SA doubles ace Raven Klaasen and his new partner, Ben McLachlan from Japan, triumphed in their first tournament together at the ATP event in Cologne, Germany.

South African doubles ace Raven Klaasen and his new partner, Ben McLachlan from Japan, triumphed in their first tournament together at the ATP event in Cologne, Germany on Sunday.
Klaasen and McLachlan defeated two-time Roland Garros champions Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies 6-2, 6-4 in the title match on Sunday.
According to the ATP Tour’s official website, the unseeded duo did not lose a set all week at the ATP 250-level event.
They faced a stiff test in the final against Krawietz and Mies, who have qualified for the ATP Finals for the second consecutive year and entered the match having won all four of their previous championship matches.
“It was a fun match to play. I want to thank my partner Ben. It was our first week together, had a lot of fun out here,” Klaasen said during the trophy ceremony. “We were very fortunate today for things to go our way. We played probably the hottest team on Tour right now in these guys.”
Klaasen played with Austrian Oliver Marach this year, but the duo struggled in recent events.
The South African’s victory sees him boast an ATP Tour trophy in eight consecutive years.
The 38-year-old has won 17 career doubles titles.
– Compiled by Sport24 staff