Ken and Neal Skupski win the doubles at the Mexican Open in Acapulco; Alexander Zverev collects singles crown

Liverpudlian brothers Ken and Neal Skupski have won their biggest title together at the Mexican Open in Acapulco, with Alexander Zverev and Aslan Karatsev the other big winners at the weekend ahead of the Miami Open.

Having beaten the top two British doubles players, Jamie Murray and Joe Salisbury, and their partners in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, the Skupskis took out top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 in the final.

The victory earned them their third ATP title together and first since Budapest in 2019, after which Neal spent a year and a half partnering Murray.

That ended in November when Murray decided to reunite with his former partner Bruno Soares, prompting the Skupskis to rekindle their partnership.

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Speaking on court, Ken said: “I’d like to thank Neal, actually. It’s been a long road since we sort of broke up and got back together. This is a magic moment for both of us.”

The title sees Ken break back into the top 50 in the doubles rankings while Neal will be at a career high of 23 when the standings are updated on Monday.

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Zverev won the Mexican Open singles title by defeating top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 7-6 (7-3).

The German, who played through a 5.7-magnitude earthquake in the previous day’s semi-final, fought back from a break down in the first set.

Tsitsipas and Zverev pushed each other hard in the second before the German claimed the tournament and his 14th tour-level title by winning the tiebreaker 7-3.

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“I’ve always said that this is definitely a tournament that I wanted to win in my career,” Zverev said in his post-match press conference. “I have a very strong relationship with Mexico and with this tournament. I came here with a goal and I achieved it, and I’m very happy with that.”

Aslan Karatsev won his first ATP Tour title as the Russian continued his fine start to 2021 by beating Lloyd Harris in the final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Having become the lowest-ranked Grand Slam semi-finalist in two decades at the Australian Open last month, Karatsev was handed a wildcard in Dubai and cruised to a 6-3 6-2 victory over Harris.

This was the first time an ATP 500 final was competed between a wildcard and a qualifier, South African Harris having seen off Denis Shapovalov in the semi-finals.

“I am super happy. It was a tight match. (I was) really nervous,” Karatsev said quotes reported by atptour.com. “I want to congratulate my opponent for the final. He did a great week… I am happy that I won.”

“You never know when (success) is coming. I did a good job with my team, with my coach and it has happened now.

“I am really happy with my performance and really happy with my game. At the beginning of the year, to play an Australian Open semi-final, to show a great level.

“After the Australian Open, I kept going, practising hard… I arrived here with more belief than in Doha. I showed a fantastic week and good game.”

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Daria Kasatkina became the first Russian winner of the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy when wild card Margarita Gasparyan was forced to retire from their all-Russian final with a lower back injury.

The eighth-seeded Kasatkina was leading 6-3 2-1 when back problems made it impossible for Gasparyan, who had enjoyed the best week of her career, to continue.

Her fourth career title, which makes Kasatkina the first player to win two WTA tournaments in 2021, will lift the 23-year-old back inside the Top 50 next week.

First Title is so special ?? Congratulations @leylahfernandez ? pic.twitter.com/spS26pbLpn

Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez sealed her first WTA title after defeating Swiss qualifier Viktorija Golubic 6-1 6-4 in the Monterrey Open final.

“I didn’t think it was a final or anything. I just tried to think of it as another match,” Fernandez said after claiming the WTA 250 event.

She will rise to a career-high 69th in the world in the WTA rankings after her victory.

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