Newport, RI — Intriguing contrasts surround the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open. Held in on the grounds of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, America’s only grass-court ATP event juxtaposes the broad spectrum of tennis history with the myopic focus of contemporary pro tennis.
Never was this dichotomy more vivid than on Saturday. The afternoon kicked off with the annual induction ceremony – 11 Hall of Famers on the stage, welcoming new inductees Michael Stich and Helena Sukova into the Hall of Fame.
From celebrating history to making history: A pair of semifinal matches – each member of the quartet hoping to earn the Newport title for the first time.
The first match featured two men in the final four of an ATP World Tour tournament for the first time -- 30-year-old American Tim Smyczek versus 23-year-old Indian Ramkumar Ramanathan. Ranked No. 123 in the world, Smyczek knocked off fourth-seeded Matthew Ebden in the first round and in the quarters squeaked out a quarterfinal win over wild card Jason Jung.
Ramanahan, ranked No. 161, had compiled a meager record of 2-3 at ATP events in 2018. But this week, he caught fire, most notably in taking down eighth-seeded Denis Kudla, and then earning another impressive win over former Top-30 player Vasek Pospisil.
A sleek, stylish attacker with a big serve and appetite for attacking the net, Ramanathan’s hot form continued versus Smyczek. Cracking seven aces and winning an impressive 57 percent of his second serve points (compared to only 37 percent for Smyczek), in just over 90 minutes, Ramanathan earned a taut but emphatic 6-4, 7-5 win. In the process he became the first Indian to reach an ATP World Tour singles final since Somdev Devvarman more than seven years ago.
“It means a lot to me. Every match was very tough,” Ramanthan said about reaching the final. “I think the second match against Kudla was very tough. I pulled that out. On grass anything can happen. A few points here and there can change everything. I think I was composed and felt very well.”
The second semifinal between Marcelo Granollers and Steve Johnson was a battle between a pair of highly experienced players. Granollers,, ranked No. 124, was playing the 12th semifinal of his career – but hadn’t gotten that far in more than two years. His Newport run highlighted by an opening round victory over the sixth seed, big-serving lefty Gilles Muller, and a resounding quarterfinal 6-3, 6-1 win versus first-seeded Adrian Mannarino.