Share

Klaasen, Ram book semis spot in London

London - Seventh seeds Raven Klaasen (RSA) / Rajeev Ram (USA) are making the most of their debut at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

The pairing advanced to the semi-finals with a tight 6-3, 7-6(8) win over fourth seeds Feliciano Lopez/Marc Lopez on Friday evening in London.

With the win, Klaasen/Ram clinched second place in Group Fleming/McEnroe. Joining Klaasen/Ram in the final four are fifth seeds Henri Kontinen/John Peers, who finished first in Group Fleming/McEnroe with a 3-0 record.

Klaasen/Ram will face second seeds Jamie Murray/Bruno Soares in the semi-finals, who clinched the year-end No 1 Emirates ATP Doubles Team Ranking on Friday. Kontinen/Peers take on third seeds Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan in the other semifinal.

The importance of the occasion produced some understandably tense moments for both Klaasen/Ram and Lopez/Lopez in the opening set.

Both teams traded early service breaks, but Klaasen/Ram gained the advantage after Klaasen hit a volley winner to break Marc Lopez and give his team a 5-3 lead. The South African-American pair won the final eight points of the set to grab an early advantage.

Both teams held serve throughout the second set to force a tie-break. An overhead winner from Klaasen gave his team a mini-break to lead 3/1.

Klaasen/Ram were unable to convert on two match points at 6/4, with a passing shot from the Spanish duo levelling the tie-break at 6/6. A return winner from Marc Lopez erased another match point at 6/7, while a volley winner from Feliciano Lopez saved another at 7/8.

But Klaasen/Ram stayed calm and converted on their fifth opportunity, wrapping up the match in one hour and 24 minutes.

The semi-finals will be shown live on SuperSport at 20:00 Saturday 19 November.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE