/ 17 February 2014

SA’s Klaasen shines at US indoor tennis championships

Raven Klaasen.
Raven Klaasen.

South African tennis ace Raven Klaasen together with American partner Eric Butorac won the men's doubles title in the US National Indoor Tennis Championships in Memphis on Sunday night.

Second seeds Butorac and Klaasen upset top seeds and world number one pairing, US twins Bob and Mike Bryan 6-4 6-4 in the final.

This is the second time this season Butorac and Klaasen have beaten the Bryan brothers. Early this year, Butorac and Klaasen upset the twins in the third round of the Australian Open where they won through to the finals.

The Bryans, who were defending champions, were bidding for their fourth Memphis crown (2001, 2004, 2013).

The victory was Klaasen's fourth Association of Tennis Professionals? (ATP) title and Butorac's 15th ATP title and second Memphis title (2007).

This is the second title for Butorac and Klaasen, with their first in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2013, and was their third final together.

The win 'feels really good'
Klaasen said the win "feels really good".

"This is my first time in Memphis and playing in front of that crowd in the final was exciting for us," he said in a statement.

"The Bryan brothers have a great record everywhere you go. We got off to a great start in the match and were fortunate to keep it going for the entire match."

Butorac said: "To get a win over the Bryans solidifies what we did in Australia and we're on the right path to being one of the top teams in the world. We need to keep improving and getting better."

Butorac and Klaasen would now travel to Florida, US, for the ATP Delray Beach Open being played this week. They are seeded second in Delray Beach behind the Bryans. – Sapa