Kontinen and Roger-Vasselin, who partnered Ivan Dodig to the 2019 Montpellier doubles title, now challenge Roman Jebavy and Jiri Vesely. "I think its going to be a good positive thing because we already know each other so well and weve already spent a lot of time practising with each other, it actually becomes a lot easier when youve already done all that work before you have done the work as a team," Peers said of his partnership with Venus. } The Qatar Open will take place from January 06-11. 1 and the first Finnish player to do so as well, Peers told ATPWorldTour.com. Peers competed in his first ever Masters 1000 tournament at the Shanghai Masters, where he and Murray defeated established doubles champions Julien Benneteau, Nenad Zimonji and Robert Lindstedt on their way to the semifinals, where they lost in straight sets to Spanish duo of Marrero and Verdasco, in a closely fought contest that ended up being decided by two tiebreakers. position: relative; 9 on the Doubles Rankings, boosted by his success later in the year. Read More. Despite a close first set, the pair lost to established doubles pairing of Rohan Bopanna and douard Roger-Vasselin in straight sets. One week later at the BNP Paribas Masters event in Paris the duo made it all the way to the final without dropping a set where they again met Herbert and Mahut. width: auto; Shortly after helping Finland to a 3-2 victory over Poland in a Davis Cup zonal tie in September 2011, Kontinen underwent surgery on a left knee injury that had gotten progressively worse. They progressed to the semi-finals after defeating each of their opponents in the group stage. 1 doubles playerthe first Finnish player, male or female, to do so. As 10th seeds the couple finally defeated Bopanna/Mergea by winning 86 the 5th set of the third round match. [6] On July Kontinen and Peers won the German Open Tennis Championships. Peers and Murray defeated multiple Grand Slam champion and former world No. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Official tennis player profile of Henri Kontinen on the ATP Tour. Peers began the 2013 season playing with fellow Australian John-Patrick Smith, receiving a wildcard into the Australian Open. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Get the latest stats and tournament results for tennis player Henri Kontinen on ESPN.com. Peers ended the year at No. fined $12,000 for damaging the court with her racket, Andy Murray chose Laura Robson over her as his mixed partner, the pair going on to win the silver medal. There they faced the Australian duo of Sam Groth and Chris Guccione and won. a[href*="540/draws?matchType=qualifier"]{ 5 in the National doubles ITA rankings So I've found that the best way is to learn as a team.. "Rafael Nadal could retire at Roland Garros," said former ATP ace. 1. } Heather Watson and Henri Kontinen beat Scott Lipsky and Alla Kudryavtseva to reach the mixed doubles semi-finals. It was here that Peers gained his first Grand Slam victory, upsetting the Polish duo of Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski in their opening match; in the second round they fell to Sergiy Stakhovsky and Mikhail Youzhny in straight sets. Harvard University ladies awarded by multiple All-Ivy honors! SUOMIpiti kiirett tenniksen Davis Cupissa Intiaa vastaan Espoon Metro-areenassa. Henri Kontinen 2018 Official WebsiteCreated by Snou Creative, Henri Kontinen loisti ja hiljensi pienen intialaisyleisn, kun Suomi ratkaisi nelinpeliss tenniksen Davis Cupin, Two-time Nitto ATP Finals champions Henri Kontinen & John Peers split, Kontinen/Roger-Vasselin Triumph In Montpellier, Kontinen/Roger-Vasselin Claim Maiden Team Title In Stockholm, Chardy/Kontinen Capture Maiden Team Title In Rotterdam, Kontinen & Peers Overcome Hiccup To Extend Championship Win Streak To 10, Finnish-Aussie duo claim 12th team trophy, Read & Watch: Nitto ATP Finals Champions Win In Brisbane, Kontinen/Peers Retain Nitto ATP Finals Title. The pair played their first Grand Slam tournament together at the French Open, however despite taking out the 15th seeded team of Knowle and Polek in the first round, they ultimately fell in their next match against the Colombian duo of Juan Sebastin Cabal and Robert Farah Maksoud. Henri Kontinen, AKA H. Kontinen, is the 21 double tiles winner on the ATP Tour in his life. 1 for the first time on 9 June 2003. 2015 was a breakthrough year for him as he won five titles[2][3] including title at the Barcelona Open BancSabadell, his first ATP World Tour 500 series title. Kontinen and Peers also won the 2016 and 2017 ATP Finals, and reached the final at the 2019 Australian Open. padding-left: 0px; A couple of months later, Peers and Murray won their first title together, defeating 13-time Grand Slam champions and world No. .is-mobile .scores-daily-schedule-content td.day-table-seed, .scores-results-content td.day-table-seed { Just as hard-graft helped Jarkko Nieminen become world-class for a place in Finlands sporting history, alongside the likes of Janne Ahonen, Mika Hkkinen, Sami Hyypi and Teemu Selnne, Kontinens determination to succeed has also helped his talent blossom. }. .is-desktop .atp-logo{ No part of this site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying, recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means), without the written permission of ATP Tour, Inc.. Kontinen/Roger-Vasselin Triumph In Montpellier, Kontinen/Roger-Vasselin Blast Into Montpellier SFs. 1. But its pretty cool to know Ive got to No. Also Roland Garros was a disappointment for the already consolidated pair, as they were sent home by Baker/Daniell already in the round of 32. He is the first Finn and 50th player overall since the establishment of the team rankings in March 1976 to become World No. ", "Kontiselta hurja harppaus maailmanlistalla nyt jo 10 parhaan joukossa! margin-left: 15px; He also reached the final of the 2008 US Open boys' doubles with Rungkat. Its going to be a nice fresh feeling with Mikey and something new and energetic." Im not really thinking about that, she said. Peers participated the Rio Olympics teaming with Chris Guccione. Peers played varsity tennis for the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders before transferring school to play for Baylor University Bears. The pair made it to the quarterfinals before losing to Julien Benneteau and douard Roger-Vasselin. Watsons run may yet have a double dividend as she prepares for next months Olympics in Rio. display: none !important; 1s in ATP history. Peers went to Mentone Grammar and led the 1STS team to two premierships, his first when he was in Year 7 in 2001 and his second when he was in Year 12 in 2006. margin-right:15px; Their luck did not change by the time of US Open. Im really enjoying my time on court. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings, ending the 38-week stint of France's Nicolas Mahut at the summit of the professional game. [4] On AprilMay they won the BMW Open together. Henri Kontinen is the newest doubles No. He's a very nice, easy-going guy that everyone gets along with and very respectful. In doubles, Peers partnered Max Purcell and lost in the first round. Peers and Kontinen continued in Hamburg at the 500 series tournament. [7] On August Kontinen won the Winstom-Salem Open playing with Guillermo Garca-Lpez. It was Kontinen's 10th doubles title in his career. In doubles, you win and lose as a team so you set shared goals, Kontinen told ATPWorldTour.com. Having begun with a whimper, it could end up with a first Wimbledon title. *US OPEN - New York, USA August 24, 2021 to September 12, 2021 . margin-left: 15px; PHOTO INSIDE, The Columbia University closed the regular season with a 6-1 win against Cornell, ATP Madrid: Carlos Alcaraz downs Grigor Dimitrov and remains on title course, Rafael Nadal reflects on "disastrous" loss to Alexander Zverev in Madrid, Mutua Madrid Open: Iga Swiatek's brisk triumph sees her enter pre-quarters. Treat Huey: Huge congratulations to Henri for reaching World No. 1 ranking to Melo. Peers and Kontinen separated for the next tournament in Sydney, and got beaten by the same opponents, the fourth seeds Bopanna/Mergea, in the second and the first round respectively. Peers' new partner will be eight-time doubles champion and world No. Henri Kontinen and John Peers pose with the men's doubles trophy. As Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer contested arguably the greatest match in tennis history: the 2008 Wimbledon final, 100 yards away on No. .summary-tbody td[data-type*='Rating'] { [5] At the 2016 Wimbledon Championships he reached quarterfinals of the men's doubles tournament together with Peers and the final of the mixed doubles with Heather Watson, which they won in straight sets. They next played at the Sony Open Tennis but lost in straight sets to sixth seeds Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonji. Rankings dont lie and hes now one of the youngest No. On the other side, Struff's main focus is on the singles but he has proved capable of playing well in the doubles as well. In August the pairing reached the final of the Winston-Salem Open as the third seeds but lost to the pairing of Cabal/Farah. Peers and Kontinen then faced Colombian pair Cabal and Farah and won in three gruelling tiebreakers to progress to the quarterfinals. In May, the pair reached back-to-back quarterfinals at ATP 1000 Masters in Madrid and Rome. After winning the 2017 Australian Open men's doubles championship, Kontinen was ranked as world number one in doubles. It has been a strange fortnight for Heather Watson. At the Madrid Open Peers/Kontinen started well beating the second seeds Murray/Soares in the second round. Former doubles world No. } Wimbledon 2016: Heather Watson left delirious as 'joke' with partner Henri Kontinen leaves her a champion Watson and Kontinen set out in the mixed doubles to put the fun back into tennis,. In order to play you must be a registered user. } 1 Court, Grigor Dimitrov and Henri Kontinen were competing in the boys final. Copyright 1994 - 2020 ATP Tour, Inc. All Rights Reserved. They easily won their first- and second-round matches against Gonzlez / Marrero and Baghdatis / Mller. [8] He took the victory of St. Petersburg Open with Dominic Inglot. It's very impressive to reach No. In September Peers played again in the Davis Cup squad. . He definitely deserves it as hes been winning a lot. In Rome they had to leave the tournament after another first round defeat. Peers next played at the 2014 Dubai Tennis Championships with previous partner Julian Knowle, but they lost in the first round. They progressed to their first Grand Slam final, where they won in straight sets against the Bryan brothers. Jean-Julien Rojer: I would like to congratulate him for this amazing achievement. But it could have been very different for the relaxed and easy-going Kontinen, who, aged 21 had two knee, two right wrist surgeries and shoulder problems on the horizon. When it became official, the 26-year-old Kontinen was fast asleep in Tampere, a city in southern Finland, in preparation to joining his friend at an ice hockey match on Friday. It will be No. Copyright 1994 - 2020 ATP Tour, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Kontinen, 29, and 31-year-old Peers had lots off success, Henri KontinenandEdouard Roger-Vasselincapped their team debut week with a title at theIntrum Stockholm Openon Sunday, beating third seedsMate PavicandBruno Soares6-4, 6-2. We played well again. Current through the 2023 Monte Carlo Masters. It was the fifth title of the year for Kontinen and Peers, including their first grand slam triumph together at the Australian Open. Subsequently, Kontinen's singles development was hampered by knee injuries, and in 2013 he decided to concentrate on doubles. } Henri Kontinen ( Finnish pronunciation: [henri kontinen]; born 19 June 1990) is an inactive Finnish professional tennis player who is a former world No. In 2014 Kontinen won his first ATP title at the Bet-at-home Cup Kitzbhel with Jarkko Nieminen, he also played two more finals partnering Marin Draganja. }. 1 in such a short time being on Tour. (modern). The American twins Bob and Mike Bryan, 38, lost the men's doubles final Saturday evening to Henri Kontinen, 26, and John Peers, 28, with the Finnish-Australian team prevailing, 7-5, 7-5. [2] Peers has won 26 doubles titles on the ATP Tour, including the 2016 and 2017 ATP Finals as well as four at Masters 1000 level. At the PTT Thailand Open, the pair were seeded third and went on to win their third title of the year. Current through the 2021 Australian Open. Featuring news, bio, rankings, playing activity, coach, stats, win-loss, points breakdown, videos, and more. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. So it was the fate of a friend to inform Henkka of the news that Nicholas Monroe and Jack Sock had beaten Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, the leaders of professional doubles over much of the past 15 years, at the Miami Open presented by Itau. Australian doubles specialist John Peers admits that winning it all at the Rogers Cup in Toronto means a lot to him and partner Henri Kontinen. At the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, Kontinen/Peers managed to beat the second seeds Dodig/Melo before losing to Mahut/Pospisil in the semifinals. [4] They lost in the opening round of the Mutua Madrid Open, but managed to bounce back and reach the semi-finals of the Dsseldorf Open. Australian doubles specialist John Peers said he and Finland's Henri Kontinen mutually agreed to split and find new partners for the upcoming season but they remained on good terms. Roger Federer is back on the court: in New York he plays with some students! No part of this site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying, recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means), without the written permission of ATP Tour, Inc.. Peers represented Australia at the 2020 Summer Olympics in two events. In mixed doubles, Peers partnered Ashleigh Barty, and they won bronze. Max Mirnyi: Its great to see fresh, young blood in the game! Kontinen and Peers have also won three titles at Masters 1000 level. Showing Editorial results for henri_kontinen. .breakpoint-768 .sub-header-links{display:none;} If I get the opportunity to play mixed Ill take it but Im happy this week with my partner., Andy Murray reaches Wimbledon final with straight-sets win over Berdych, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. The pair's good form continued in Rotterdam, where after losing in the qualifying rounds they were handed a first-round match as lucky losers following a withdrawal. And if theBrisbane, Finnish-Australian duo take down year-end No. 1 pair Bob and Mike Bryan in the final of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships after coming back from a set down.[3]. This time the outcome was reversed allowing Peers to celebrate his second ATP tournament title of the year with his Finnish companion. font-size:15px; 2 in doubles, 2021: First Olympic mixed doubles bronze medal for Australia, fourth Masters title, 2022: US Open mixed doubles title, Two Major doubles quarterfinals, Bavarian International Tennis Championships, "John Peers Profile Baylor Bears Official Athletic Site BaylorBears.com", "Jamie Murray & John Peers beat Bryans to Houston doubles title", "Jamie Murray and John Peers win BMW Open doubles title", "Olympic Games Barty and Peers Claim Bronze", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Peers&oldid=1149562449, Bavarian International Tennis Championships, Germany, Queen's Club Championships, United Kingdom, This page was last edited on 13 April 2023, at 00:48. 1 spot as well, John Peers. I never set out to be No. Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken Ferris. ATPWorldTour.com pays tribute to the new doubles No. 1 Emirates ATP Doubles Team Ranking, butHenri KontinenandJohn Peersarent leaving. LONDON (AP) The Latest from Wimbledon (all times local): ___ 7:40 p.m. Finnish doubles specialist Henri Kontinen will start the new season with Franko Skugor of Croatia. The Briton will play on Saturday for a place in the final of the mixed doubles, after she and Henri Kontinen of Finland continued their surprise run with a fine 6-3, 6-2 win over the American Scott Lipsky and Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia. At the US Open, the pair had their most successful run at a Grand Slam tournament, making it all the way to the quarterfinals, defeating ninth seeds David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco on the way. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings, ending the 38-week stint of Frances Nicolas Mahut at the summit of the professional game. Kontinen and Peers won their maiden Grand Slam glory at the Australian Open in 2017 and also won back-to-back titles at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Tennis Channel Plus is THE best destination for all WTA action from Charleston. Peers also finished runner up at the Wimbledon Championships and US Open in 2015 alongside Jamie Murray, and at the 2019 Australian Open with Kontinen. After being forced to end his singles career at a young age due to injuries, having reached a career-high ranking of No. Having knocked out the favourites, Martina Hingis and Leander Paes, in the previous round, they played near perfectly in lovely afternoon sunshine to book their place in the last four, where they will meet Oliver Marach of Austria and the former junior Wimbledon champion Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia. The Australian Davis Cup star blasted three aces in one game in giving his combination a 5-4 second-set lead and also struck a perfect forehand lob winner on the final point. To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended. They lost only one point on first serve throughout the 70-minute contest. They easily won their first- and second-round matches against Gonzlez/Marrero and Baghdatis/Mller. Watson and partner Henri Kontinen of Finland beat Robert Farah of Colombia and Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany 7-6 (5), 6-4. Peers and Kontinen then appeared at the Swiss Indoors, where they lost in the first round to second seeds Herbert/Mahut in straight sets. Henri Kontinen nelinpelititteliin Pariisissa", "Mestaruus Lontoossa - Kontisen ja Peersin uskomaton loppukausi kesti loppuun asti! It is even more impressive for me because he's one of the younger doubles players on Tour and how quickly he's got up there. display:none; 2016: First World Tour Finals & Masters titles, 2017: Australian Open title, world No. Not only because I have known him for so long, but also because I know the physical struggles he has had with injuries - and to overcome that is, to me, a true sign of a champion. It was the first time we played together and, French-Finnish duo lifts first ATP 500 trophy of the season Jeremy ChardyandHenri Kontinencompleted a dream debut week on Sunday, beatingJean-Julien RojerandHoria Tecau7-6(5), 7-6(4) to lift their first team title at, Finnish/Aussie lift their third Masters 1000 trophy together Put Henri Kontinen and John Peers in a final together, and odds are that theyll find a way to win. In the semi-finals Kontinen/Peers faced off against Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan and came out with a 76, 64 victory to move on to the final against Klaasen and Ram. 1 when the Bryan brothers, also. He continues to break records for Finnish tennis and the sky is the limit for him. After being forced to end his singles career at a young age due to injuries, having reached a career-high ranking of No. Shortly after Andy Murray won in front of the home crowd, British player Heather Watson won another Wimbledon final on Centre Court in mixed doubles. It remains to be seen can Kontinen and Skugor make it all the way in their first tournament as a pair. The pair went on to reach the final, before losing in a rematch against Rojer/Tecu. Kontinen, who won an Australian Open title and back-to-back Nitto ATP Finals titles with Peers, will be hoping to be able to contend for the biggest titles with rising doubles star Struff. [1] In Munich Kontinen/Peers fought their way into the final to encounter Cabal/Farah again. [1] He reached the final of the 2008 Wimbledon boys' singles which he lost to Grigor Dimitrov having beaten Bernard Tomic in the semifinal. Robert Lindstedt, who trained with Kontinen when he partnered Nieminen, told ATPWorldTour.com, "We all used the same physio, Jarmo Ahonen, and I used to go to Helsinki a lot. Gold Partners Silver Partner . Perjantain kaksinpelien jlkeen Suomi johti 20 ja ratkaisi koko maaottelun nelinpeliss lauantaina. In Halle Kontinen/Peers lost at the semifinals to Kubot/Peya. } 3 seeds, lost a mixed doubles semifinal in the Australian Open 3-6, 6-3, 10-8 against fifth-seeded. display:none; With Sam Groth he defeated Martin/Zelenay of Slovakia, leading Australia to 30 victory that guaranteed a place in the following year's World Group. .atp-nav-list>.atp-nav-item { Heather Watson and Henri Kontinen through to mixed doubles semi-final Watson: 'I'm enjoying my time on court and Henri makes me laugh' After losing in singles first round she was fined $12,000. . .is-mobile .scores-daily-schedule-content td.day-table-seed, .scores-results-content td.day-table-seed { However, the pair lost their first match against the Argentine couple del Potro/Gonzlez. They followed this up by reaching the third round of the French Open, which was both their best result at the tournament, where they were defeated by top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan.[5]. Finland's Henri Kontinen and German Jan-Lennard Struff will team up next year to play "in selected big tournaments," per Lukas Zahrer. 1 since the Bryans (aged 25) on 8 September 2003. 2,620 Henri Kontinen Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO All Sports Entertainment News Archival Browse 2,620 henri_kontinen photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images. Injuries are a part of the deal when you play sport. } Skugor's regular partner in the 2019 season was his fellow compatriot Nikola Mektic. width: 32px; It proved to be a high point for the big fish of the junior world. Kontinen, 29, and 31-year-old Peers had lots off success Read More Oct 21 2 Kontinen/Roger-Vasselin Claim Maiden Team Title In Stockholm | by ATP staff Henri Kontinen (32) is a tennis player from Finland who has a career-high doubles ranking of No. He has represented Finland in the Davis Cup since 2008, often alongside his younger brother, Micke, who is himself a former tennis player. 1 in the ATP tour rankings, becoming the first player from Finland to reach the top spot. It was hard to take and certainly the toughest moments of my career, being so young and realising that a career of playing tennis in the future might not happen, Kontinen told ATPWorldTour.com. 1. The following week, Peers and Murray reached their second final in a row, Peers' first ATP 500 final at the Rakuten Japan Open. They played without dropping a set all the way to the final, to play against Nestor/Qureshi. 1. By defeating the unseeded ili/Pavi in the semifinals they were one step away from winning the tournament, but their final opponents Isner/Sock grabbed the title with more relaxed playing. a[href*="540/draws?matchType=qualifier"]{ Tennis: Kontinen and Skugor set to debut as a team in Doha. Belarus Max Mirnyi was also 25 when he reached No. float: left; Men's Doubles - Partner: Edouard . They then lost their opening match of the Eastbourne International. font-size:15px; width: auto; The pair made it to the semifinals, before losing to Daniel Nestor and Mariusz Fyrstenberg in straight sets. Subscribe today at BuyTCPlus.com**. "Rafael Nadal could retire at Roland Garros," said former ATP ace. Henri KontinenjaHarri, Top seeds dropped one set en route to the trophy Henri KontinenandEdouard Roger-Vasselinlifted their second tour-level title as a team on Sunday, following a 6-2, 7-5 victory againstJonathan ErlichandAndrei Vasilevskiin, Finlands Henri Kontinen and John Peers of Australia have agreed to part ways and find new partners for the 2020 season. 1. } In April, the pair reached their third final of the year in Barcelona, but lost to Draganja/Kontinen. Who Are The World's Toughest Doubles Opponents. position: relative; When I turned my focus to doubles, upon returning from injuries on the Futures circuit with my former junior partner, Christopher Rungkat [winners of the 2008 Roland Garros boys doubles title], I had to learn and get used to where to position myself. Perjantain kaksinpelin jlkeen nelinpeli riitti otteluparin viemiseen. In Cincinnati Peers tried to conquer the tournament with Kontinen, but they lost in the first round to Pouille/Tsonga. Relaxed and easy-going Kontinen combines finesse with serious firepower and an ability to focus and thrive on big points. The pair stuck together even though they had a series of first round defeats, until reaching quarterfinals at the Monte-Carlo Masters. The 27-year-old from the Blossom Park neighbourhood and Finland's Henri Kontinen, the No. In four short years, the 26 year old has risen from competing in ITF Futures tournaments on the comeback trail from injury, uncertain of his future, to today leading the team sport. [9] Kontinen and Peers had a successful end for the year as they won their first Masters title at Paris Masters[10] and the season ending ATP World Tour Finals title. 1 vs. No. He's one of the younger doubles guys on the Tour right now and is an incredible shot maker. Mirra Andreeva, the new women's tennis prodigy, Naomi Osaka credits Giannis Antetokounmpo for giving her 'life-changing' perspective, Dayana Yastremaska changed her hairstyle! Kontinen won the 2008 French Open boys' doubles title with Christopher Rungkat. Eventually, Australia lost the tie, which meant that it would have to face the play-offs. It certainly is a great feeling to be able to do what we have done together so far. In Madrid they lost to Lopez/Mirnyi, and in Rome they lost to eventual finalists Granollers/Lpez. It was reported that Kontinen's new partner for the 2020 season would be German Jan-Lennard Struff. } 1 Leander Paes on their way to the final, where they defeated Tomasz Bednarek and Johan Brunstrm in three sets. He has won 21 doubles titles on the ATP Tour, and became world No. LONDON (Reuters) - Finlands Henri Kontinen and Australian partner John Peers won the doubles title at the ATP Finals for the second year running when they beat world number one duo Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-4 6-2 on Sunday. After an initial victory over Delbonis/Pella, they were beaten in the second round by unseeded Lindstedt/Qureshi. At one stage we were both so injured that we were not allowed to play tennis and we did fitness together. Kontinen and Peers lost their opening round-robin match but went on to become the first pair to win back-to-back titles at the season-ender since Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan in 2003-2004. They made the second round before losing to Raven Klaasen and Eric Butorac in straight sets. Kontinen/Peers then headed to the American continent, reaching semifinals at the Citi Open and quarterfinals at Rogers Cup. 1., I love the sport, watch it and study it, said Kontinen, who also grew up playing football and basketball. Nenad Zimonjic: Id like to congratulate Henri, a relaxed and easy-going guy. Peers also earned ITA Texas Region Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship Award. [11] Kontinen reached the top 10 in rankings as the first Finnish tennis player ever to do so.[12]. Murray/Peers again began their year at the 2015 Brisbane International, where they defeated top seeds Rojer/Tecau in the first round before going on to win the title by defeating the pairing of Dolgopolov/Nishikori. The Olympic year brought changes to the doubles pairing. At the BMW Open the pair defeated the top seeds Raven Klaasen and Eric Butorac in the semi-finals before defeating Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins to win their first title of the year. He won his first Grand Slam title at the 2017 Australian Open, where he and Henri Kontinen won the men's doubles event. Having moved with his family to the Czech Republic aged 15, competing at the highest level, for which hed been touted, was a distant goal. A couple of weeks ago, Kontinen and his long-time partner John Peers announced the end. 1 for the first time on 3 April 2017, spending 26 weeks at the top of the rankings. Neither these opponents could steal a set from the number two seeded pair, which thus obtained their third ATP title together. However, the pair's destiny was to get defeated in the next round by the top seeds Herbert/Mahut. Good for him! Peers and Murray then went on to have a fairly successful grass court season, reaching the quarterfinals of the Aegon Championships, and the semifinals of the Aegon Championships. They emerged victorious yet again, winning 26, 61 [108] to claim their biggest tournament win to date. The Australian pair lost, letting the United States take a 21 lead in the tie. Kontinen, 29, recently split with his long-time partner John . .breakpoint-768 .sub-header-links{display:none;} His mother, Elizabeth Little, and sister, Sally Peers, are also former professional tennis players. They made the semi-finals before losing to Luk Dlouh and Tomasz Bednarek in straight sets. The duo then arrived at the Australian Open as the fourth seeds. width: 32px; They're up against the 15th seeds, Colombia's Robert Farah and Anna-Lena . Peers played next at the 2014 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament with Julian Knowle while Jamie Murray was out with injury. 220, Kontinen became a successful doubles player. Here's hoping Heather Watson, who partners Henri Kontinen of Finland, can finally experience a little joy in SW19. They followed up the defeat by making the final of the Aegon Championships defeating the Bryan brothers in the second round but were beaten by second seeds Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares.