Fourth seeds Henri Kontinen/John Peers were pushed to the limit on Monday at the Australian Open in Melbourne, requiring three tie-breaks to advance into the quarter-finals. Joining them in the last eight are third seeds Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan, ninth seeds Ivan Dodig/Marcel Granollers and Aussies Sam Groth/Chris Guccione.
Kontinen/Peers scored an epic 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 7-6(1) win over No. 14 seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah. There was nothing separating the two teams in the match, but the reigning ATP Finals champions won the final six points in the third-set tie-break to secure the win. Both Kontinen and Peers are now into their first quarter-final in Melbourne.
Next up for them are Groth/Guccione, who delighted the local crowd with a 7-6(9), 6-3 win over Marcus Daniell/Marcelo Demoliner. The Aussies saved two set points in the opening set tie-break on their way to victory. Neither player has reached an Australian Open quarter-final before, but the win was especially meaningful for Guccione, who is making his 13th appearance in Melbourne.
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The Bryan brothers saved two set points in the second set tie-break to take out Brian Baker/Nikola Mektic, 6-3, 7-6(11). The American duo are making their 18th consecutive appearance at the Australian Open. They’re seeking their seventh title here and first since 2013.
They’ll now play ninth seeds Ivan Dodig/Marcel Granollers, who scored a tight 7-6(5), 7-6(5) win over seventh seeds Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo. Both men have excelled in Melbourne before, with Dodig advancing to the semi-finals in 2015 (w/Melo), and Granollers reaching the final four in 2013 (w/M. Lopez) and 2016 (w/Cuevas).