Bernard Tomic Ends Three-Year Title Drought - Mondays with Bob Greene

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Aryna Sabalenka beat Anett Kontaveit 6-3 6-3 to win the Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open in Wuhan, China

Bernard Tomic beat Fabio Fognini 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7) to win the Chengdu Open in Chengdu, China

Yoshihito Nishioka beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-5 2-6 6-4 to win the Shenzhen Open in Shenzhen, China

Margarita Gasparyan beat Anastasia Potapova 6-2 6-1 to win the Tashkent Open in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Aljaz Bedene beat Antoine Hoang 4-6 6-1 7-6 (6) to win the Open d’Orleans in Orleans, France

Michael Mmoh beat Marcel Granollers 6-3 7-5 to win the Wells Fargo Tiburon Challenger in Tiburon, California, USA

SAYINGS

“For me to win here is huge, one of the biggest (ATP World Tour) 250 tournaments in the world and it means that I’ll rise back up the ATP Rankings.” – Bernard Tomic, who won his first tournament in three years.

“It was my time to be unlucky today. I’ve had a great run this year. It was a great week, but for sure I’m sad I lost the final after I had four match points. Well done to him. I fought until the end.” – Fabio Fognini, after losing the Chengdu final to Bernard Tomic.

“My goal was to play a lot of matches. I didn’t expect I would go far here.” – Margarita Gasparyan, after winning the Tashkent Open.

“I injured my ankle in my match in Shenzhen last night and there is no way I can compete effectively next week.” – Andy Murray, announcing his withdrawal from this week’s China Open and ending his 2018 season.

“The reason I made 2018 my final year was my view that eight years was the right amount of time for me to lead the team.” – Jim Courier, announcing he is stepping down as captain of the Untied States Davis Cup team.

SABALENKA VICTORIOUS

Aryna Sabalenka is for real. The Belarusian won the Dongfeng motor Wuhan Open to go along with her Connecticut Open title she captured in August. At 20 the youngest player in the Top 50, Sabalenka has won 25 of her last 32 matches and has reached a career-high ranking of 16^th in the world. “It’s a lot of things,” Sabalenka said of her play this summer. “I just start to be more calm on the court, don’t try to go aggressive with every shot, try to find a way.” Her success wasn’t that obvious at the start of the final against Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit. Sabalenka committed six unforced errors in the first two games before settling down and using her power to take control. She didn’t face a break point in the match.

SECURES INDOOR CROWN

Bernard Tomic trailed 3-0 in the third-set tiebreak in qualifying. Not only did he survive that, but the Australian ended up winning the Chengdu Open, beating top-seeded Fabio Fognini of Italy in the final. “I should have lost five times,” Tomic said. “In the second round in qualifying to (Egor) Gerasimov, I was down love-40 at 4-4 in the third set and I somehow got through that match. Against (Bradley) Klahn in the first round I was down 7-6 3-1, and in the second round I was down a match point as well against (Lloyd) Harris. It’s been a rollercoaster, but I played more aggressive in the quarterfinals and semifinals. I don’t know how many match points I saved today.” Tomic saved four match points to claim his first title since July 2015 and halt Fognini’s bid to become the first Italian man to win four titles in a season.

SHENZHEN SURPRISE

A Japanese qualifier, Yoshihito Nishioka, won his first career title by stopping Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert in Shenzhen, China. After winning the first set and the first two games of the second set, Nishioka lost seven straight games before regaining his winning ways. “I don’t know what was going on,” Nishioka said of the up-and-down nature of his game. “Maybe I was tight for the win. I am not sure, but sure I was a little bit nervous because I almost got to the trophy. … After I lost the second set I changed my mentality, to fight.” It was Nishioka’s first ATP World Tour final and just the second for Herbert, a doubles specialist who is still seeking his first singles title. Herbert has won three Grand Slam tournament doubles titles.

SECOND TITLE

In a battle of Russian doubles partners, Margarita Gasparyan rolled past Anastasia Potapova to capture her second career singles title, this time the Tashkent Open. The 24-year-old Gasparyan, ranked 299^th in the world, is the second-lowest ranked title-winner in WTA history. With the victory, she will move into the Top 200 in the rankings. “When I entered this event, I wanted to just play a tournament,” Gasparyan said. “I didn’t think I will win the title.” Gasparyan won the now-defunct Baku Cup in 2015 and reached a career-high ranking of 41^st in the world in 2016. But her career was derailed by an injury that required several knee operations. Seven years younger than the champion, Potapova lost the first four games of the match. Still, the 17-year-old was thrilled with her week. “It’s been an amazing week for me,” she said. “Most importantly I got to play many matches and I feel more confident. I have had a busy week playing singles and doubles, and really feel tired.” Gasparyan and Potapova lost in the doubles semifinals to the top-seeded Romanian team of Irina-Camelia Begu and Raluca Olaru 4-6 6-2 10-6 (match tiebreak).

SHE DID WHAT?

Talk about a turnaround. Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia lost 10 of her first 11 games before upsetting sixth-seeded Elina Svitolina in the first round of the China Open in Beijing. Svitolina won the first nine games before Krunic rallied to take the second set. The Serbian then won the third-set tiebreak 7-4.

SEASON OVER

After suffering an ankle injury during his quarterfinal defeat the Shenzhen Open, Andy Murray has decided to end his season earlier than expected. The former world number one pulled out of this week’s China Open in Beijing and is heading home. Currently ranked 311^th in the world, Murray had previously said the China Open would be his final tournament of the year. “I was sincerely looking forward to returning to Beijing, where I won the championship just two years ago,” Murray said. Fernando Verdasco of Spain defeated Murray 6-4 6-4.

STOPPED BY INJURY

A back injury caused top-ranked Simona Halep to retire from her first-round match at the China Open. The Romanian had injured herself in training last week during the Wuhan Open. In Beijing, Halep lost the first set to Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur 6-1 before pulling out of the match. “There is a pain,” she said. “I don’t know exactly what it is. … I will have an MRI and I will see. I’m just worried now. I feel sad I couldn’t finish. That’s why I stopped, because I felt like it’s getting worse if I continue.”

STEPPING DOWN

Jim Courier has ended his eight-year stint as captain of the United States Davis Cup team. He was the second longest-serving American captain after Patrick McEnroe, who was on the bench for 10 years. “It’s been my honor and privilege to represent the USTA and USA as a player and captain,” the former world number one said. “I look forward to cheering the team on as they pursue the Cup in its new format next year and beyond.” A new captain has not yet been chosen.

SHOCKED

A 27-year-old player from Oman has accused a chair umpire and officials of racism because of her outfit. Fatma Al Nabhani said before her match in an International Tennis Federation (ITF) Futures event in Clermont-Ferrand, France, umpire Elsa Jacquemot of France told her she had to remove her leggings. “Being a Muslim player ad from an Arab country, I wear leggings under my skirt respecting my religion and feeling comfortable to compete and continue playing tennis,” Al Nabhani said. “The ITF attire rule allows us to play with leggings under the knee length and I have been playing like this for the past 12 years, competing in ITF and WTA (events) and I never had an issue with my attire.” When told to remove the leggings, Al Nabhani said she refused and told the umpire to check with the tournament director, who agreed with the player. “So, the chair umpire asked me to pull my leggings higher two inches so I can play because those two inches for him was a big deal,” she said. “I pulled my leggings and didn’t say anything and played my match.” Afterward, Al Nabhani blasted the umpire’s actions. “I have been playing tennis since (I was) a little kid and participating in tournaments around the world,” she said. “I have never faced racism in my life. I know this is a very sensitive topic to speak about, but what I faced in Clermont, France, was not acceptable.”

SHE’S EXPECTING

Martina Hingis is going to be a mother. The world former number one announced she is expecting. “Thanks for all the birthday wishes,” Hingis said after turning 38. “Happy to share that this will be the last time we’ll celebrate as a couple … excited to announce that we will become a family of three.” She didn’t say when the baby was due. The youngest player to win a Grand Slam tournament, Hingis retired for the second time in 2017 and in July this year married former Swiss team doctor Harald Leemann.

SKIN CANCER

Boris Becker says doctors are treating him for a type of skin cancer. He was asked about after photos of the 50-year-old Hall of Famer showed him with a small bandage under his sunglasses. “I went to the dermatologist … where I had a basal cell carcinoma cut off,” Becker told he German publication Image. “It was a routine examination and it looks worse than it is.” Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer. If detected early, the patient has a good chance of recovery.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Chengdu: Ivan Dodig and Mate Pavic beat Austin Krajicek and Jeevan Nednchezhiyan 6-2 6-4

Orleans: Luke Bambridge and Jonny O’Mara beat Yannick Maden and Tristan-Samuel Weissborn 6-2 6-4

Shenzhen: Ben McLachlan and Joe Salisbury beat Robert Lindstedt and Rajeev Ram 7-6 (5) 7-6 (4)

Tashkent: Olga Danilovic and Tamara Zidansek beat Irina-Camelia Begu and Raluca Olaru 7-5 6-3

Tiburon: Hans Hach Verdugo and Luke Saville beat Gerard Granollers and Pedro Martinez 6-3 6-2

Wuhan: Elise Mertens and Demi Schuurs beat Andrea Sestini Hlavackov and Barbora Strycova 6-3 6-3

SURFING

Beijing: www.chinaopen.com/

Tokyo: www.rakutenopen.com/index.php

Monterrey: www.abiertognpseguros.com/

Shanghai: http://en.shanghairolexmasters.com/