Five-time Miami doubles champions Mike and Bob Bryan fended off four match points in their 7-6 (9-7) 6-7 (8-10) 14-12 win over Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo in the semifinal to reach the final of the Miami Open.
The 40-year-old US twins converted their sixth match point to reach their seventh final in Miami after Kubot made a double fault at 12-13 in the match tie-break.
The US doubles legends have reached their first final as a team since Bob Bryan underwent right hip surgery last August. Mike won two two doubles titles at the US Open and at the Nitto ATP Finals in London teaming up with Jack Sock.
“Our nerves were a little shocked. I think it was a roller coaster. Obviously a tough team that’s given us trouble in the past. A lot of great shots, a lot of nerves by everyone. The crowd was going crazy. We stayed tough some really trying times. It would have been easy to lose our heads there. I think we are playing some great tennis. We are really happu to be in the finals”, said Bob Bryan.
Mike and Bob Bryan set up a final against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Wesley Koohlhof, who beat Ivan Dodig and Edouard Roger Vasselin 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 10-8.
Koohlhof had never won a Masters 1000 doubles match before this year’s Miami Open.
Mertens and Sabalenka set up Miami doubles final against Zhang and Stosur
Indian Wells champions Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka edged past Victoria Azarenka and Ashleigh Barty 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 after 1 hour and 40 minutes to reach their second consecutive final two weeks after winning the Indian Wells title.
Azarenka and Barty got an early break to build up a 3-0 lead before Mertens and Sabalenka won three consecutive games to draw level to 3-3. Barty got another break to take a 4-3 lead for her team. Sabalenka earned a break point with a backhand pass, as Azarenka was serving out for the first set at 5-4. The first set came down to the tie-break, where Mertens and Sabalenka took a 6-3 lead earning three set points, but all three chances were saved. Barty fended off the third chance with a overhead. Barty netted a forehand to face a fourth set point. Sabalenka converted it with powerful groundstrokes to seal the tie-break 8-6.
Sabalenka and Mertens earned the early break at the start of the second set and held on their service games until 5-4. As Sabalenka was serving for the match, her team fended off three break points from 0-40 setting up a match point. Azarenka and Barty saved it to draw level to 5-5, as Sabalenka sent a forehand long. Sabalenka hit powerful groundstrokes to break Azarenka for 6-5. Mertens earned three match points, as she was serving out the match. Mertens and Sabalenka sealed the win on the first match point, as Azarenka sent a backhand long.
“We were playing against two great players. Barty has reached the final in the singles”, said Mertens.
Mertens and Sabalenka will be bidding to win the Sunshine Double in the Miami Open doubles final against reigning Australian Open champions Sam Stosur and Zhang Shuai, who came back from one set down to be sisters Haoching and Latisha Chan 6-7 (6-8) 7-5 10-8 in nearly two hours.
