Dubai 2015: Venus Williams extends unbeaten run to beat teenager Bencic
The problems facing Belinda Bencic when she took on defending champion Venus Williams in Dubai this week could hardly have looked greater. First of all,…
Marianne Bevis Archives: 02/2015
Rotterdam 2015: Wawrinka beats Berdych for first indoor and 500 title
As the first 500 tournament of the year reached its climax in Rotterdam, it was almost impossible to pick a winner between Tomas Berdych and…
Dubai Duty Free 2015: Williams and Bouchard withdraw; Halep top seed
World No1 and intended top seed Serena Williams has been forced to withdraw from the prestigious WTA Premier tournament that gets under way in Dubai…
Rotterdam 2015: Berdych eyes more milestones in powerhouse Wawrinka final
Tomas Berdych seems to get better with every match he plays in Rotterdam. He was unbeaten here last year, and this time around he has…
Rotterdam 2015: Wawrinka powers to semis with impressive Muller win
With the unexpected loss of top seed Andy Murray in the second quarter-final in Rotterdam, the spotlight turned on defending champion Tomas Berdych in the…
Rotterdam 2015: Gilles Simon ends losing run against under-par Andy Murray
If the defending champion Tomas Berdych faced one of the most unpredictable tennis players on the tour in Gael Monfils, the top seed Andy Murray…
Rotterdam 2015: Monfils draws blood, but Berdych storms on to win
The quarter-final schedule at the first ATP 500 of 2015 in Rotterdam is certainly living up to its reputation and its 500 status. All four…
Rotterdam 2015: Classy Wawrinka rises to bold Garcia Lopez challenge
Stan Wawrinka knew he had a battle on his hands if he was to take a step further in Rotterdam than on his memorable first…
Laureus Awards 2015: Tennis’s Roger Federer, Serena Williams up for records
Tennis has always featured strongly in the ‘Oscars of Sport’, the Laureus World Sports Awards, and this year is no exception, with Novak Djokovic, Serena…
Grigor Dimitrov had good reason to enjoy Rotterdam but fell at 2nd hurdle
The first time that the new star of junior tennis played in Rotterdam, Grigor Dimitrov was just 17 years old. Back in 2009, he had…
Rotterdam 2015: Stan Wawrinka survives doughty Dutch Huta Galung
After seeing one Grand Slam champion on centre stage at Rotterdam this chilly Wednesday, the crowds were out in force to see a second, the…
Rotterdam 2015: Andy Murray ‘feeling sharp’ in lively first win over Mahut
Wednesday was the day that the big names came out to play in the Netherlands: the two Grand Slam champions in the draw, Andy Murray…
Rotterdam 2015: Third time lucky for Gael Monfils, into the second round
The flamboyant Frenchman and former world No7 Gael Monfils had come to Rotterdam for the last two years and gone home empty-handed. His problem was…
Rotterdam 2015: Tomas Berdych dominates ‘unlucky loser’ Kamke
On paper, it was always destined to be a David and Goliath contest between defending champion Tomas Berdych and ‘lucky loser’ Tobias Kamke, who bravely…
Rotterdam 2015: Discipline and self-belief help Milos Raonic tough it out at the top
The big 24-year-old Milos Raonic has led the young Canadian charge since he began his winning ways almost four years ago with the first of…
Rotterdam 2015: Dimitrov, Pospisil withstand over-30s challenge, Goffin does not
The Rotterdam draw is an impressive one, boasting four top-10 men among nine top-20 players. But there is also a great blend of age and…
Andy Murray’s packed schedule driven not by rankings but his own targets
By any measure, the schedule that Andy Murray has put together for the first few months of 2015 is a formidable one. After an exhausted…
Rotterdam 2015: Dominic Thiem upsets Gulbis in youthful half of draw
This time last year, a 20-year-old talent from Austria, Dominic Thiem, was a fast-rising youngster with just five main-tour wins to his name, all of…
Rotterdam 2015: Stan Wawrinka ‘still hungry’ after all these years
Stan Wawrinka must have grown used to it over the 14 or so years he has plied his trade on the pro circuit: questions, either…
Rotterdam 2015: Tomas Berdych wants to take ‘the whole journey’
Tomas Berdych will this year become one of that growing band of tennis players who seem still to be maturing into their third decade like…
Rotterdam 2015: Upwardly mobile Murray leads Berdych, Wawrinka into first ATP 500
Andy Murray may not often have played the Netherlands’ biggest tennis event, the 42-year-old ABN AMRO tournament at the cavernous Ahoy in Rotterdam, but when…