ATP Tour

Goransson/Michelsen upset top seeds Arevalo/Pavic to reach Shanghai doubles final

Unseeded Andre Goransson and Alex Michelsen defeated top seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic 7-6(2), 2-6, 10-7 on Friday to reach the final of the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

The first-time duo was 0 for 7 on break points in the one-hour, 41-minute match, including 0 of 5 in the first set. Despite Goransson getting broken in the fourth and eighth games of the second set, they regrouped in the Match Tie-break.

Goransson/Michelsen went up 3-0 in the deciding tie-break and after Arevalo/Pavic tied it at 3-3, both teams held serve until Arevalo double-faulted at 7-8. Arevalo then hit a forehand wide on match point, putting the Swede and American in the final.

"It was like three or four days before I went to Laver Cup, he texted me and I was like, why not," said Michelsen on how they teamed up. "Now we're in the final."

Goransson is the first Swede to reach the doubles final in tournament history (since 2009) and he will attempt to become the first Swede to win an ATP Masters 1000 doubles title since Robert Lindstedt in 2012 Cincinnati (with Horia Tecau). Goransson will be appearing in his first ATP Masters 1000 final and eighth career final (3-4). His last title came in April at the 500-level tournament in Munich, with Sem Verbeek. His other titles came in Newport last year (also with Verbeek) and Pune in 2020 (with Christopher Rungkat).

"It feels amazing and my first Masters 1000 final ever, so obviously I am really, really excited," said Goransson. "It was quite nerve-wracking towards the end there, but it's amazing to get through with a win."

Michelsen is the first American to reach the Shanghai doubles final since 2016, when John Isner and Jack Sock won the title. This is the 21-year-old California native's third career ATP Tour final (0-2), having lost in Stuttgart in June (with Rajeev Ram) and last year at the Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 (with Mackenzie McDonald).

"This is feeling really good," said Michelsen. "That's the team I lost to in the final in Cincinnati last year, so super good to get the win over those boys, they're very good, and we're excited about the challenge in the final."

Goransson and Michelsen will take on No. 3 seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz or alternates Guido Andreozzi and Manuel Guinard. The Germans will play the Argentine/French duo in the semi-finals on Saturday.