Henri Kontinen and John Peers have marked their team debut at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals by finishing Group Fleming/McEnroe undefeated, following a 6-7(5), 6-4, 10-4 victory over Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut on Friday.
The win for semi-finalists Kontinen/Peers also guaranteed the season-ending No. 1 Emirates ATP Doubles Team Ranking for Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares.
Mahut, looking to become the first Frenchman to finish the campaign No. 1 in singles or doubles, required one victory in London to be crowned the individual No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings, but the top seeds exit at the round-robin stage following three defeats.
Therefore, Soares can become No. 1 should the Brazilian and Murray lift the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals trophy on Sunday.
The comeback at The O2 arena means that Kontinen/Peers head into the semi-finals on an eight-match winning streak.
However, Kontinen/Peers were broken for the first time this week as the Frenchmen took the initiative to rapidly lead 3-0. Herbert had the chance to serve for the opening set but the fifth seeds found their range on return to force a tie-break. The Finnish/Australian duo hauled themselves back from 6-2 to 6-5 before a fine reaction volley from Herbert sealed the set.
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Locked at 5-4, in the second set, serve was dominating proceedings until Peers struck a forehand return winner to increase the pressure. A Herbert double fault and errant Mahut volley sent the contest into a match tie-break. Kontinen/Peers were ruthless and combined heavy serving with solid net play to complete the fightback.
The team debutants at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals have now compiled a 41-19 season record, capturing four titles in five finals.
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