FEB. 15 – 24, 2019
DELRAY BEACH, FL

 

Newswire

25 Feb

Posted at 19:37h in 2018 Newswire, Newswire
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By Steve Dorsey DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – He handled every challenger he faced, including one of the world’s best, and cleared every obstacle in his way, including a lengthy rain delay that forced him to finish one match and then play another on the same day. Suffice it to say that Frances Tiafoe truly earned the title of 2018 Delray Beach Open champion. The 20-year-old Tiafoe polished off the most successful week of his young career here Sunday when he defeated German Peter Gojowczyk 6-1, 6-4 to capture his first ATP World Tour title at the Delray Beach Stadium and Tennis Center. Tiafoe is the first wild card winner at Delray Beach and is the youngest American to win an ATP title since 19-year-old Andy Roddick won at Houston in 2002. He’s also the first Next-Gen American to win a title and the eighth player to capture his first ATP...

25 Feb

Posted at 16:15h in 2018 Newswire, Newswire
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By Steve Dorsey DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – The painful disappointment of falling short in his quest to defend his singles title here this week was soothed Sunday for Jack Sock when he became the third player in Delray Beach Open history to win three combined titles in singles and doubles. What made the day even more special for Sock was that he accomplished the feat while teaming with his close friend Jackson Withrow to defeat Nicholas Monroe and John-Patrick Smith 4-6, 6-4, 10-8 in the doubles final. It’s the first ATP World Tour title for Withrow. “It’s not so much about the tennis, it’s more about our friendship. That’s what works for us,” Withrow said. Sock and Withrow are now 4-3 as a team. They captured the title Sunday playing in their first final together after storming through the doubles draw that included wins against three of the four seeded...

24 Feb

Posted at 23:53h in 2018 Newswire, Newswire
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By Steve Dorsey  DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – Frances Tiafoe was thrown into an unusual position of having to win a quarterfinal and a semifinal match Saturday at the Delray Beach Open. And after a hectic 24 hours, the 20-year-old American now finds himself on the brink of possibly claiming his first ATP World Tour title. About five hours after closing out his quarterfinal match against Hyeon Chung that was suspended Friday night because of rain, Tiafoe returned to the Stadium court at the Delray Beach Tennis Center and stopped 18-year-old Canadian Denis Shapovalov 7-5, 6-4 in a Next-Gen semifinal that wrapped up Saturday’s action. It’s been a remarkable two weeks for Tiafoe, regardless the outcome of Sunday’s championship match against German Peter Gojowczyk, who earned a berth in the final by beating Steve Johnson earlier Saturday. Two weeks ago, Tiafoe had nine career wins. After reaching the quarterfinals at last...

24 Feb

Posted at 19:08h in 2018 Newswire, Newswire
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By Steve Dorsey  DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – Peter Gojowczyk filled out one half of the championship final Saturday afternoon at the ATP World Tour Delray Beach Open when the 28-year-old German ousted American Steve Johnson in straight sets at the Delray Beach Stadium and Tennis Center. Earlier, American Frances Diafoe emerged a winner in the completion of Friday night’s suspended quarterfinal match against Korean Hyeon Chung, who was the last remaining seeded player. Gojowczyk, ranked No. 64 in the world, advanced to his first final of the year with a 7-6 (3), 6-3 win against Johnson, who earlier in the week defeated No. 9 seed Milos Raonic. Johnson became the third consecutive American to lose to Gojowczyk here, but the German insisted he has nothing against Americans. “I like you,” he told reporters in the post-match interview. “It’s just a great week for me. I’ve enjoyed my time here...

24 Feb

Posted at 01:18h in Newswire
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By Steve Dorsey  DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – Canadian Denis Shapovalov joined American Steve Johnson and German Peter Gojowczyk as semifinalists, but weather played havoc with who will complete the singles final four at the ATP World Tour Delray Beach Open. Play was suspended because of rain for a second time late Friday night in the final quarterfinal match between Korean Hyeon Chung and American Frances Tiafoe with Tiafoe leading 5-3 in the decisive third set. They will resume the match Saturday afternoon, with the winner returning a few hours later to face Shapovalov in the semifinals. The other semifinal will match Johnson against Gojowczyk in an afternoon match following the conclusion of the suspended match. Tiafoe had an opportunity to close out the match before play was suspended the first time because of rain but Chung, the No. 8 seed, survived three match points to extend the game...

23 Feb

Posted at 18:34h in 2018 Newswire, Newswire
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By Steve Dorsey  DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – The NextGen players have made headlines at the ATP World Tour Delray Beach Open this week, with four of them advancing to the quarterfinals. But it was two veterans who owned the Stadium court Friday afternoon at the Delray Beach Tennis Center. A pair of 28-year-olds, American Steve Johnson and German Peter Gojowczyk, punched their tickets into the semifinals with straight-sets victories Friday. Johnson ousted Russian Evgeny Donskoy 6-1, 6-4, and Gojowczyk tamed wild card Next-Gen American Reilly Opelka 7-6 (5), 6-3. Johnson, ranked No. 51 in the world, has not lost a set in his three matches here this week that included a straight-sets win against No. 9 seed Milos Raonic in the second round. He won five straight games to take the first set, then broke Donskoy to open the second set and held serve the remainder of the...

23 Feb

Posted at 01:00h in Newswire
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By Steve Dorsey  DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – Juan Martin del Potro became the latest highly ranked player to fall at the ATP World Tour Delray Beach Open, where only one of the nine seeds remain for the quarterfinals. American wild card Frances Tiafoe sent del Potro, ranked No. 10 in the world and the No. 2 seed here this week, to an unexpected early exit Thursday night in the final match of the second round. Tiafoe’s 7-6 (6), 4-6, 7-5 upset on the Stadium court at the Delray Beach Stadium and Tennis Center, advances the world’s No. 91st ranked player to his second consecutive quarterfinal. Tiafoe will meet No. 30-ranked Hyeon Chung of South Korea in the nightcap of Friday’s quarterfinals, so he won’t have long to recover from his emotional win against del Potro, who is his tennis idol. Chung, the No. 8 seed here, advanced with a...

22 Feb

Posted at 19:08h in Newswire
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By Steve Dorsey  DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – Youth ruled the Stadium court Thursday afternoon at the ATP World Tour Delray Beach Open, as teenager Denis Shapovalov and 20-year-old Taylor Fritz each won their second-round matches to set up an intriguing quarterfinal match between the NextGen players on Friday. A year ago, Shapovalov was what he described as “just a regular kid in Toronto.” That changed dramatically when the Canadian teenager reached the semifinals of the Rogers Cup last August after an impressive run that included wins against Juan Martin del Potro, Rafael Nadal and Adrian Mannarino. Suddenly he was seeing himself on TV and everywhere he went people knew his name. He’s quickly making a name for himself here this week, too. The blond-haired 18-year-old advanced to the quarterfinals here with a 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-4 against American Jared Donaldson, vaulting him into Friday’s quarterfinals in his first...

21 Feb

Posted at 18:51h in Newswire
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By Steve Dorsey  DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – It was a tough day for American John Isner, the No. 6 seed, and Canadian Milos Raonic, last year’s runner-up at the ATP World Tour Delray Beach Open, as the underdogs prevailed on the center stage. Isner was ousted by German Peter Gojowczyk in a grueling match that included three tiebreakers and Raonic followed with a straight-sets loss to American Steve Johnson on the Stadium court in the featured afternoon matches on Day 3 at the Delray Beach Stadium and Tennis Center. Isner, ranked No. 18 in the world, delivered 30 aces but faltered in the third set when Gojowczyk held off three match points in the 12th game that propelled him to a 7-6 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5) victory. “What a battle,” Gojowczyk said of 2-hour, 32-minute match that was as back-and-forth as the scores suggest. “I tried to do my...