If nothing else, Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo’s team debut at the Nitto ATP Finals was certainly memorable. Not only did the top-seeded Polish-Brazilian duo earn a solid victory against seventh-seeded Ivan Dodig and Marcel Granollers, 7-6(2), 6-4, but they clinched the year-end No. 1 Emirates ATP Doubles Team Ranking with it. < "This year has been amazing for me and Lukas, the first year we're playing together. Finishing as the No. 1 team in the world for me, it means a lot," Melo said. "We achieved this as a team. I'm very proud...this is one of the most important points of my life." After Henri Kontinen and John Peers, the defending champions, lost their first round-robin match against Ryan...
In his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals, Grigor Dimitrov played as if he had been here before. The Bulgarian came up with clutch shot after clutch shot against Dominic Thiem, racing around The O2 to beat the fourth-seeded Austrian in a topsy-turvy match, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, on Monday. The sixth seed broke Thiem three times, including late in the third set as the Austrian struggled to hold his nerves. Thiem was serving at 5-5, 0/30 when he double faulted twice to hand Dimitrov the break. The Bulgarian fell behind 0/15 at 6-5 but converted on his third match point to clinch a successful debut. Watch Full Match Replays “It, for me, was just one of those new experiences that...
Four-time former champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan drew on their experience to get off to a winning start in Group Woodbridge/Woodforde on Monday, when they improved to 38-22 lifetime at the season finale. The fifth-seeded American twins saved three set points in the first set en route to beating fourth-seeded Briton Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares of Brazil 7-5, 6-7(3), 10-8 in one hour and 43 minutes at The O2 in London. "It was exciting out there and it could have gone either way," Mike Bryan told ATPWorldTour.com. "We were a set and a break up. We squandered an opportunity to win in straight sets. We got a big lead in the Match tie-break, they worked their way back...
Alexander Zverev was made to work, but the German earned his first victory at the Nitto ATP Finals. Making his debut in London, Zverev overcame a stern test from Marin Cilic 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, moving to the top of Group Boris Becker alongside Roger Federer. "I felt a little bit nervous coming out for the first time here. I think that's normal for anyone that is playing here for the first time," Zverev admitted. "I'm very happy to get my first win in this group." The World No. 3 rallied from a break down in the deciding set to overcome Cilic, extending his FedEx ATP Head2Head lead to 4-1. He has won four straight encounters since dropping their first meeting...
The O2 has not been the best venue for Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert the last two seasons, with the Frenchmen holding a 1-5 record in their first two Nitto ATP Finals appearances. But Herbert and Mahut got off to a good start in their third season finale, saving one match point to defeat Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau, 1-6, 7-6(7), 10-8. Double faults proved costly for the Dutch-Romanian pairing, who looked the stronger duo for much of the match. At 7/7 in the second-set tie-break, Tecau hit a double fault to allow Herbert to serve out the set, which he did when Mahut put away a sitting return with a backhand volley. [ALSO LIKE] In the Match Tie-break, Rojer...
