Rafael Nadal Partners with Roger Federer in Laver Cup Doubles Win

Posted on September 24, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Rafael Nadal has found an unlikely doubles partner…

The 31-year-old Spanish tennis star joined forces with longtime rival Roger Federer to win a doubles match in the new Laver Cup on Saturday.

Nadal and Federer teamed up for the first time to defeat Sam Querrey and Jack Sock 6-4, 1-6, 10-5 in the team event between Europe and the rest of the world.

“It was unbelievable,” Nadal said.

The inaugural Laver Cup is taking place at Prague’s O2 Arena on an unusual black hard court.

Alexander Zverev, Marin Cilic, Dominic Thiem and Tomas Berdych also form the European team.

John Isner, Nick Kyrgios, Denis Shapovalov and Frances Tiafoe play for the world.

Europe needs two more victories from Sunday’s four games to win.

Fernandez to Coach World TeamTennis’ New York Empire Team

Posted on March 4, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Gigi Fernandez is leading an empire…

The 53-year-old Puerto Rican former professional tennis player, a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has been hired as coach of the New York Empire of World TeamTennis.

Fernandez, who succeeds Patrick McEnroe, is the only female coach in the six-team league, whose season runs from July 16 to Aug. 2.

Fernandez won 17 Grand Slam doubles titles from 1983 to 1997. The Puerto Rican star won two Olympic gold medals in doubles for the U.S.

The Empire will play at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center this summer. They were at the West Side Tennis Club in their debut season.

The Empire pick first in the roster draft March 14.

John Isner, Eugenie Bouchard and Mardy Fish were acquired in the marquee draft last month.

WTT, co-founded by King, enters its 42nd season.

Fernandez is the first female athlete from Puerto Rico to turn professional, the first Puerto Rican athlete to win a gold Medal, and the first to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Estrella Burgos Wins Ecuador Open Title

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Victor Estrella Burgos is a back-to-back champion…

The 35-year-old Dominican tennis player rallied from a set down to beat Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 on Sunday to retain his title on clay in the Ecuador Open in Quito.

It was only Estrella Burgos’ second ATP singles title, and both have come at this tournament.

Bellucci was trying to win his fifth ATP singles title, but he ran out of steam after dropping the second set in a tiebreaker.

The monthlong Latin American clay-court season moves on Monday to Buenos Aires with the Argentina Open, where former world No. 1 Rafael Nadal is the top-seeded player and fellow Spaniard David Ferrer is No. 2. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is No. 3 and American John Isner is No. 4. All four have byes into the second round.

Ferrer Outlasts John Isner to Reach Paris Masters Semifinals

Posted on November 7, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

David Ferrer is still in the running for this year’s Paris Masters title.

The 33-year-old Spanish tennis player, the 2012 champion, followed up by beating 13th-seeded American John Isner 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-2 in the quarterfinals.

Ferrer, who has won five titles this year, seemed to be cruising when he broke Isner in the eighth game of the second set. That gave him a chance to serve out the match, but from 40-15 his composure deserted him.

“I was waiting for him to make mistakes,” Ferrer said.

Isner forced a tiebreaker, clinching it with a huge forehand that clipped Ferrer’s outstretched racket.

Ferrer was given a warning from the chair umpire at the start of the third set when he yelled out in frustration after missing four consecutive break points.

But he easily took Isner’s next service game, although the American was clearly struggling. At 0-40, he hunched over and then took a medical timeout at the changeover.

“My stomach was just cramping up, so was I some pain,” Isner said.

Ferrer held easily for 3-1 and then broke again when Isner hit a big forehand wide.

Ferrer next faces second-seed Andy Murray in the semifinals.

Armisen to Star in the HBO Original Comedy Film “7 Days in Hell”

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Fred Armisen has landed a Hell of a role…

The 47-year-old half-Venezuelan actor and former Saturday Night Live star has landed a role in HBO’s original comedy movie 7 Days in Hell, starring Armisen’s former SNL cast mate Andy Samberg and Game of Thrones’ Kit Harington.

Based on an original concept by Murray Miller, who wrote the screenplay, and Samberg, the sports mockumentary centers on two fierce tennis rivals in an epic, seven-day match at 2004 Wimbledon.

The location is hardly random — the longest tennis match on record was held on Court 18 at Wimbledon during the 2010 championships when John Isner and Nicolas Mahut battled it out for 11 hours over three days, with the American ultimately clinching a victory, 70-68 in the fifth set.

In addition to Samberg, Harington and Armisen, the all-star cast includes Lena Dunham, Will Forte, Karen Gillan, Howie Mandel, Michael Sheen, Mary Steenburgen and June Squibb. Additionally, broadcast journalist

Soledad O’Brien will appear in the HBO movie as herself.

Based on breakdowns reported by Deadline.com, Samberg’s character, named Aaron Williams, is tennis’ superstar bad boy, while Harington’s character, named Charles Poole, is channeling Andy Murray, a tennis prodigy and certified truck driver.

Adding to their rivalry is Gillan’s supermodel Lily, Charles’ childhood friend who made a sex tape with Aaron. Steenburgen plays Charles’ psychotic and controlling mother, while Forte plays a tennis historian.

Jake Szymanski is set to direct the film.

Soares Elected to the ATP Player Council

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Soares has soared into a leadership position with the Association of Tennis Professionals.

The 32-year-old Brazilian tennis player, primarily a doubles specialist, has been elected to the ATP Player Council.

The 12-member council delivers advisory decisions to the ATP Board of Directors, which has the power to accept or reject the Council’s suggestions.

Soares won the mixed doubles title at the 2012 U.S. Open with Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova. In all, he has 17 career men’s doubles titles.

But Soares isn’t the only Latino to join the group…

André Sá will also serve on the ATP Players Council.

Sá, a Wimbledon men’s singles quarterfinalist in 2012, turned pro in 1996. He has seven career titles in doubles; his most recent coming in September 2011 at the Open de Moselle.

Along with Soares and Sa, other players elected to the council include Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka, American John Isner, Kevin Anderson, Gilles Simon, Jurgen Melzer, Sergiy Stakhovsky, Raven Klaasen and Eric Butorac. They will serve two-year terms.

Roger Federer is stepping down after serving as council president since 2008.

“Clearly we made big strides in prize money. … I think we were able to calm things down a little bit, because things were quite hectic when I came onto the council,” said Federer of his involvement on the council.

The new council’s first meeting will be in New York before the U.S. Open in August, when it will elect a president and vice president.

Delbonis Reaches Men’s Final at the Open de Nice

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Federico Delbonis is final-bound after taking down the hometown hero at Open de Nice…

The 23-year-old Argentine professional tennis player, the tournament’s seventh-seeded, ousted fourth-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.

“It was a pretty good match,” Delbonis said. “Gilles always fights and he showed it in the second set when he broke me. But I took control again.”

Delbonis, who beat top-seeded John Isner in the quarterfinals, will next face Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis, the tournament’s second seed in the championship match.

“The final will be very similar to the match against Isner. Ernests has a strong service. If I am focused, I will always have a chance.”

Delbonis is 1-1 in his previous tour finals. He lifted his first title in Sao Paolo in March, after losing in Hamburg last year.

Verdasco Beats Nicolas Almagro to Win the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s “sweet No. 6” for Fernando Verdasco…

The 30-year-old Spanish tennis player, currently ranked No. 29 in the world, beat his fellow countryman Nicolas Almagro in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6 (4), to win the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship on Sunday.

The victory marks Verdasco’s sixth ATP World Tour singles title and his first singles since April 2010.

With the win, Verdasco ends a six-match losing streak in tournament finals.

He also reached the doubles final and had been on the court six hours longer than Almagro going into the final.

“I’m so tired I don’t know if I can talk so much,” said Verdasco, seeded fourth in the Houston, Texas-based tournament..

Almagro had a walkover in the semifinals when American Sam Querrey pulled out due to a back injury.

Almagro, he tournament’s third-seed reached set point five times against Verdasco’s serve in the ninth game of second set, but couldn’t convert. He also up a mini-break in the tiebreaker before Verdasco rallied.

It’s the second second-place finish in the tournament for Almagro, who lost to John Isner last year.

To date, Almagro has won four of his six singles titles on clay.

“You are never happy when you lose a final,” Almagro said. “I had my chances. But I credit Fernando.”

On Saturday night in the doubles final, twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan beat Verdasco and David Marrero 4-6, 6-4, 11-9.

Nadal Defeats John Isner to Claim the Western & Southern Open Trophy

Posted on August 19, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

There’s apparently no stopping Rafael Nadal this summer…

Despite some powerful serves from John Isner, the 27-year-old Spanish tennis star managed to come away with another hard-court title.

Nadal took advantage of the few openings he got on Sunday against the highest-ranked American, grinding out a 7-6 (8), 7-6 (3) win at the Western & Southern Open that added yet another title to his sensational summer.

He won the title in Montreal a week ago and now has back-to-back hard-court championships for the first time in his illustrious career. He’d never even reached the finals in Cincinnati before this year.

When his backhand down the line finished it off, Nadal flopped on his back in joy.

“It means a lot winning two straight titles on hard (courts),” Nadal said. “It’s just amazing for me. I never did something like this in my career.

“So it was an emotional moment.”

Heading into the U.S. Open, there’s no doubt about who has the most momentum — the one with the two new additions to the trophy case.

“I would say Rafa is the favorite going to the U.S.,” Isner said. “Clear-cut? I wouldn’t say that. I think he’d probably say the same.”

Nadal’s five Masters titles this season are a career best. He’s now tied with Novak Djokovic for most Masters titles in a season since 1990. He’s won seven of the nine Masters events during his career.

Nadal has dominated the tour after overcoming a knee injury that sidelined him for the last part of 2012. The win on Sunday gave him a career-best mark of 53-3 this season. He’s reached the finals in 11 of his last 12 tournaments, underscoring his consistent excellence.

Nadal Defeats Tomas Berdych to Reach the Western & Southern Open Final

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

He may be the third seed, but Rafael Nadal is playing like the defending champion at the Western & Southern Open.

The 27-year-old Spanish tennis star, who defeated Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, has notched another victory, defeating sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych 7-5, 7-6 (4) to reach the tournament final for the first time in nine appearances.

“This is one tournament that I’ve never been able to play well, so it’s something special to play well in a place I never did in the past,” said Nadal, 3-0 in his career against John Isner, who he will face in the final. “I’m very happy for that. I am having the right feelings on court. I’m playing aggressive, and the crowd here is great.”

Nadal extended his personal winning streak against Berdych to 14 matches while improving his overall season record 52-3, including a 14-0 on the hardcourts. After winning at Montreal last week, Nadal will be making back-to-back appearances in hardcourt finals for the first time in his career.

He’s 15-1 against top-10 players this season.

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