Doubles was the hot ticket on Friday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, with Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal all taking the court ahead of their singles campaigns. Teaming up with Bernard Tomic, Nadal survived a tense second-set tie-break to secure a 6-4, 7-6(7) victory over Pablo Carreno Busta and Joao Sousa in the night session on Stadium 1. Nadal and Tomic, playing together for the first time, let slip three match points at 6/3 in the tie-break, but regrouped to convert their fourth opportunity after one hour and 33 minutes. Nadal is a former doubles champion at the BNP Paribas Open, lifting the trophy in 2010 and 2012 with Marc Lopez, who was courtside to watch his...
Jack Sock and Bernard Tomic have found a winning combination this week in Beijing, reaching the final of the China Open with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over second seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo on Saturday. Sock, the 2014 Wimbledon doubles champion, will challenge for his seventh tour-level doubles title, while Tomic will look to win his first in his first final. Sock is the defending champion in Beijing, having lifted the trophy 12 months ago with Vasek Pospisil. The American/Australian duo will challenge Spaniards Pablo Carreno Busta and Rafael Nadal, who upset top seeds and three-time former champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 7-5, 6-4 in 78 minutes. Carreno Busta is through to his third doubles final in three...
Despite an ace count half his opponent’s, Bernard Tomic delivered a composed performance at crucial moments to end qualifier Ryan Harrison’s three-match Shenzhen Open winning streak on Thursday. The Australian No. 4 seed broke in the final game of the match to emerge with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 victory in just over two hours. It marks the 23 year old’s eighth ATP World Tour quarter-final this season and sets up a clash with Brazilian lefty Thomaz Bellucci, an earlier winner over lucky loser Thomas Fabbiano. Tomic withstood 20 aces from Harrison and won fewer first-serve points than the American, 68 per cent to 81 per cent. But the Aussie made bigger inroad’s on his opponent’s second serve to extend his...
