Nicholas Monroe and Jack Sock moved into a first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 doubles final as a pairing, defeating four-time Miami Open presented by Itau champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 7-6(5), 6-3 on Thursday.
As a result, Henri Kontinen will become the 50th player and the first from Finland to be named No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings on Monday.
A high quality first set required a tie-break to separate the American pairings. Sock, who reached the quarter-finals in singles in Miami, looped a fine lob on his back foot to open up a 5/3 lead, before Monroe clinched the opener at the net.
Watch Full Match ReplaysBob Bryan secured an immediate break in set two with a sharp angled volley. However, a forehand return winner from Sock levelled the set at 2-2. Monroe/Sock used that momentum, demonstrating remarkable reflexes at the net, to win five games in a row en route to victory.
Earlier on Thursday, sixth seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo put in a commanding performance to book a place in the final with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Brian Baker and Daniel Nestor. Kubot/Melo, searching for their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title as a duo, were finalists earlier this month at the BNP Paribas Open (l. Klassen/Ram).