Feliciano Lopez wins Aegon Championships

Veteran Spaniard Feliciano Lopez has won his first Aegon Championships title at the age of 35, defeating Marin Cilic in the final.
 
Cilic, the champion at the Queen's Club in 2012, was the one player of Grand Slam-winning pedigree to make the later stages after stars like Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka tumbled out. But while the giant Croat will undoubtedly have gained some form ahead of the Championships, Wimbledon, he could not get past the determined Lopez.
 
The 2014 US Open winner, who powered down 22 aces in the match, took the first set 6-4, but Lopez won the second and third on tie-breaks, the latter being an absolute thriller that see-sawed before finally tipping the way of a man who becomes the oldest ever winner of the tournament. 
 
In the doubles, there was joy for the home crowd as Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares beat  French pair Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-2, 6-3 in the final in front of a fervent crowd, who will now be excited about the chances of two Murray triumphs at the Championships, Wimbledon. 
 
Murray and Soares completed victory despite first having to finish a rain-delayed semi-final, where Cilic had to come back on court after his loss to Lopez along with Marcin Matkowski. In the end, there was more Croat disappointment as Murray and Soares took the final set 10-8 before carrying their momentum into the final. 
 
While Feliciano Lopez is not going to be among the favourites for Wimbledon, another 35-year-old undoubtedly is. Roger Federer had started his grass court season with a loss to 39-year-old Tommy Haas, but, having shaken off the rust caused by missing the clay court season, the seven-time Wimbledon winner moved up through the gears to claim the Gerry Weber Open at Halle. Like Lopez at Queen's, he became the oldest ever winner of the tournament.
 
It was Federer's ninth triumph at Halle and one of the most impressive, as he demolished rising youngster Alex Zverev 6-1, 6-3 in the final.  
 
Another big story was Petra Kvitova's triumph in the Aegon Classic in Birmingham, her first title since career-saving hand surgery. As a two-time Wimbledon champion, she must now be among the favourites.