[MakkabI]
June 19th, 2005, 12:59 PM
Yoni Erlich and Andy Ram could not have wished for a better warmup for Wimbledon.
The Israeli duo, ranked 14th in the ATP doubles race, defeated Simon Aspelin from Sweden and Australia's Todd Perry 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the final of the 10tele.com Open Saturday at Nottingham.
The victory capped a week of near-flawless tennis for the second-seeded pair, who have won a total of five titles together.
Saturday's win against the tournament's top seeds came after a close and tense 2-hour, 16-minute match, and may indicate a turnaround in the recent fortunes of the Israelis.
Since winning their last title in Rotterdam in February, 2005 hasn't brought much success for the two, highlighted by an upset loss to Great Britain in the key rubber of April's Davis Cup tie.
Erlich was understandably thrilled after the match. "We had a great week here this week," he told the ATP Web site. "We really enjoyed playing in Nottingham. This is our second title after a while without winning so it feels great.
"I'd also like to congratulate Simon and Todd for a great week and they're having a great year. I really appreciated playing against them and winning obviously."
Erlich and Ram compete at Wimbledon this week, where they will face Britain's Arvind Parmar and Jamie Delgado in the first round. The Israeli pair, seeded 15th for this year's tournament, reached the semifinals at Wimbledon two years ago, and Ram also made the finals of the mixed doubles that same year.
In Wimbledon qualifying, Noam Okun reached the main draw after his third-round opponent, Jan-Michael Gambill of America, retired due to a shin injury. At the time Okun was leading 6-2, 5-4.
Okun, currently Israel's top men's singles player with an ATP ranking of 152, will meet Gael Monfils (82) in the first round. The two have met once previously with the Frenchman prevailing at a challenger in Monfils's home country.
It will be Okun's second appearance at the grasscourt Grand Slam, after losing a first-round match in 2002. The US Open of that year was the last time Okun appeared in a Grand Slam.
Meanwhile, Shahar Peer faces Meilen Tu of the United States in the women's singles at Wimbledon, while Anna Smashnova faces No. 13 seed Elena Likhovtseva of Russia.
:)
The Israeli duo, ranked 14th in the ATP doubles race, defeated Simon Aspelin from Sweden and Australia's Todd Perry 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the final of the 10tele.com Open Saturday at Nottingham.
The victory capped a week of near-flawless tennis for the second-seeded pair, who have won a total of five titles together.
Saturday's win against the tournament's top seeds came after a close and tense 2-hour, 16-minute match, and may indicate a turnaround in the recent fortunes of the Israelis.
Since winning their last title in Rotterdam in February, 2005 hasn't brought much success for the two, highlighted by an upset loss to Great Britain in the key rubber of April's Davis Cup tie.
Erlich was understandably thrilled after the match. "We had a great week here this week," he told the ATP Web site. "We really enjoyed playing in Nottingham. This is our second title after a while without winning so it feels great.
"I'd also like to congratulate Simon and Todd for a great week and they're having a great year. I really appreciated playing against them and winning obviously."
Erlich and Ram compete at Wimbledon this week, where they will face Britain's Arvind Parmar and Jamie Delgado in the first round. The Israeli pair, seeded 15th for this year's tournament, reached the semifinals at Wimbledon two years ago, and Ram also made the finals of the mixed doubles that same year.
In Wimbledon qualifying, Noam Okun reached the main draw after his third-round opponent, Jan-Michael Gambill of America, retired due to a shin injury. At the time Okun was leading 6-2, 5-4.
Okun, currently Israel's top men's singles player with an ATP ranking of 152, will meet Gael Monfils (82) in the first round. The two have met once previously with the Frenchman prevailing at a challenger in Monfils's home country.
It will be Okun's second appearance at the grasscourt Grand Slam, after losing a first-round match in 2002. The US Open of that year was the last time Okun appeared in a Grand Slam.
Meanwhile, Shahar Peer faces Meilen Tu of the United States in the women's singles at Wimbledon, while Anna Smashnova faces No. 13 seed Elena Likhovtseva of Russia.
:)