Mayer Defeats Britain’s Dan Evans to Secure Argentina’s Spot in the Davis Cup Finals

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Leonardo Mayer will return to his home country a hero…

The 29-year-old Argentine tennis player came from behind to defeat Britain’s Dan Evans 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 in the decisive fifth match to defeat defending champions Great Britain in the Davis Cup semifinals.

After Andy Murray beat Guido Pella 6-3 6-2 6-3 to level the tie at 2-2, it was confirmed that Argentina’s star man, Juan Martin del Potro, would sit out the final match up and be replaced by ATP world No. 114 Mayer.

“We had to keep it to ourselves until the last moment so Great Britain were thinking a little bit, but we knew from last night that Mayer would play,” said Argentina captain Daniel Orsanic.

In the absence of del Potro, who wasn’t in good enough shape to play on Sunday after wearing himself out after deciding to play in Saturday’s doubles match, it was Mayer who stepped up.

Argentina will now travel to Croatia for the Davis Cup final in November.

del Potro Upsets Andy Murray to Give Argentina a Commanding Davis Cup Semifinal Lead

Posted on September 17, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Juan Martin del Potro continues to pick off tennis’ top-ranked players…

The 27-year-old Argentine tennis player ended Andy Murray‘s 14-match winning streak in the Davis Cup, coming through with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 victory in 5 hours, 7 minutes to gain a measure of revenge after losing the Olympic final to Murray last month.

It was the longest match of both players’ careers.

Del Potro’s win leaves Argentina thisclose to its first Davis Cup final since 2011 after taking a 2-0 lead over defending champion Great Britain thanks to singles wins by del Potro and Guido Pella in the semifinal on Friday.

Pella beat Kyle Edmund 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, meaning the Argentines can clinch victory with a day to spare in Glasgow if they win the doubles on Saturday.

Federico Delbonis and Leonardo Mayer are scheduled to play the Murray brothers, Andy and Jamie.

Whether Andy Murray plays is open to question.

Being taken the distance against Del Potro was exactly what Murray didn’t need at the end of his long summer of tennis in which he won both the Wimbledon and Olympic titles for the second time. He looked almost out on his feet at times in an energy-sapping final set, and couldn’t handle the barrage of forehand shots by the rejuvenated Del Potro.

”I’m very proud of how I fought, I did fantastic,” Murray said. ”I fought for every point, tried as best as I could. That’s all you can do.

”It was very fine margins. That happens in tennis and sport sometimes. It could have gone either way.”

del Potro gained the crucial break in the fifth set at the third opportunity, reaching Murray’s angled volley with a forehand winner down the line to go 4-3 ahead, and he served out for the match, clinching victory with an ace and a big growl.

Murray had never previously lost a home singles match in the Davis Cup.

del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, is a force in tennis once again after returning from three wrist operations that nearly ruined his career. He’s Argentina’s top player but is ranked a lowly No. 64 on his comeback trail, meaning he had to play Murray in the opening match.

”I cannot imagine this moment in my career,” del Potro said. ”This was the type of match I was missing when I was at home.”

Argentina is playing its 11th Davis Cup semifinal in 15 years. The south American country has never won the team event, finishing runner-up in 1981, 2006, 2008, and 2011.

del Potro previously defeated Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the Olympics this summer, before losing to Murray in the final.

Soares & Jamie Murray Win Men’s Doubles Title at the US Open

Posted on September 11, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

It’s proving to be a banner year for Bruno Soares…

The 34-year-old Brazilian tennis player and his doubles partner, Jamie Murray, have won the US Open men’s doubles title.

Soares and Murray, seeded fourth, beat Spain’s unseeded Pablo Carreno Busta and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2 6-3.

It gives Soares and Murray a second major title after they won their first Grand Slam together at the Australian Open in January.

Soares becomes the first Brazilian to win more than one Grand Slam doubles title.

Murray and Soares went into the final in a confident mood after beating defending champions and top seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut in the semifinals, and they outclassed surprise finalists Carreno Busta and Garcia-Lopez.

The Spaniards broke serve in the opening game but Murray and Soares levelled immediately and went on a run of seven straight games to take a grip on the contest.

There was some concern for Murray when he called the trainer to work on his neck midway through the first set, but it did not have any visible effect on his performance.

An interception volley at the net by the British Davis Cup winner earned an early break in the second set and, with Soares dictating matters from the back of the court, they left little for Carreno Busta and Garcia-Lopez to attack.

Murray had failed to serve out the match at this year’s Australian Open, but he showed no nerves this time as he wrapped up victory after only 78 minutes.

“I am glad we got together,” said Soares. “It is our first season. To win in Australia and here is extremely special.”

Muguruza Defeats Caroline Wozniacki to Reach the Wimbledon Quarterfinals

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a little splendor in the grass for Garbine Muguruza…

The 21-year-old Venezuelan-Spanish professional tennis player upset former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the fourth round at Wimbledon, reaching the last-eight at the prestigious All-England Club for the first time in her career.

Muguruza, seeded No. 20, defeated No. 5 seed Wozniacki in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

Both players had opportunities in a tight opening set, but it was Muguruza that took hers, claiming the solitary break when the Dane framed a forehand beyond the baseline. Despite a lapse in concentration at the start of the second, Muguruza displayed her growing maturity by wrestling back the momentum, producing a brilliant game – including one inspired backhand lob – to break for a 5-4 lead, then holding her nerve to serve out the match in a fraught final game.

“It means a lot because I haven’t played a lot matches on grass, so I didn’t know how to prepare for Wimbledon,” Muguruza said. “I think it’s like the third time I play here. So for me was something new. That’s why it’s special.

With the win, Muguruza becomes the first Spanish woman to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon since Conchita Martinez – who was announced as the new Spanish Davis Cup captain on Monday – in 2001.

Muguruza’s victory means it’s guaranteed that the Wimbledon ladies’ finalist from the bottom half of the draw will be ranked outside the top 10.

Muguruza next faces Swiss No. 15 seed Timea Bacsinszky after she fought back from a set down to beat Romanian Monica Niculescu 1-6, 7-5, 6-2.

The other quarterfinal match in the bottom half will be contested on Tuesday by big-serving American Madison Keys and Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska.

Martinez Named Captain of Spain’s Davis Cup Team

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Conchita Martinez is ready to lead Spain’s men to victory…

Spain has named the 43-year-old Spanish former tennis star, a former Wimbledon champion, captain of its Davis Cup team.

Martinez, the winner of 33 WTA titles during her illustrious career, replaces fired predecessor Gala Leon amid a shake-up for the tennis federation that included the government’s removing former president Jose Luis Escanuela after Rafael Nadal and several other players criticized his management style.

Martinez, already captain of Spain’s Fed Cup team, will lead the Davis Cup side until the end of year.

Martinez, who retired in April 2006, will be at the helm when Spain battles Russia on July 17.

Leon, who became Spain’s first female Davis Cup captain last year, never oversaw a match. Nadal’s coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, criticized her appointment for what he called her lack of knowledge of the men’s game.

León García Has Been Appointed as Captain of Spain’s Davis Cup Team

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Gala León García is breaking down barriers while making history.

The 40-year-old Spanish former professional tennis player has been appointed as captain of Spain’s Davis Cup team by La Federación Internacional de Tenis, becoming the first-ever female coach of a Davis Cup team.

In a statement, the federation says León García will replace Carlos Moya, who stepped down as captain after Spain fell out of the World Group.

Without Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer, Spain lost to Brazil in the playoffs, dropping the five-time champions to the zonal groups for the first time since 1996. The team also lost to Germany earlier this year.

Andy Murray, who is currently coached by Amelie Mauresmo, tweeted his congratulations to León García.

“congrats to Gala Leon Garcia for becoming first female Spanish Davis cup captain today…” tweeted Murray, adding, “hopefully first of many!”

More details are expected in the coming days.

León García turned pro in 1990 and retired in 2004. She achieved her highest ranking of No. 27 in September 2000. She earned one WTA title and 6 ITF titles.

Pasarell Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Charlie Pasarell has entered the tennis hall…

The 69-year-old Puerto Rican former-tennis-player-turned-commentator-and-promoter has been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.

Pasarell was a prestigious junior player, even gracing the cover of World Tennis Magazine at the age of 11. He won the NCAA men’s singles and doubles titles in 1966 while attending the University of California, Los Angeles.

He competed in major pro tournaments from 1960 through 1979, proving most successful in doubles. Pasarell reached the finals in men’s doubles at the U.S. Championships in 1965 and 1969, the French Open with Arthur Ashe in 1970, and the Australian Open in 1977.

He also served as a member of the United States’ Davis Cup team in 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1974, helping the U.S. to victory in the 1968 Davis Cup competition.

After retiring, Pasarell was instrumental in the development of the Masters 1000 tennis event, the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. He served as the tournament director until retiring from the post in 2012. He’s credited with helping the tournament grow from drawing 30,000 people to bringing in 370,000 tennis fans.

Pasarell is also a commentator for The Tennis Channel.

Other inductees this year include former players Ion Tiriac, Cliff Drysdale and Martina Hingis.

Nadal Defeats Nicolas Almagro for His Eighth Barcelona Open Title

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Nadal continues his winning ways at the Barcelona Open…

The 26-year-old Spanish tennis superstar won the tournament for the eighth time on Sunday, beating his fellow countryman Nicolas Almagro 6-4, 6-3 to earn his fourth title of the year.

“I am very happy,” said Nadal. “It has been an important week for me to win here again and a great source of joy after everything I have been through.”

Nadal has made six straight finals since returning from his knee injury. This title, the 54th of his career, comes a week after his eight-year reign at Monte Carlo ended with a loss to top-ranked Novak Djokovic.

“With just these six tournament since I have returned, I have managed to assure my place in the top 10 one more year, which is positive,” said Nadal, who is ranked No. 5. “These months of work have been worth it.”

Even so, Nadal is hesitant to say how this might carry over to Roland Garros, where he has won a record seven times.

“This win doesn’t mean much,” he said. “Just that I am in good form since I have come back. The results are fantastic. I would never have imagined them and they are better than I had dreamed. I am back playing at a high level.”

After trailing 3-0 in the first set, Nadal found his form and broke Almagro in three of his next four service games to take command of the match, which was played in a drizzle.

Nadal won the Barcelona Open from 2005-09 but did not play in 2010 because of a knee injury. He has won the tournament every year since. He has won 39 straight matches on the red clay at Real Club de Tenis, his last loss coming 10 years ago to Spain’s Davis Cup captain, Alex Corretja.

“I didn’t know in 2005 that I would win again or that in 2013 I would still be winning,” Nadal said.

Nadal Postpones Return to Tennis Due to Stomach Bug

Posted on December 25, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Nadal will not be returning to competitive tennis as soon as he’d planned after all…

The 26-year-old Spanish tenista was scheduled to compete in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi on Thursday after missing seven months because of tendinitis in his left knee.

But Nadal said on his Facebook page Tuesday that his doctors ordered him to pull out due to a stomach virus and fever, telling him his body needed rest.

“My rehab has gone well, my knee feels good and I was looking forward to competing,” said Nadal.

The 11-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t played since June, when he lost to 100th-ranked Lukas Rosol in the second round at Wimbledon.

The injury prevented Nadal from defending his Olympic singles gold at the 2012 London Games, where he was supposed to be Spain’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony. He also had to pull out of the U.S. Open and Spain’s Davis Cup final against the Czech Republic, which his teammates lost without him.

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Andy Murray were also scheduled to play at Abu Dhabi.

Nadal to Play Exhibition Tournament in Abu Dhabi

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Nadal is planning to return to the tennis courts in the next few weeks…

Following a six-month break to recover from a knee injury, the 26-year-old Spanish tennis star says he’ll play in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi at the end of the month.

“Can’t wait to get back on court in Abu Dhabi at the end of the month,” the 11-time Grand Slam champion said on his Facebook page and Twitter account. “I won the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in 2010 and 2011 — would love to get my hands on the trophy again this year!”

Nadal began practicing on a court in his hometown of Manacor last month under the supervision of his uncle and coach Tony Nadal and a physiotherapist.

The Abu Dhabi tournament starts December 27 and will feature a six-man field that includes top-ranked Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Andy Murray.

While Nadal had long been scheduled to play in the event, he was cautious in a radio interview last week about how quickly he could return to full fitness after such a long layoff. Nadal has not played since a shocking second-round loss to 100th-ranked Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon in June due to the partial tear of a tendon in his left knee.

The injury denied Nadal an opportunity to defend the Olympic singles gold at the 2012 London Games and forced him to pull out of the U.S. Open and Spain’s Davis Cup final against the Czech Republic.

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