Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Wednesday, 13 March
Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos had to cut through plenty of tie-break tension Wednesday to reach the championship match at the BNP Paribas Open.
Competing in their maiden semi-final as a team in Indian Wells, the fifth-seeded pair overcame Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 4-6, 7-6(7), 10-8 in a hard-fought two-hour, one-minute encounter. Granollers and Zeballos saved a match point at 5/6 in the second-set tie-break before holding their nerve for a Match Tie-break win on Stadium 3.
It was the third consecutive tournament where Granollers and Zeballos had played Bolelli and Vavassori. With their win, Granollers and Zeballos avenged their defeats to the Italians in the Buenos Aires final and the Rio de Janeiro first round last month. The Spanish-Argentine pair, which reached the final at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals, is now one win away from its sixth ATP Masters 1000 crown together.
Standing in Granollers and Zeballos’ way of the trophy will be Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic, who raced past Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz 6-2, 6-1. Koolhof and Mektic converted five of eight break points they earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats, as they reached their third ATP Tour final of the season in just 56 minutes.
The men’s doubles championship match will take place on Friday not before 1:30 p.m. local time (PDT).
Monday, 11 March
Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz won a second-round thriller at the BNP Paribas Open on Monday when they overcame Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic 5-7, 6-4, 10-5.
The seventh seeds, who are 9-4 on the season together, raised their level in the Match Tie-break. They returned with great depth and closed the net sharply to advance after one hour and 44 minutes.
The Germans will next play Lloyd Glasspool and Jean-Julien Rojer after the British-Dutch pair beat third seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury 6-4, 6-1.
Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic ended the run of American wild cards Ryan Seggerman and Patrik Trhac. The Dutch-Croatian team advanced 6-4, 7-6(6) in 88 minutes to reach the third round. Earlier this season, Koolhof and Mektic won titles in Auckland and Rotterdam.
They will continue their title quest in Indian Wells against Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek. The second seeds moved past Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4.
In other action, Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow downed Lorenzo Musetti and John Peers 6-3, 6-3, while Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin beat Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 6-4, 7-5. Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos sunk Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(0), 6-3.
Sunday, 10 March
Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori continued their impressive early season form on Sunday at the BNP Paribas Open, where they moved past Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski 6-4, 6-4 to reach the second round.
The Italians hold a 12-2 record on the year, having advanced to the final at the Australian Open and lifted the trophy in Buenos Aires. Making their debut as a team in Indian Wells, they will next play Jamie Murray and Michael Venus after the eighth seeds beat Ugo Humbert and Fabrice Martin 7-6(7), 6-3.
Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen upset top seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden 7-6(1), 4-6, 10-8. Gille and Vliegen failed to convert all six break points they had in the match, but remained patient in the Match Tie-break to advance.
Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic overcame Steve Johnson and Tommy Paul 6-2, 7-6(3). The Dutch-Croatian team is chasing their third title of the season, having triumphed in Auckland and Rotterdam. They will meet wild cards Ryan Seggerman and Patrik Trhac in the second round. The Americans defeated Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 3-6. 7-5, 10-8.
In other action, Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz beat Alexander Bublik and Adrian Mannarino 7-6(6), 7-6(6), while third seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury downed Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul 7-6(5), 6-3.
Saturday, 9 March
Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos made a fast start at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday when they downed Americans Christopher Eubanks and Ben Shelton 6-2, 6-4 to reach the second round.
The fifth seeds, who are chasing their first title of the season together, won 88 per cent (14/16) of points on their second serve, while they did not face a break point to advance after 70 minutes.
They will next play Italians Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego after the singles stars downed Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-1.
Lorenzo Musetti and John Peers ensured Santiago Gonzalez would have to wait for his 400th tour-level win. The Italian-Australian team moved past Gonzalez and Neal Skupski 3-6, 6-3, 10-5 in 87 minutes.
They will play Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow in the second round after the Americans defeated Taylor Fritz and Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 7-5. Lammons and Withrow won four tour-level titles last season but are still chasing their first title in 2024.
Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic also advanced, defeating Nicolas Jarry and Max Purcell 6-1, 6-4, while Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev overcame Marcus Daniell and John-Patrick Smith 6-2, 6-4.
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