Gilles Simon had never beaten South Africa’s Kevin Anderson in three meetings on the ATP tour, though he had taken him to three sets on two of those occasions. However, the 33-year-old from France used the big stage of an ATP 250 Series final to record his first win against Anderson on Saturday. Simon negated Anderson’s booming service with superb returns for a 7-6(4), 6-2 win in the final of the Tata Open Maharashtra to clinch his maiden title in India. This was his 13th ATP tour singles title and earned him 250 ranking points and a cheque of $89,435 while Anderson got 150 points and a cheque of $47,105 for his efforts. Simon, who won his last ATP tour title at Marseille in 2015, was once ranked among top 10 and has slipped to 89 in rankings. But on Saturday, the 6’0” Frenchman seemed to have launched his bid to climb back into the top echelons with a dominating performance against a player ranked 14th in the world.

Source: Hindustantimes

Pancho Segura, one of the world’s leading players of the 1940s and 1950s, who would later mentor and coach Jimmy Connors, passed away on Saturday aged 96 due to complications of Parkinson’s disease at his home in Carlsbad, California.
At 5’6″, Segura was diminutive in stature, but displayed an imposing game predicated on lightning-fast agility, a lethal two-handed forehand and astute court awareness. Tennis legend Jack Kramer, the ATP’s first Executive Director, once said that he possessed “the single greatest shot in the history of tennis”, as his forehand cut through the court with devastating precision and power.
Upon turning professional in 1947, Segura became an immediate fan favourite with his sharp sense of humour and unorthodox style. He would ascend to No. 1 in the world rankings in 1950 and was an inductee of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1984, following a successful 20-year career. A three-time U.S. Pro champion from 1950-52, he is the only player to have won the title on three different surfaces.
While Segura earned fame and respect from his peers for his actions between the lines, it was his improbable story of survival that is most remarkable. Born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, as one of seven children, he overcame an impoverished childhood and was plagued by rickets, which resulted in bowed legs, and malaria. But despite the improbable odds, Segura thrived on the tennis court with great athleticism and is regarded as one of the greatest players to hail from South America.
In 1962, Segura launched a successful career as a coach in the United States and was hired as the tennis director at the Beverly Hills Tennis Club, where he became a mentor and coach to Jimmy Connors. In the late 1960s and 1970s, he honed Connors’ game and guided him to multiple Grand Slam crowns.
Segura would later become a citizen of the United States in 1991. His autobiography, Little Pancho: The Life of Tennis Legend Pancho Segura, was published in May 2009.
He is survived by his second wife, Beverley, their daughter, Maria. He had one son, Spencer, from his first marriage.

ATP

Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov became the first man for 19 years to win the ATP Finals on his debut appearance with victory over Belgian David Goffin. Sixth seed Dimitrov, 26, claimed the biggest title of his career as he won 7-5 4-6 6-3 at London’s O2 Arena. The Bulgarian collected £1.9m in prize money for coming through the tournament unbeaten in five matches across the group stage, semi-finals and final. He will end the year ranked third in the world, with Goffin up to seventh. “I’m still trying to think about what I just did,” said Dimitrov, who follows in the footsteps of Spain’s Alex Corretja, who won the season-ending title on his debut in 1998. “This is a great, unbelievable achievement for me, but I still have a lot to give. “One of my main goals is to win a Grand Slam tournament. This has always been a dream of mine. Now, slowly, I think [I’m] getting there.” Injuries to Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic kept two of the sport’s biggest names out of the ATP Finals, while world number one Rafael Nadal was forced to pull out injured after his opening round-robin match and Roger Federer was stunned in the semi-finals by Goffin. But Dimitrov said it was too soon to say a new era was coming to tennis.

BBC

After being one game away from going home early in the tournament, Jack Sock won the Paris Masters on Sunday to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals in London. Sock beat Filip Krajinovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-1. It is easily the biggest trophy so far in the 25-year-old American’s career. Before coming to Paris the 16th-seeded Sock didn’t even think of London. But after winning his first Masters title, he will be making the short trip to England to compete against Roger Federer and the other six who made it from the ATP race. “Coming in this week I had no idea I could even make London. It wasn’t in my head,” Sock said. “Incredible week. Hard to describe, honestly. I don’t think it’s really hit or soaked in yet.” Especially as on Wednesday, his mind was drifting way off somewhere. Deep into the third set against Britain’s Kyle Edmund — a tough opponent in the second round — Sock trailed 5-1.

“I was thinking about my holidays … I’m proud of myself for fighting and getting through,” Sock said. “To come back from the deficit I was down and to have this trophy next to me now has been an incredible achievement.” Fast forward to Sunday and he now walks away from Paris with a check worth nearly $1 million and a jump up the rankings to No. 9. Sock already knows how he is going to approach the finals. “I’m going to swing big and play my game, like I always do,” he said. “Just enjoy the moment.” This was his fourth career title. He sealed victory on his first match point when Krajinovic, a Serbian qualifier ranked No. 77, sent a backhand long. Sock fell onto his back with his hands on his face, then jumped into the seating area to celebrate with his team. “I had some anxious sleep last night,” Sock said. “I was able to find that groove in the second and third (sets).” He is the first American winner here since Andre Agassi in 1999; and the first American winner of a Masters tournament since Andy Roddick at Miami in 2010. “I’ve had a rough season pretty much since, since March,” Sock said. “I just wanted to play some good tennis my last week and go start my offseason.” With a wry smile, Sock said he would be celebrating with “just a water on the rocks.” Krajinovic was the first qualifier in a Masters final since Jerzy Janowicz, also here, in 2012.

USA Today

ROGER Federer has overcome some rare moments of ragged play and frustration to stave off a determined Juan Martin Del Potro 6-7 6-4 6-3 and win his eighth Swiss Indoors title. Del Potro, making a late bid to make the ATP World Tour Finals in London, was looking for a third title in Basel after defeating home-town hero Federer in 2012 and 2013 in the final. Federer struggled at time to find his best form and after allowing Del Potro to break back when leading 5-4 in the first set, smashed his racquet on to the net in a clear sign he was unhappy with his game. Del Potro took the first set in a tie-break, but it was his turn to lose his cool when he dropped serve at 4-5 in the second as the crowd roared Federer on. Del Potro took the opening game of the decider but looked fatigued as Federer found another gear to surge back. The Argentine delayed Federer’s celebrations, breaking serve at to pull it back to 5-3 but the 36-year-old Swiss broke again to take the match. Federer is now alone in second place on the all-time titles list with 95 wins, one more than Ivan Lendl.

Sunshinecoast daily

Lucas Pouille soared to his biggest career crown at the Erste Bank open dominating countryman Tsonga 6-1, 6-4 on Sunday. The Frenchman notched his first ATP World Tour 500-level trophy, earning a fourth title in his young career. With the victory, he became the first player in 2017 to win on all surfaces, adding a hard-court crown in Vienna to triumphs on the clay of Budapest and grass of Stuttgart.

ATP

Juan Martin del Potro won his 20th career title Sunday, beating Grigor Dimitrov in a successful title defense at the Stockholm Open. Del Potro held serve throughout as he won 6-4, 6-2 against Dimitrov while also landing 70 percent of first serves and firing in nine aces. It was the Argentine’s first title since he beat Jack Sock in last year’s Stockholm final. The two Stockholm wins are del Potro’s only tour titles since he returned in 2016 following chronic wrist problems. For Dimitrov, it was his fourth final of the year and first defeat. The Bulgarian is now 7-6 in career finals.

ATP

Damir Dzumhur recovered from a second-set slip to beat Ricardas Berankis and win the Kremlin Cup on Sunday. Bosnia’s Dzumhur beat his Lithuanian opponent 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 to win his second career ATP title after victory last month at the St. Petersburg Open.Dzumhur dominated from the start but slumped in the second set even though Berankis made just 31 percent of his first serves in that set. The decider was even until Dzumhur broke for a 5-4 lead and closed out the match. Berankis has lost both of his career finals.

Washington Post

Roger Federer was at his ruthless best on Sunday, streaking to the Shanghai Masters title with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Rafael Nadal. It was a vintage Federer performance, as the Swiss secured the 71-minute win with a dominant display, clinching a second Shanghai crown (2014) and 27th at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level. With the win, Federer notched his 700th match victory on hard courts and improved to 10-1 against the Top 10 this year. It was the 94th title in his storied career, which pulls him level with Ivan Lendl for second on the Open Era list. Only Jimmy Connors owns more trophies (109).

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/shanghai-2017-final-federer-nadal