereafter, until Sock made his late charge.

“I was calm because I saw him not in good shape,” Monaco said. “But after he called the trainer, he played more relaxed with nothing to lose, with no thinking. He was good, but I made mistakes, and I was a little bit nervous because of the situation, which is normal. But then I try to just put the ball in, run and don’t think too much, just try to win the last ball.”

Monaco insisted that he didn’t think Sock was trying to use gamesmanship. “He’s a friend, a great guy,” he said.

Nadal Advances to ATP World Tour Finals Semifinals

Posted on November 21, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Nadal stays perfect at this year’s ATP World Tour Finals.

The 29-year-old Spanish tennis star remains unbeaten in his round robin campaign, after extending his perfect mark to 3-0 on Friday.

David Ferrer turned in a valiant effort after rallying from two breaks down in the first set, but Nadal responded in kind, wrapping up the thrilling victory 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4.

Following a rocky start to 2015, Nadale, the world No. 5, is gaining great momentum at the season finale in London.

A 17-4 post-US Open mark has included five Top 10 wins and now three straight this week at The O2.

He enters an Open Era record 46th clash against Novak Djokovic in Saturday’s semifinals after surviving a gritty two-hour and 37-minute battle against Ferrer.

Tested often, he refused to back down, even with a semifinal berth already assured.

Nadal, who notched his 60th win of the season on Wednesday, secured the immediate advantage, breaking Ferrer to 15 in the first game of the match.

Stepping inside the baseline, a rifled backhand winner down-the-line and Ferrer forehand error put him ahead 1-0. Nadal claimed 10 of the first 11 points as he raced to a 3-0 lead behind a second break. But Ferrer would go on a run of his own, taking 12 of 14 points to snatch both breaks back and draw level at 3-3. They would again exchange breaks in the 11th and 12th games, as Ferrer broke Nadal serving for the set at 6-5 – saving a set point – following a seven-minute game. In the tie-break, a wayward lob and double fault from Nadal would give Ferrer a pair of early mini-breaks and he would emerge with the opener after exactly one hour.

Nadal had confirmed his place opposite Djokovic – runner-up in the second group – in Saturday’s semi-finals after defeating Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka earlier in the week.

He qualified for the last four at the season finale for a fifth time in seven appearances.

Bautista Agut Outlasts Steve Johnson to Reach Valencia Open Final

Posted on November 1, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It wasn’t easy, but Roberto Bautista Agut has reached his sixth ATP World Tour final.

The 27-year-old Spanish player saved six match points before defeating American Steve Johnson 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8) Saturday to reach the final of the Valencia Open.

Johnson had his first match point in the 12th game of the deciding set and then led 6-3 in the tiebreaker without being able to clinch the win.

Bautista Agut then set up his first match point with a backhand return winner and converted it when Johnson sent a backhand long.

He’ll next play Joao Sousa in the final after the Portuguese player beat Canada’s Vasek Pospisil 6-4, 6-4.

“It was an incredible match,” Bautista Augut said. “It was really tough and I was really close to losing. I think today I could win, I could lose — anything was possible on the court.”

Bautista Agut is hoping to clinch his first title of the year.

Ferrer Defeats Steve Johnson to Win Austrian Open Title

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

David Ferrer is one step closer to earning a spot in the ATP World Tour Finals.

The 33-year-old Spanish tennis player strengthened his hand in the race to the end-of-year finals after winning the Austrian Open with a fighting 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 defeat of American Steve Johnson.

Ferrer, who joins Roger Federer with five titles this year – the pair are second behind Novak Djokovic on nine – now stands in solid contention for one of the two remaining places in the eight-man field for the World Tour Finals starting on November 15.

Ferrer joins Kei Nishikori in joint seventh in the race for the eight-man World Tour Finals in London from November 15-22.

Ferrer claimed the 26th trophy of his career as he defeated Johnson, who was playing in his first final.

Ferrer set up three match points in the third set with his seventh ace after a break in the previous game and converted on his first opportunity.

Ferrer lost the final a year ago at the Stadthalle to Andy Murray.

The last Spaniard to win in Vienna was Feliciano Lopez in 2004.

Ferrer Defeats Kei Nishikori to Claim His Fourth Mexico Open Title

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

David Ferrer is El Rey in Mexico…

The 32-year-old Spanish tennis player won his fourth Mexico Open title over the weekend, beating top-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-3, 7-5 in the hard-court event.

It’s the third title for Ferrer in 2015. He previously won in Doha in January and in Rio de Janeiro earlier in February.

He won his previous Mexico titles — in 2010, 2011 and 2012 — on clay.

“Tonight I played my best match this week,” said Ferrer. “For sure. I played very aggressive, without mistakes. I’m very happy. To win here a fourth time is a dream.

“I tried to play my forehand to his forehand and with more energy. In important moments, he made more mistakes and I took my chances. I feel very confident with my tennis now. I’ve won three tournaments this year and we’ve only began the season.”

As champion, the 24-time ATP World Tour titlist received $343,000 in prize money and 500 Emirates ATP Ranking points.

Nishikori won in Memphis, Tennessee, two weeks ago for his eighth tour title. He lost to Marin Cilic last year in the U.S. Open final.

Bautista Agut Defeats Ernests Gulbis to Reach Kremlin Cup Final

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s been a banner year for Roberto Bautista Agut, winning the first two ATP World Tour titles of his career this summer. And, now he’s gunning for his third.

The 26-year-old Spanish tennis player reached his third final of the year after a 6-4, 6-4 victory over third seed Ernests Gulbis at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow on Saturday.

Bautista Agut, the tournament’s fifth seed, will meet second seed Marin Cilic in the championship match.

In the 15th position in the Emirates ATP Race To London, he claimed 75 percent of his service points and did not drop serve through 10 service games against Gulbis.

He broke the Latvian once in each set to close out the match in 82 minutes.

Bautista Agut improved to 1-3 in his his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Gulbis, who most recently prevailed in three sets in their fourth-round encounter at the BNP Paribas Open in March.

He previously won his first ATP title at the Topshelf Open in the Netherlands in June, and then followed it up with a championship win at the Mercedes Cup in Germany in July.

Robredo Defeats Santiago Giraldo to Reach Men’s Final at Shenzhen Open

Posted on September 27, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Tommy Robredo is back in an ATP World Tour final…

The 32-year-old Spanish tennis player defeated Colombia’s Santiago Giraldo 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday to reach the final of the Shenzhen Open.

Robredo had 10 aces and converted four of his seven break points to beat Giraldo in 70 minutes.

The victory saw Robredo level his head-to-head series with Giraldo at 2-2.  Additionally, he has a 35-20 record on the season and will contest his second final this year, having finished runner-up on clay at the Croatia Open in July after losing to Pablo Cuevas in the final.

He’ll next face Andy Murray in Sunday’s final as he looks to level their head-to-head record. Murray has a 3-2 record over Robredo and has won their past three meetings.

Robredo will be contesting his 21st ATP World Tour final. He has a 12-8 finals record.

He’s looking to win his first title since victory in Umag in July 2013 and his first hard-court title since triumphing in Metz seven years ago.

Robredo also inched ever closer to his 500th tour-level win (493-310 record).

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