Henri Kontinen and John Peers continued their dominant run in ATP World Tour doubles finals, improving to 8-1 as a team with victory at the China Open on Sunday.
The top seeds edged American duo John Isner and Jack Sock 6-3, 3-6, 10/7, prevailing after one hour and 10 minutes in Beijing. Kontinen and Peers added a second ATP World Tour 500 level crown to their trophy haul, having triumphed at the Citi Open in Washington in August. Also the champions at the Australian Open to open the year, they split $196,420 in prize money.
The No. 2 team in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London, the Finnish-Aussie duo pull to within 760 points of Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo for the top spot. Both teams have already punched their tickets to The O2 for the Nitto ATP Finals.
"All the tournaments we play are tough fields," added Kontinen. "It's a third title for us this year. Not as many as last year, but I feel like we're playing even more solid. To get another one in the bag is great."
Revenge was sweet for Kontinen and Peers on Sunday afternoon at the National Tennis Center. One year after falling to Isner and Sock in the final of the Shanghai Rolex Masters, they would avenge their only defeat in a final. The top seeds seized the lone break of the first set for 4-2, while their unseeded opponents converted their only break for 4-2 in the second. In the Match Tie-break, it was Kontinen and Peers claiming the first mini-break for 4/2 and remaining steady to the finish line.
[ALSO LIKE]
"It's definitely great to get the win here in Beijing," said Peers. "It's been a great first week in Asia and it's definitely nice to get one back on Jack and John, after losing in the final in Shanghai last year. We always know it's a really tough match."
Individually, Kontinen moved to 16-4 in doubles finals, while Peers is now 14-11. It was also their second victories on Asian soil, with the Finn previously prevailing in Kuala Lumpur in 2015 (w/Huey), while the Aussie had lifted the Bangkok trophy in 2013 (w/J Murray).
Isner and Sock, meanwhile, cap another strong week together. The 2016 Shanghai champions are now 10-5 as a team. They earn 300 Emriates ATP Doubles Rankings points and split $96,160 in prize money.