South African tennis ace Raven Klaasen, who hails from King William’s Town, warmed up for the US Open in grand fashion by playing a key role in The San Diego Aviators defeating the Orange County Breakers 25-14 to win their first Mylan World Team Tennis (WTT) championship at the weekend.
Klaasen, who reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in July with playing partner Rajeev Ram will this week get his US Open campaign under way in New York.
He now heads into that challenge off an impressive showing for his team at the Mylan WTT Finals at the Forest Hills Stadium at the West Side Tennis Club in New York.
Klaasen in the doubles and mixed doubles, Darija Jurak (doubles, mixed doubles) and Shelby Rogers (women’s singles, doubles) each won two events to lead the top-seeded Aviators. However, it may have been Ryan Harrison who had the most impressive feat of the day. For Harrison, the league’s Male Most Value Player (MVP), it was a double victory, as he also qualified for the US Open earlier in the day, dismissing Henri Laaksonen to earn a spot in the main draw.
He then made the short drive across the borough of Queens to contribute to coach John Lloyd’s team in winning the King Trophy.
Klaasen, ranked at number 10 in doubles on the ATP World Tour, was named the Mylan WTT Finals MVP for his superb performance.
Klaasen, who was presented with a one-carat diamond after the match, teamed up with Jurak and Harrison to post a pair of 5-2 wins in mixed doubles and men’s doubles.
“It feels really nice to get the MVP award but it feels a bit undeserving because our whole team played very well,” said Klaasen, who credited team chemistry with their success.
“We were apart for four days and when we saw each other again last night, it felt like we had been apart for a year.”
Jurak and Klaasen began the afternoon with a 5-2 mixed doubles triumph over the Breakers’ Alla Kudryavtseva and Scott Lipsky. Then Rogers and Nicole Gibbs battled it out in women’s singles, with Rogers upending Gibbs, 5-2, for a 10-4 Aviators advantage.
Next was men’s doubles, with the duo of Harrison and Klaasen extending the Aviators’ advantage to a commanding 15-6 with another 5-2 set triumph, over Scott Lipsky and Dennis Novikov. Women’s doubles was next, with Rogers and Jurak teaming to topple Gibbs and Kudryavtseva by the same score.
Men’s singles completed the day, as the Breakers’ Dennis Novikov salvaged the only set win, 5-4, to keep Orange County alive. Harrison closed out the championship by winning the second Extended Play game. League co-founder Billie Jean King and South African born Mylan WTT chief executive-commissioner Ilana Kloss presented the Aviators, including team owners Fred Luddy and Jack McGrory, with their first King Trophy.
Winning the title at Forest Hills Stadium was also special for Lloyd, who was named as the 2016 Mylan WTT Coach of the Year earlier this month.
“It brings a lot of memories back. I played back in the US Open when it was on grass and clay,” added Lloyd, in his second year at the helm of the new champions. In fact on this court I lost to the great Bjorn Borg. It was nice to play on this beautiful court.”
During the on-court prize-giving, Billie Jean King joked, saying it would take a South African in Raven Klaasen playing many thousands of kilometres away from home to win a South African diamond in the final.
Klaasen now focuses on the US Open, where he is seeded seventh in the men’s doubles with American Rajeev Ram
Ravenous Raven swoops for yet more easy pickings
Klaasen, who reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in July with playing partner Rajeev Ram will this week get his US Open campaign under way in New York.
He now heads into that challenge off an impressive showing for his team at the Mylan WTT Finals at the Forest Hills Stadium at the West Side Tennis Club in New York.
Klaasen in the doubles and mixed doubles, Darija Jurak (doubles, mixed doubles) and Shelby Rogers (women’s singles, doubles) each won two events to lead the top-seeded Aviators. However, it may have been Ryan Harrison who had the most impressive feat of the day. For Harrison, the league’s Male Most Value Player (MVP), it was a double victory, as he also qualified for the US Open earlier in the day, dismissing Henri Laaksonen to earn a spot in the main draw.
He then made the short drive across the borough of Queens to contribute to coach John Lloyd’s team in winning the King Trophy.
Klaasen, ranked at number 10 in doubles on the ATP World Tour, was named the Mylan WTT Finals MVP for his superb performance.
Klaasen, who was presented with a one-carat diamond after the match, teamed up with Jurak and Harrison to post a pair of 5-2 wins in mixed doubles and men’s doubles.
“It feels really nice to get the MVP award but it feels a bit undeserving because our whole team played very well,” said Klaasen, who credited team chemistry with their success.
“We were apart for four days and when we saw each other again last night, it felt like we had been apart for a year.”
Jurak and Klaasen began the afternoon with a 5-2 mixed doubles triumph over the Breakers’ Alla Kudryavtseva and Scott Lipsky. Then Rogers and Nicole Gibbs battled it out in women’s singles, with Rogers upending Gibbs, 5-2, for a 10-4 Aviators advantage.
Next was men’s doubles, with the duo of Harrison and Klaasen extending the Aviators’ advantage to a commanding 15-6 with another 5-2 set triumph, over Scott Lipsky and Dennis Novikov. Women’s doubles was next, with Rogers and Jurak teaming to topple Gibbs and Kudryavtseva by the same score.
Men’s singles completed the day, as the Breakers’ Dennis Novikov salvaged the only set win, 5-4, to keep Orange County alive. Harrison closed out the championship by winning the second Extended Play game. League co-founder Billie Jean King and South African born Mylan WTT chief executive-commissioner Ilana Kloss presented the Aviators, including team owners Fred Luddy and Jack McGrory, with their first King Trophy.
Winning the title at Forest Hills Stadium was also special for Lloyd, who was named as the 2016 Mylan WTT Coach of the Year earlier this month.
“It brings a lot of memories back. I played back in the US Open when it was on grass and clay,” added Lloyd, in his second year at the helm of the new champions. In fact on this court I lost to the great Bjorn Borg. It was nice to play on this beautiful court.”
During the on-court prize-giving, Billie Jean King joked, saying it would take a South African in Raven Klaasen playing many thousands of kilometres away from home to win a South African diamond in the final.
Klaasen now focuses on the US Open, where he is seeded seventh in the men’s doubles with American Rajeev Ram
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