Top seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan got their American hard-court swing off to a flying start, taking the doubles title at the BB&T Atlanta Open with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Wesley Koolhof and Artem Sitak.
“After a tough first-round which we could have lost, I thought we played really well,” said Mike. "It's always so nice to play in a city that really appreciates doubles. We could feel the love and support all week and it carried us though. Hopefully we can continue this form though the summer and we're looking forward to our next stop in [Washington] D.C. Thanks to tournament director Eddie Gonzales for another fabulous tournament and we look forward to hopefully being back next year."
The Bryans required a single break in each set to prevail in just 54 minutes. The victory gives them a staggering 114th ATP World Tour title as a team and their second title in Atlanta (2015, 2017). It’s also their second title of the season after prevailing last month in Eastbourne (d. Bopanna/Sa). Their solid 2017 currently has them at fouth in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race to London.
“This is huge momentum going into the hard-court swing for us here in the U.S.,” said Bob. “It’s really important for us in the [Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London] and going into the last Grand Slam of the year.”
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Koolhof/Sitak were playing together as a team for just the second time, with their debut last week yielding a quarter-final finish in Newport. Sitak was aiming for his first ATP World Tour doubles title of 2017, while Koolhof has prevailed with fellow Dutchman Matwe Middelkoop in Sydney and Rotterdam.
The Bryans pick up 250 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and split a cheque for $34,810. Koolhof/Sitak walk away with 150 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $18,300.
It was a good day for the Bryans’ coach, David Macpherson, who saw his charge John Isner win the singles title earlier in the evening.