Julian Cash in the 2023 Rothesay International, Eastbourne
Julian Cash in the 2023 Rothesay International, Eastbourne | (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images for LTA)

Tennis | Doubles Round Up | Cash claims doubles title in ATP Challenger Malaga

By Glenys Furness

  • Julian Cash lifted doubles title in Challenger
  • Heather Watson lifted doubles title in ITF Quinto do Lago, Portugal
MALAGA, SPAIN – Julian Cash teamed up with Robert Galloway and together were the second seeds. The Brit/American lifted the title. Heather Watson claimed title in Portugal with Olivia Gadecki.

 

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ATP/WTA

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In Shanghai Cameron Norrie paired up with Rinky Hijikata for the doubles and were unseeded. The Brit/Australian drew Hubert Hurkacz & Ben Shelton in the first round. Norrie & Hijikata stayed with the Pole/American in the first set and it looked to be heading to a tiebreak. However, the Brit/Australian broke right at the end of the set to take the lead. The second set was just as close, but this time it was Hurkacz & Shelton who broke at the end of the set and levelled up the score. The match tiebreak saw Norrie & Hijikata edge through to book a spot in the next round 7-5, 5-7, 10-6.

The second round saw the Brit/Australian against third seeds Joe Salisbury & Rajeev Ram. Norrie & Hijikata found the seeds too good in the first set, as Salisbury & Ram broke to take the lead. The second set was very close, and neither side could break through so a tiebreak ensued. in the breaker, Norrie & Hijikata eased through and levelled up the match. The final set match tiebreak was extremely close but eventually, the Brit/Australian edged through and booked a spot in the next round 4-6, 7-6(4), 11-9.

In the quarter-final Norrie & Hijikata were against Maximo Gonzalez & Andres Molteni. The Brit/Australian broke serve to take the lead. The second set saw the seeds re-group and break serve to level up the match. The ensuing match tiebreak was once again close, before Norrie & Hijikata edged through 6-4, 3-6, 10-8.

The semi-final saw the Brit/Australian against seventh seeds Marcel Granollers & Horacio Zeballos. The seeds dominated the first set as Norrie & Hijikata were unable to get to grips with the Spaniard/Argentine. The second set was a little closer, as Norrie & Hijikata managed to stay with the seeds at the start. Eventually, though, Granollers & Zeballos broke serve and took the match 6-2, 6-3.

 

Challenger & ITF

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In Malaga, Julian Cash teamed up with Robert Galloway and were the second seeds. In the first round, the Brit/American were against Ivan Sabanov & Matej Sabanov. The Serbians got the jump on the seeds in the first set, breaking right at the end as it appeared to be heading to a tiebreak. The second set saw Cash & Galloway re-group and break the Serbians to level up the match. In the final set match tiebreak, Cash & Galloway edged ahead and took the win 5-7, 6-3, 10-6.

The quarter-final saw the seeds against Inigo Cervantes & Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan. The Spaniard/Indian pair secured an early break of serve and took the lead. The second set saw Cash & Galloway mount a fight back and stay close. It looked to be heading to a tiebreak, but the Brit/Australian broke right at the end to level up the match. In the ensuing match tiebreak the seeds edged through and took the win 4-6, 7-5, 11-9.

In the semi-final, the seeds were against Mattia Bellucci & Moez Echargui. Cash & Galloway dominated from the outset as the Italian/Tunisian were unable to stay with the pace of the seeds. Cash & Galloway eased through into the final 6-1, 6-2.

The final saw the seeds against John-Patrick Smith & Andrew Harris. The Australians stayed with the seeds at the start of the set. It looked to be heading to a tiebreak but Cash & Galloway managed to break serve right at the end to take the lead. The second set was much easier for the seeds who dominated and lifted the title 7-5, 6-2.

Over in Quinto Do Lago, Portugal Heather Watson teamed up with Olivia Gadecki and were the top seeds. The Brit/Australian received a bye in the first round. In the quarter-final Watson & Gadecki were against Sofia Milatova & Lian Tran. The Slovak/Dutch pair were no match for the top seeds in the first set as the Brit/Australian dominated. The second set was a little closer as Milatova & Tran held serve more. Eventually, the top seeds broke serve and took the match in straight sets 6-1, 6-3.

The semi-final saw the Brit/Australian against Anastasiia Grechkina & Manon Leonard. The seeds dominated the first set as Grechkina & Leonard struggled to stay with them. The second set saw the unseeded pair mount a fight back, forcing a tiebreak. In the breaker, Watson & Gadecki eased through claiming the match in straight sets 6-2, 7-6(3).

In the final, the top seeds were against the second seeds Francisca Jorge & Matilde Jorge. The Portuguese pair stayed with Watson & Gadecki before the top seeds secured the vital break of serve. The second set saw the Brit/Australian dominate the Portuguese pair and lift the title in straight sets 6-4, 6-1.

 

 

Doubles Round Up

Lloyd Glasspool with Harri Heliovaara were defeated by Gonzalo Escobar & Aleksandr Nedovyesov in the first round in Shanghai 6-4, 6-4.

Jamie Murray with Michael Venus were defeated by Marcel Granollers & Horacio Zeballos in the second round in Shanghai 6-2, 6-4.

Neal Skupski with Wesley Koolhof were defeated by Sadio Doubmia & Fabien Reboul in the quarter-final in Shanghai 7-6(5), 6-4.

Henry Patten with Francisco Cabral were defeated by John-Patrick Smith & Andrew Harris in the second round in Malaga 1-6, 6-4, 10-8.

Ben Jones & Joshua Paris were defeated by Arthur Bouquier & Jakub Paul in the final in Rodez 7-6(5), 6-3.

Scott Duncan & Connor Thomson were defeated by Simon Freund & Johannes Ingildsen in the quarter-final in Tavira 7-5, 6-2.

Madeline Brooks & Holly Hutchinson were defeated by Estelle Cascino & Diana Marcinkevica in the quarter-final in Quinta Do Lago 6-4, 1-6, 11-9.

John Horoz Garner with Rodrigo Alujas were defeated by Juan Sebastian Gomez & Andres Urrea in the first round in Zapopan 6-2, 6-2.

Brooke Black with Ola Abou Zekry were defeated by Alisa Kummel & Ekaterina Makarova in the first round in Sharm-El-Sheikh 1-6, 6-3, 11-9.

Ella McDonald & Talia Neilson-Gatenby were defeated by Yasmin Ezzat & Arlinda Rushiti in the quarter-final in Sharm-El-Sheikh 3-4 (RET).

Nicholas Phillibert with Pierre Antoine Taillieu were defeated by Jurriaan Bol & Brian Bozemoj in the quarter-final in Monastir 6-3, 6-4.

Eleanor Baglow with Elena Giovanna Giessler were defeated by Abigail Amos & Marente Sijbesma in the quarter-final in Monastir 6-1, 6-3.

Abigail Amos with Marente Sijbesma defeated Xenia Bandurowska & Marila Bergen in the final in Monastir 0-0 (RET).

Emily Webley-Smith & Yuriko Lily Miyazaki were defeated by Anna Bondar & Kimberley Zimmermann in the first round in Rouen 6-3, 6-1.

Emily Appleton with Anna Siskova were defeated by Freya Christie & Yuliana Lizarazo in the first round in Rouen 6-7(4), 6-2, 10-7.

Ali Collins with Andrea Gamiz were defeated by Aliona Bolsova & Natela Dzalamidze in the first round in Rouen 6-3, 6-4.

Freya Christie with Yuliana Lizarazo were defeated by Anna Bondar & Kimberley Zimmermann in the quarter-final in Rouen 6-3, 6-3.

Alicia Barnett & Olivia Nicholls were defeated by Anna Bondar & Kimberley Zimmermann in the semi-final in Rouen 6-4, 6-7(6), 10-1.

Maia Lumsden with Jessika Ponchet defeated Anna Bondar & Kimberley Zimmermann in the final in Rouen 6-3, 7-6(4).

Amelia Rajecki with Anna Zyryanova were defeated by Sara Daavettila & Ava Markham in the first round in Florence, South Carolina 6-1, 4-6, 10-2.

Nell Miller with Ruxandra Schech were defeated by Ayana Akli & Nicole Khirin in the quarter-final in Florence, South Carolina 6-1, 6-1.

Next week Brits play in Tokyo, Stockholm, Olbia, Hamburg, Santa Fe, Edgbaston, Italy, Portugal, Egypt, USA, Tunisia, Greece, Cluj, Shrewsbury, Canada & France.