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South Americans win their first ATP World Tour team doubles title of the season
Fourth seeds Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos won their fourth ATP World Tour team doubles title on Sunday, holding off the first-time pairing of Dustin Brown and Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 7-5, 10-6 to take the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston.
Peralta of Chile and Zeballos of Argentina saved 10 of 12 break points in the one-hour and 37-minute final. The champions won the final four points of the Match Tie-break to claim their first championship trophy of the season.
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The South American pairing also played in the Quito final earlier this year (l. to Cerretani/Oswald). Peralta/Zeballos won all three of their other team crowns last season – Sao Paulo, Gstaad and Metz. The team will receive 250 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $29,010 in prize money.
The wild-card pairing of Brown/Tiafoe reached the final during their first week as a team, a stretch highlighted by their opening-round victory against No. 2 seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah. Brown was going for his third ATP World Tour doubles title; Tiafoe, his first overall crown.
The #NextGenATP 19 year old was playing in his first ATP World Tour final. The German/American pairing will receive 150 Emirates ATP Rankings Points and split $15,250 in prize money.

Argentine enjoyed one of his best tournaments in years
Argentina's Horacio Zeballos might have a 1-6 career record against Top 10 players, but the 32 year old likely has the best collection of post-match selfies on the ATP World Tour.
Earlier this year, Zeballos requested his first big-time selfie, smiling with Novak Djokovic following a second-round loss in Dubai. On Saturday, Zeballos added another snap to his portfolio, posing with Rafael Nadal following Nadal's 6-3, 6-4 victory against Zeballos in the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell semi-finals.
“For me, it’s an honour if someone asks to take a picture with me. Horacio had a great run in the tournament,” Nadal said.

Zeballos' tweet roughly translates to, “What a beautiful afternoon! Yes, I lost. But I had a good time. I have a beautiful memory. Thanks, Rafa! What a beautful party!!”
“I asked Rafa and he said, 'No problem,'” Zeballos said. “Those moments I have had on court… I don’t want them just to be in my memory. Those pictures will stay with me forever.”
The left-hander enjoyed his best run in years in Barcelona. Zeballos reached his first ATP World Tour semi-final since 2013, when he won the Vina del Mar title, beating then-No. 5 Nadal in the final for his first Top 10 win and his lone tour-level singles title.

World No. 84 Zeballos became the lowest-ranked semi-finalist in Barcelona since No. 85 German Denis Gremelmayr in 2008 (l. to Nadal). The left-hander from Mar del Plata is expected to rise 22 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings to No. 62 when the new rankings are released on Monday.
“I knew it was a difficult match but I felt great on court, very comfortable. The atmosphere was great and I think it was a good battle. I wish [Nadal] the title again because he deserves it,” Zeballos said.
Nadal will go for his 10th Barcelona title on Sunday against Austrian Dominic Thiem. Nadal leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-1.

Argentine veteran shares his tennis inspirations, greatest moment, and more
Horacio Zeballos has been enjoying a rich run of form on the ATP World Tour. The 32-year-old Argentine reached the semi-finals last week at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell and is now in the quarter-finals of the BMW Open by FWU. In doubles, he and Julio Peralta prevailed last month in Houston (d. Brown/Tiafoe) and finished runner-up in February in Quito (l. Cerretani/Oswald).
Zeballos has even been making a splash on social media, posing for selfies Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic after losing to them in competitive matches in Barcelona and Doha, respectively.
He shares some of his tennis memories in this Biofile with Scoop Malinowski.
First Tennis Memory: I remember my father's club. He has a tennis club. I started to play there and my friends are from there.
Tennis Inspirations: My father was one of them. There’s also a lot of good Argentine players like David Nalbandian, Guillermo Coria and Gaston Gaudio. I remember watching all their matches.
Last Book Read: Game of Thrones.
First Famous Player You Met Or Encountered: Guillermo Vilas in Mar de Plata. I was eight years old. He did a clinic with the kids.
Greatest Moment Of Career: When I beat Nadal in the Vina del Mar final (2013).
Most Painful Moment: Sometime when I have to go and leave my family at home. I have to travel like for one or two months. It’s very tough.
Favorite Tournaments: Houston is one of them. I also like to play in Buenos Aires because I’m playing at home.
Why You Love Playing Tennis?: It’s a really nice sport. I’m not sitting in an office. I have the chance to be traveling around the world. See new places, see new countries. It’s beautiful.
Funniest Players Encountered: One of the funniest players is Gael Monfils.
Strangest Match: I remember one match I was leading 3-2 in the first set. We just started. My opponent said something bad to the umpire and he got disqualified, so I won [smiles]. It was at a Challenger.
Funny Tennis Memory: We have a lot of jokes whenever we are playing Davis Cup. For example, I put sticky stuff on [former] captain [Martin Jaite]’s grip and then he couldn’t get his hand off the racquet [smiles].
Favorite Sport Outside Tennis: Chess.

Argentines end Cabal and Farah’s hopes of a third consecutive title in Buenos Aires
Home favourites Andres Molteni and Horacio Zeballos stunned two-time defending champions Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 6-3, 5-7, 10/3 to win the Argentina Open on Sunday.

Molteni and Zeballos became the first home team to win the title since 2010, where Zeballos triumphed alongside Sebastian Prieto. Cabal and Farah were bidding to win the title for a third consecutive year. The Argentines won 78 per cent of points on serve and dominated the decisive Match Tie-break to clinch their second title in their second tournament as a pairing, after winning the BB&T Atlanta Open on their team debut in 2016.

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Molteni and Zeballos, who now hold an 8-0 record together, converted their third championship point to capture the title in front of a delighted home crowd. The duo will receive 250 ATP Doubles Rankings points and will split $30,790 in prize money. Cabal and Farah will receive 150 ATP Ranking points and share the runner-up $16,190 prize money.

Did You Know?
Molteni and Zeballos have never lost a doubles match as a team. Their only previous tournament together also ended in success, winning the 2016 BB&T Atlanta Open (d.Brunstrom/Siljestrom).

After a second-round loss to Novak Djokovic at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in 2017, Horacio Zeballos, who won his opener at the BNP Paribas Open on Thursday, approached Djokovic and asked if he could take a selfie with his opponent to remember their encounter.

A few months later, Zeballos made the same request of Rafael Nadal after falling to the Spaniard in the semi-finals of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. Nadal obliged and posed for a photo with the Argentine before both headed to the changing rooms.

Zeballos wasn't about to pass on another selfie opportunity, or the chance to let a potential memory fade into oblivion.

“It's not the norm, but it's just a way to capture these beautiful moments,” Zeballos told ATPWorldTour.com. “I'm getting older; I know I don't have many more years left to play professionally, so this a way of taking small gifts with me along the way.”


“Obviously, I have a lot of memories of my time playing stored in my head, but you have to immortalize those memories in some way, just like I did when I played Novak in Doha, and against Rafa in Barcelona last year. I uploaded the photos to social media, but I also kept them for my own reasons, just to remind myself of this life I'm experiencing.”

When it comes to who is next on the list for a selfie, Zeballos doesn't hesitate to respond: Roger Federer.

“I hope the next [selfie] I take is with Roger Federer at Wimbledon – that would be beautiful,” Zeballos said. “If I met him there, I wouldn't hesitate to ask for it.”

As for selfies with athletes outside of tennis? Zeballos has a clear answer for that as well: a photo with fellow Argentine and FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi. “I'd love a selfie with Messi,” he said.

At 32 years old, selfies, while fun, are hardly Zeballos' top priority. After several years of competing on the ATP World Tour, the Argentine has set goals for himself as he reaches the latter stages of his career.

“I want to continue playing at this level and try to maintain it for as long as possible,” said Zeballos. “I want to continue enjoying myself, traveling and maintaining the desire to compete. And if I can, I would like to continue traveling a lot with my family.”

“When you're younger, you’re more aware of the results, of wanting to win, of getting up for those ‘big’ moments. But with time, you enjoy the little things like just being healthy, getting the opportunity to travel around the world and to play in these events, year after year. I see things differently now that I’m more mature.”

Perhaps 2018 will bring the Argentinian player those things he wants most: success on the court, travel opportunities with his family and, of course, that selfie with Federer.

Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos captured their fifth team title on Sunday, defeating Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-4 to win the SkiStar Swedish Open.

Peralta and Zeballos lifted their first title since the 2017 Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship to deny Fognini a clean sweep on Sweden's west coast. Earlier in the day, Fognini defeated Richard Gasquet to lift his seventh tour-level singles trophy.

The Chilean-Argentine tandem was dominant on second-serve returns, winning 73 per cent of points in the category to emerge victorious after 71 minutes. Peralta and Zeballos improve to 45-25 as a team at tour-level and 2-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series against their Italian opponents.

Zeballos has now won nine tour-level doubles titles, while each of Peralta's five title runs have come alongside his current partner.


Bolelli and Fognini were bidding to win their first tour-level title together since the 2015 Australian Open. The Italians drop to 3-5 in tour-level championship matches.

Peralta and Zeballos receive 250 ATP Doubles Ranking points and split €27,170 in prize money for lifting the trophy. Bolelli and Fognini gain 150 points and share €14,280.

Did You Know?
Since 1982, only 11 editions of the SkiStar Swedish Open doubles event have not featured a Swedish champion. The last home titlist was Johan Brunstrom, alongside Nicholas Monroe, in 2014.

Bastad champions continue winning streak

Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos captured their second tour-level title in as many weeks on Sunday, defeating Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic 6-1, 4-6, 10-6 at the German Tennis Championships presented by Kampmann.

"It is amazing," said Zeballos. "I have been watching this tournament since I was a kid... It is a very important tournament and it is such an honour to win this. We are really, really happy."

Peralta and Zeballos, who lifted their fifth tour-level team trophy at the SkiStar Swedish Open in Bastad last week, saved nine of 11 break points and won 70 per cent of first-serve points en route to victory after 83 minutes. Zeballos has now won 10 tour-level doubles crowns. Peralta has captured each of his six tour-level trophies alongside Zeballos.

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"It was a great tournament," said Peralta. "We've been playing really good since last week [in Bastad]... Finishing here, winning against the best team in the world feels really good."

Having become the first team to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals by reaching the championship match, top seeds Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic were bidding to win their fifth tour-level crown of the season. The ATP Doubles Race to London leaders, who drop to 41-10 this year, have both lifted the Hamburg trophy with previous partners. Marach won the title with countryman Alexander Peya in 2011, while Pavic emerged victorious alongside Ivan Dodig last year.

"I think we were very aggressive from the beginning," said Peralta. "These matches are really fast and you need to keep the energy and the intensity level really high and I think we maintained that during the whole match."

Peralta and Zeballos receive 500 ATP Doubles Ranking points and split €105,140 in prize money for lifting the trophy. Marach and Pavic gain 300 points and share €51,470.

Did You Know?
Peralta and Zeballos have won five of their six tour-level titles together on clay.