Feb. 14, 2011

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Former Illini Rajeev Ram and teammate Scott Lipsky captured the doubles title at the SAP Open, an ATP World Tour event held in San Jose, Calif., on Feb. 13. It was the second title for the duo, which secured the win with a 6-4, 4-6, 10-8 victory over Alejandro Falla and Xavier Malisse. Ram and Lipsky first began competing together last July and in that time, have reached the finals in three of their six tour-level appearances, including a win in Atlanta in their first tournament together.

"Matches start to build on each other," Ram said in an ATP press release. "We've won a few in a row now. It's always nice to play on Sunday, and it's even better to win on Sunday, so we're happy and hopefully we can keep it rolling for a little bit now."

"This is another feather in the cap for Raj and his impressive doubles resume," Illinois head coach Brad Dancer said. "I know Raj is committed to bringing his singles ranking back into the top 100, but in the meantime, he continues to improve aspects of his game allowing for this type of success."

Fellow former Illini Kevin Anderson is also off to a great start in 2011, as he remained at a career-high No. 40 in the world in this week's South African Airways ATP rankings. He is currently the eighth seed competing in the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships, an ATP World Tour event in Memphis, Tenn., Feb. 14-20.