AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2012
Melbourne, Australia
by ATP Staff
|
25.01.2012
Defending champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan were pushed to the brink of defeat at the Australian Open Thursday, saving a match point to edge No. 7 seeds Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) in the semi-finals. The American twins have now won 23 straight matches in Melbourne and are bidding to win their fourth title in a row at the event.
Lindstedt and Tecau had their chances to reach their third major final. Firing 13 aces and winning 79 per cent of their first serve points, the two-time Wimbledon finalists held match point in the final set, leading 6-5, 40/30, on the Bryans’ serve, but were unable to convert on their sixth break point opportunity.
After the Bryans held to force a deciding tie-break, the Swedish-Romanian pair built a 5-2 lead in the ‘breaker, earning an opportunity to close out the match with two serves on their racquets. But the American twins clawed their way back, winning both points on Lindstedt’s serve and then taking each of Mike Bryan’s service points to surge ahead 6-5, reaching match point for the first time. In the ensuing rally, Mike Bryan jammed Lindstedt at the net, forcing the Swede to spray his volley, clinching the comeback victory for the five-time titlists in two hours. “I think we maybe got a little lucky,” assessed Mike Bryan.
“Played kind of our best tennis at the very end… Bob reflexed an unbelievable shot to get to 5-3. They’re a big serving team. It’s tough. I thought they played well… I think they’re the most improved out on tour.”
The top seeds are into the final at Melbourne Park for the eighth time in nine years, having triumphed in 2006-2007 and 2009-2011. Should they lift their sixth crown Down Under, the two will break a tie with Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde for the most Grand Slam team titles with 12. “We’ve been passing them in the locker room. We always have good chats with those guys,” Bob Bryan said.
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“They’ve always seemed like they’ve been happy for us and our success. They seem very secure with their own achievements and career. They’ve had an amazingly decorated history on the court. They have nothing to fear.”
In the title match, the World No. 1 pair will face off against Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek, who knocked out second seeds Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 12 minutes.
Playing just their fourth tournament together, Paes and Stepanek won five fewer points than Mirnyi and Nestor, but managed to break the Brisbane International champions twice in the final set to take a 4-1 lead. Though they relinquished one of their service breaks, the Indian-Czech served out the match at love to advance to their first major final together.
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Paes is looking to complete a career Grand Slam, having finished runner-up in Melbourne on three occasions, including last year, when he and Mahesh Bhupathi fell to the Bryans in the final. Stepanek is seeking his first major title, with his best result coming at the US Open in 2002, when he was a finalist with Jiri Novak.
The Bryans defeated Paes and Stepanek less than two weeks ago, taking a quarter-final meeting 7-6(5), 7-6(7) at the Apia International Sydney en route to capturing their 76th team title.
Article source: http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2012/01/4/Australian-Open-Thursday-Doubles-Semifinals.aspx
January 27, 2012
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