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WATCH ROJER/TECAU HOT SHOT; PEYA/SOARES SAVE 1 M.P. IN GROUP A WIN
Spoiler:
Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares saved one match point in a dramatic Match tie-break on Monday at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
The third seeds defeated fifth seeds Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau 6-3, 3-6, 12-10 in 88 minutes in their first Group A match at The O2 in London.
Peya and Soares took a 4/0 lead in the 17-minute Match tie-break, before Rojer and Tecau — winners of eight ATP World Tour titles this year — fought their way back. Rojer hit a volley winner to save one match point at 8/9, before the Rojer and Tecau created one match point opportunity at 10/9. In a lengthy rally, Soares hit a backhand volley winner to pierce their opponents defence.
Peya and Soares are now 43-23 overall on the season, which includes the Aegon Championship title at The Queen’s Club (d. J. Murray-Peers) and the Rogers Cup in Toronto (d. Dodig-Melo).
Both teams exchanged service breaks early in the first set, before Peya and Soares clinched a 5-3 lead when breaking Rojer to 15. Peya let slip a 40/15 lead at 2-3 in the second set.
Rojer and Tecau, competing at the season finale for the first time, dropped to a 48-21 match record on the season. They have won a career-best eight trophies on four continents in nine finals in 2014.
“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.”- Rafa Nadal
"There are other tournaments in which I would like to win. However, in the end, trophies are just pieces of metal. The main thing that I took from tennis is love. She will remain with me forever, and I am sincerely grateful for this “ - David Ferrer
After arguably his greatest season on the ATP World Tour, doubles star Jean-Julien Rojer saw his career celebrated where it all began at home in Curaçao at the start of December. In a ceremony attended by 300 people, No. 1 court at the Racing Club Curaçao was named after the Dutchman, who won eight ATP World Tour titles with Horia Tecau in 2014.
With his foundations lying in the limited resources that an island with a population of just 150,000 can provide, the 33-year-old Rojer has carved himself out a career as one of the world’s leading doubles players, amassing a total of 17 ATP World Tour titles and qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals the past three years.
But to get there meant leaving behind the relaxed island mindset of Curaçao at just 13 and going on his own to Miami.
“It's tough coming from a small island,” Rojer told ATPWorldTour.com. “It was very nice growing up. We were very active, running around a lot, at the beach, playing a lot of different sports. But at the same time the people are very laidback, it's a different mindset. The facilities that they have there, especially for tennis, are not close to what they have in the States and internationally.
“I luckily had a couple of coaches who had drive. A lot of it came from me, because I was very interested in tennis and wanted to do my best all the time. Many kids there, growing up, don't really have that. It's to do with growing up on a very small island.
“I had to leave when I was 13 because there was no-one else for me to play with. At the age of 12, I was the Senior Open champion.
“That was the toughest part, leaving on my own at 13. But when I was on the court, I didn't think about anything else. I enjoyed tennis. So I ended up spending a lot of time on court to get away from all the thoughts.”
While the locals follow all of Rojer’s results in the daily newspapers, despite the right-hander’s success, tennis in Curaçao lags behind baseball in terms of popularity and facilities. It’s something Rojer would eventually like to try and influence when he hangs up his own racquet.
Rojer“At some point I would like to get involved with tennis at home,” he said. “I'd like to help these kids out and create more of a tennis culture, which we don't have back home. Maybe working more hands on with the kids in a tennis school, trying to spot the ones that do have a bit of talent. We also have to improve our facilities and give the kids enough opportunity.”
After emceeing at Ross Hutchins’ wedding in Wimbledon – a role he described as his most nerve-wracking of the year – Rojer is now back in Miami, training for another season playing alongside Tecau. Tecau is with him as the pair hope that by training together in December, they will gain an early advantage over some of the newer teams in 2015.
While it was a very strong season for the Dutch/Romanian pair at the ATP World Tour 250 and 500 level, they were left frustrated by their performances at the Masters 1000s and Grand Slams. They fared better as the season went on – with a semi-final at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris helping them clinch a berth at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - but it’s an area they are looking to improve on further next season.
“We felt we really hit our stride after winning Washington,” said Rojer. “We felt like we understood what we wanted to do on the court. Sometimes it takes more time learning what strategies you're comfortable playing.
“We just felt we didn't get good results because we didn't know what we were doing on the court, especially in the big tournaments,” he admitted. “We feel like we have that now and the focus automatically turns to getting results in the slams.”
“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.”- Rafa Nadal
"There are other tournaments in which I would like to win. However, in the end, trophies are just pieces of metal. The main thing that I took from tennis is love. She will remain with me forever, and I am sincerely grateful for this “ - David Ferrer
“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.”- Rafa Nadal
"There are other tournaments in which I would like to win. However, in the end, trophies are just pieces of metal. The main thing that I took from tennis is love. She will remain with me forever, and I am sincerely grateful for this “ - David Ferrer
Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau ended the reign of Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan atop the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings, securing the year-end No. 1 with a 6-4, 6-4 win in the semis of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
The Bryans, who have finished as the year-end No. 1 tandem in 10 of the last 12 years, saw their title defence come to an end at the season finale. Rojer and Tecau will square off against eighth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea in Sunday's final, with a Romanian guaranteed to lift the doubles trophy for the first time.
“It feels pretty darn good right about now,” said Rojer. “There was so much riding on this match for us. We put in a lot of hard work, like many of the other teams do, of course. To have it come down to one match to play for the year-end No. 1 spot, it’s just a dream scenario. On top of that, to win it with a lot of our friends and family here, it’s just really cool.”
“We’re very happy to get this award,” said Tecau, a resident of Constanta, Romania. “But we have to snap out of it quick, because we have a difficult match tomorrow. I’m playing against my countryman Florin. We know each other really well. I’m really excited to play the final here against him. It’s a big achievement for our country.”
The Dutch-Romanian duo were unflappable throughout the 66-minute affair, converting on three of six break chances and claiming 81 per cent first serve points.
A Tecau backhand return at Mike's feet earned them the first break for 2-1, in the fourth break point of the game. The Bryans would respond in kind, breaking back for 3-3 as a Mike forehand down-the-line drew an error, but Rojer and Tecau would stay focused. Tecau rifled a return winner and Mike struck a double fault as the Bryans were broken again, a game later.
The second set would yield just one break and Rojer held his nerve serving for the match a game later, despite missing a pair of volleys.
Victory for Rojer and Tecau marked their first win over the Bryans in six encounters. They most recently met in the round robin stage in London last year. The duo will vie for their third title of the year and 11th overall as a team in Sunday's final. They triumphed at Wimbledon and at the ATP World Tour 500 event in Rotterdam in 2015.
MTT: Tytuły (8): US OPEN 2012 -debel, Sztokholm 2012, Australian Open 2013 - debel, Abu Dhabi 2014, Barcelona 2014, Australian Open 2016 - debel, Marsylia 2018, ATP Finals 2018 - debel
Finały (8): US OPEN 2013, Monte Carlo 2014, Umag 2014, Rotterdam 2015, Sydney 2016, US OPEN 2016 - debel, Winston-Salem 2018, US OPEN 2018 - debel
“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.”- Rafa Nadal
"There are other tournaments in which I would like to win. However, in the end, trophies are just pieces of metal. The main thing that I took from tennis is love. She will remain with me forever, and I am sincerely grateful for this “ - David Ferrer
Tecau/Rojer Capture Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Doubles Title
Spoiler:
Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojer capture their 11th team title
Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojer completed a memorable week at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals on Sunday when they captured the title, less than 24 hours after they had clinched year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings.
Second seeds Rojer and Tecau defeated eighth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea 6-4, 6-3 for their 11th team title, and third of the year that includes their maiden Grand Slam at Wimbledon (d. J. Murray-Peers). The duo ends the season with a 48-21 match record.
It's such a nice event, a big tournament, a big prize to win at the end of the year," said Rojer. "It's just a culmination of the whole year. I think we had a good year together."
Rojer and Tecau are the first doubles team to win the season finale without losing a set since round-robin play began in 1986.
Despite hitting two aces, Bopanna dropped his serve to 30 in the opening game that was the only break in the 31-minute opener. Though Tecau saved two break points, including a deciding deuce point, at 3-2.
Bopanna came under pressure against at 2-2, losing his serve to 15 and lost his serve for a third time, as a confident Rojer and Tecau broke to love in the final game.
Other than Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, Rojer and Tecau became the first team to finish in top spot since Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic in 2008.
"We managed to win our first Grand Slam this year [and] we managed to finish the year No. 1," said Tecau. "Our main focus is still on improving the team. Whatever comes after will come. That's what we've been doing so far, just working on our game, talking a lot. We communicate very well. We have a very open relationship. We can tell each other everything. That helps a lot in this sport."
Bopanna and Mergea first teamed up at Casablanca in April and end the year with a 31-16 record, including two titles from four finals.
"It was just a tough day today," said Bopanna. "But it's been a great week, making it to the final, first-time outing for us as a team. And for the season, starting out in April, playing just about a handful of tournaments and to qualify here, I think it's been a fantastic year for us. We can take a lot of positives from this year, and we are looking forward to starting fresh in January.
Mergea added, "It's a pleasure to play in the [Barclays ATP] World Tour Finals title match. Obviously, this has been the first time two Romanians played the doubles final here. I think it's an historic day for us."
The championship was watched by a capacity crowd of 17,500, including the inaugural year-end championships winner (1970) Stan Stan, four-time former titlist Ilie Nastase and 1976 champion Manuel Orantes, who are at The O2 with other players from the 1970s as part of The Finals Club.
MTT: Tytuły (8): US OPEN 2012 -debel, Sztokholm 2012, Australian Open 2013 - debel, Abu Dhabi 2014, Barcelona 2014, Australian Open 2016 - debel, Marsylia 2018, ATP Finals 2018 - debel
Finały (8): US OPEN 2013, Monte Carlo 2014, Umag 2014, Rotterdam 2015, Sydney 2016, US OPEN 2016 - debel, Winston-Salem 2018, US OPEN 2018 - debel
Ranking: 27
Bilans meczów: 25-23
Tytuły: 1 (ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madryt (w/Horia Tecau))
Finały: 1 (ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Cincinnati (w/Horia Tecau))
Zarobki: $416,730
MTT - OSIĄGNIĘCIA:
MTT (Singiel) - Tytuły (34) / Finały (20)
Spoiler:
2015: Tokio
2016: Rio de Janeiro, Indian Wells, Waszyngton, Chengdu, WTF
2017: Doha, Sydney, Dubaj, Miami, Marrakesz, Estoril, s-Hertogenbosch
2018: Barcelona,Winston-Salem,Sztokholm, Paryż-Bercy,
2019: Dubaj, Miami, Monachium, Kitzbühel, St. Petersburg, WTF
2020: Adelaide, Rzym
2022: Adelaide 1, Australian Open, Rzym, Halle
2023: Indian Wells, Miami, Barcelona, US Open, WTF
2015: Kuala Lumpur
2016: Queens, Sankt Petersburg
2017: Waszyngton, Winston-Salem, US Open, Sankt Petersburg, WTF
2018: Doha, Miami, Hamburg,
2019: Eastbourne, US Open,
2020: RG, Sofia
2021: ATP Cup
2022: Stuttgart, Eastbourne, Winston-Salem, Florencja
2023: Montpellier
MTT (DEBEL) - Tytuły (7) / Finały (7)
Spoiler:
2019: RG, Cincinnati, Paryż-Bercy, WTF
2020: RG, US Open
2021: Rzym
2018: WTF
2019: Indian Wells, Madryt
2020: Australian Open
2021: Australian Open, RG, Paryż-Bercy
Jean-Julien Rojer turned professional in 2003 and has won 21 ATP World Tour-level titles
Jean-Julien Rojer recorded the 300th doubles match win of his career by partnering Horia Tecau to a 6-4, 6-4 victory at the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament over second-seeded Spaniards Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez
The 2015 champions now go on to face fourth seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo or wild cards Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop in the semi-finals.
“I’m super excited about the milestone, 300 wins, it’s a very nice achievement for me. I’m very proud of the 300 wins,” said Rojer, who has clinched 21 ATP World Tour-level doubles titles so far in his career. “Of course, I’d like to thank all of my former partners and my current partner Horia (Tecau). I didn’t think I could achieve this when I started playing doubles, it’s very satisfying.”
Nicolas Mahut won the title in Rotterdam last year partnering Canadian Vasek Pospisil and in 2017 is joined by countryman Pierre-Hugues Herbert as the top seeds.
The Frenchmen prevailed in a Champions tie-break 4-6, 7-6(6), 10-6 to fend off the challenge of sixth seeds Mate Pavic and Alexander Peya.
Ivan Dodig and Marcel Granollers will attempt to oust the top seeds in the final four having dispatched Tomas Berdych and Rohan Bopanna 6-3, 6-4.
2015: Tokio
2016: Rio de Janeiro, Indian Wells, Waszyngton, Chengdu, WTF
2017: Doha, Sydney, Dubaj, Miami, Marrakesz, Estoril, s-Hertogenbosch
2018: Barcelona,Winston-Salem,Sztokholm, Paryż-Bercy,
2019: Dubaj, Miami, Monachium, Kitzbühel, St. Petersburg, WTF
2020: Adelaide, Rzym
2022: Adelaide 1, Australian Open, Rzym, Halle
2023: Indian Wells, Miami, Barcelona, US Open, WTF
2015: Kuala Lumpur
2016: Queens, Sankt Petersburg
2017: Waszyngton, Winston-Salem, US Open, Sankt Petersburg, WTF
2018: Doha, Miami, Hamburg,
2019: Eastbourne, US Open,
2020: RG, Sofia
2021: ATP Cup
2022: Stuttgart, Eastbourne, Winston-Salem, Florencja
2023: Montpellier
MTT (DEBEL) - Tytuły (7) / Finały (7)
Spoiler:
2019: RG, Cincinnati, Paryż-Bercy, WTF
2020: RG, US Open
2021: Rzym
2018: WTF
2019: Indian Wells, Madryt
2020: Australian Open
2021: Australian Open, RG, Paryż-Bercy
Duo looks forward to annual Monte-Carlo tradition
Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau have each won two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles, including last year at the Mutua Madrid Open. As they return to clay this week at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, they share their Masters 1000 memories and reveal what makes this particular tournament so special.
Which is your favourite Masters 1000 tournament and why?
Tecau: There’s a lot of nice ones. I enjoy Monte-Carlo a lot, I enjoy Madrid, but Indian Wells is probably the prettiest, the best surroundings, the best everything, comfortable for the players, good weather. Very good overall.
Rojer: I enjoy Monte-Carlo. It’s the first big one on the clay, obviously beautiful place and great weather as well. I enjoy being there also because when I was little I was watching this tournament growing up and I felt if you played in Monte-Carlo, then you made it. That has a lot of memories for me.
What is your best Masters 1000 memory?
Tecau: Getting the first [title] is always memorable. Last year we had a great one in Madrid – we won it without losing a set. We were in great form. But the first title I got in Cincinnati in 2012 (with Robert Lindstedt), beating the Bryans in the semis and then Bopanna/Bhupathi in the final. That was my first big title after losing a few Grand Slam finals, so it’s the first memory that comes to mind.
Rojer: Miami probably comes to mind first because I moved there when I was 12 years old and I practised for so many years at the site where we play. To win there (with Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi in 2013) was everything come full circle. And then the final, I had all my family and friends there; it’s very close to Curacao. It was one of the better moments of my career.
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What is your favourite off-court memory at a Masters 1000?
Rojer: I always enjoy the Monte-Carlo players’ [revue]. It’s quite a fun party. A lot of players participate in it, even though guys are like, ‘ah no, not this year,’ but then at the end everyone gets in the mood and does a few things. That’s one of the better activities at the Masters for sure.
Tecau: I enjoy that one a lot. It’s very special.
What is your dream match at a Masters 1000?
Rojer: Sorry, I’m going to have to trade you in for this one. I’d want to player with Roger [Federer]. That’s not so very thoughtful maybe, but I think he’s probably the best ever and it’d be so cool to play with him and have that experience. I’ll take any tournament. I’ll take any one of them with that guy.
Tecau: I would like to play with my idols growing up. I’d like to play with Pete Sampras against [Stefan] Edberg and Michael Stich. Those were my three idols I was following growing up. I never got a chance to hit a ball with them. I played with Roger, I played with Rafa [Nadal]. But these other guys I’ve never chance, so that would be a dream.
Have you watched a Masters 1000 match that made you say ‘Wow, that’s an amazing match’? Is there a particular one that stands out?
Tecau: Every day, man!
Rojer: Every day, but I remember [Guillermo] Coria-Nadal. They played the Rome final [in 2005]. I was very good friends with Coria and I watched him also at Monte-Carlo play classic matches, but that match against Rafa was one of the better matches of all time.
2015: Tokio
2016: Rio de Janeiro, Indian Wells, Waszyngton, Chengdu, WTF
2017: Doha, Sydney, Dubaj, Miami, Marrakesz, Estoril, s-Hertogenbosch
2018: Barcelona,Winston-Salem,Sztokholm, Paryż-Bercy,
2019: Dubaj, Miami, Monachium, Kitzbühel, St. Petersburg, WTF
2020: Adelaide, Rzym
2022: Adelaide 1, Australian Open, Rzym, Halle
2023: Indian Wells, Miami, Barcelona, US Open, WTF
2015: Kuala Lumpur
2016: Queens, Sankt Petersburg
2017: Waszyngton, Winston-Salem, US Open, Sankt Petersburg, WTF
2018: Doha, Miami, Hamburg,
2019: Eastbourne, US Open,
2020: RG, Sofia
2021: ATP Cup
2022: Stuttgart, Eastbourne, Winston-Salem, Florencja
2023: Montpellier
MTT (DEBEL) - Tytuły (7) / Finały (7)
Spoiler:
2019: RG, Cincinnati, Paryż-Bercy, WTF
2020: RG, US Open
2021: Rzym
2018: WTF
2019: Indian Wells, Madryt
2020: Australian Open
2021: Australian Open, RG, Paryż-Bercy
Dutch-Romanian duo claim 14th team title
Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau came up clutch with their backs against the wall on Saturday at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open, rallying for their 14th team title.
The Dutch-Romanian duo overcame a set deficit and survived a championship point at 6-5 in the second set tie-break, edging Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 2-6, 7-6(9), 10-6.
"It was a really tough match," said Rojer. "Robert and Sebas were playing well the whole week. They played better today for the majority of the match and this time we got a little lucky after going down match point. We're very happy with the win and it gives us a lot of confidence going into the French Open."
Tecau provided the big serves when they needed them, striking a service winner to turn aside the match point and another mammoth delivery to close out the tie-break at 10-9. The top-seeded tandem would claim the initial mini-break for 5-3 in the deciding Match Tie-break and never looked back, prevailing after one hour and 52 minutes.
"It's always fun to play in front of a nice crowd and it's a big week for us," Tecau added. "It's another title and we're going to enjoy it with our team. Our first time coming here, but we're looking forward to coming back."
The victory gives Rojer and Tecau their second title of the season, having previously triumphed on the hard courts of Dubai in February. It marks the fourth straight season in which they have claimed multiple crowns. The No. 8 pairing in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London, they earn €26,110 in prize money and add 250 points to their haul.
For Rojer, it was the Dutchman's 23rd individual title overall, while Tecau secured his 31st. Cabal and Farah, meanwhile, were bidding for their 11th as a team. The former champions had won the inaugural title in Geneva in 2015 (d. Klaasen/Lu).
Rojer and Tecau moved ahead 2-1 in the FedEx ATP Head2Head series, having most recently prevailed over the Colombians at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 stop in Miami in 2015. Cabal and Farah notched a victory the year prior at the Shanghai Rolex Masters.
2015: Tokio
2016: Rio de Janeiro, Indian Wells, Waszyngton, Chengdu, WTF
2017: Doha, Sydney, Dubaj, Miami, Marrakesz, Estoril, s-Hertogenbosch
2018: Barcelona,Winston-Salem,Sztokholm, Paryż-Bercy,
2019: Dubaj, Miami, Monachium, Kitzbühel, St. Petersburg, WTF
2020: Adelaide, Rzym
2022: Adelaide 1, Australian Open, Rzym, Halle
2023: Indian Wells, Miami, Barcelona, US Open, WTF
2015: Kuala Lumpur
2016: Queens, Sankt Petersburg
2017: Waszyngton, Winston-Salem, US Open, Sankt Petersburg, WTF
2018: Doha, Miami, Hamburg,
2019: Eastbourne, US Open,
2020: RG, Sofia
2021: ATP Cup
2022: Stuttgart, Eastbourne, Winston-Salem, Florencja
2023: Montpellier
MTT (DEBEL) - Tytuły (7) / Finały (7)
Spoiler:
2019: RG, Cincinnati, Paryż-Bercy, WTF
2020: RG, US Open
2021: Rzym
2018: WTF
2019: Indian Wells, Madryt
2020: Australian Open
2021: Australian Open, RG, Paryż-Bercy
2015: Tokio
2016: Rio de Janeiro, Indian Wells, Waszyngton, Chengdu, WTF
2017: Doha, Sydney, Dubaj, Miami, Marrakesz, Estoril, s-Hertogenbosch
2018: Barcelona,Winston-Salem,Sztokholm, Paryż-Bercy,
2019: Dubaj, Miami, Monachium, Kitzbühel, St. Petersburg, WTF
2020: Adelaide, Rzym
2022: Adelaide 1, Australian Open, Rzym, Halle
2023: Indian Wells, Miami, Barcelona, US Open, WTF
2015: Kuala Lumpur
2016: Queens, Sankt Petersburg
2017: Waszyngton, Winston-Salem, US Open, Sankt Petersburg, WTF
2018: Doha, Miami, Hamburg,
2019: Eastbourne, US Open,
2020: RG, Sofia
2021: ATP Cup
2022: Stuttgart, Eastbourne, Winston-Salem, Florencja
2023: Montpellier
MTT (DEBEL) - Tytuły (7) / Finały (7)
Spoiler:
2019: RG, Cincinnati, Paryż-Bercy, WTF
2020: RG, US Open
2021: Rzym
2018: WTF
2019: Indian Wells, Madryt
2020: Australian Open
2021: Australian Open, RG, Paryż-Bercy
Rojer/Tecau Capture Second Major Title In New York
Spoiler:
Perseverance pays off. Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau haven’t had the easiest of times in the past 18 months, but the pair have come good over the past three weeks and their red-hot form has carried them to their second Grand Slam championship crown at the US Open.
Rojer and Tecau defeated Spaniards Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez 6-4, 6-3 in the final at Flushing Meadows on Friday. It is the climax of a 10-match winning run for the duo, who came into the US Open on the back of their 15th tour-level team crown at the Winston-Salem Open. They have only dropped two sets during that period.
“The key to the whole thing is you need to communicate and be out there and fight together,” said Rojer in the on-court ceremony. “These are pressure-packed situations. That’s a strength of ours. We’ve had a great two weeks. We played well in all the matches and we did so again today.
“Congratulations to Marc and Feliciano; they are very good friends of ours. They had a great week and they were very deserving. It came down to a few points and it was a very close match,” added the Dutchman, who also took the opportunity to send a message to his family on the Caribbean island of Curacao, who had been unable to travel to New York to watch the final due to Hurricane Irma.
"It feels amazing right now. We love coming here. We love playing in New York. I never got to be on Ashe Stadium before," said Tecau. "So it was just overwhelming to play a final. My best result here was quarter-final. Really happy to peak in these two weeks and get together a few tough wins.
"Looking back in the past few weeks, we have been working hard to get to this level. The confidence that we got from winning the week before and from beating some top teams on the way to the final counted a lot today.
"It felt great in London when we got our first Grand Slam, and we wanted to get that feeling again. We were trying ever since, every Slam that we are playing and every Slam is special. Today was amazing to be on Ashe. Huge stadium. Good support. Very happy to win today."
"I have a great appreciation for this one," added Rojer. "I don't want to say maybe more than Wimbledon and the fact that I know how difficult it is to win a Grand Slam, this is only my second one, but these things are tough, man. They're not so easy. I think both of us, we have a great appreciation for the title."
Rojer and Tecau won their first major trophy together at Wimbledon two years ago, and would finish that season as the No. 1 duo in the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings, closing the year as the champions at the Nitto ATP Finals in London.
But the duo struggled to replicate that success the following year, winning just one title, at the Mutua Madrid Open, and failing to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, with injuries hampering their combined campaign.
After a tough start to the 2017 season, Rojer and Tecau hit the mark with victory in Dubai, and followed up with titles in Geneva and Winston-Salem. The victory in New York now puts them in a strong position to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 12-19 November. They are set to move up to third in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London.
"There's rough moments there," said Rojer. "Horia is a competitor. He wants to win. He tries his best. I do the same. If the results are not coming, it's frustrating. You end up having a lot of frustrating conversations. You want to be winning matches. You want to be out there playing and finding a good rhythm, and it took us a while there to find some good rhythm. I think what happened a lot was the decision to play Winston-Salem before this week, and that got us some match rhythm coming into this week."
The final against Lopez and Lopez was closer than the score line suggested. Tecau was broken in the seventh game of the first set, but the Spaniards couldn’t maintain their advantage as Rojer and Tecau hit back to win three successive games and close out the opener.
A break of the Marc Lopez serve in the fourth game gave Rojer and Tecau a 3-1 lead in the second set. Tecau then held from 15/40 to extend that advantage to 4-1, and it was the Romanian who served out the match, with the duo converting their third championship point as Rojer punched away a forehand volley.
“It’s been a tough set to hold serve for me,” said Tecau. “I was grinding to hold serve [in the second set]. They had a lot of chances and I was fighting hard to hold. We were just focussing on trying to get one more point, don’t focus on the title and see what happens.”
Lopez and Lopez were also bidding to win their second Grand Slam crown, having lifted the trophy at Roland Garros last year. The Spaniards’ run has moved them up to 10th in the year-to-date standings, giving them to the chance to qualify for London with a strong finish to the season.
“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.”- Rafa Nadal
"There are other tournaments in which I would like to win. However, in the end, trophies are just pieces of metal. The main thing that I took from tennis is love. She will remain with me forever, and I am sincerely grateful for this “ - David Ferrer
2015 champions to make third appearance at season finale
Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau will attempt to reclaim the Nitto ATP Finals crown when they make their return to The O2 this November. The Dutch/Romanian duo joins Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo and defending champions Henri Kontinen/John Peers in the elite eight-team field, clinching their berth by reaching the Shanghai Rolex Masters quarter-finals.
Rojer and Tecau will make their team’s third appearance at the season finale, to be held from 12-19 November, previously qualifying in 2014-15. On their last visit, they not only claimed the title without the loss of a set (d. Bopanna/Mergea in the final), but also clinched the year-end No. 1 Emirates ATP Doubles Team Ranking following their semi-final victory over the Bryan brothers.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Tecau/Rojer Capture Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Doubles Title
This will be the fifth overall appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals for each player. Rojer qualified in 2012-13 with Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, while Tecau qualified in 2011-12 with Robert Lindstedt.
This season, Rojer and Tecau have won four titles, highlighted by their second Grand Slam crown at the US Open (d. Lopez/Lopez). They also lifted the ATP World Tour 500 trophy at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, and a pair at the ATP World Tour 250 tournaments at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open and Winston-Salem Open.
Five places remain up for grabs in the doubles field with one month to go until the season finale. Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares are next in line to qualify, and can secure a second straight trip to The O2 by winning their quarter-final match in Shanghai.
2015: Tokio
2016: Rio de Janeiro, Indian Wells, Waszyngton, Chengdu, WTF
2017: Doha, Sydney, Dubaj, Miami, Marrakesz, Estoril, s-Hertogenbosch
2018: Barcelona,Winston-Salem,Sztokholm, Paryż-Bercy,
2019: Dubaj, Miami, Monachium, Kitzbühel, St. Petersburg, WTF
2020: Adelaide, Rzym
2022: Adelaide 1, Australian Open, Rzym, Halle
2023: Indian Wells, Miami, Barcelona, US Open, WTF
2015: Kuala Lumpur
2016: Queens, Sankt Petersburg
2017: Waszyngton, Winston-Salem, US Open, Sankt Petersburg, WTF
2018: Doha, Miami, Hamburg,
2019: Eastbourne, US Open,
2020: RG, Sofia
2021: ATP Cup
2022: Stuttgart, Eastbourne, Winston-Salem, Florencja
2023: Montpellier
MTT (DEBEL) - Tytuły (7) / Finały (7)
Spoiler:
2019: RG, Cincinnati, Paryż-Bercy, WTF
2020: RG, US Open
2021: Rzym
2018: WTF
2019: Indian Wells, Madryt
2020: Australian Open
2021: Australian Open, RG, Paryż-Bercy
Duo becomes the first team in history to win back-to-back Dubai titles
Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau lifted their 17th tour-level doubles title as a team on Saturday, beating wild cards Jamie Cerretani and Leander Paes 6-2, 7-6(2) to retain their Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships trophy.
"With each match we got better," reflected Tecau. "We had tough quarter-finals and semi-finals matches. We are happy to get the win today because it was a tricky match."
The defending champions backed up their 2017 title run (d. Bopanna/Matkowski) by breaking their opponents on three occasions and winning 75 per cent of their service points in the 87-minute clash. The Dutch-Romanian team ended Cerretani and Paes’ seven-match unbeaten streak as a pair at all levels. The title marks Rojer’s 26th tour-level doubles title, while Tecau has now won 34 trophies. The 2015 Nitto ATP Finals champions denied Leander Paes his 750th tour-level doubles victory — the Indian remains at 749.
"It means a lot because this tournament always has a strong doubles field," Tecau said. "Winning here two years in a row, it's a great accomplishment for us. Always have to beat some big servers on these fast conditions. That's very good for confidence to win here twice."
Paes and Cerretani were bidding for a second title in two events as a team, after triumphing in their only previous outing as a duo at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Newport Beach, California, last month (d. Huey/Kudla). Paes was playing for for a third Dubai title — in his fifth final — and a 55th tour-level trophy, which would have given him his first triumph since 2015 Auckland. Cerretani was seeking a fifth title on the ATP World Tour with a fifth partner.
"Sometimes you've just got to tip your hat to your opponents and say, too good, well done," admitted Paes. "It goes to show what a great team they are. They played really well today."
Interestingly, Cerretani was not supposed to play in Dubai. Paes called the American at the last minute, and the 36-year-old flew from from Los Angeles — after just arriving home from Marseille — to play alongside 44-year-old.
"To play with a guy like, excuse me, a legend like Leander, is just a great opportunity," explained Cerretani.
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The second seeds started quickly, dropping just three points in the first three games for a 3-0 lead. Cerretani and Paes got themselves onto the scoreboard from there, but the double-break soon came for Rojer and Tecau, with an angled return winner from Tecau, to clinch the first set.
The defending champions raced out to a 2-0 lead in the second set, increasing their grip on the match, but Cerretani and Paes replied immediately to level proceedings at 2-2 with improved play. Further break points came and passed for both teams before a second-set tie-break, and it was there that Rojer and Tecau excelled. Tecau hit a strong serve on the pair’s first championship point, and Rojer clinched the title with an overhead.
Rojer and Tecau will receive 500 ATP Doubles Ranking points and split the $170,270 champions' prize money. Cerretani and Paes collect 300 points and will share $83,360.
Did You Know?
While individuals have successfully returned with a new partner and won back-to-back doubles titles, Rojer and Tecau’s triumph marks the first time in the 26-year history of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships that a team has successfully retained its crown.
2015: Tokio
2016: Rio de Janeiro, Indian Wells, Waszyngton, Chengdu, WTF
2017: Doha, Sydney, Dubaj, Miami, Marrakesz, Estoril, s-Hertogenbosch
2018: Barcelona,Winston-Salem,Sztokholm, Paryż-Bercy,
2019: Dubaj, Miami, Monachium, Kitzbühel, St. Petersburg, WTF
2020: Adelaide, Rzym
2022: Adelaide 1, Australian Open, Rzym, Halle
2023: Indian Wells, Miami, Barcelona, US Open, WTF
2015: Kuala Lumpur
2016: Queens, Sankt Petersburg
2017: Waszyngton, Winston-Salem, US Open, Sankt Petersburg, WTF
2018: Doha, Miami, Hamburg,
2019: Eastbourne, US Open,
2020: RG, Sofia
2021: ATP Cup
2022: Stuttgart, Eastbourne, Winston-Salem, Florencja
2023: Montpellier
MTT (DEBEL) - Tytuły (7) / Finały (7)
Spoiler:
2019: RG, Cincinnati, Paryż-Bercy, WTF
2020: RG, US Open
2021: Rzym
2018: WTF
2019: Indian Wells, Madryt
2020: Australian Open
2021: Australian Open, RG, Paryż-Bercy
Jean-Julien Rojer collected the 350th doubles win of his career Friday when he teamed with Horia Tecau at the Miami Open to defeat recent Indian Wells champion Jack Sock and Nicholas Monroe 6-1, 7-6(2).
Rojer, 36, claimed the first of his 26 titles in 2010 in Tokyo.
In another result of significance, American duo Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey upset top seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-4, 7-6(0). Since beginning the year 7-1, including a title in Sydney, last year's No. 1 team has gone 2-4 in its past four outings, including back-to-back first-round losses in Indian Wells and Miami.
Eighth seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah defeated Aussie duo Nick Kyrgios and Matt Reid 7-5, 7-5.
2015: Tokio
2016: Rio de Janeiro, Indian Wells, Waszyngton, Chengdu, WTF
2017: Doha, Sydney, Dubaj, Miami, Marrakesz, Estoril, s-Hertogenbosch
2018: Barcelona,Winston-Salem,Sztokholm, Paryż-Bercy,
2019: Dubaj, Miami, Monachium, Kitzbühel, St. Petersburg, WTF
2020: Adelaide, Rzym
2022: Adelaide 1, Australian Open, Rzym, Halle
2023: Indian Wells, Miami, Barcelona, US Open, WTF
2015: Kuala Lumpur
2016: Queens, Sankt Petersburg
2017: Waszyngton, Winston-Salem, US Open, Sankt Petersburg, WTF
2018: Doha, Miami, Hamburg,
2019: Eastbourne, US Open,
2020: RG, Sofia
2021: ATP Cup
2022: Stuttgart, Eastbourne, Winston-Salem, Florencja
2023: Montpellier
MTT (DEBEL) - Tytuły (7) / Finały (7)
Spoiler:
2019: RG, Cincinnati, Paryż-Bercy, WTF
2020: RG, US Open
2021: Rzym
2018: WTF
2019: Indian Wells, Madryt
2020: Australian Open
2021: Australian Open, RG, Paryż-Bercy
One year ago, Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau won 10 consecutive matches to clinch back-to-back titles in Winston-Salem and New York. This year, the Dutch-Romanian duo returns to the US Open with the same goal in mind, leading the field in the final Grand Slam of the year.
Rojer and Tecau, who recently triumphed in North Carolina, will enter the US Open confident of completing a unique 'double-double' in Flushing Meadows. The sixth seeds, who own an 18-7 record this season, are bidding to lift their 19th tour-level title as a team. Rojer and Tecau have won two Grand Slam championships, clinching their maiden major crown at Wimbledon in 2015 before their title run 12 months ago in Flushing Meadows.
Rojer and Tecau, who will face Sander Arends and Antonio Sancic in the first round, have won seven of their nine tour-level encounters so far during the North American hard-court swing. The defending champions share the second quarter of the draw with red-hot pairing Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares. The fourth seeds have lifted titles at the Citi Open and the Western & Southern Open, their maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 triumph, en route to New York.
In the third round, Rojer and Tecau could meet 10th seeds Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez in a repeat of the 2017 final. The Spanish duo open against Americans Patrick Kypson and Danny Thomas.
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Top seeds Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic will be aiming to reach their third Grand Slam final of the season at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The Australian Open champions, who also reached the championship match at Roland Garros, meet Leonardo Mayer and Joao Sousa in their opening match. Marach and Pavic have suffered first-round losses in two of their three events since reaching their eighth tour-level final of the season in Hamburg last month.
Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut also feature in the top quarter. The 2015 champions, who defeated Marach and Pavic to win their third Grand Slam crown at Roland Garros in June, enter the US Open having played just one match since Wimbledon, at the Rogers Cup (l. to Anderson/Djokovic).
The Frenchmen are seeded to meet Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo in the third round. Kubot and Melo, who reached the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals championship match, have won just two of their seven most recent tour-level clashes since retaining their Gerry Weber Open title in June.
Headlining the bottom half of the draw are second seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers. The reigning Nitto ATP Finals champions reached the semi-finals in New York on their event debut as a team last season. Kontinen and Peers enter the US Open in fine form, having lifted their 13th tour-level team trophy at the Rogers Cup earlier this month.
Kontinen and Peers are joined by Colombian duo Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in the bottom quarter. The fifth seeds, making their seventh US Open appearance, will face Andrey Rublev and Denis Shapovalov in the first round.
Mike Bryan and Jack Sock will be hoping to repeat their Wimbledon heroics in New York. Bryan, who currently shares the all-time record for men's doubles Grand Slam titles (17) with John Newcombe, is aiming to lift his sixth title in Flushing Meadows.
Read More: Bob Bryan Sitting Out 2018 US Open
Bryan, competing at the US Open for the first time without twin brother Bob Bryan, will aim to improve his 8-3 tour-level record alongside Sock this season with victory over Italians Daniele Bracciali and Marco Cecchinato in the first round.
Bryan and Sock could face Wimbledon finalists Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus in the quarter-finals. Having also reached the Rogers Cup final, Klaasen and Venus will be confident of making a deep run at the final Grand Slam championship of the season. They open their title campaign against Lukas Lacko and John Millman.
