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Mark Knowles Still Winning At 40

Mark Knowles, pictured, won the SAP Open with partner Xavier Malisse, of Belgium, yesterday. The duo prevailed over the unseeded team of Kevin Anderson and Frank Moser, 6-4, 1-6 and 10-5.

After just one tennis title last year, Bahamian touring pro Mark Knowles is off to a good start this year, as he and his men’s doubles partner, Xavier Malisse of Belgium, took out the unseeded team of South African Kevin Anderson and German Frank Moser, in three tough sets, 6-4, 1-6 and 10-5, to win the SAP Open at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California yesterday.

It was the first tournament of the year for Knowles, and the second title together with Malisse. The duo also won the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles last year. As for the championship on Sunday, Anderson and Moser dictated the pace of the match, but Knowles and Malisse were able to win all of the big points. They had a key ace in the tie break and were strong on their second serves, converting on two out of two opportunities, to seal the match and the championship.

“It feels good to get one under the belt early. Obviously, I’m playing in a reduced schedule this year so that I can spend more time with my family; so to come into my first tournament and take the title is a real good feeling,” said Knowles from San Jose yesterday. “It was a good match. We won the first and they took the second, and in the tie-breaker, it just came down to who could make shots and score points. We tried to make as many shots as possible. It was a great result for us and I’m excited about the rest of the year.”

Knowles skipped the first grand slam of the year, the Australian Open, to spend time with his family. He said that he was eager to get back into action, and was very satisfied with his play this past week. In the semi-finals on Saturday, he and Malisse, seeded fourth, took out the team of Gilles Muller, from Luxembourg, and Malisse’s countryman Olivier Rochus, 7-6 (4) and 6-3. In the quarter-finals, Knowles and Malisse took out the team of American James Cerretani and Matthew Ebden from Australia, 6-3 and 6-2.

“We just wanted to come out and play hard,” said Knowles. “We found ourselves playing well at the right time and it worked out for us. Winning never gets old. We just want to continue getting better and looking for new ways to win.”

The 40-year-old Knowles might have missed the first grand slam tournament of the year, but he said that he has every intention of playing in the remaining three, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Now with three young kids, two boys and a girl, he is missing more tournaments and spending more time with his family, but he said that he definitely intends to play in the other grand slam tournaments and complete his 20th year on the circuit.

The SAP Open is a $600,000 Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour event that is played on indoor hard-courts at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

Kelsie Johnson,
The Nassau Guardian

Posted in Sports

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