Kings Rafa reigns in Barcelona for the 11th time: he made a quick work of Stefano Tsitsipas, defeating the Greek sensation 6-2 6-1. A perfect week for Rafa who did not lose a set en route to his 20th ATP 500 title.
“It’s very difficult to describe how to win 11 titles at one tournament. To win 11 Monte-Carlos and 11 Barcelonas is something I couldn’t imagine doing. I’m just enjoying every week and the fact I’m playing in a tournament that I enjoy so much means a lot to me. “
Photo credit: Banco Sadabell
Read more:
– 10th Barcelona title for Rafa
– Barcelona Open 2017: Nadal and Thiem will face off in the final
For the first time since 1997, a Spanish pair captured the doubles crown in Barcelona. Marc and Feliciano Lopez defeated Jean-Julien Rojer and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 7-6 6-4 to win their third title together.
Photo credit: Banco Sadabell
One day after his win over Dominic Thiem, NextGen player Stefano Tsitsipas upset 5th seed Pablo Carreno Busta 7-5 6-4 in the semifinals at the Barcelona Open and became the first Greek since Nicholas Kalogeropoulos in 1973 to reach an ATP final.
In the final Tsitsipas will face world number one Rafael Nadal who just registered his 400th win on clay, by dispatching David Goffin 6-4 6-0 in the semifinals. Only 3 players since 1973 have recorded more wins on clay than Rafa: Guillermo Vilas (659), Manuel Orantes (502) and Thomas Muster (422).
Photo credit: Banco Sadabell
Sergio Tacchini celebrates a decade as the official outfitter of the Monte Carlo Masters with a brand new collection, featuring uniforms for on-court officials, including chair umpires, line umpires and ball boys and girls.
The uniform polo shirt features bright colours, mostly turquoise and a thin neon orange piping outlining the raglan sleeve, and it will be made from techno fabric like the pro range match uniforms. This polo shirt, a merchandising item, will make a souvenir to wear at matches on the court. A novelty this year is the introduction of the Italian flag detail on many items of the collection: on the wristbands of the ball boys and girls, on the zips of track tops and bomber jackets and even on the official towels used by the players on the court.
The footwear includes a new technical shoe for ball boys and girls and court staff in a colourful mesh that matches the uniforms. The leather version of the same shoe style has a classic look but a sporty performance, ideal for training on the court.
A few items from the collection:
Title number 97 for Roger Federer who dispatched Grigor Dimitrov 6-2 6-2 in the final. Federer continues his unbeaten start to the 2018 season and regains the number one ranking for the first time in more than five years.
Following his win at the ATP finals last November, Dimitrov reached the semifinals in Brisbane (beaten by Kyrgios), and the quarterfinals at the Australian Open where he fell to Kyle Edmund. He hasn’t dropped a set all week en route to the final but couldn’t do much to prevent Federer from winning his third Rotterdam title.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was the defending champion, but withdrew before the tournament began with a left hamstring injury.
In the doubles draw, Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert went on to claim the title with a 2-6 6-2 10-7 win over recent Australian Open champions Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic. This is Mahut’s third title in Rotterdam, after his victories with Llodra in 2014, and Pospisil in 2016.
Photo credit: ABN AMRO
