Steve Johnson to defend Newport title in July
The Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open in Newport has been one of the unique places in the ATP calendar where the history of the US tennis started way back in 1881, standing as the only ATP event on grass in North America! It stayed one of the most important tournaments and sites in the States, with a fantastic Museum and an annual Hall of Fame ceremony that celebrates the best players of our game every year. Newport has been a regular stop in the ATP calendar since 1976, with Greg Rusedski, Fabrice Santoro, Mark Philippoussis, Mardy Fish, John Isner and Lleyton Hewitt as some of the notable winners.
Also, thanks to its place in the calendar just after Wimbledon, it hasn't always attracted the strongest field of players, with some memorable moments with many lower-ranked players reaching the final or lifting the trophy. There's also a famous "Casino course" related to the top seeds that John Isner managed to break three times, going all the way while being the top favorite. The 2019 edition will take place between July 15-21 and the organizers have confirmed the defending champion Steve Johnson as the first player in the draw, returning to Newport for the fifth time in the last six years.
Steve competed in Newport for the first time as a qualifier in 2012, ranked 400th, returning much stronger two years later when he scored the first main draw wins to reach the quarters where Lleyton Hewitt took him down in straight sets. After winning two matches in total in 2015 and 2016, Johnson raised the level last July to score commanding wins over Christian Harrison, Dudi Sela and Marcel Granollers, facing just two break points in three matches and toppling Ramkumar Ramanathan 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 in the title match for the fourth and so far the last ATP crown.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2IchbNl
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