Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos clawed their way into the semi-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open on Thursday, when the second seeds saved four match points to prevail in a remarkable 27-minute Match Tie-break against Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski.
The win guarantees that both players will become joint World No. 1s in the individual PIF ATP Doubles Rankings on Monday for the first time in their careers.
On top of the world 🇪🇸🇦🇷
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 2, 2024
Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos are your new world No.1 doubles team!#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/gIGyMv0kpV
Home favourite Granollers and Argentine Zeballos were roared on by a raucous home crowd to a 4-6, 6-2, 16/14 triumph inside Arantxa Sanchez Stadium. The 2021 Madrid champions needed every bit of their experience to come out on top in one of the most dramatic Match Tie-breaks of the season so far.
Nys had treatment from the physio on his lower torso at 1/3, and the Monegasque served underarm for his next few service points as the tension rose. Nys and Zielinski were still able to carve out four match points but were ultimately unable to convert as Granollers and Zeballos took the third match point of their own for a clutch victory.
Ariel Behar and Adam Pavlasek will be Granollers and Zeballos’ next opponents after they held their nerve for a 6-3, 4-6, 10-6 upset of 15th seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow. Uruguayan Behar and Czech Pavlasek have won all three of their matches this week on a Match Tie-break, and they are now into their maiden Masters 1000 semi-final as a team.
Smooth as you like 👌
— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 2, 2024
Behar/Pavlasek prevail past Lammons/Withrow 6-3, 4-6, [10-6] for a spot in the final four!@MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/kZ2Up47r8H
The first quarter-final of the day proved very much a match of two halves for Jamie Murray and Michael Venus.
The British-Kiwi pairing raised its game in spectacular fashion to defeat Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul 0-6, 6-4 10-2 on Thursday at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Murray and Venus endured a nightmare opening set in which they won just nine of 33 points, but the 11th seeds rallied superbly to seal a semi-final spot after 66 minutes inside Manolo Santana Stadium.
It is the second straight year that Murray and Venus have reached the last four in the Spanish capital. The pair will chase its second Masters 1000 championship match appearance together (after Cincinnati last year) when it next takes on Sebastian Korda and Jordan Thompson.
Jamie Murray and Michael Venus en route to victory Thursday in Madrid. Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
As part of a new doubles format being trialled this week in Madrid, Korda and Thompson were one of the singles specialists playing in a draw that was designed to pit them against doubles specialists. The American-Australian duo was the only singles-specialist team to reach the quarter-finals, and they extended their stay further at the Caja Magica with a 7-6(5), 6-4 triumph against established doubles regulars Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.
Korda and Thompson made it six sets played, six sets won so far in Madrid by converting three of 10 break points they earned against Bolelli and Vavassori, according to Infosys ATP Stats. They responded superbly to dropping serve in the opening game of the match, ultimately sealing victory in 75 minutes on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium.
Sebastian Korda and Jordan Thompson book a semi-final spot with victory Thursday in Madrid. Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
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