Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic cruised past Miomir Kecmanovic and Aisam Ui Haq Qureshi 6-2 6-2 with two breaks in each set to reach the semifinals at the Miami Open.
Mektic and Pavic is ranked number 2 in the ATP Doubles Race to Turin after reaching the quarter finals or better at all seven tournaments in 2021. They have already claimed ATP Doubles titles at the Antalya Open, at the Murray River Open in Melbourne and at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Championships in Rotterdam and reached the semifinal at the Australian Open and the final in Dubai.
The Croatian doubles team did not face a break point and converted four of their twelve break points against Kecmanovic and Qureshi, who had beaten Pierre Hugues Herbert and Nicholas Mahut.
Mektic and Pavic set up a semifinal clash against Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, who beat Sebastian Korda and Michael Mmoh 7-5 6-2.
Ram and Salisbury came back from 0-3 down and broke back in the fifth game to draw level to 3-3 before saving a break point at 4-5. Ram and Salisbury sealed the first set 7-5 with their break in the 11th game.
The US and British player won five consecutive games from 1-2 down to claim the second set 6-2 after 1 hour and 19 minutes.
Daniel Evans and Neal Skupksi came back from one set down to beat Marcelo Arevalo and Horia Tecau 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 11-9 after 1 hour and 55 minutes. Arevalo and Tecau held a match point in the Match Tie-Break. Evans and Skupski will take on Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek for a spot in the final. Dodig and Polasek beat Oliver Marach and Luke Saville 7-6 (7-4) 6-4.
