Spain’s Marcel Granollers and Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos edged past Australia’s John Peers and New Zealand’s Michael Venus 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 to claim their first match in the doubles tournament at the Nitto ATP Finals.
Granollers and Zeballos saved five of the six break points to clinch their first win in the Group Bob Bryan. The Spanish and Argentine player are chasing their fourth doubles title this season after Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Rome. They had already beat Venus and Peers in Rome en route to their Masters 1000 title last September.
Granollers and Zeballos fended off the only two break points of the opening set, which went on serve en route to the tie-break. Granollers and Zeballos earned three mini-breaks and converted their first set point with a backhand return to seal the first set 7-3.
Both traded breaks in the third and fourth games of the second set. Venus fired an ace when he was facing a match point at 4-5. Granollers and Zeballos closed out the match with a break on the second match point in the 12th game.
“It is really nice to be here with Horacio. It is my fifth time here, so I am very happy. To start with a win in two sets, there is no better way to start”, said Granollers.
