Fever-Tree Championships: Simon and Lopez to face off in singles final, Murray and Lopez remain unbeaten

Andy Murray and Feliciano Lopez will play in the Fever-Tree Championships doubles final on Sunday at the Queen’s Club, after completing both their quarter-final and semi-final matches on Saturday.

The pair did not leave the court between their quarter-final, which required just 13 minutes to complete, and their semi-final against the defending champions Henri Kontinen and John Peers.

Murray and Lopez outlasted Kontinen and Peers behind some incredible crowd support 7-5, 6-7, [10-7]. Despite playing his first event since a major hip resurfacing surgery earlier this year, Murray remains fit heading into Sunday’s final against fellow Brit Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram. Salisbury and Ram were in fine form to defeat fourth seeds Bob and Mike Byran 7-6(4), 7-6(8) to reach the final. 

“No pain in my hip at all, zero,” said Murray. “My back's a bit stiff. You know, you're sort of getting down low for a lot of balls and you're always kind of in a crouched-over position in doubles a bit more than when you're in singles.”

Lopez also found singles success on Saturday, advancing to the final with a victory over 18 year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime. Lopez became the first man to reach both the singles and doubles finals since Mark Philippoussis won both titles in 1997.

The Spaniard was facing an opponent who had not dropped serve in his three previous matches at the Queen’s Club, but Lopez managed to frustrate Auger-Aliassime with his slice backhand and attacking grass court game.

“If someone had told me this a week ago, I would say you're crazy,” Lopez remarked about his run to both finals. “To be here again in the finals in both singles and doubles, it's tough to believe, no?”

Lopez will face Gilles Simon in Sunday’s final, who outlasted Daniil Medvedev 6-7, 6-4, 6-3. In a match that featured multiple rallies of over 40 shots, Simon proved the more durable. The Frenchman, who won his fourth three-set match in as many rounds, was pleased with his stamina.

“It was a really, really good performance today with the fatigue from the match yesterday,” Simon told reporters after the match. “I found a good rhythm. I was hitting the ball well. I had good ball control on both sides.”

Elsewhere, Team USA won the inaugural Paul Hutchins Trophy on Day 6 of the Fever-Tree Championships. French Open semi-finalist Martin Damm clinched the Trophy for the Americans by beating Arthur Fery 7-5 4-6 7-6.

Entering the day, the Americans held a 4-2 lead over Team GB and, despite a walkover from Toby Alex Kodat, were able to secure victory before the doubles rubber. Blu Baker and James Story won the doubles match for the Brits, making the final score 6-5 in favour of Team USA.

British tennis saw more success, however, in the Fever-Tree Wheelchair Championships.  Gordon Reid opened the day’s play by upsetting the defending champion Stefan Olsson 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. He was followed on Court 5 by his doubles partner Alfie Hewett, who needed less than an hour to defeat fellow Brit Dermot Bailey.

Reid and Hewett will meet in tomorrow’s singles final on Court 1 at the Fever-Tree Championships. They will then compete together in the doubles final, having eased past  the French duo of Frederic Cattaneo and Gaeton Menguy.

Play on Centre Court will begin at 13:30 with the singles final between Feliciano Lopez and Gilles Simon. With a win on Sunday, Feliciano Lopez would become the oldest singles champion at The Queen’s Club, while Simon will attempt to become the first French champion in the event’s history. Lopez would also be the first wild card champion since Pete Sampras in 1999.