Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez became the first all-Spanish team since Sergio Casal and Emilio Sanchez (1990) to win the Roland Garros doubles title after downing Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 on Saturday. It was Lopez/Lopez’s first Grand Slam title, while the Bryans were denied a record 17^th crown.

“We have never experienced these moments, winning a Grand Slam is something amazing, “Marc Lopez said. “I didn’t think that I could be in a position to win the French Open. Roland Garros is my favourite tournament. It had been the case for quite a long time. When I was a kid, I was watching the matches of the great Spanish champions. I’m delighted to have won this match with Feliciano Lopez. I can’t ask for more.”

“There is no doubt that this is one of the most beautiful wins in my career,” Feliciano Lopez said. “For the past 18 months I have been playing doubles and I didn’t think that I would be in a position to win a Grand Slam so quickly.

“It’s quite unexpected. It’s a great reward, because I have made lots of efforts. I think that our level was quite high. This is what I told my partner. The Bryan brothers are the best doubles team in the world, but we managed to win and that’s great.”

Lopez/Lopez played to their strengths in the opening set, using an unorthodox one-up, one-back formation to keep the Bryans off-balance. The Americans were unable to find solutions against Feliciano’s reflexes at net and Marc’s ability to change directions with his forehand. The Spaniards broke on their fifth chance in a long opening game, then held the fort to earn the early lead.

The Bryans increased their level in the second set, holding serve with ease and holding set points while returning at 5/4 and at 6/5. Maintaining their composure, Lopez/Lopez battled to hold and to force a tie-break. The fifth seeds saved a championship point at 5/6 before drawing even.

Returners had the edge in the deciding set, as the match went against serve for three consecutive games. The Spaniards scored two of those breaks and closed out the win in two hours and 30 minutes.

Lopez/Lopez, the No. 15 seeds, had an eventful journey to the final. They upset top seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Nicolas Mahut in the third round, saved six match points versus Julien Benneteau/Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the quarter-finals and beat defending champions Ivan Dodig/Marcelo Melo 7-5 in the deciding set in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Bryan/Bryan had only dropped one set (third round vs. Stepanek/Zimonjic) coming into Saturday.

The Bryans were aiming to become the first team in the Open Era to win three Roland Garros men’s doubles title. They have three tour-level titles in 2016 and a record 112 overall.

Marc Lopez reached the 2014 final alongside countryman Marcel Granollers, while Feliciano Lopez had never been past the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam doubles event before this week.

Lopez/Lopez were making their second appearance together at a Grand Slam event. They fell in the second round of the 2016 Australian Open to Marco Cecchinato/Andreas Seppi. The Spaniards will share €500,000 and 2000 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points. Bryan/Bryan received €250,000 and 1200 points.

With Bob Bryan’s final loss, Nicolas Mahut will take over top spot in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings on Monday.

Andy Murray freely admits he never expected to reach the Roland Garros final, but he’s one match away from winning his first title in Paris and completing a remarkable career turnaround on clay.

The World No. 2 hadn’t reached a final on clay prior to the 2015 season, but has since won three titles, including two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Series titles. Having entered 2015 with a 63-37 record on clay, he has gone 35-3 on the surface since then.

“Maybe I didn’t believe in myself enough,” admitted Murray. “I always thought clay was my worst surface, but getting some wins against the top players last year made me realise I could [do well]. That has changed my mentality when I go on the court. I don’t feel like I’m off-balance anymore. I can chase most balls down and it’s an easy surface for me to move on.”

Belief has been crucial for Murray these past two weeks. He was a set from defeat in his first two rounds against qualifier Radek Stepanek and wild card Mathias Bourgue before rallying to victory. He then broke a streak of three semi-final losses at Roland Garros by advancing to his first final on Friday with a four-set win over No. 3 seed and defending champion Stan Wawrinka.

“At this stage of my career, to do things I have never done before is nice,” said Murray. “That’s one of the things that motivates me. My results on clay over the past couple of years have been really special to me because I never really expected that.”

Part of his newfound success on clay comes from learning to play the same way he does on other surfaces. While Murray found himself drawn into grueling baseline rallies in the past, he is now finding ways to approach the net and end points more quickly to conserve energy.

“I tried to come forward any time I had the chance,” said Murray after his match against Wawrinka. “When the conditions are so slow, it’s not that easy to finish the point from the back of the court all the time. It’s important to finish up at the net when you can just to make a few of the points a little bit easier.”

Murray will renew the top rivalry of 2016 when he plays No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic on Sunday. Although Djokovic has won 12 of their past 14 matches, Murray convincingly won their most recent meeting in the final of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Series event in Rome. He can also take confidence knowing he has pushed Djokovic to the limit at Roland Garros, narrowing losing in a five-set semi-final last year.

Although Murray will leave Roland Garros having accomplished a career breakthrough regardless of what happens on Sunday, he’s not content with just achieving a personal best in Paris.

“I’m here to try and win the tournament, not make the final,” he said. ”That’s my goal.”

Top seed Novak Djokovic and second seed Andy Murray square off for the 34^th time on tour in Sunday’s Roland Garros final, but this match arguably has the biggest implications out of all their meetings.

Djokovic is aiming to complete the career Grand Slam, becoming just the eighth man – and the fourth in the Open era – to accomplish that feat. Meanwhile, Murray is looking to become the first British winner at Roland Garros since Fred Perry in 1935.

Their paths to the final couldn’t be more different. Besides an opening-set blip in his fourth-round against No. 14 seed Roberto Bautista Agut, Djokovic hasn’t dropped a set and recorded dominant scorelines in several matches. Murray had to rally from two sets down to survive his opening round against qualifier Radek Stepanek, then found himself a set away from defeat again in the second round against French wild card Mathias Bourgue. Although he’s rounded into top form as the tournament has progressed, he still had to withstand stern tests from No. 9 seed Richard Gasquet in the quarter-finals and No. 3 seed Stan Wawrinka in the semi-finals.

The World No. 1 also has more experience in Grand Slam finals, heading into his 20^th major final compared to 10 for Murray. Djokovic will make his fourth appearance in the Roland Garros final (having lost in 2012, 2014 and 2015), while Murray hadn’t made a final in Paris prior to this year.

Djokovic leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 23-10 and has won 12 of their last 14 matches. He holds a 7-2 record over Murray in Grand Slams, including a 4-2 record in Grand Slam finals. However, both of Murray’s Grand Slam wins came over Djokovic in the championship match. Their only career meeting at Roland Garros came last year, when the Serbian prevailed in a five-set semi-final. 

Murray’s clay-court game has reached new levels in the last two years, though. The Brit entered the 2015 season with a 63-37 record on clay and no finals appearances. Since then, he has posted a 35-3 record and won three titles. He took Djokovic to three sets before losing their championship match last month at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Series event in Madrid, then avenged the loss on his birthday a week later with his first clay court victory over the Serbian in the Rome final.

Having played their first match against each other when they were both 11 years old, the pair will know exactly what to expect when they take the court on Sunday. With little separating them in current form, the result may come down to who handles the occasion better.

Ivan Lendl has spent time on tour as player and more recently a coach to World No. 2 Andy Murray, but he’s now taking on a new role: tournament ambassador.

The former World No. 1 and eight-time Grand Slam champion has served this week as a tournament ambassador for the $125,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Prostejov, Czech Republic. For Lendl, widely regarded as the best men’s player in the history of Czech tennis, the decision was easy.

“There was not much to consider,” said Lendl. “I have many friends here in Prostejov, both old and new, and I always like to see them. I also like this tournament and have been here a couple of times.”

Lendl spoke about the importance of ATP Challenger Tour tournaments, as well as the wild cards offered into them, for young players developing their games. He cited two-time Prostejov champion Jiri Vesely as an example of how local Challengers can provide the resources for players to make it into the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings.

“Home tournaments are a great advantage for the home players. They can win some points and improve their rankings,” said Lendl. “It also applies with the Czech Republic. Look at Vesely and Adam Pavlasek here this week in Prostejov. How did they start? They received wild cards at home tournaments.”

Lendl signed on to work this year with the United States Tennis Association as part of their player development program, spending at least 50 days with several top-ranked 15 and 16-year-old boys.

What do you do after you’ve beaten World No. 1 Novak Djokovic? If you’re Jiri Vesely, you play Challengers.

The rising Czech star recorded arguably the biggest upset of 2016 by defeating the Serbian in the second-round of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo. Three weeks later, Vesely battled away at a $50,000 ATP Challenger event in Rome, Italy, where he reached the semi-finals.

Vesely returned this week to the $125,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Prostejov, Czech Republic, where he won the past two years. Although he lost in the quarter-finals to No. 6 seed Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan, he believes playing in Challengers helps him produce the level of tennis required to beat players like Djokovic.

“For players ranked No. 50 to No. 100, Challengers are very important because you need to play as many matches as possible,” said Vesely. “I keep improving and also get to work on things mentally. Challengers are great to get some confidence which you can make good use of at the Masters tournaments.”

Coming back to Prostejov to defend his title was an easy decision for Vesely. He has thrived in his home country, with four of his five career ATP Challenger Tour singles titles coming in the Czech Republic.

“It’s a home tournament and therefore a very special event for me. It’s been a matter of heart for me over the last few years,” said Vesely. “My performance has been greatly influenced by the atmosphere, but also by the pressure. I’ve been highly motivated to succeed, but also worry I could fail. Fortunately, it has always turned out well for me at the end so far.”

After Prostejov, Vesely will now turn his attention to the grass court season. He’s hoping his latest stint on the ATP Challenger Tour will produce another run of good form and a career-high Emirates ATP Ranking by the end of the year.

“My goal is to reach the Top 30,” said Vesely, currently ranked No. 60. “But as they say, don’t count your chickens before they hatch. The season has not finished yet and I still believe my dream can come true.”