Andy Murray beats Novak Djokovic to win ATP World Tour Finals title.

Britain's Andy Murray beat five-time champion Novak Djokovic to win his first ATP World Tour Finals title and end 2016 as the world number one.

With the year-end top ranking on the line, Murray won the much-anticipated final 6-3 6-4 at London's O2 Arena.

Grand Slam Tournaments in Tennis

EpicSemi Final Battles Highlight Saturday Play in Barclays ATP World Tour Finals .

Andy Murray and Milos Raonic - who met in the final at The Queen's Club and Wimbledon this year - will resume their London rivalry today when they play in the semi-finals of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. 

The semi-finals of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Saturday are headlined by the Top 2 players in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. They are joined by No. 4 Milos Raonic, who is making his first semi-final appearance, and No. 5 Kei Nishikori, who is appearing in his second semi-final in three years.

The O2 arena Welcomes Its 2 Millionth Tennis Fan

The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals were first held in London in 2009

The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals welcomed its 2 millionth fan through the doors of The O2 arena in London Friday night as the tournament prepared for the potential celebration of the most dramatic final weekend in its 47-year history.

Sacha Boyne Hogan, who resides three hours north of London in Hull, was identified as the lucky 2 millionth fan just prior to the start of the second set of Kei Nishikori’s evening match with Marin Cilic. Sacha will attend Sunday’s final as a guest of the tournament and will meet the champion.

Andy Murray claims place in Shanghai Masters final as Novak Djokovic loses

Andy Murray is through to the Shanghai Masters final and will play Roberto Bautista Agut, after Novak Djokovic smashed his racquet and tore his shirt as he lost to the Spaniard.

Having ripped his shirt open in frustration, Djokovic was further incensed at receiving a time violation when changing into a new one, raising the point forcefully with umpire Carlos Bernardes at the end of the match.

Maria Sharapova drugs ban reduced from two years to 15 months on appeal

Maria Sharapova's two-year doping ban has been reduced to 15 months following her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Karen Khachanov Reaches First Final In Chengdu .

A third #NextGen star could be in line to win his first ATP World Tour title in 2016 after Karen Khachanov reached the Chengdu Open final with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over sixth seed Viktor Troicki on Saturday.

Rafael Nadal stops tennis match as mother searches for lost child in crowd

A mother looking for her child. A child desperate to find her mother. And everyone around them, including Rafael Nadal who’s supposed to be concentrating on the player on the other side of the net, realizing that their reunion is more important than anything else.

Anglique Kerber confirmed as top women's tennis player .

Angelique Kerber is the new No.1 in the women's professional tennis ranking. The US Open winner is the first German woman to top the list since Steffi Graf's last reign ended in 1997.

The new rankings published by the Women's Tennis Association on Monday confirmed what everybody had known since Serena Williams was beaten in last Thursday's US Open semifinal: Angelique Kerber is now the top women's player.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC WIN THIRD GRAND SLAM TITLE AT U.S. OPEN .

Stan Wawrinka has won his third career Grand Slam singles title by defeating world No. 1 Novak Djokovic at the U.S. Open, 6-7 (1), 6-4, 7-5, 6-3.

UPCOMING TENNIS TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

US OPEN
Aug 29 - Sep 11, 2016
Flushing Meadows, USA

Agnieszka Radwanska win CT Open title

Top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska completed a dominating week at the Connecticut Open on Sunday, beating Elina Svitolina 6-1, 7-6 (3) in the final, then spraying her coaches and friends with champagne.

Sania Mirza and Monica Niculescu won Connecticut Women's Doubles ...

Sania Mirza and Monica Niculescu capped off their newly rekindled doubles partnership with their first title together at the Connecticut Open, edging past Kateryna Bondarenko and Chuang Chia-Jung 7-5, 6-4.

US OPEN: THE SEEDS

The USTA announced today the list of seeds for the last Grand Slam event of the year, the US Open.

Here is the full list For Women Tennis Player .

(1) Serena Williams (USA #1)
(2) Angelique Kerber (GER #2)
(3) Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #3)
(4) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #4)
(5) Simona Halep (ROU #5)
(6) Venus Williams (USA #6)
(7) Roberta Vinci (ITA #8)
(8) Madison Keys (USA #9)
(9) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS #10)
(10) Karolina Pliskova (CZE #11)
(11) Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP #12)
(12) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK #13)
(13) Johanna Konta (GBR #14)
(14) Petra Kvitova (CZE #15)
(15) Timea Bacsinszky (SUI #16)
(16) Samantha Stosur (AUS #17)
(17) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS #18)
(18) Barbora Strycova (CZE #19)
(19) Elena Vesnina (RUS #20)
(20) Kiki Bertens (NED #21)
(21) Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU #22)
(22) Elina Svitolina (UKR #23)
(23) Daria Kasatkina (RUS #24)
(24) Sloane Stephens (USA #25)
(25) Belinda Bencic (SUI #26)
(26) Caroline Garcia (FRA #27)
(27) Laura Siegemund (GER #28)
(28) Sara Errani (ITA #29)
(29) Coco Vandeweghe (USA #30)
(30) Ana Ivanovic (SRB #31)
(31) Misaki Doi (JPN #32)
(32) Timea Babos (HUN #33)

Caroline Garcia won Mallorca Open , First Grass Court Title

Caroline Garcia capped a near-perfect transition from clay courts to grass with her second title of 2016, easing past Anastasija Sevastova, 6-3, 6-4, to win the inaugural Mallorca Open.

Maria Sharapova has been given a two-year suspension by the Tennis Anti-Doping Program.

Maria Sharapova, who tested positive for the banned substance meldonium at the Australian Open in January, has been given a two-year suspension, the International Tennis Federation announced Wednesday.

In announcing the decision, the ITF said the independent tribunal who heard her case on May 18 and 19 determined her suspension should be back-dated to the date of her sample collection because of her “prompt admission of her violation.” Sharapova’s results from the Australian Open are disqualified, causing her to forfeit ranking points and $281,633 prize money.

Garbine Muguruza win women's French Open title .

Garbine Muguruza vs Serena Williams  :   7-5 / 6-4

Novak Djokovic win first French Open title .

Novak Djokovic vs Andy MAurray 3-6 / 6-1 / 6-2 / 6-4

Serena Williams withdraws from Madrid Open

World No.1 and former champion Serena Williams has withdrawn from this year's Mutua Madrid Open.

The tournament announced on Friday morning that Williams was suffering from flu, ruling her out from returning to the tournament she won in 2012 and 2013.

"Unfortunately, I have to withdraw from Madrid because I've been battling the flu and I'm not at 100%. I look forward to returning soon," Williams said.

In her absence, Agnieszka Radwanska has been elevated to No.1 seed and at Friday's draw was paired with former French Open semifinalist Dominika Cibulkova.

Williams, who is the defending French Open champion, is now scheduled to open her clay court campaign at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in May.
source:http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/5530868/title/serena-withdraws-from-madrid

Alexander Zverev Upsets Top Seed David Goffin In Munich .

Alexander Zverev continued to build on a career-best 2016 season by defeating top seed David Goffin 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the BMW Open by FWU AG on Friday. Zverev, currently ranked a career-best No. 49 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, secured the win in two hours and 22 minutes to move into his fourth ATP World Tour semi-finals.

“He’s been playing really well in the past months, making the semi-finals of two [ATP World Tour] Masters 1000 events, so it was nice to win,” Zverev said.
The German set the tone early in the match, landing 71 per cent of first serves and breaking Goffin twice en route to winning the opening set. The Belgian, who won the pair’s lone previous meeting at the Mons Challenger in 2014, survived seven aces in the second set and pushed the match to a decider. The 19 year old then showed his mettle, only losing three points on serve the rest of the way.
Standing between Zverev and his first ATP World Tour final is third seed Dominic Thiem, who saw off Ivan Dodig 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in two hours and 12 minutes. Thiem fired eight aces and landed 65 per cent of first serves in the pair’s first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting. The 22 year old, No. 15 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, is now tied with Novak Djokovic for most tour-level wins on the season (28-7). He is now 12-2 on clay in 2016.
“I’m really looking forward to [facing Thiem],” Zverev said. “We spend a lot of time off the court together. It will be the first of many [matches] for us.”
Philipp Kohlschreiber snapped a six-match losing streak against Juan Martin del Potro with a 6-4, 6-1 quarter-final win. The German saved both break points faced and broke the Argentine four times in the 80-minute encounter. His semi-final opponent will be fifth seed Fabio Fognini, who edged Lucky Loser Jozef Kovalik 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 in two hours.

source:http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/goffin-thiem-del-potro-munich-2016-friday

Nick Kyrgios Wins #NextGen Match Against Boma Coric.

For now at least, Nick Kyrgios holds the upper hand against his fellow #NextGen star Borna Coric. In their first tour-level meeting on Friday, Kyrgios served freely and blasted forehands to breeze past Coric 6-4, 6-4 and move into the semi-finals of the Millennium Estoril Open.

The 21-year-old Aussie hit 10 aces and won 82 per cent of his service points. Kyrgios also never faced a break point in the one-hour and nine-minute match. Coric, meanwhile, had to work to hold the entire contest, erasing six of eight break points faced. Coric, No. 40 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, was trying to go 4-0 in quarter-finals this season but will have to wait until his second meeting with Kyrgios to even their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry.
The two had met twice before on the ITF Junior Circuit, with Krygios winning both contests. Now the World No. 20 advances to his fourth semi-final of the season, where he'll face Nicolas Almagro. The Spaniard knocked off No. 7 seed Leonardo Mayer of Argentina 6-4, 7-6(5). "I'm not going to think about it too much," Kyrgios said of his semi-final match. "I know what he's doing to do, and I know what I have to do to win."
Almagro, a former World No. 9, improved to 4-0 against Mayer, No. 46 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. The 30 year old pressured Mayer's serve all match, converting three of his 11 break points.
Benoit Paire remained undefeated in ATP World Tour quarter-finals this year. The Frenchman dispatched Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-6(2), 6-2 on Friday. Garcia-Lopez was trying to reach his second consecutive semi-final, after reaching the final four last week at the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy in Bucharest. Paire, now 4-0 in quarter-finals this year, controlled the match with his first serve, winning almost 80 per cent of those points.
In the semi-finals, Paire will face another Spaniard: Pablo Carreno Busta, who beat No. 1 seed Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-4. The No. 8 seed hit five aces and won 70 per cent of his second-serve points. In the first set, Carreno Busta erased both break points faced and converted his only break point against the World No. 18. During the second set, Carreno Busta didn't face a break point and broke Simon once more. “He was always able to play the right shot at the right moment,” Simon said.

source:http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/simon-kyrgios-coric-estoril-2016-friday

No tennis wild cards for Rio Olympics, clarifies ITF

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will not offer any wild cards for the tennis events at this year’s Rio Olympics which means Indian players will have to qualify for main draws solely on the basis of their rankings.

ITF Secretary General Juan Margets has clarified that no National Association can apply for wild cards. 
It means that All Indian Tennis Association (AITA) President Anil Khanna, who is also the ITF Vice President, will not be able to help the Indian players, particularly Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi .

Bryan brothers receive Barcelona “Player 10” Award by Segura Viudas

Former World No. 1s Bob and Mike Bryan received the "Player 10" award by Segura Viudas from Manel Serras, President of the APT (Association of Tennis Journalists in Spain) on Thursday. The award is given during the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell each year to the player that demonstrates both strong tennis skills and good human qualities.

The Bryan twins have clinched a record 110 ATP titles, including all Grand Slam tournaments, during their impressive career. This year, they aim to lift their third Conde de Godo Trophy in the Catalan capital.

“We love coming to Barcelona,” said Mike Bryan. “We have great memories here. In 2003 we tied Tim and Tom Gullikson’s record for the most brother titles.”

"This is very important not only to us but also to our mom because she wants us to not only be good players but also good persons," added Bob Bryan, who was excited to receive the trophy.

source:http://www.barcelonaopenbancsabadell.com/en/news/bryan-brothers-receive-barcelona-player-10-award-segura-viudas

Nadal storms past Montañes for quarter-final birth .

Eight-time Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell champion Rafael Nadal dismissed fellow Spaniard Albert Montañes in only 65 minutes 6-2, 6-2 today to set up a revenge match against Italy’s Fabio Fognini, who ousted the Mallorcan in the Catalan capital one year ago.

On the road to equaling Guillermo Vilas’ historic feat of 49 titles on clay, the Mallorcan World No. 5 dominated his rival from the start. In four matches, Montañes has never won a set against Nadal, who aims to clinch his triple-nonet this week, winning nine titles in three events including Monte Carlo, Roland Garros and eventually Barcelona.

“I started off very well, and it felt really good. I’m happy about the victory and very happy about the way I played today.” told Nadal TV commentator Alex Corretja on the Center Court. “I had a great forehand today and the conditions were much better than yesterday.”

Against Fognini in Friday’s quarter-final, Nadal will aim to avenge last year’s early third round loss at the Real Club Tenis Barcelona. The Spaniard leads the head-to-head against his Italian rival 6-3. Last year, the pair met five times, with three victories for Fognini (including the U.S. Open).

“Tomorrow will be a tough match against Fognini, he beat me three times last year and it was an up and down against him.” said Nadal

In-form Fognini saw off Serbia’s Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-2 on Court No. 1 on Thursday.

source:http://www.barcelonaopenbancsabadell.com/en/news/nadal-storms-past-montanes-quarter-final-birth

Jamie Murray & Bruno Soares reach doubles final .

World doubles number one Jamie Murray and partner Bruno Soares reached the Monte Carlo Masters final with a 6-2 6-4 win over Marcelo Melo and Ivan Dodig.

The Australian Open champions, seeded fourth in Monte Carlo, sealed victory in 67 minutes.

The Briton and the Brazilian went 4-0 up in the opening set and held firm to remain top of the ATP doubles rankings.

A reflex Murray volley sealed the match and improved their season record to 17 wins and only three defeats.

In the final they will meet either Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, who beat Murray's brother Andy and Dominic Inglot on Friday, or Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah.

Brazilian Melo would have regained his individual number one doubles ranking with victory alongside Dodig of Croatia.

But the second seeds, playing in their first semi-final of the year, were unable to take any of their four break points and decisively lost serve in the ninth game of the second set.

source:http://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/36061830

Rafael Nadal beats Andy Murray in semi-final .

Eight-time winner Rafael Nadal recovered from a set down to beat Britain's Andy Murray to reach the Monte Carlo Masters final.

Murray broke twice to take the opening set 6-2, but wilted under the Spaniard's power and accuracy to lose the next two 6-4 6-2.

The win was Nadal's seventh over Murray in eight meetings on clay and puts him into his 100th ATP World Tour final.

He faces Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils in the final.

Monte-Carlo 2016 Launch Party Images.

Wawrinka Begins Quest For Second Monte-Carlo Title .

Former champion Stan Wawrinka opened his Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters campaign on Wednesday with a 7-6(2), 7-5 victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Breaks were exchanged at the start of the match before Wawrinka ultimately took the first set in a tie-break. The Swiss squandered a 3-1 lead in the second set, but broke Kohlschreiber again in the 11th game before sealing victory in one hour and 37 minutes.
"It was a good first match, first match on clay," said Wawrinka. "It's never easy to find the rhythm and to play the perfect match. In general, I'm quite happy with the level already."
Wawrinka broke up the domination of the ‘Big Four’ at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments when he captured his first title at this level in Monte-Carlo two years ago, beating countryman Roger Federer in the final. Between them, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Federer and Rafael Nadal have won 50 of the past 54 Masters 1000 titles.
The 30-year-old Wawrinka set a clash with Gilles Simon as he claimed his 16th win of the season, highlighted by titles in Chennai (d. Coric) and Dubai (d. Baghdatis).
Qualifier Damir Dzumhur claimed one of the biggest wins of his career as he upset sixth seed Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-3 in two hours and 28 minutes. The 23 year old, from Bosnia & Herzegovina, saved eight of the nine break points he faced as he battled to victory.
Dzumhur is coming off a career-best week in Miami, where he was victorious over Rafael Nadal (retired) in the second round before going on to reach the fourth round (l. to Raonic). He goes on to face either Milos Raonic or Pablo Cuevas.
France’s Benoit Paire set a third-round clash with Andy Murray after defeating Joao Sousa 6-4, 6-3.

Rafael Nadal Reaches Monte Carlo Third Round

Eight-time champion Rafael Nadal claimed his 54th win at the Monte-Carlo Country Club on Wednesday as he defeated Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-3 in the second round of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.
The Spaniard set an intriguing match-up with 12th seed Dominic Thiem, who beat Nadal when they met in February on clay in the semi-finals in Buenos Aires.
The 29-year-old Nadal is chasing a record-equalling 28th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown this week to draw back level with Novak Djokovic, who overtook the Mallorcan with victories in Indian Wells and Miami last month.
Nadal won a record 46 straight matches in Monte-Carlo as he captured eight successive titles from 2005-12, before his run came to an end in the 2013 final against Novak Djokovic.
His next opponent, Thiem, rallied from a slow start to beat qualifier Taro Daniel 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 in one hour and 43 minutes. The 22-year-old Austrian was the form player on the ATP World Tour in February, winning titles in Buenos Aires and Acapulco, while also reaching the semi-finals in Rio de Janeiro. The right-hander has a 26-6 record on the season.

Roger Federer Feeling Fresh In Monte Carlo .

For Roger Federer, who had been sidelined since the Australian Open, a series of unfortunate events has its silver lining.

“I am rested mentally and physically. I believe you can add everything to the back end of your career, in terms of being fresher mentally and being able to train harder. Whatever rest it is, it ends up in a canister you can draw from,” said the Swiss, who underwent arthroscopic left knee surgery for a meniscus tear after his semi-final showing in Melbourne. “Tommy Haas, for instance, has been injured for more than three years in his career, and he is still on tour because mentally he is fresh and he still loves it.”
The 34-year-old Federer had been slated to return at the Miami Open, but was forced to pull out due to illness.
“I’m happy to say that I’ve recovered well from the virus in Miami,” Federer said on Sunday during his pre-tournament press conference at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. “At first, I was concerned that it might be something that would last a while, but I was feeling better three days later. I arrived in Monte Carlo nine or 10 days ago and I’ve been training on centre court for the past eight or nine days. Things are going well. I’m happy with how I move; how I’m hitting the ball. I’ve played a lot of practice sets.”
The additional preparation has been a boon for the four-time finalist (2006-08, 2014), who is looking to win the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters for the first time.
“[Monte Carlo] is an opportunity for top guys to play more freely, since there is less pressure and it’s a change of surface for everyone,” Federer, who lost to Rafael Nadal in his first three finals and to Stan Wawrinka two years ago. “I’ve played very well in Monaco in the past, but for now my objective is to make my return to play, gain a good feel and go from there.
“My knee hasn’t bothered me, but the big test will be seeing how it reacts in match conditions. There are no easy draws in a Masters 1000, so I am not underestimating anyone. At the same time, I hope no one is underestimating me just because I’ve been hurt.”
Federer has a first-round bye and will face either Guillermo Garcia-Lopez or Thomaz Bellucci in his opening match.

Maximo Gonzalez and Guillermo Duran won their first team ATP World Tour crown in Marrakech.

Guillermo Duran and Maximo Gonzalez raised the Argentine flag in Morocco, claiming their first ATP World Tour team title on Saturday.

Duran and Gonzalez fought off Marin Draganja and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 6-2, 3-6, 10-6 to prevail after one hour and 22 minutes at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech. The first Argentine duo to lift an ATP World Tour trophy since Carlos Berlocq and Eduardo Schwank in Stuttgart 2010, they fired four aces and converted two of five break chances.
"I’m very happy about this victory," said Gonzalez. "We had a great week. Guillermo is a good friend of mine and it feels great to win this title together. Today was a very tough match and we are proud to leave with the trophy."
Having previously notched five ATP Challenger Tour titles from eight finals, Duran and Gonzalez were competing in just their second tour-level event together. Individually, Duran won his second crown, following a successful run on the clay of Quito (w/Carreno Busta) in February. Gonzalez staked claim to his third doubles title following success in Valencia 2008 (w/Monaco) and Umag 2015 (w/Sa).
"We’ve played a lot of Challengers together but this was only our second ATP World Tour event together," Duran added. "We enjoyed Marrakech a lot, the whole team here is great and very helpful. It was a pleasure and we will come back for sure."
The Argentine tandem leave with €25,070 in prize money and 250 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points. Draganja and Qureshi, who split €13,170 and 150 points for their efforts, were vying for their first team title in their debut together. The Croat falls to 4-4 in ATP World Tour finals, while the Pakistani drops to 11-15.

source:http://www.atpworldtour.com/

Bryan Brothers Reach Houston Final .

Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan will play for their sixth Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship title on Saturday.

The top seeds reached their second final of 2016 as they defeated fourth-seeded countrymen Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey 7-6(5), 6-3 on Friday afternoon. They saved all four break point chances faced on serve, while capitalising on two of their four opportunities.
The 37-year-old Americans will face Victor Estrella Burgos and Santiago Gonzalez, who prevailed against Hyeon Chung and Julio Peralta 6-3, 4-6, 10-7. 
The Bryans are looking to win their 110th team title and first since the Rogers Cup in August. They have won five titles (2007, ’09-11, '14) in their past seven visits to Houston, and have a 35-8 record at this ATP World Tour 250 tournament.
source:http://www.atpworldtour.com/

Berdych's name pops up in Panama Papers investigation

Tomas Berdych is among the figures identified in the Panama Papers, according to Czech press.

The Czech Centre for Investigative Journalism said Berdych was among the almost 300 Czechs who showed up in the files, as recounted by Radio Prague and others.

The Panama Papers contain the unauthorized release of data from Mossack Fonseca, one of the world's largest legal firms dealing with offshore accounts. The papers revealed some owners of corporations who set up to hold assets abroad. Such techniques can be used to conceal earnings and assets from national governments.

The documents also revealed huge amounts of confidential transactions involving influential and well-known figures

The Centre did not specify Berdych's activities or implicate him of any wrongdoing.

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotkat has called for an investigation into the revelations.

Ion Tiriac was also identified by Romanian media as one of the firm's clients. The firm set up an extensive array of corporations, held in some form by a foundation that is entirely owned by Tiriac.

The Romanian billionaire conducted several transactions involving many millions of dollars through this structure, according to the documents investigated by the Romanian RISE Project. The transactions have not been shown to be illegal or otherwise improper. A legal representative speaking for Tiriac said that the foundation and its ownership have been declared and are known to the Romanian authorities.

A former player, Tiriac became one of the most successful businessmen in the country following his retirement, and is the owner of the combined tournament in Madrid.

He is one of 100 Romanians who have been named in the documents.

Defending champion Sock to face Verdasco in Houston quarters .

HOUSTON (AP) Defending champion Jack Sock beat Australia's Matthew Barton 6-2, 7-6 (5) on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals in the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship.

The fourth-seeded American won last year at River Oaks for his first ATP Tour title. He will face seventh-seeded Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, a 6-4, 6-3 winner over Spain's Fernando Verdasco.

Third-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain also advanced, beating Lukas Lacko of Slovakia 7-6 (4), 6-1. Lopez will face Tim Smyczek, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Donald Young in an all-American match.

Fellow Americans John Isner and Sam Querrey reached the quarterfinals Wednesday. The top-seeded Isner will face South Korea's Chung Hyeon, and the fifth-seeded Querrey will play Argentina's Juan Monaco.

Maria Sharapova thanks fans for support after failed drugs test

Maria Sharapova thanked fans for their "loyalty and support" in a Facebook post after her failed drugs test.

The five-time Grand Slam winner, 28, revealed on Monday that she tested positive for meldonium in January.

"I woke up yesterday morning with an inbox full of love and compassion," wrote the Russian. "Your wonderful words put a smile on my face."

Sharapova, who faces a ban of up to four years, said she was "determined to play tennis again".

"I wish I didn't have to go through this, but I do - and I will," she wrote.

"I have not been online much except the odd search for a new antique coffee table, but my friends made a collage for me with all your beautiful messages and hashtags that you created.

"I spent the afternoon reading them next to my dog, who couldn't quite understand why this was more important than the walk he was expecting to take."

Meldonium was developed to treat diabetes and heart-related diseases but could have a positive effect on stamina and endurance because it can increase the flow of oxygen to muscles.

It was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency's (Wada) list of banned substances on 1 January 2016.

Sharapova, who says she has been taking meldonium for 10 years for health reasons, has had some sponsorship deals ended or postponed.

The International Tennis Federation said she will be provisionally suspended from 12 March.

source: http://www.bbc.com/

ATP Player's Party during Dubai Dutyfree Tennis Championships.