HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Philip Bester (born October 6, 1988) is a
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
former professional
tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
player from North Vancouver,
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, Canada. Bester was a finalist at the 2006 junior French Open. In doing so he became the first Canadian male to reach a Grand Slam final in singles.


As a junior

Bester was coached by his dad Alek Bester from age 5 when he started. Alek, a long time P.E. teacher at York House School in Vancouver, was the core of Philip's physical and tennis development till around the age of 16. Rufus Nel a high performance coach from South Africa was also a big part of Philip's early development, contributing his tennis knowledge and expertise on the game of tennis. At age 13, still coached by his dad, Philip moved down to Florida to attend the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. There he spent 4 years, before teaming up with Jon Sorbo for the 2006 year. He was a member of the 2005
Canadian Davis Cup team The Canada men's national tennis team represents Canada in Davis Cup tennis competition since 1913. They are overseen by Tennis Canada, the governing body of tennis in Canada. The team won their first Davis Cup in 2022, beating Australia 2–0 i ...
as a 17-year-old. He was also voted British Columbia's junior male athlete of the year for 2005 and reached a career-high No. 8 on the
International Tennis Federation The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the governing body of world tennis, wheelchair tennis, and beach tennis. It was founded in 1913 as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by twelve national tennis associations. there are 211 nat ...
Junior Boys rankings on January 2, 2006. Bester's best junior result was in the ''Boys' singles'' section of the 2006 French Open. He had a remarkable run for a natural serve-and-volleyer in becoming the first Canadian male junior to play in a Grand Slam final. (Later that year at the U.S. Open,
Peter Polansky Peter Polansky ( ; born June 15, 1988) is a Canadian professional tennis player of Czech origin. He was Canada's top singles player from June 21, 2010, until January 17, 2011, in the Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP rankings. He was also ...
duplicated the feat.) Bester lost his final to
Martin Kližan Martin Kližan (; born 11 July 1989) is a Slovak professional tennis player. He has a career-high singles ATP rankings, ranking of world No. 24, achieved on 27 April 2015, and No. 73 in doubles, achieved on 4 May 2015. He won the 2006 French Ope ...
, 3–6, 1–6.


On the professional tour


2004, 2005

While still a junior, Bester competed in Canada F1 and F2 Futures tournaments in 2004, losing handily in the first round of each. In 2005, he won he first tour match 6–2, 6–4, over compatriot Rob Steckley, in the Granby Challenger. He lost convincingly in the first round of the Vancouver Challenger and Canada Masters tournaments during the same summer before reaching the semi-finals of Canada F1 in Toronto in October.


2006

In 2006, Bester competed in Canada's tie versus
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, losing a singles dead rubber in straight sets to Bruno Echagaray. He followed this up with a semi-finals result at U.S.A. F9 in Vero Beach. In July he won his first Davis Cup match, in a live rubber over
Jhonnatan Medina-Álvarez Jhonnatan Medina-Álvarez (born 12 January 1982) is a Venezuelan former professional tennis player. A left-handed player from Caracas, Medina competed mostly in ITF Futures events, with the occasional appearance on the ATP Challenger Tour. He fe ...
of
Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
, as Canada prevailed to remain in the America Group 1 pool. Competing in a total of 7 Futures and 3 Challenger events for the year, Bester reached a high rank of World No. 670, in November.


2007

Bester began the year going 1 win and 1 loss at both Panama F1 and Costa Rica F1. He lost in the first round of his next two Futures events before again going 1 and 1 at this next two, Canada F2 and F3. Bester next reached the semi-finals of U.S.A. F7, and the quarter-finals of U.S.A. F8. He reached a new career high ranking in singles in May 2007 at World No. 589. Bester went 1 and 1 in each of his next two events, but again failed at the challenger and ATP level, losing in the first round as a wildcard at Granby, Vancouver, and the Rogers Cup. He went 5 and 4 in his next four Futures events, including a semi-finals result at U.S.A. F24. He again, however, failed to win in a Challenger, losing in the first round in
Rimouski Rimouski ( ; ) is a city in Quebec, Canada. Rimouski is located in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, at the mouth of the Rimouski River. It has a population of 48,935 (as of 2021). Rimouski, whose motto is ''Legi patrum fidelis'' (Faithful to ...
and
Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...
. He finished the year going 2 and 2 in two Futures events in Mexico.


2008

Bester began the year going 1 win and 1 loss at both New Zealand F1 and F2, in February–March. He then lost in the first round of his next six events, Canada F2, U.S.A. F9, F10, F12, F13, and the Granby Challenger. He finally reached the second round of a challenger event,
Moncton Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. Th ...
, defeating
Satoshi Iwabuchi is a retired professional tennis player from Japan. Iwabuchi won one ATP Tour doubles title in his career, the 2005 Japan Open, where he and Takao Suzuki defeated Simon Aspelin Simon Aspelin (; born 11 May 1974) is a former professional t ...
before falling to
Nicholas Monroe Benjamin Nicholas Monroe (born April 12, 1982) is an American former professional tennis player. Monroe was a doubles specialist. He reached a career-high ATP doubles ranking of No. 30 on 2 October 2017 and won four ATP Tour doubles titles and t ...
. He lost in the first round at the next three Challengers that he contested before reaching the second round at U.S.A. F26 and the semi-finals of U.S.A. F27. Bester finished the year losing in the first round of the Rimouski Challenger. For 2008, in singles, he went 1 and 7 in Challenger events and 6 and 9 in Futures.


2009

For 2009, as of May 17, Bester had 12 wins and 8 losses in singles after eight tournaments - Mexico F1, F2, U.S.A. F4, Canada F1 and F2, and U.S.A. F7, F8, F9, F10, and F11. His best result was winning U.S.A. F11 at Harbour Island, Florida without dropping a set, where he beat unseeded Barbadian Haydn Lewis in the final, 6–2, 7–6. This result, securing him 17 ATP points, saw his ranking soar by exactly 100 places. In doubles, Bester and compatriot
Vasek Pospisil Vasek Pospisil ( ; , ; known in born June 23, 1990) is a Canadian former professional tennis player. Pospisil has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 25, and No. 4 in doubles. Along with partner Jack Sock, he won the 2014 Wimbledon Champi ...
reached the quarter-finals of U.S.A. F5. The following week he and another Canadian, Kamil Pajkowski, also reached the quarters, this time of Canada F1. The week after, Bester again reached the quarter-finals, of Canada F2, partnering Portuguese player Gastão Elias. His contract with coach Ellis Ferreira expired in March. In early April, Bester and partner, compatriot
Milos Raonic Milos Raonic ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Раонић, Miloš Raonić, ; born December 27, 1990) is a Canadian professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP ...
, won U.S.A. F7, defeating Lester Cook and
Treat Conrad Huey Treat Conrad Huey (; born August 28, 1985) is a Filipino-American former tennis player who represented the Philippines in international competitions. Huey specialized in doubles and reached eighteen finals, winning 8 titles on the ATP World ...
in the final. After losing in the final qualifying round at both U.S.A. F12 and F13 in singles, Bester reached the quarter-finals of U.S.A. F14, picking up 3 ATP ranking points in the process. This result helped him jump a further 22 places in the singles rankings, to World No. 611. The following week his doubles ranking took a dive from World No. 393 to No. 687. In doubles, Bester partnered American Greg Ouellette for U.S.A. F10, F12, F13, and F14, with the tandem reaching the finals of the first these tourneys, the semi-finals of the next, followed by ad quarter-finals appearance, and then a second finals. Bester, in mid-July, has lost in the second round of singles qualifying for the Fifth Third Bank Tennis Championships, as the No. 5 seed, to unheralded William Ward of New Zealand, 5–7, 4–6. The following week, he lost in the qualifying round of the Granby Challenger as the No. 8 seed, 7–6, 2–6, 6–7 to No. 2 seed
Tobias Kamke Tobias Kamke (born 21 May 1986) is a German former professional tennis player. He was ranked as high as world No. 64 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which he first achieved in January 2011. In 2010, Kamke was awarde ...
. In doubles, he and partner Kamil Pajkowski lost in the first round as wild card entrants. As a wild card entrant, Bester reached the quarter-finals of his hometown
Odlum Brown Vancouver Open The VanOpen, currently sponsored as Odlum Brown VanOpen, is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor Tennis court#Hard courts, hardcourts. It is part of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ATP Challenger Tour, Challenger ...
. He beat qualifier Kaes Van't Hof in the first round, 6–4, 4–6, 6–2, and No 5 seed Ryan Sweeting 1–6, 6–3, 6–4 in the second. In the quarters, Bester led for much of the third set, on serve, before succumbing to No. 3 seed
Marcos Baghdatis Marcos Baghdatis (Greek language, Greek: Μάρκος Παγδατής, Arabic language, Arabic: ماركوس بغداتيس); born 17 June 1985 is a Greek Cypriot former professional tennis player and coach. He was the runner-up at the 2006 Aus ...
3–6, 7–5, 5–7. His results in Vancouver has seen his ranking rise to a new career high, World No. 544. In doubles he and partner Pajkowski lost in the opening round of qualifying. Bester did not receive a wild card for the 2009 Rogers Cup in Montreal. The week before the U.S. Open, Bester reached the qualifying round of the 2009 Pilot Pen Tennis tournament, an
ATP 250 The ATP 250 tournaments (previously known as the ''ATP World Tour 250'' tournaments, ''ATP International Series'', and ''ATP World Series'') are the lowest tier of annual men's tennis tournaments on the main ATP Tour, after the four Grand Slam (t ...
series event, defeating No. 4 seed Victor Crivoi 6–2, 6–1, and
Ivan Dodig Ivan Dodig (; born 2 January 1985) is a Croatian professional tennis player who specializes in doubles. He reached his career-high doubles ranking of World No. 2 in September 2023. He is a seven-time Grand Slam champion, having won men's double ...
before falling to Frederik Nielsen 4–6, 6–7(4). The week after the Open, Bester reached the second round of the USTA Challenger of Oklahoma, defeating in-form compatriot
Milos Raonic Milos Raonic ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Раонић, Miloš Raonić, ; born December 27, 1990) is a Canadian professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP ...
7–6(11), 5–7, 7–6(2) before falling to No. 6 seed Ryan Sweeting 3–6, 3–6. In doubles he and compatriot Kamil Pajkowski lost in the first round. Bester lost in the quarter-finals of U.S.A. F23, having defeated No. 8 seed Nikita Kryvonos in the second round in straight sets before falling to former World No. 14
Jan-Michael Gambill Jan-Michael Charles Gambill (born June 3, 1977) is an American former professional tennis player who made his professional debut in 1996. His career-high singles ranking is world No. 14, which he achieved on June 18, 2001. Best known for his unu ...
3–6, 6–7(5). This result helped him reach yet another new career high singles ranking of World No. 503. Bester lost in the first round of qualifying at the Natomas Men's Professional Tennis Tournament, to Tigran Martirosyan 7–6, 3–6, 5–7. The following week he lost in the second round of qualifying for the inaugural Royal Bank of Scotland Challenger, played in
Tiburon, California Tiburon ( ; , ) is an incorporated town in Marin County, California. It is located on the Tiburon Peninsula, which reaches south into the San Francisco Bay. It shares a ZIP code (94920) with the smaller incorporated city of Belvedere (formerly ...
, to No. 7 seed Artem Sitak 2–6, 3–6. He reached a new career high singles ranking on October 19, World No. 495. Four weeks ago Bester upset No. 2 seed Michael McClune in straight sets and young French talent
Jonathan Eysseric Jonathan Eysseric (born 27 May 1990) is a French professional tennis player, who specializes in doubles and competes on the ATP Challenger Tour. He has a career-high doubles ranking of No. 72 achieved on 2 July 2018. Tennis career Juniors In 200 ...
6–2, 6–2 before succumbing to No. 7 seed and eventual champion Arnau Bruges-Davi in the quarter-finals of U.S.A. F26. In doubles he and Eysseric, unseeded, won the tournament. Bester did not compete in any more tournaments for the year. He finished 2009 ranked World No. 510 in singles and No. 572 in doubles.


2010

Bester launched his 2010 campaign at Canada F1 ITF event in
Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, directly across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region of Quebec and is also p ...
where, as the number 5 seed, he easily defeated Canadian veteran and qualifier Jean-François Berard 6–2, 6–2 before falling to another qualifier, American Robbye Poole, 6–7, 3–6. In doubles, he and partner Kamil Pajkowski, unseeded, lost in the second round. Bester did not compete in Canada F2 the following week. In March Bester reached the second round of Canada F3 (in
Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( , ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François River, Saint-François and Magog River, Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territ ...
) in singles as well as in doubles, again partnering Pajkowski. The following week he lost in the first round both in singles and doubles (again partnering Pajkowski) at the Challenger Banque Nationale in
Rimouski Rimouski ( ; ) is a city in Quebec, Canada. Rimouski is located in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, at the mouth of the Rimouski River. It has a population of 48,935 (as of 2021). Rimouski, whose motto is ''Legi patrum fidelis'' (Faithful to ...
. The week after Bester lost in the second round of the U.S.A. F9 tournament in
Little Rock Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...
, to No. 1 seed Lester Cook. In doubles, he and partner Phillip Simmonds, the No. 4 seeds, lost in the quarter-finals. In April Bester qualified for the main singles draw of the 2010 Baton Rouge Pro Tennis Classic, where he lost in the first round to Joshua Goodall 6–2, 4–6, 5–7. Two weeks later he lost in the first round of U.S.A. F10 ( Vero Beach). The following week, the first of May, Bester reached the semi-finals of U.S.A. F11 (
Orange Park, Florida Orange Park is a town in Clay County, Florida, United States. As a suburb of Jacksonville in neighboring Duval County, it is formally a part of the Jacksonville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 9,089 at the 2020 cen ...
). The points won there allowed him to reach a new career-high ranking of World No. 492. The next week Bester competed just in doubles at the 2010 Sarasota Open. He and partner Michael Venus lost in the opening round as a wild card entrant. The following week Bester failed to qualify for the 2010 LA Tennis Open USTA Men's Challenger, losing in the first round as the No. 8 seed to eventual qualifier Eric Nunez. In May–June Bester put together a nice little winning streak. At the 2010 Weil Tennis Academy Challenger, he won all three of his qualifying matches in three sets, twice coming back from a set down. In the main draw Bester opened by knocking off No. 6 Robert Kendrick, who was runner-up at the LA Tennis Open the week before, 2–6, 6–3, 7–6(2). He next lost soundly, however, to
Tim Smyczek Timothy Allen Salazar Smyczek ( ; ; born December 30, 1987) is an American former professional tennis player. He made three quarterfinals on the main tour as well as the semi-finals of Newport in 2018. Additionally he won seven Challenger title ...
, 3–6, 1–6. Bester did not play doubles. After a couple of weeks off, Bester then continued his good play in reaching the final of France F9, as the tournament's No. 8 seed. He fell to No. 5 seed
Augustin Gensse Augustin Gensse (born 10 August 1983) is a French professional tennis player. Tennis career Gensse has played two singles matches in the ATP Tour. At the Spain ( Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana), he defeated Gorka Frailin and Alan Mackie in ...
1–6, 4–6. And Bester and up-and-coming French player
Jonathan Eysseric Jonathan Eysseric (born 27 May 1990) is a French professional tennis player, who specializes in doubles and competes on the ATP Challenger Tour. He has a career-high doubles ranking of No. 72 achieved on 2 July 2018. Tennis career Juniors In 200 ...
won the doubles event. The resulting rankings points earned saw Bester reach a new career high in singles, as he became World No. 470. The following week at France F10, again as the No. 8 seed, reached the quarter-finals in singles while repeating as doubles champions playing with Eysseric, this time the No. 1 seeds. The week after in singles Bester fell however in the first round of France F11. Unseeded, he lost to No. 7 seed Romain Jouan in straight sets, a player he defeated in straight sets in fact, two weeks earlier. Again playing doubles with Eysseric, the pair, the No. 2 seeds this time, failed to win a third straight title in losing their first match. His singles ranking rose to another new career best, World No. 456. The following week Bester won his second career ITF title, France F12, as the No. 7 seed. En route he beat No. 3 seed and World No. 286 Laurent Rochette 7–6, 2–6, 6–2 in the quarters, unseeded, former junior U.S. Open doubles champion,
Jérôme Inzerillo Jérôme Inzerillo (born 15 February 1990, in Marseille) is a tennis player from France. He reached a career high ATP singles ranking of No. 354, which he achieved on 16 July 2012. Career In July 2004, Inzerillo won the U14 European Junior Ch ...
, 2–6, 7–5, 6–4 in semis, and No. 4 seed
Augustin Gensse Augustin Gensse (born 10 August 1983) is a French professional tennis player. Tennis career Gensse has played two singles matches in the ATP Tour. At the Spain ( Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana), he defeated Gorka Frailin and Alan Mackie in ...
in the final, 6–2, 2–6, 6–2. In doubles, Philip and Rochette lost the finals, as the No. 2 seeded pair, to the top seeds, Jouan and Inzerillo. The very next week Bester was home to compete in a Tennis British Columbia event, the Stanley Park Open, and won it, defeating BC Tennis No. 3 ranked Henry Choi in the final, 6–4, 6–4. Bester was right back in action the next week at the 2010 Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby. The new World No. 380, a wild-card entrant, lost to compatriot and eventual finalist
Milos Raonic Milos Raonic ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Раонић, Miloš Raonić, ; born December 27, 1990) is a Canadian professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP ...
in the first round, 4–6, 5–7. He did not play doubles. The following week too Bester had a wild card in a Challenger, his hometown
Odlum Brown Vancouver Open The VanOpen, currently sponsored as Odlum Brown VanOpen, is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor Tennis court#Hard courts, hardcourts. It is part of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ATP Challenger Tour, Challenger ...
. He again lost in the first round, however, to Nick Lindahl, 6–4, 6–7(5), 4–6. In doubles, he and partner Kamil Pajkowski lost in the final qualifying round. The following week Bester defeated No. 6 seed
Florent Serra Florent Lucien Serra (; born 28 February 1981) is a French retired professional tennis player. A right-hander, he won two ATP titles during his career and achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 36 in June 2006. Career Early life a ...
in straight sets in the first round of qualifying for the 2010 Rogers Cup. He lost in the qualifying round to Michael Russell however, 2–6, 2–6, and he did not play doubles. After a week off, Bester qualified for the 2010 Pilot Pen Tennis in singles, having defeated, in order, No. 6 seed Björn Phau in two tie-breakers, Sergei Bubka 7–5 in the third, and Andrew Anderson in three sets to do so. It is the first time that Bester has qualified in singles for an
ATP Tour The ATP Tour (known as ATP World Tour between January 2009 and December 2018) is the sole worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) founded in 1990 that replaced the earlier dual Grand Prix ...
event. After a first round bye - he received the spot in the draw reserved for No. 4 seed
Mardy Fish Mardy Simpson Fish (born December 9, 1981) is an American former professional tennis player. He was a hardcourt specialist. He is one of several American tennis players who rose to prominence in the early 2000s. Fish won six tournaments on the ...
who withdrew - Philip lost to Illya Marchenko 3–6, 3–6. After a week off, Bester began a stint in Europe by reaching the semi-finals in singles at ITF Spain F32, in
Oviedo Oviedo () or Uviéu (Asturian language, Asturian: ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains th ...
on hard courts, as the No. 1 seed. In doubles, he and frequent partner Kamil Pajkowski reached the finals unseeded. The following week Bester, as the No. 2 seed at Spain F33 in
Móstoles Móstoles () is a municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain located in the Community of Madrid. With over 200,000 inhabitants, it is the region's second most populated municipality after Madrid. Móstoles was a small town for a long time, but ...
, reached the final round, where he lost to No. 1 seed
Roberto Bautista-Agut Roberto Bautista Agut (; born 14 April 1988) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 9 by the ATP in singles, achieved on 4 November 2019. Bautista Agut has won twelve ATP singles titles out of twenty ...
, 7–6(4), 4–6, 2–6. This result has seen ranking rise to a new career-high World No. 341. In doubles, he and Pajkowski, again unseeded, captured the title. The week after Bester, as the No. 5 seed at France F15 in Plaisir, reached the semi-finals. In doubles, he and Pajkowski lost in the second round. Then the following week Bester was right back in action as the No. 3 seed in singles at Canada F5 in
Markham, Ontario Markham () is a city in Regional Municipality of York, York Region, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Downtown Toronto. In the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 Census, Markham had a population of 338,503, which ranked it the largest in ...
. He lost in the quarter-finals to No. 5 seed
Nicholas Monroe Benjamin Nicholas Monroe (born April 12, 1982) is an American former professional tennis player. Monroe was a doubles specialist. He reached a career-high ATP doubles ranking of No. 30 on 2 October 2017 and won four ATP Tour doubles titles and t ...
4–6, 2–6. He and Pajkowski, the No. 4 seeds in doubles, lost in the first round. The following week, when the Canada F5 results were included in the rankings, Bester found himself yet again at a new career-best World No. 333. After two weeks off from tour action, Bester again lost in Monroe in singles, this time in the qualifying round of the 2010 Calabasas Pro Tennis Championships and in three sets. In doubles he and partner Ashwin Kumar reached the second round. This result saw his doubles ranking reach a new career-high, at World No. 368. During the last week of October at U.S.A. F28, in
Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...
(on clay), Bester, as the No. 2 seed, defeated No. 1 seed James Lemke 0–6, 6–2, 6–0 to capture the singles finals. In doubles he and Pajkowski, the No. 2 seeds, took the title. After a week off from tour events Bester tour event Bester, as the No. 2 seed in singles at U.S.A. F30 in
Pensacola, Florida Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only incorporated city, city in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...
, lost in the second round, to eventual finalist Phillip Simmonds , 4–6, 3–6. In doubles he and partner Pajkowski, the No. 1 seeds, also lost in the second round (semi-finals), again to Simmonds, and his partner Mark Oljaca. The following week Bester was the top seed at U.S.A. F31, again in Florida (
Amelia Island Amelia Island is a part of the Sea Islands chain that stretches along the East Coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida; it is the southernmost of the Sea Islands, and the northernmost of the barrier islands on Florida's Atlant ...
) and on clay. He defeated World No. 765 Devin Britton in straight sets, the player he lost to last week, Phillip Simmonds, 6–3, 6–3, Bulgarian Davis Cupper Dimitar Kutrovsky, 4–6, 6–2, 6–2, Haitian Davis Cupper Olivier Sajous 6–2, 7–5, and Hungarian Davis Cupper Ádám Kellner in the final Sunday, 7–6(2), 6–4 to capture his third Futures title of the year. He and Pajkowski, the No. 1 seeds in doubles, lost in the semi-finals. This result saw he achieve yet another career high singles ranking, World No. 275. Bester finished 2010 ranked World No. 278 in singles and No. 369 in doubles.


2011

Bester began the year by reaching the second round of singles qualifying for the 2011 Heineken Open. After defeating World No. 272 Charles-Antoine Brezac in a third-set tie-break, he lost to World No. 87
Brian Dabul Brian Dabul (; born 24 February 1984) is an Argentine retired tennis player. He was ranked the No. 1 junior in the world in January 2002. His highest ranking in men's singles was No. 82 (9 March 2009), and his highest ranking in doubles was No. 7 ...
, 4–6, 6–7(1). The following week Bester for the first time in his career competed in qualifying for a grand slam event. He lost, however, in the first round of singles qualifying for the 2011 Australian Open to World No. 210
Nicolás Massú Nicolás Alejandro Massú Fried (; born 10 October 1979), nicknamed ''El Vampiro'' (Spanish, 'the vampire'), is a Chilean tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ...
, 4–6, 4–6. The following week Bester reached the second round of the 2011 Honolulu Challenger, defeating No. 5 seed
Grega Žemlja Grega Žemlja (born 29 September 1986) is a retired Slovenian tennis player. He has won five singles titles and one doubles title on the ATP Challenger Tour. In 2012, he reached the third round of the US Open, the first Slovenian male player eve ...
7–5, 6–1 before losing to
Alex Kuznetsov Alex Kuznetsov (born February 5, 1987) is a retired professional tennis player. He is a former hitting partner of Maria Sharapova. Personal life Kuznetsov was born in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Kyiv, Ukraine). His family moved to t ...
6–4, 4–6, 4–6. In doubles, he and partner Kamil Pajkowski reached the semi-finals. A week later, Bester won his second career Challenger title in doubles, partnering
Peter Polansky Peter Polansky ( ; born June 15, 1988) is a Canadian professional tennis player of Czech origin. He was Canada's top singles player from June 21, 2010, until January 17, 2011, in the Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP rankings. He was also ...
to victory at the 2011 McDonald's Burnie International. The tandem only gained entry into the tournament as last-day alternates. In singles, Bester upset No. 1 seed
Marinko Matosevic Marinko Matosevic (, ; born 8 August 1985) is a retired Australian professional tennis player. His career-high singles ranking is World No. 39, which he achieved in February 2013. Matosevic defeated top players including Milos Raonic, Marin Č ...
in the first round but lost to World No. 207, and eventual champion, Flavio Cipolla in the second round 3–6, 4–6. His ranking improved to World No. 268 in singles and No. 242 in doubles, both new career highs. Continuing play on the Australian Pro Tour, Bester came back from a set down to defeat British No. 2 and World No. 209 James Ward in the first round of the 2011 Caloundra International. He next lost however a rematch of two weeks earlier against Grega Žemlja, 6–7, 6–7. Žemlja went on to win the tournament. In doubles, Bester and Polansky lost in the first round. In late February – early March, Bester began a three-week stint in the
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
by reaching the semi-finals of Canada F1 on indoor hardcourts in
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, as the No. 2 seed. A week later he reached the same round at Canada F2 in
Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( , ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François River, Saint-François and Magog River, Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territ ...
– in both tournaments he lost to Frenchman Charles-Antoine Brézac. In doubles, despite being seeded in both events, Bester and regular partner Pajkowski lost in the first round. In week three, the Rimouski Challenger, as the seven seed, Bester reached the second round in singles, defeating New Zealand No. 2 Artem Sitak in straight sets before falling to American Greg Ouellette 7–6(4), 6–7(8), 4–6. In doubles Bester and Pajkowski fared better, reaching the second round, where they lost to the No. 2 seeds, Frederik Nielsen and Travis Parrott. April and early May saw Bester in the Southern states, on clay for all but one tournament. In Houston, at the
ATP 250 The ATP 250 tournaments (previously known as the ''ATP World Tour 250'' tournaments, ''ATP International Series'', and ''ATP World Series'') are the lowest tier of annual men's tennis tournaments on the main ATP Tour, after the four Grand Slam (t ...
2011 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, unseeded, he lost in the second round of qualifying to
Tim Smyczek Timothy Allen Salazar Smyczek ( ; ; born December 30, 1987) is an American former professional tennis player. He made three quarterfinals on the main tour as well as the semi-finals of Newport in 2018. Additionally he won seven Challenger title ...
, despite winning the first set. The following week in Tallahassee, on hard courts, unseeded, Bester took out James Ward before succumbing easily to an in-form Wayne Odesnik 2–6, 1–6. In doubles, he and partner
Frank Dancevic Frank Russell Dancevic ( ; , ; born September 26, 1984) is a retired Canadian professional tennis player. He first became the country's top singles tennis, singles player, according to ATP rankings, on February 10, 2003, as an 18-year-old, and r ...
eliminated Carsten Ball and Chris Guccione, the top seeds, before losing in round two. Two weeks later at the 2011 Sarasota Open, Bester qualified for the main draw as the No. 1 seed where he reached the second round, losing there to No. 7 seed Eric Prodon. In doubles, he and Pajkowski lost in the first round. A week later in
Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
, Bester retired from his first round match versus Guccione with an injured hand. He and Pajkowski also withdrew from their second round doubles match due to the injury. After a month off tour play, Bester returned to action by taking a wild card for U.S.A. F13 Futures event, held in
Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
, and reached the quarter-finals as the top seed. In doubles, he and partner Pajkowski, the top seeds, were soundly beat however in the opening round. The pair reached the second round the following week. In singles however, Bester showed he is on his way to having recovered from injury in capturing his first title of 2011, U.S.A. F14, in
Chico, California Chico ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "little") is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 101,475 in the 2020 United Sta ...
. He needed to come back from a set down in both his quarter-final and semi-final matches against opponents ranked 1187 and 769 respectively. He played a sound final however, defeating World No. 537 Blake Strode, 6–4, 6–2. Bester continued his climb up the singles rankings by reaching the second round of the 2011 Nielsen Pro Tennis Championships, the fifth time he has done so in six Challenger events played this year. His singles ranking reached a career best World No. 229. Missing singles No. 1
Milos Raonic Milos Raonic ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Раонић, Miloš Raonić, ; born December 27, 1990) is a Canadian professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP ...
and No. 2
Frank Dancevic Frank Russell Dancevic ( ; , ; born September 26, 1984) is a retired Canadian professional tennis player. He first became the country's top singles tennis, singles player, according to ATP rankings, on February 10, 2003, as an 18-year-old, and r ...
, seeing his first
Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and contested annually between teams from over 150 competing countries, making it the world's largest annual ...
action since 2006, Bester capped off a love-two match deficit to see
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
advance to the World Group play-off round. It was his last match action of the year however, due to a fracture of his left hand.


ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Futures finals


Singles: 19 (9 titles, 10 runners-up)


ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Futures doubles titles (20)


Junior Grand Slam finals


Boys' singles: 1 (1 runner–up)


References


Sources


ATP.com Bester 'Playing Activity' page for tour career in singles

ATP.com Bester 'Playing Activity' page for tour career in doubles


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bester, Philip 1988 births Living people Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Germany Canadian expatriate tennis players in the United States Canadian male tennis players Naturalized citizens of Canada Sportspeople from North Vancouver People from Sonthofen Tennis players from Swabia (Bavaria) Racket sportspeople from British Columbia Tennis players at the 2015 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for Canada Pan American Games silver medalists in tennis Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games 21st-century Canadian sportsmen