One day after knocking out top seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden at the Mutua Madrid Open, Sebastian Korda and Jordan Thompson succeeded in another upset bid at the ATP Masters 1000. The American-Aussie duo advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-4 win against 13th seeds Andres Molteni and John Peers.
This week began a new doubles format trial on the ATP Tour, with changes including more singles vs. doubles action, a streamlined five-day schedule and a faster pace of play. After two days of play, Korda and Thompson are the lone singles stars still standing.
Through two matches, they have yet to lose a set or drop serve, having saved one break point in each match, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Second seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos saved a match point to avoid an upset on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium, where the Madrid crowd roared behind home favourite Granollers and his Argentine partner. The duo escaped ninth-seeded Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 6-7(3), 7-5, 12-10, saving that match point at 9/10 in the Match Tie-break.
The second seeds hit six aces and won 79 per cent (42/53) of their first-serve points, saving one of two break points against them.
Marcel Granollers (right) and Horacio Zeballos. Photo by Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour.
Ariel Behar and Adam Pavlasek also advanced via an extended Match Tie-break, converting on their third match point to upset third seeds Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski 6-4, 3-6, 12-10. The Uruguayan-Czech duo previously won their opening match by a simialr scoreline, knocking off 10th seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic 4-6, 6-2, 12-10.
On Wednesday, they cashed in on their lone break chance by seeing out the opening set before coming up clutch in a Match Tie-break that neither team led by more than two points throughout.
Ariel Behar (right) and Adam Pavlasek. Photo by Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour.
One other match went the distance, with 16th-seeded Frenchmen Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul edging Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov 6-3, 3-6, 10-5. Advancing in straight sets to Thursday's quarter-finals were Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow, 11th seeds Jamie Murray and Michael Venus, Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori and seventh seeds Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski.
© Copyright 1994 - 2024 ATP Tour, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying, recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means), without the written permission of ATP Tour, Inc.. Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Modern Slavery Statement | Feedback | Cookies
