
Two Titles Each In Two Weeks! Bublik, Darderi Find Rich Vein Of Form
Alexander Bublik won the Generali Open in Kitzbühel, defeating Arthur Cazaux. Luciano Darderi claimed the Croatia Open title in Umag.
Top seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan continued his red-hot form on Saturday, defeating France's Arthur Cazaux 6-4, 6-3 to claim the Generali Open title in Kitzbühel, Austria.
The 28-year-old produced a dominant display, firing 26 winners en route to his second title in as many weeks. Bublik, who also triumphed at the EFG Swiss Open in Gstaad, has now won eight consecutive matches on the ATP Tour.
In the final, Bublik saved four of five break points and was in control throughout, securing his seventh career ATP title.
Cazaux, 22, was playing in his maiden ATP final. Despite the loss, the young Frenchman impressed with seven aces and a clean serving performance that featured no double faults.
Italy's Luciano Darderi extended his winning streak to nine matches with a clinical 6-3, 6-3 victory over Spain's Carlos Taberner to lift the Croatia Open trophy in Umag.
The 23-year-old, seeded second, was in imperious form once again, following up last week's Nordea Open title with another commanding win. Darderi struck seven aces and won an outstanding 87% (20 of 23) of his first-serve points.
The Italian remains perfect in ATP finals, improving his record to 4-0. Taberner, 27, was appearing in his first career final but was unable to match Darderi's consistency and firepower.
Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina capped off an intense 24-hour stretch with a straight-sets semifinal victory over fourth-seeded American Ben Shelton at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington, D.C.
The 12th-seeded Spaniard recorded a 6-2, 7-5 win on Saturday, just hours after stunning top-seeded Taylor Fritz in a match that finished around 2 a.m. local time on Friday night.
Against Shelton, Davidovich Fokina stayed composed while the American struggled with consistency, committing 35 unforced errors and five double faults.
Although Shelton landed seven aces, Davidovich Fokina capitalized on his opportunities, converting four of six break points to secure the win.
view comments
First Published:
July 27, 2025, 17:47 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


News18
an hour ago
- News18
Gavaskar On Gill Failing To Break His Record: 'I Was Baby Of The Team, He's...'
Last Updated: Sunil Gavaskar praised Shubman Gill's 754 runs in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, comparing it to his own 1971 record of 774 runs. India legend Sunil Gavaskar has hailed Shubman Gill's 754 runs in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy as better than his 1971 record of 774 against the West Indies, which remains the highest by an Indian in an away series. The 76-year-old said Gill had not fallen short by 20 runs, but had done something equally good, considering he's the captain of the team while Gavaskar was an inconspicuous 'baby' (he was 21 at the time) of the team. After Gill played his final knock of the series at the Oval, 11 (9), Gavaskar gifted him, following Stumps, with a signed cap and a t-shirt with 'SG' initials on it, which are the same for both cricketers. Gavaskar told Gill that he had readied the surprise in anticipation of his record being broken, but added that now the Punjabi 25-year-old had 'something to aim for' in his next Test series. 'Well, yes, in anticipation of him going past my record, I had gotten something for him, This is all in God's hands. But 754 runs, it's fantastic. The difference is that 754 runs have come with him having the additional responsibility of being the captain," Gavaskar later said on Sony Sports Network. 'Mine, I was the baby of the team, it wouldn't have mattered. If I failed, nobody would have given a hoot. As the captain, to score 754 runs. More than 750 runs, where he is making the difference to his side's fortunes. Don't go by those 20 runs, just see what those 754 runs have done for Indian cricket," he added. Gavaskar's 774 were revolutionary. Not only was that his debut series and one that proved to be the harbinger of India's first true, world-beating, legendary career, but also marked a shift in how the team was perceived. Gill has a similar task at hand. England went to Stumps at 50/1, 328 runs behind the visitors. If India can defend it, a 2-2 series leveler would prove it to the country that Gill can lead them to a future beyond Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. It'll also buy some time for Gautam Gambhir, who has struggled as a coach. view comments First Published: August 03, 2025, 15:01 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


News18
an hour ago
- News18
Jason Holder Creates History, Becomes First Player To...
Last Updated: Jason Holder now holds the record for most T20I wickets for West Indies. Jason Holder lived every all-rounder's dream on Saturday. The West Indian star picked up four wickets and hit the winning boundary to clinch a last-ball thriller and keep a series alive against Pakistan at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Lauderhill, Florida. If that's not enough, his wickets also made him the first cricketer with over 80 T20I wickets for the West Indies. He now has 81 scalps to his name, the highest ever for the Windies, going past DJ Bravo's 78 — a record he held since 2021. Holder's 81 wickets have come in 18 fewer matches (and six fewer innings) than Bravo's 91 (77 innings), too, which should put him high on the list of West Indies' all-time greats. His wickets in the match included both Pakistani openers, Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan, a caught-and-bowled of the innings' top run-scorer, Hasan Nawaz, and Mohammad Nawaz. Pakistan managed only 133/9 in the first innings. In reply, the West Indies were reduced to 96/6 in the 17th over. Shepherd smashed a six and a four off Hasan Ali in the 19th over to leave West Indies on 126 for seven entering the final over. Shaheen Shah Afridi allowed Holder a run but then took Shepherd's wicket for 15. Holder and Shamar Joseph took a few singles, and Afridi bowled a wide, leaving three runs for the last ball. Afridi got the yorker wrong and Holder, who had moved outside the crease, flicked it between square leg and fine leg in the circle for a boundary. With it, he ended West Indies' six-match losing streak. Told Romario when we were batting that we need four sixes," Holder said afterwards, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. 'We are powerful players and knew that we could find the boundary. Just keep wickets in hand but still hit in our strong areas. Credit to Pakistan bowlers. They did really well. extremely proud of our men. Even from the Australia series, we could see plenty of positives. Bowlers supported each other, we got wickets upfront, in middle and towards the end. I love playing for West Indies, still think a lot of work needs to be done. One of my things is to leave WI cricket better than I found it. We've had a fair bit of criticism which is warranted. We haven't done justice to our potential…we can be a lot better, consistency has definitely plagued us. For me, I'll keep putting in my best effort." view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Michael Vaughan slams compatriot Kevin Pietersen: 'I think he's talking nonsense' - all you need to know
Kevin Pietersen and Michael Vaughan (Agency Photos) Former England star Kevin Pietersen ignited a lively debate on social media after claiming that Test batting 20–25 years ago was "twice as hard back then" compared to today. Taking to X (formerly), the 45-year-old backed his argument by listing 22 legendary bowlers from that era and challenged fans to name 10 modern-day bowlers who could match up. 'Waqar [Younis], Shoaib [Akhtar], [Wasim] Akram, [Saqlain] Mushtaq, [Anil] Kumble, [Javagal] Srinath, Harbhajan [Singh], [Allan] Donald, [Shaun] Pollock, [Lance] Klusener, [Darren] Gough, [Glenn] McGrath, [Brett] Lee, [Shane] Warne, [Jason] Gillespie, [Shane] Bond, [Daniel] Vettori, [Chris] Cairns, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Murali[tharan], Curtley [Ambrose], Courtney [Walsh] and the list could go on and on… I've named 22 above. Please name me 10 modern day bowlers that can compare to the names above?' Pietersen wrote. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! However, his comments didn't sit well with everyone. Fellow former England captain Michael Vaughan took a firm stand against Pietersen's viewpoint during a discussion on Sony Sports Network. 'I think he's talking nonsense,' said Vaughan. 'I have looked at the last six or seven years closely. You look at the Indian seamers now, they are as good as they ever had. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo You look at the Australian attack, that trio that Australia had, it is as good as they have had.' Vaughan further defended the current generation of bowlers from across the globe, pointing to their quality and the level of competition in recent years. 'You go to South Africa, Rabada and Jansen. You go to New Zealand, Boult, Southee. I've loved the last few years of Test match cricket because it has been competitive. I think this era of batting, I don't think it has been any easier than any other era. I think there's some wonderful bowlers around.' Pietersen's tweet may have been meant to spark conversation, but it's clear he got more than he bargained for. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!