BRYANS, MARRERO/VERDASCO VIE FOR DOUBLES CROWN: Three-time season finale champions Bob and Mike Bryan will play Spaniards David Marrero and Fernando Verdasco on Monday in the doubles championship at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The Bryans have a 3-0 career head-to-head record against the No. 6 seeds, all coming on clay. Watch Live Online The World No. 1 Bryan twins, who qualified for the season finale for the 12th straight time, defeated No. 2 seeds Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares 46 64 10-8 in the semi-finals while Marrero and Verdasco beat fellow first-time qualifiers and No. 3 seeds Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo 76(10) 75. The Bryans look for a career-best 12th title of the season as they enter with an 11-3 mark in finals and 70-12 overall match record. They are 3-1 in year-end championship matches, winning titles in 2003-04 in Houston and ’09 at The O2. They were finalists in ’08. They have finished No. 1 in nine of the past 11 years. Marrero and Verdasco are appearing in their third final of the season (1-1) and eighth in their career together (5-2). They are trying to become the third Spanish duo to win the season finale title, the second in a row. Last season Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez won the title. Prior to that Juan Gisbert and Manuel Orantes in 1975 in Stockholm. The last country singles and doubles titles sweep in the year-end championship was in 1997 by Americans Pete Sampras (singles) and Rick Leach-Jonathan Stark (doubles). ALL COUNTRYMEN TITLES – Spain is represented in the singles and doubles finals on Monday. The last time a country won both titles in the same year was in 1997 when Pete Sampras of the U.S. won the singles title and countrymen Rick Leach and Jonathan Stark won the doubles crown. It has happened six times in year-end history SINGLES DOUBLES 1997 PETE SAMPRAS (USA) RICK LEACH-JONATHAN STARK (USA) 1987 IVAN LENDL (CZE) MILOSLAV MECIR-TOMAS SMID (CZE) 1984 JOHN MCENROE (USA) PETER FLEMING-JOHN MCENROE (USA) 1983 JOHN MCENROE (USA) PETER FLEMING-JOHN MCENROE (USA) 1978 JOHN MCENROE (USA) PETER FLEMING-JOHN MCENROE (USA) 1970 ARTHUR ASHE (USA) ARTHUR ASHE-STAN SMITH (USA) WHAT’S AT STAKE – $140,000 for winning title and 500 Emirates ATP Ranking points Winner: $335,500 (for week) and 1,300 Emirates ATP Ranking points Runner-up: $195,500 (for week) and 800 Emirates ATP Ranking points (1) Bob Bryan / Mike Bryan v (6) David Marrero / Fernando Verdasco BRYAN / BRYAN LEADS 3 : 0 2012 Barcelona Clay (O) R16 BRYAN / BRYAN 5-7 6-2 [10-7] 2013 Rome Clay (O) QF BRYAN / BRYAN 6-4 7-5 2013 Roland Garros Clay (O) QF BRYAN / BRYAN 6-3 6-4 ROAD TO FINALS BRYAN / BRYAN RR - l. (3) Ivan Dodig / Marcelo Melo 36 63 10-8 RR - d. (5) Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi / Jean-Julien Rojer 76(3) 16 14-12 RR - d. (8) Mariusz Fyrstenberg / Marcin Matkowski 46 63 10-5 SF - d. (2) Alexander Peya / Bruno Soares 46 64 10-8 MARRERO / VERDASCO RR - d. (2) Marcel Granollers / Marc Lopez 61 64 RR - d. (7) Leander Paes / Radek Stepanek 64 76(5) RR - l. (2) Alexander Peya / Bruno Soares 63 75 SF - d. (3) Ivan Dodig / Marcelo Melo 76(10) 75 BRYAN-BRYAN Tournament History: • The nine-time year-end No. 1 duo rallied to beat No. 2 Peya-Soares 46 64 10-8 in the semi-finals on Sunday. On Saturday they lost only five first service points to beat Fyrstenberg and Matkowski 46 63 10-5 in the final Group A round robin match to reach the semi-finals for the eighth time. All four matches en route to the final have come in Match Tie-breaks, losing the opening set the last two rounds. Have 16-9 Match TB record in ‘13 • On Thursday, they saved one match point to defeat No. 5 Qureshi-Rojer 76 16 14-12 and improved to 8-3 in second round robin matches, winning seven of past eight. On Tuesday, opened with a 36 63 10-8 loss to No. 3 Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo and dropped to 6-5 record in opening round robin matches. • The American twins have qualified 12 times for season finale (withdrew in ’07 due to Mike injury) and have a 29-16 record at the tournament, which includes title runs in 2003 (d. Llodra-Santoro), ‘04 (d. W. Black-Ullyett) and ‘09 (d. Mirnyi-Ram). They also reached the 2008 final (l. to Nestor-Zimonjic) 2013 in Review: • They finished as No. 1 team for a record ninth time in past 11 years, compiling a 70-12 match record and 11-3 in finals. This is third time they have won 10-more titles in a season (11 in ’07, ’10). It is eighth straight year they have won at least 60 matches (and 9th in last 10). They won a career-best 77 matches in 2007. Mike has ranked No. 1 in individual doubles rankings a record 353 weeks, Bob 336 weeks (Nov. 11) • Became first team to hold all four Grand Slam doubles titles at same time in Open Era after winning their third Wimbledon title (15th Grand Slam crown) in July. The also completed a ‘Golden Bryan Slam’ as they won gold medal at London 2012 Olympics and then four Slam titles in a row. Fell in SF at US Open (l. to Paes-Stepanek) and were attempting to become first team to win the calendar year Grand Slam since Aussies Sedgman-McGregor in 1951 • Captured their 26th career ATP Masters 1000 title in Paris last Sunday (d. Peya-Soares) and also won titles at Cincinnati, London / Queen’s Club, Rome, Madrid, Indian Wells, Memphis, Sydney • They had a career-best 25-match winning streak snapped in QF at ATP Masters 1000 Montreal by Lindstedt-Nestor MULTIPLE TITLES – The Bryans are second in season finale titles, behind Fleming-J. McEnroe: Fleming / J. McEnroe - 7 (1978-84) B. Bryan / M. Bryan - 3 (2003-04, ‘09) Nestor / Zimonjic - 2 (2008, ‘10) Woodbridge / Woodforde - 2 (1992, ‘96) Edberg / Jarryd - 2 (1985-86) YEAR-BY-YEAR TITLES – The Bryans, who have 93 career doubles titles (93-47 overall), are looking to win 12 titles for the first time in a single year (11-3 in 2013). MARRERO / VERDASCO Tournament in Review: • The Spanish duo have played four straight-set matches en route to the final, going 3-1 They defeated fellow first-time qualifiers and No. 3 Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo 76(10) 75 on Sunday in the semi-finals It avenged their loss to Dodig and Marrero in the Shanghai Rolex Masters final last month. • On Friday they lost 63 75 to No. 2 Peya-Soares. On Wednesday they became the first doubles team from Group B to qualify for the SF with a 64 76(5) win over Paes-Stepanek. • They defeated fellow countrymen Granollers-Lopez 61 64 on Monday in their season finale debut. They saved all 10 break points faced and improved to 7-0 lifetime against their fellow Spaniards. • They are the fourth Spanish duo to reach the finals and are looking to become the third Spanish duo to win the season finale. Juan Gisbert and Manuel Orantes won in 1975 in Stockholm and Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez won last year (d. Bhupathi-Bopanna) 2013 in Review: • The Spaniards have a 36-18 match record with one title and one runner-up this season. Have compiled a 13-6 Match TB record this year • The pair captured their fifth career team title at St. Petersburg (d. Inglot-Istomin) in September and they also reached their first career ATP Masters 1000 final at Shanghai (l. to Dodig-Melo) last month. They have a 5-2 career record in finals • In Grand Slam play went 7-4 this season, best results were QF at Australian Open (l. to Haase-Sijsling) and Roland Garros (l. to eventual champions Bryans) • The 33-year-old Marrero is 9-7 in career doubles finals. He is 3-1 this year, winning titles in Acapulco (w/Kubot) and Umag (w/Klizan). The 29-year-old Verdasco is 6-4 in career doubles finals SPANIARDS TO REACH FINALS – Marrero and Verdasco are the fourth different Spanish duo to reach the final and are looking to become the third to win the season finale title: - 2013 – Marrero / Verdasco vs. Bryan / Bryan - 2012 – Granollers / M. Lopez (d. Bhupathi / Bopanna) - 1990 – Casal / E. Sanchez (l. to Forget / Hlasek) - 1988 – Casal / E. Sanchez (l. to Leach / Pugh) - 1975 – Gisbert / Orantes (round robin)
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 11:18:40 +0000
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