For many players and fans, the grass court season all but ends with the men’s final at Wimbledon. Unbeknownst to some, it continues on the ATP Tour at the majestic International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.
This ATP 250 event boasted an impressive field including Americans John Isner, Sam Querrey, Jack Sock, Rajeev Ram, Steve Johnson, and Rhode Island native, Jared Donaldson. It would appear however, that the foreign players generated even more buzz.
Former world number two Tommy Haas, and the always unpredictable Australian, Bernard Tomic, both received wild cards while the 2003 Wimbledon finalist Mark Philippoussis, lost in the first round of qualifying. Former world number one and 2002 Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt, was unable to defend his singles and doubles titles due to his commitment to play Davis Cup for Australia.
Rajeev Ram, currently ranked 86th in the world, won the singles and doubles titles in Newport in 2009 and was looking to win his second career ATP tour title on the magnificent lawns of the Tennis Hall of Fame. In the 2009 HOF Championship final, Ram defeated Querrey in three tight sets.
Last week in Newport, he got off to an amazing start by defeating the number one seed and two-time HOF Tennis champion (2011, 2012), John Isner in the first round. Incredibly, he would save one match point en route to upsetting Isner in three hotly contested sets 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (8). He would dispatch the twenty-six year old Australian, John-Patrick Smith in the semis in straight sets to earn his second HOF final.
Ivo Karlovic, the number two seed and 2014 Tennis HOF Championships finalist was seeded second in Newport following an impressive run on the grass this spring. He lost in the semis in Halle, Germany to Roger Federer and in the round of sixteen at Wimbledon to Andy Murray.
Karlovic would take out an in-form Dustin Brown - fresh off his mesmerizing defeat of Rafa Nadal at Wimbledon - in the quarters and the upwardly mobile young American, Jack Sock in the semis both in straight sets. The final would be the third meeting between him and Ram and their first on grass.
Ram and Karlovic would battle for almost 2 ½ hours with very little between them as two of the three sets would end in tie-breakers. Ram would save three of the four break points he faced while Karlovic saved the only one he faced. Remarkably, Ram would secure victory 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-6(2) having never broken Karlovic and winning one less point!
With this thrilling three-set victory on the lawns of this national historic landmark ,the thirty-one year old Denver native will move into the top hundred on the ATP world tour rankings. The thirty-six year old Croat, twice the runner-up at the Hall of Fame Championships hopes the third time is a charm and plans on returning to Newport next year seeking that elusive and very precious Van Alen Cup.