Tennis Tuesday

Luca Pouille had a very mixed 2019. But he's still a winner in my book.

Weekend Tennis Roundup (05/06)

Cristian Garin secured the BMW Open title after defeating Matteo Berrettini in Munich Sunday. The cute Chilean won 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(1) to pick up his second title after his maiden ATP crown in Houston last month. 

Oh, I'm sure all right!

 Berrettini was unable to replicate his title-winning performance in Budapest last week but he is projected to reach a career best world ranking on Monday. "I'm kind of sad because I lost, but I did my best. I did everything [I could] and I left everything on the court," he said. "I did two matches in a row and I was feeling really good with my body so I'm really proud of myself for that because I worked a lot in the preseason and these are the results."

Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 7-6(4) Sunday to win the Estoril Open in Portugal. The top seed secured his first clay-court title with victory over the Uruguayan in one hour and 43 minutes. 

In the company of men ...

Greeks active ...

The Greek City Times reports that Maria Sakkari became the first Greek woman since 2008 to win a WTA title, as she came from behind to defeat Britain’s Johanna Konta 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the final of Rabat. Eleni Daniilidou was the only other Greek woman to win a WTA title, as she won five WTA tournaments between 2002 and 2008. (Two other Greek women had reached finals in their careers but failed to win them, including Sakkari’s mother Angeliki Kanellopoulou, as well as Christina Papadaki.)

Swiss qualifier Jil Teichmann outlasted home favorite Karolina Muchova in just under three hours to clinch her first WTA title at the Prague Open, 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4 . The 21-year-old became the first qualifier to win the title in Prague, and is the 20th different WTA winner in 21 events this season.

And from the satellite circuit ...

It's not often that a player reaches a Grand Slam semifinal and follows that with an ATP Challenger Tour appearance just months later. But such was the case for World No. 32 Lucas Pouille this week in Bordeaux. Pouille advanced to the semis at the Australian Open in January, but a subsequent six-match losing streak had him seeking confidence and momentum entering the ATP Masters 1000 stops in Madrid and Rome.

The Frenchman would rediscover his game, blasting to the title in front of the home faithful in Bordeaux. The allure of competing in front of the French fans at his country's oldest tennis club -- the 122-year-old Villa Primrose -- was too strong and Pouille would eventually take the title 6-3, 6-3 over Mikael Ymer on Sunday. He'll need the boost in confidence as he now faces Borna Coric in the first round of Madrid.

His win marks the fourth time in just two years that a player inside the Top 40 of the ATP rankings has lifted a Challenger trophy. Richard Gasquet (Szczecin 2017), Nishikori (Dallas 2018), Kyle Edmund (Indian Wells 2019) and Pouille have all descended to the Challenger level in search of match wins.

(With wire services)

Tennis Tuesday

There's a lot going on with Borna Coric here, which is how the unimaginable happened: 

I had to put photos and video of Lucas Pouille in a Speedo on the jump page BELOW!

Playing with Andreas Seppi

Weekend Tennis Roundup

Some seriously ambivalent feelings about this weekend's Davis Cup results, which I'm pretty sure are the last year they will be held in the traditional format. First off, couldn't help but be a bit pained by Frances Tiafoe's loss to Borna Coric in the tie-deciding match. 

(There was A LOT of ass on that court, boys!) I love Borna and it's nice to see him follow up on his best-ever Grand Slam result. But after Ryan Harrison and 40-year-old Mike Bryan -- who came out of Davis Cup retirement for the occasion -- won a five-hour epic over Ivan Dodig and Mate Pavic 7-5, 7-6(8), 1-6, 6-7(7), 7-6 (5) that hearkened back to the days of Davis Cup I grew up with, it was hard not to let my American roots show. 

Half the Harrison brothers and half the Ryan brothers

Still, congrats to little Croatia. I hope to be in a sea of hot Croatian men soon!

The other tie was a little more straightforward. I watched Lucas Pouille rally to defeat Roberto Bautista-Agut in five sets ...

and there wasn't an angle at which the Frenchman's ass -- showcased in blue briefs under tight white shorts -- didn't mesmerize us. 

The only time I regretted my rooting for France was when coach Yannick Noah posed for this photo. How do you say "I don't need to see THAT" in French?

Kind of funny that we'll have a rematch of the World Cup final, only this time I'll actually tune in!

From the cranky Italian's Instagram account: I'd sure like to know more about Fabio Fognini's "solid Sunday session" with "the young one," Matteo Berrettini ...

On the women's side, there weren't a lot of brand-name players in competition. So Pauline Parmentier of France was able to snatch her second title of the year, beating American qualifier Jessica Pegula, 7-5, 6-2 in the final of Quebec City. 

And Hsieh Su-Wei -- whose game tickles me to no end -- continued her comeback, defeating 17-year-old "American" Amanda Anisimova to win the crown in Hiroshima. The Russian-born runner-up has a lot of buzz, with Chris Evert calling her "the real deal" on Twitter after she won her semifinal. 

The Taiwanese will return the Top 30 with this win while Anisimova will crack the Top 100 for the first time. 

In exciting news, Naomi Osaka inked an $8.5 million deal with Adidas, making her the highest-paid athlete ever to endorse the German mega brand. 

And regarding last weekend's U.S. Open officiating fiasco, Serena Williams's "double standard" excuse was put to the test when Christopher Clarey of the New York Times did a little research and found that no, women aren't penalized for their outbursts more often than men. In fact, not by a long shot. (You can argue about the methodology all you want, but when something is subjective to begin with the numbers are all we've got.)

So much for that theory ... 

And last but not least: Was missing my brother Bill a little extra over the weekend because he’s the only other person who would appreciate that this kid on “Forever” (Maya Rudolph’s new Amazon show) is practically wearing Martina’s (Kim cigarettes!) shirt from the 1981 U.S. Open ...

Lucas Pouille Announces Engagement

Lucas Pouille proposed to his girlfriend and apparently she said "oui." I'll never understand WHAT SHE SEES in him.

Hearts Aflutter as Adidas Raises Hemline on Men's Tennis Shorts

Gilles Simon

Sometimes it's the little things -- and Adidas really delivered with its latest "kit" being sported by many of its stars. The collarless blouse clings nicely to the guys' bodies -- but it's the blue shorts that have been raised just a tad that have me very excited about the summer tennis season ahead. Sure, they're not exactly in Boris Becker territory. But it's a step in the right direction! 

Lucas Pouille

Tomas Berdych

Maximilian "Legs" Marterer

Oh, Fernando (Verdasco)

Stefanos Tsitsipas may have lost this match to Richard Gasquet. But he won the sartorial sectionals ...

Weekend Tennis Roundup

 Frances Tiafoe won the title in Delray Beach, Fla., yesterday, hitting two consecutive aces to defeat Peter Gojowcyk of Germany, 6-1, 6-4. It was particularly nice to see that he didn't suffer a letdown after upsetting Juan Marin del Potro in the fourth round -- and that he was able to beat fellow NextGen stars Denis Shapovalov and Chung Hyeon, about whom you hear so much more. The breakthrough title for the 20-year-old inserted a much-needed burst of energy into American men's tennis, with Tiafoe becoming the youngest U.S. man to win a tournament since Andy Roddick captured Houston at 19 in 2002. 

And between Tiafoe's ass and Gojowcyk's cute hair, the match was an eye candy feast!

Diego Schwartzman won the Rio de Janeiro Open with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Fernando Verdasco. The title raises the Argentine's ranking to 18th. (The Jewish Telegraphic Agency points out that it is the first time that a Jewish player is among the top 20 in the ATP rankings since 1990, when American Brad Gilbert was fourth.) “I’m very happy to break into the top 20,” Schwartzman, 25, said afterward. “It’s a very difficult tournament, with top 10 [players], great players in the draw and when the week starts you don’t think you are going to play the finals.”

Dominic Thiem working on his volleys earlier this week at the Rio Open! 👏🔥🎾#tennis #news #channel
🎥 tenis.argentina ✅ @ThiemDomi pic.twitter.com/zTXBZo9tLN

— tennisnewschannel (@tennisnewschan1) February 25, 2018

No. 1 seed Marin Cilic was taken out by Gael Monfils and No. 2 Dominic Thiem inexplicably lost 4 and 0 to Verdasco. 

And in another porn-worthy final, Karen Khachanov outlasted Frenchie Lucas Pouille 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 for the crown in Marseille. It was the big-serving Russian's second ATP title of his career.

"I hope there are many more finals between us in the future," Khachanov said to Pouille, who celebrated his 24th birthday at the event. "I felt I was playing good here from the first day. It's nice to play on a full court in the final, and I hope to come back next year."

In Budapest, 23-year-old Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck upset Dominika Cibulkova 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in the final of the Hungarian Ladies Open, to clinch a second career WTA title. 

And finally, just when it seemed we were safe from Elina Svitolina overtaking the No. 1 ranking, she easily defended her title in Dubai, with a 6-4, 6-0 blowout against unseeded Darya Kasatkina. (En route to the final, the 20-year-old Russian had saved two match points to beat seventh-seeded Johanna Konta in the second round, and three against second-seeded Garbine Muguruza in the semifinals.) Angie Kerber looked like she was continuing her strong play by killing Barbora Strycova and Karolina Plishkova, only to lose to Svitolina 3 and 3. (Sigh.)  

Of course, this photo with Andrew Bettles sort of softens the blow ...

Weekend Tennis Roundup

Lots of action around the world with Fed Cup and ATP tournaments on two continents. But the biggest story for me might have been Mirza Basic beating Marius Copil 7-6(6) 6-7(4) 6-4 in Sofia to capture his first ATP title. It was a match of two first-time finalists.

And while I was happy for the 26-year-old Bosnian, who beat a returning Stan Wawrinka in the semis and now enters the Top 100 for the first time ...

 

it was the Romania's body that kept me glued to the TV set. (Might be time to amend my hottest asses list!)

More HERE.

Lucas Pouille got a little lucky to win his fifth ATP World Tour title, beating three-time champion Richard Gasquet in Montpellier.

The gluteusly endowed Frenchman was getting blown off the court by beefy countryman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga when the Ali lookalike got injured. Then the "luck" continued by facing someone who has never won a title in his 16-year career greater than a 250. (Gasquet defeated top-seed David Goffin in his semi, however.)

Pouille will next play in Rotterdam, where Roger Federer will shoot to regain the No. 1 ranking.

Meanwhile down South American way, Roberto Carballes Baena celebrated his maiden moment on Sunday at the Ecuador Open, clinching his first ATP World Tour title in dramatic fashion. The Spaniard won his third straight three-set clash to lift the trophy, battling to victory as a qualifier. He then defeated countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 for the Quito crown.

And speaking of which: Diego Schwartzman's Instagram continues to thrill -- this time with a Dominic Thiem stalker pic in Buenos Aries, where some of the men are playing this week. 

And then there was this. Two professional athletes stepped on the court in the second quarter of Saturday evening’s Brooklyn Nets game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The thing is, they weren’t basketball players. Ryan Harrison and Evgeny Donskoy, who are competing at this week’s inaugural New York Open, made many cheering fans happy by throwing and hitting tennis balls into the crowd during the tournament’s players’ party, which was held at the game. 

“It was really cool to get out there and have a little bit of cross-sport promotional stuff,” said Harrison, who won the event last year when it was held in Memphis. “Most of us who play tennis play other sports and it’s really cool to be able to see a great venue like this.” The only way this could have been better is if cutie Noah Rubin had joined the action.

And in Fed Cup play: Germany -- without Kerber, Goerges, Petkovic, Lisicki, Siegemund and Witthoeft -- defeated Belarus (without Azarenka) in Minsk to get back to the semifinals. 

Czech Republic is into the semifinals for the 10th straight year, thanks to some outstanding play by Petra Kvitova.

France -- without the help of Caroline Garcia and Alize Cornet -- defeated Belgium to advance to the semis. A resurgent Kristina Mladenovic was the star, beating both Kirsten Flipkens and Elise Mertens in straight sets then teaming with Hesse to win the doubles.

And the U.S. dismissed the Netherlands, despite the shaky return of Serena Williams. In the GOAT's first competition since she gave birth five months ago, she and sister Venus lost 6-2, 6-3 to Lesley Kerkhove and Demi Schuurs. But as rusty as she looked, Damian and I were still having PTSD flashbacks watching that serve. (I don't think it will be long before she's back in form.) 

Hello, Daddy!

And while I don't normally mention ATP Challenger events, hard to ignore Vasek Pospisil winning again, this time beating Nicola Kuhn of Spain in Budapest. (Kuhn and Felix Auger Aliassime won the doubles crown.)

Vasek Pospisil‏Verified account @VasekPospisil Feb 11

Another great week here in Budapest. Second title with the team 🏆🏆. Good start to the year 💪🏼 @rschuettler @dirkhordorff