LONDON, June 19 (Reuters)

Andy Murray became the first player to hold aloft the super-sized Queen’s Club trophy for a fifth time after he beat big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic 6-7(5) 6-4 6-3 in the final of the Aegon Championships on Sunday.

The British top seed’s title hopes appeared to be faltering when he trailed by a set and 3-0 down in the second set but the 2013 Wimbledon champion drew on his greater grasscourt pedigree to turn the match around.Murray, who also hoisted the trophy in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015, had shared the previous record of four Queen’s titles with seven other men, including Boris Becker, Roy Emerson and Raonic’s new grasscourt coach John McEnroe.

However, a backhand volley into the net from Raonic allowed Murray to climb to the top of the pile and celebrate a winning start to his renewed coaching relationship with Ivan Lendl.

“This tournament has loads of history… it’s a pleasure to play in front of someone like John (McEnroe)… and any time you can do something a bit better than someone like him, it’s an amazing feeling,” Murray said during the presentation ceremony.

“To win here for a fifth time means a lot to me.” While McEnroe was among those applauding the champion, Lendl performed a swift disappearing act from Centre Court even before Murray had a chance to celebrate his victory.

“It was nice of Ivan to stick around for the presentation!, joked Murray, who successfully defended the title at the Wimbledon warm-up tournament for the first time in his career.

Raonic’s gamble to hire seven-times grand slam champion McEnroe appeared to be paying off as he looked set to win his first title on the lush green surface midway through the second set.

The Canadian had reached the final without dropping serve all week and when he led 3-0 in the second set, it seemed that Murray would also fall under his spell.

But a blistering cross-court service return in the fifth game allowed the Scot to finally break Raonic’s momentum and from then on the Canadian third seed, who hurled down 14 aces, was powerless to stop Murray’s victory charge.

“Congratulations to Andy for winning this tournament for a fifth time but I’m sure it’s not nearly as special as having your first fathers’ day as well,” Raonic said after contesting his first grasscourt final.

“It’s my first grass match on a Sunday and hopefully we can have a rematch in a couple of Sundays. I’m feeling pretty good.” The victory completed a successful week for Murray, who became a father for the first time in February.

Following runner-up finishes at the year’s first two majors in Melbourne and Paris, Murray will now hope his decision to rehire Lendl will allow him to add to the two grand slam titles he won during his first stint with the Czech-born great.

(Reporting by Pritha Sarkar; editing by David Clarke and Ken Ferris)

HALLE, Germany, June 19 (Reuters)

Florian Mayer put more than a year of injury problems behind him to secure a 6-2 5-7 6-3 victory over teenager Alexander Zverev in an all-German final at the Halle Open on Sunday.

The 32-year-old Mayer’s triumph made him the first German to win at home in Halle since Tommy Haas in 2012. At 192 in the world, he also became the lowest-ranked tour-level winner since then-number 240 Nicolas Mahut won in Den Bosch in 2013.

“I wasn’t sure I could play tennis six months ago so I am just really happy,” said Mayer, sidelined for over 12 months with a groin injury before returning to the tour in Bucharest in April.

“It is the best feeling I have had on a tennis court.”The win on grass in the pre-Wimbledon build-up tournament gave Mayer his second title, five years on from his maiden triumph on the clay of Bucharest, will put him back into the top 100 in the ATP rankings. In 2011, he was ranked 18th.

The 19-year-old Zverev, who knocked out 17-times grand-slam champion Roger Federer in the semis and was seeking his first title, put up a good fight, particularly in the second set of the match between the two unseeded players.

After losing the first set he reeled off nine of the first 10 points in the second, breaking in the opening game and consolidating for 2-0. The teenager then saved two match points before winning the set to force a decider.But Mayer broke to go 4-2 up and his steadier game gave him the title on his fifth match point after one hour 55 minutes.

(Writing by Clare Fallon; Editing by Ken Ferris)

LONDON, June 13 (Reuters)

Frenchman Nicolas Mahut claimed his third title at Den Bosch when he completed a rain-interrupted 6-4 6-4 victory over Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller on Monday.

Eighth seed Mahut, the defending champion, maintained his incredible record on the Rosmalen lawns and has now won 18 of his 20 matches at the pre-Wimbledon tournament.

Mahut, 34, won the first set on Sunday before rain washed out play and he returned to court early on Monday to snatch an early break and ease to the title.

All four of Mahut’s career titles have come on grass, the other being at Newport, Rhode Island in 2013.

(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Neil Robinson)

June 13 (Reuters)

Austrian Dominic Thiem became the first player to capture titles on three different surfaces this year when he finished off Philipp Kohlschreiber to win the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart on Monday.

The French Open semi-finalist won 6-7(2) 6-4 6-4 after their final on the Stuttgart grasscourts had been halted by rain before the first-set tiebreak on Sunday.

World number seven Thiem, the fastest-rising player on the ATP Tour, won on clay in Buenos Aires and Nice, and on hardcourts in Acapulco this year.

The 22-year-old’s victory, his 45th of the year, also took him above Novak Djokovic to the top of the match-wins list for 2016.

Kohlschreiber was quick out of the blocks on Monday, snatching the tiebreak to move ahead.Thiem, who knocked out Roger Federer in the semi-finals, responded with an early and decisive break in the second set and needed just one break in the decider to claim victory.

(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by John O’Brien)

Novak Djokovic captured a first French Open at the 12th time of asking on Sunday, becoming just the third man in history to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.

The world number one downed Andy Murray 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 to claim a 12th career major and join Don Budge in 1938 and Rod Laver, in 1962 and 1969, as the only players to simultaneously possess the French Open, Australian Open, US Open and Wimbledon trophies.

Djokovic, 29, also put himself halfway to the calendar Grand Slam, last achieved by Laver 47 years ago.

But he did it the hard way as the final reached a tense conclusion, being broken in the eighth game of the fourth set as he served for the title and then squandering two championship points in the 10th before sealing victory when Murray netted a backhand.

“When I broke him the second time and I got to 5-2 in the fourth, I just started laughing. I had that kind of emotion. I didn’t feel too much pressure, honestly. Maybe I took things a bit too lightly and just played a loose game at 5-2,” said Djokovic, one of only eight men to complete the career Grand Slam.

“In the last point I don’t even remember what happened. It was really one of those things — moments where you just try to be there. It’s like my spirit has left my body and I was just observing my body fight the last three, four exchanges going left to right and hoping that Andy will make a mistake, which happened.”

Djokovic, who will now target the first calendar Grand Slam since Laver 47 years ago, was overjoyed with his Paris breakthrough after losing his three previous finals.

“It’s a very special moment, the biggest of my career. I felt today something that I never felt before at Roland Garros, I felt the love of the crowd.”

Djokovic imitated former three-time champion Gustavo Kuerten by drawing a giant heart in the Paris clay before collapsing inside it.

“I drew the heart on the court, like Guga who gave me permission to do. My heart will always be with you on this court.”

Playing in his 20th final at the majors and sixth in succession, the Serb superstar is the first man since Jim Courier in 1992 to win the Australian and French Opens back-to-back.

Victory also allowed Djokovic to stretch his winning record over 29-year-old Murray to 24-10 overall and 8-2 in Grand Slams.

Murray, the world number two and the first British man in the final in Paris since Bunny Austin in 1937, remains with two Grand Slam titles as he failed to become the first winner of the French Open since Fred Perry 81 years ago.

“What Novak’s achieved in the last 12 months is phenomenal, winning all the Grand Slams in one year is an amazing achievement. It’s so rare in tennis, and for me personally, it sucks to lose the match,” said Murray.

– Stressful ending –

Djokovic was quickly into his stride, breaking Murray to love in the first game and shrugging off having to play five days in the last six.

The British star broke back to level before reeling off the next four games for a 4-1 lead as Djokovic’s game unexpectedly unravelled.

Murray remained in charge, even finding time to loudly berate a French television interviewer for climbing uninvited into his player’s box overlooking the court.

Djokovic then argued with umpire Damien Dumusois for refusing to have a point replayed at 15-0 as Murray served for the first set.

The world number one had to shake off a break point in the opening game of the second set before Murray obligingly imploded, dropping serve to fall 2-0 behind.

Djokovic misread the geometry on a dropshot which would have given him a double break in the fourth game but he was soon 4-1 to the good.

The top seed remained ruthlessly dialled-in, broke again for 5-1 and levelled the final when Murray dumped a service return into the net.

Djokovic, with the Paris crowd loudly on his side for the first time in four final appearances, broke for 2-1 in the third set which became 4-1 off a sublime running, backhand, cross-court drop-shot.

The Serb saved four break points to go to 5-1 before securing the set against a weary-looking Murray who had spent five hours longer on court than Djokovic and played two five-setters in the opening rounds to get to his first French Open final.

Djokovic kept his foot on Murray’s throat, breaking in the first game of the fourth set as the second seed carried on a running argument with the umpire over the positioning of the overhead camera.

The Serb broke to love for 5-2 and history was just moments away. However, there was still time for a twist as he cracked when serving for the title before finally sealing the triumph after three hours on court.

Novak Djokovic moved a step closer to a maiden French Open title on Thursday, sweeping aside Czech seventh seed Tomas Berdych in straight sets to reach the semi-finals at Roland Garros for the eighth time.

The world number one, whose half of the draw got easier after nine-times champion Rafael Nadal pulled out injured last week, will next take on Dominic Thiem after the Austrian tyro downed Belgian David Goffin in four sets.

Serbian Djokovic breezed through the opening set, overcame a slight glitch in the second and came back stronger after a brief rain interruption to seal a straightforward 6-3 7-5 6-3 win.

He ended the contest on his second match point when Berdych returned into the net.

“It’s a grand slam quarter-final so it’s always a difficult match. It’s hard to dictate the play in these conditions, it makes it tough tactically,” Djokovic said courtside. “I played my best tennis at the right moment, I’m happy about that. I’m happy to come back here on centre court every day.”

Djokovic’s fourth-round match against Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut, in which he lost a set, ended on Wednesday after rain washed out Monday’s play and delayed the start of the tie until Tuesday.

The 11-times grand slam champion, who will be playing for the third day in a row on Friday when he faces Thiem for a place in the final, was barely bothered by either the conditions or his opponent.

Djokovic had won his 10 previous encounters against Berdych and the Czech was never in a position to end the streak on Court Philippe Chatrier. The Serbian won seven games in a row to open a 6-3 3-0 lead before Berdych finally found his range with his booming forehand and broke back hoping to force a tiebreak. The Czech was broken to love, however, in the 12th game as Djokovic took a two-set lead.

In a light drizzle, the supervisor sent the players to the dressing room at 3-3 in the third set, much to the annoyance of Berdych, who felt the conditions had not changed since the start of the tie.”One big circus. (We’ve been playing) two and half sets like that,” Berdych said. A few minutes later, they were back on court and Djokovic won the three remaining games.

Austrian power player Dominic Thiem won his French Open battle against Belgian counterpuncher David Goffin on Thursday to reach his first grand slam semi-final, where he will face world number one Novak Djokovic.

Conditions — as so often during a rain-ravaged tournament — were cold and damp. That was one reason why the crowd remained disappointingly small throughout a see-saw encounter that, until a late Goffin meltdown that saw him concede nine games running in going out 4-6 7-6(7) 6-4 6-1, threatened to become one of the matches of the tournament.

Thiem, 22, who will break into the top 10 for the first time with Thursday’s win, described as “a little bit unreal” the prospect of playing a semi-final against Djokovic, a player he has never beaten in two encounters.

“But from this moment I have to focus on tomorrow or Saturday – I don’t know when,” he said courtside, with one eye on the rain that was falling steadily when the match finished.

Both players, who often practice together and are friends off court, took time to find their range and the first three games yielded three breaks of serve, including one that Goffin conceded on a double fault.

Thiem gradually began finding the lines with heavy groundstrokes off both wings and, as Goffin struggled to maintain depth on his returns, sped into a 4-2 lead. But as Thiem’s accuracy waned, the Belgian tightened his defence and, playing the key points better than his opponent, reeled off the next six games. He converted his first set point at 5-4 on a Thiem service game when the Austrian hit a backhand groundstroke long.

With Suzanne Lenglen Court still barely a quarter full, the match continued to swing in favour of first Thiem — firing rasping groundstrokes that either pummelled the baseline or shot long — and then Goffin, less powerful but mixing his game well to prevent the Austrian from settling into a rhythm.

The second set went to a tiebreak in which Thiem, after leading 5-4, scraped through 9-7 when Goffin failed to return a vicious backhand slice.

Goffin broke earlier in the third and led 4-2 when the mood abruptly shifted. A match that briefly threatened to become a classic petered out disappointingly as Thiem, adding the precision that his power game had earlier been missing, won nine of the last 10 games.Asked at a news conference to explain the nine-game losing run, Goffin said: “The balls were soaked with water, and the clay was heavy and he was more comfortable during the fourth set. And then he was more aggressive.”

Number two seed Andy Murray overcame a bout of French Open ‘dropshotitis’ on Wednesday to beat Richard Gasquet, the last home player in the singles draw, in four sets and set up a semi-final clash with Stan Wawrinka.

Briton Murray played with power and control during the early part of a 5-7 7-6(3) 6-0 6-2 win that maintained a perfect 5-0 grand slam record against the ninth-seeded Frenchman, breaking when Gasquet double-faulted to lose the second game and consolidating to lead 5-2.

But the momentum shifted dramatically in the eighth game when the Scot, stepping further into the court as he tried to force the pace, conceded three points in a row with unforced errors when 0-30 up. Gasquet broke back in the next game and, as Murray turned increasingly to drop shots that the Frenchman began to read, reeled off the following three games to take a set his opponent had been in the most comfortable of box seats to win.

To the joy of a packed and increasingly animated pro-Gasquet centre court crowd, the pattern of the first set began to repeat itself in the second.Murray again led 5-2, this time breaking in the sixth game, before his dropshot woes returned.

Gasquet, beginning to dominate as his silky one-handed backhand found its range and throwing in the odd drop shot of his own, duly broke back and took the set to a tiebreak.

But Murray won the breaker 7-3, claiming six points in a row from 3-1 down — including a set-winning drop shot – in what he identified as a turning-point.

“It was very, very important to win the second set because it was a very physical match up to that point,” he said courtside.

This time the Scot maintained his dominance and, reading Gasquet’s serve more easily and bringing his superior fitness to bear, took sets three and four with the loss of just two more games.

Murray knows his opponent in Friday’s semi-final — which will be his fourth in Paris and his 19th in grand slams — may present a tougher challenge.

“(Stan) is obviously playing great tennis,” he said. “It is going to be extremely difficult (but) hopefully I can play my best tennis and reach my first final here.”

Starting his match after Murray on Wednesday, Wawrinka finished while the Scot was still on court, beating Spain’s Albert Ramos Vinolas in straight sets.

Defending champion Stan Wawrinka held off a late charge by Albert Ramos Vinolas to storm into the French Open semi-finals with a 6-2 6-1 7-6(7) victory on Wednesday.

The third-seeded Swiss, who got off to a slow start in opening rounds of the claycourt grand slam, steamrollered through the first two sets and resisted in the third on Court Suzanne Lenglen to set up a meeting with world number two Andy Murray after the Briton saw off Frenchman Richard Gasquet in four sets.

Wawrinka used his single-handed backhand to move Ramos-Vinolas left, right and centre and it took the unseeded left-hander more than two sets to adjust.

After breaking back in the third, he forced a tiebreak and even had a set point but Wawrinka saved it and raised his arms in celebration when Ramos Vinolas’s forehand sailed long on match point.

“By the end Ramos played better and I made mistakes. But I’m very satisfied that I won this in three sets,” he said courtside.

While world number one Novak Djokovic only finished his fourth-round match on Wednesday after the tie was delayed by rain, Wawrinka is already through to the last four.

After labouring through the first game, Wawrinka crushed Ramos Vinolas to take the first two sets in less than an hour. He seemed en route to dishing out a drubbing when he broke in the third, but Ramos-Vinolas played longer balls, putting the Swiss on the back foot to send the set into a tiebreak.

A string of unforced errors by Wawrinka meant the Spaniard had a set point at 7-6 but Wawrinka forced a backhand error and won the two remaining points.