Houston Tennis Finals Verdasco Will Play Almagro & The Bryan Brothers Win A 5th. Time

Written by: Staff on 12th April 2014

Houston Tennis Finals Verdasco Will Play Almagro & The Bryan Brothers Win A 5th. Time

epa03388517 Bob Byran (R) and Mike Bryan (L) of the US celebrate their win over Leander Paes of India and Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic in the men's doubles final on the twelfth day of the 2012 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 07 September 2012. The US Open runs through Sunday 09 September 2012. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

Spaniards Almagro, Verdasco

Battle For River Oaks Title

Bryans Claim Fifth Clay Courts Title

**Sunday’s final will begin at 1 p.m., earlier than previously announced.**

Draws and notes follow the results and schedule

RESULTS – SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2014

Singles Semifinal Round

[3] Nicolas Almagro (Spain) d Sam Querrey (USA) walkover (back)

[4] Fernando Verdasco (Spain) d Santiago Giraldo (Colombia) 64 75

Doubles Semifinal Round

[1] Bob Bryan (USA) / Mike Bryan (USA) d [2] David Marrero (Spain) / Fernando Verdasco (Spain) 46 64 11-9

ORDER OF PLAY – SUNDAY, APRIL 13, 2014

CENTER COURT 1:00 pm

Singles Final

[3] Nicolas Almagro (Spain) vs [4] Fernando Verdasco (Spain)

DRAWS

Singles Main Draw

Doubles Main Draw

Singles Qualifying Draw

NOTES

– View ATP Daily Media Notes Here

– The singles final will be televised by Tennis Channel. Please contact Pete at HolterMedia@gmail.com for coordinates if needed.

– Sam Querrey withdrew from his semifinal citing a back injury. He indicated he felt ok after his quarterfinal win, but woke up with the discomfort in his back that kept him from being able to play.

– Third seed Nicolas Almagro, last year’s runner-up, and Fernando Verdasco will be meeting for the 10th time overall and for the first time in a final. Verdasco has a 6-3 edge in the head-to-head.

– This is the first U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship final to feature two players from the same country since 2003 when Andre Agassi defeated Andy Roddick. This weekend’s ATP event in Casablanca also features an all-Spanish final with Marcel Granollers playing Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

– Granollers is the last Spaniard to win the Clay Courts title, doing so in 2008 (d. James Blake).

– Almagro is third among active players for career clay court wins with a career record of 236-112. Verdasco is 165-95 lifetime on clay.

– Almagro, who is in his first final since Barcelona last May, is second to only Rafael Nadal among active players for clay court titles with 12 in his career. All 20 of Almagro’s finals have come on clay.

– Verdasco has reached his 19th career final. He is 5-13 in title matches, including 3-8 in clay court finals.

– Verdasco is the first left-handed player to reach the final in Houston since Wayne Odesnik in 2009. There has not been a left-handed champion of the Clay Courts since 1996 when Fernando Meligeni claimed the title.

– Verdasco is the first 30-year-old in the Houston final since Juan Ignacio Chela won the title in 2010.

– Verdasco is the first player in both the singles and doubles final in Houston since Granollers did so in 2008. That year Granollers won the singles title and finished as runner-up in doubles (w/ Cuevas).

– The Bryan twins, Bob and Mike, won their record fifth U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship crown in their seventh final at the event.

– The Bryans are now 31-7 all-time at the tournament, and have won 23 of their last 24 matches here. They have reached the finals of this event the last six times they played here.

– The win extends the Bryans current winning streak 17 matches. They have won the title at each of their last four tournaments.

– The twins own the record for most team titles in ATP history with 97. They were playing in their 146th career final.

– Mike Bryan owns two additional titles without his brother, meaning Saturday’s win gives him 99 career titles.

– Marrero & Verdasco were playing in their first final since winning the title at the ATP World Tour Finals in London to close the 2013 season.

– In honor of this being the 80th tournament to be hosted at River Oaks, a special exhibit showcasing the history of the event is on display near Becks Prime on the tournament grounds. It includes photography by Bob Straus from past tournaments as well as memorabilia on loan from the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

The “Ticket Turnback” program is once again being used at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship. Patrons holding tickets for sessions they cannot attend can return them to the box office where they will be resold at face value, with the full purchase price being donated to Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. For more information, please visit www.mensclaycourt.com.

U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship at River Oaks Country Club

In 2014, the River Oaks Country Club will celebrate the 80th professional tournament to be hosted in its historic stadium when the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship is held April 7-13. River Oaks first hosted its own tournament, The River Oaks International, in 1931, and its roster of former champions includes Jack Kramer, Tony Trabert, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson , Ken Rosewall, Ivan Lendl, Guillermo Vilas and James Blake. Houston is the 23rd city to host the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship. The tournament came to Houston in 2001, and has been hosted at River Oaks since 2009. Started in 1910 by the USTA, the 2014 tournament is the 104th competition for the Clay Court Championship. More information is available at www.mensclaycourt.com.

Topics: Bryan Brothers, Houston, Results, River Oaks, Tennis, Verdasco

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10sBalls_com says:

April 12, 2014 at 10:20 pm

Houston Tennis Finals Verdasco Will Play Almagro & The Bryan Brothers Win A 5th. Time – http://t.co/7pWfeQIeMz @Bryanbrothers @Bryanbros