After the ATP singles stars made their 2023 predictions, the world’s best doubles teams sat down to make their picks for the year.

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury have been a consistent force at the top of the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Team Rankings, but have never finished as the year-end No. 1 duo. However, they were a popular pick to claim the honour in 2023, with Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah and Nikola Mektic/Mate Pavic among the teams to choose the American-British pair.

“Salisbury and Ram because they have been playing well the past two years,” Farah said.

When asked to pick which team would win the most ATP Masters 1000 titles, Lloyd Glasspool/Harri Heliovaara and Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski were among the teams that jokingly picked themselves before locking in on Mektic and Pavic.

“They have always been a great team, making it to the final at [the] Nitto ATP Finals in Turin [last year],” Koolhof said.

When it came to the breakthrough team of the season, Julian Cash and Henry Patten were a popular pick, with four teams choosing the Brits. Cash and Patten enjoyed a standout 2022, winning 10 ATP Challenger Tour titles.

“They are very good players. They are new on the Tour this year,” Glasspool said.

Koolhof and Skupski won seven tour-level titles last year, but were unable to capture a Grand Slam. Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer were one of the teams confident the Dutch-British team will achieve that feat in 2023.

Hubert Hurkacz and Alexander Bublik both came back from the brink Friday to reach the semi-finals at the Open 13 Provence after an afternoon of dramatic quarter-final action in Marseille.

The top-seeded Hurkacz saved a Mikael Ymer match point at 5/6 in the deciding-set tie-break en route to a hard-earned 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(6) victory at the indoor ATP 250 in southern France. The Pole, who saved six of nine break points he faced in his two-hour, 50-minute win, reeled off three points in a row to prevail and reach his maiden Marseille semi-final on his third appearance at the event.

“I’m just really happy with the victory today,” said Hurkacz post-match. “Mikael is a beautiful player, an amazing competitor and it could have gone either way. Those matches mean a lot if you’re able to come through them. I’m just really pumped and happy to be in the semi-finals.”

What a v😱lley!@Open13 | #open13provence | @HubertHurkacz pic.twitter.com/XFpvFM7JRP

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 24, 2023

The World No. 11 Hurkacz is now 8-4 for the 2023 season. The Pole is this week chasing his sixth ATP Tour title, and his first since his triumph on the grass in Halle last June.

Hurkacz’s semi-final opponent, Alexander Bublik, also rallied to victory in a deciding-set tie-break on Friday. The Kazakhstani trailed fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov 4/6 but prevailed 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(6) to reach the semi-finals in Marseille for the second time.

Both Bublik and Dimitrov converted two of three break points as a tight quarter-final contest went the distance. It was the 25-year-old Bublik who came good late on, however, as he reached his first tour-level semi-final since Metz last September in dramatic fashion.

Bublik had not won an ATP Tour match in 2023 prior to this week, but the World No. 50 has defeated Filip Krajinovic, Gregoire Barrere and now Dimitrov in France to kick-start his season. However, he will have to snap a four-match losing streak in his ATP Head2Head series against Hurkacz in Saturday’s semi-finals should he wish to proceed further in Marseille.

There was an element of déjà vu in the air on Friday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, where Daniil Medevedev defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets for the second week in a row to reach the final at the hard-court ATP 250.

Seven days after Medvedev secured quarter-final victory against Auger-Aliassime in Rotterdam, the 27-year-old delivered another rock-solid performance to prevail 6-4, 7-6(7) in the Doha semi-finals. Auger-Aliassime ensured a closer contest this time around by reclaiming early breaks in both sets, but he could not match Medvedev’s consistency at crucial moments in the one-hour, 57-minute clash.

Medvedev saved three set points in the second-set tie-break before converting his first match point to complete a win in which he won 77 per cent (37/48) of points behind his first serve. He also struck just eight unforced errors across the two sets, compared to 26 for the second-seeded Auger-Aliassime.

The win improved Medvedev’s ATP Head2Head series lead against the Canadian to 6-0. The third seed is now on an eight-match winning streak, having gone on to lift his 16th tour-level title in the Netherlands last weekend.

Medvedev’s opponent in Saturday’s championship match in Doha will be Andy Murray, after the former World No. 1 saved five match points before downing Jiri Lehecka 6-0, 3-6, 7-6(6) in dramatic fashion earlier on Friday.

More to follow…

Andy Murray pulled off another thrilling three-set victory on Friday at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, where the Briton saved five match points to down Jiri Lehecka 6-0, 3-6, 7-6(6) and reach his first ATP Tour final since last June. (Watch Medvedev v Murray Saturday 4pm CET/10am ET)

In an engaging clash of generations and gamestyles in Doha, the determined defence and consistent baseline hitting of former World No. 1 Murray prevailed in dramatic fashion against the greater power of 21-year-old Jiri Lehecka. The Briton recovered a 3-5 deficit in the final set, a comeback which included breaking Lehecka when trailing 4-5, 40/0 on the Czech’s serve.

“I don’t know [how I won],” said a disbelieving Murray after the match. “That was one of the most amazing turnarounds I’ve had in my career. You obviously had the three match points at 5-4, but also [two] when I was serving at 5-3, and then I don’t know.

“I knew it was his first time serving for a final, so I knew I had to try and keep the pressure on at the end. I know how difficult it is to serve matches like that out, but I’ve no idea how I managed to turn that one round to be honest.”

Another 3-set win for @andy_murray!!

Maintaining his forehand #ShotQuality level and using his court craft to disrupt Lehecka

Can he go one more and lift the title 🏆?#TennisInsights | @atptour pic.twitter.com/FbXa1RCdcX

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) February 24, 2023

Two-time Doha champion Murray converted his second match point in the deciding-set tie-break to complete a two-hour, 29-minute victory in which he struck just 17 winners to Lehecka’s 44, but also converted five of his nine break points. He will take on Daniil Medvedev in Saturday’s championship match, after the third seed later defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-6(7).

It was the Briton’s fourth three-set win in as many matches this week in Qatar, where he has also gone the distance in victories against Lorenzo Sonego, Alexander Zverev and Alexandre Muller. The victory improved Murray’s record for 2023 to 6-2, with all six of his wins coming in deciding sets.

The 35-year-old has not won a tour-level match in straight sets since beating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Gijon first round on 11 October last year, but his persistence this week has nonetheless earned the Briton a record fifth Doha championship match appearance.

“This tournament over the years has had many great players,” said Murray when asked about his new record. “[Roger] Federer played a lot, and guys like [Andy] Roddick and [Rafael] Nadal, Novak [Djokovic] has played. Those guys have obviously achieved a lot more than me but this is one small win that I can have over them, so I’ll enjoy this evening and hopefully I can put on a good performance tomorrow.”

Friday’s late drama came after Murray had made a straightforward start to his maiden ATP Head2Head clash with Lehecka. The 6-0 opening-set scoreline represented a change of tune for the Briton by his own standards in Doha this week, as he stayed solid in all facets of his game to expertly capitalise on a wayward start from his opponent.

Lehecka responded immediately, finding his rhythm behind his huge serve and booming forehand to claim the second set after clinching its only break of serve in the second game. That combination looked set to guide the Czech to victory as he also made the early running in the deciding set. Two breaks of the Murray serve in the opening five games, one of which was immediately reclaimed by the Briton, helped the Czech establish his 5-3 lead.

Cue Murray’s inspired intervention. The 46-time tour-level titlist saved Lehecka’s first two match points when serving at 3-5, but when the Czech opened up a 40/0 lead in the following game, Murray’s hopes of reaching a record fifth Doha final looked lost. Yet some free-flowing baseline hitting, particularly off the backhand wing, heaped pressure onto Lehecka and secured a crucial break. The wild card then held firm in the deciding tie-break for a famous semi-final triumph.

Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden capped a week of Match Tie-break redemption at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Friday, when they edged Constant Lestienne and Botic van de Zandschulp 6-7(5), 6-4, 10-6 to lift their maiden ATP Tour title as a team.

Despite losing a tie-break to drop a see-saw opening set that featured six breaks of serve, the Indian-Australian pair held its nerve to complete a 99-minute final victory. Bopanna and Ebden converted four of six break point opportunities and took command early in the Match Tie-break, opening 4/1 and 9/4 leads en route to their win.

Last weekend, Bopanna and Ebden suffered final heartbreak in Rotterdam, where they held a championship point in the Match Tie-break before falling to Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek. This week in Doha, the third-seeded pair sealed three of its four victories in Match Tie-breaks, including Friday’s final.

It was Bopanna’s second title in Doha. The 42-year-old lifted the trophy there in 2018 alongside Wesley Koolhof, while he also reached the 2022 final with Denis Shapovalov. His partner Ebden is the first Australian titlist, in singles or doubles, in the history of the Doha event.

Bopanna and Ebden are now 7-3 for 2023, having begun their partnership in Adelaide in January.

Mahut/Martin Book Final Spot In Marseille
At the Open 13 Provence, Nicolas Mahut and Fabrice Martin defeated Romain Arneodo and Sam Weissborn 7-5, 7-5 to secure their place in Sunday’s championship match at the indoor ATP 250.

Home favourites Mahut and Martin broke decisively in the 12th game of both sets in Marseille to secure a 90-minute semi-final victory against the Monegasque-Austrian duo Arneodo and Weissborn. The second-seeded Frenchman will take on top seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin or Indian pair N.Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan in the final.

Cabal/Melo Charge Into Rio Final
In Rio de Janeiro, Marcelo Melo is one win away from his first title on home soil since Costa do Sauipe in 2011 after he and Colombia’s Juan Sebastian Cabal defeated Frenchmen Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul 6-4, 6-4. Melo has won 36 titles during his career but has never lifted the trophy in Rio.

In Saturday’s final Cabal and Melo will play fellow South Americans Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molten after the Argentines defeated fourth seeds Francisco Cabral and Horacio Zeballos 6-3, 6-4.

Juan Sebastian Cabal and Marcelo Melo dominated the Argentine team of Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Diego Schwartzman on Thursday at the Rio Open presented by Claro. The second seeds earned a 6-1, 6-2 win in the all-South American quarter-final, not allowing a break point in the match.

Home favourite Melo is lone Brazilian remaining in the singles or doubles draw at the ATP 500.

The Colombian-Brazilian duo will meet Frenchmen Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul in the semi-finals after their 7-5, 6-4 win against Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow.

Fourth seeds Francisco Cabral and Horacio Zeballos also advanced to the last four with a 6-4, 7-6(4) win against Gonzalo Escobar and Tomislav Brkic.

Marseille Success For Home Favourites
Three Frenchmen are through to the semi-finals at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille after Thursday wins.

Second seeds Nicolas Mahut and Fabrice Martin progressed with a 6-3, 6-4 result against Jonathan Eysseric and Denys Molchanov, while Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Mexican Santiago Gonzalez — the top seeds at the ATP 250 — scored a 6-2, 6-4 victory against Luca Sanchez and Petros Tsitsipas. Neither team has lost a set in their two Marseille matches.

Mahut/Martin will face N.Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan after their 3-6, 7-6(4), 13-11 win against Dustin Brown and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi. After leading 9/6 in the Match Tie-break, the Indian duo erased a match point at 10/11 before clinching victory on their fifth chance.

Gonazlez/Roger-Vasselin will meet Romain Arneodo and Sam Weissborn, who received a walkover in the quarters.

Doha Final Set
Third seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden will meet Constant Lestienne and Botic van de Zandschulp in the Qatar ExxonMobil Open final after both teams advanced on Thursday at the ATP 250.

Bopanna/Ebden were 6-4, 6-3 winners against Britons Daniel Evans Jonny O’Mara, while Lestinne/van de Zandschulp edged the Finnish pair of Patrik Niklas-Salminen and Emil Ruusuvuori 6-3, 5-7, 10-8 by winning the final two points of a neck-and-neck Match Tie-break.

The final will open Friday’s play on centre court at 3:30 p.m. local time.

The ATP Challenger event in Monterrey, Mexico is not only a fan favourite, but consistently ranks towards the top of players’ lists as well.

Club Sonoma, where the Challenger 125 event is hosted, sits under breathtaking views of the Nuevo León mountains. The tournament has a plethora of off-court activities for fans to enjoy alongside world-class tennis. Next week, there will also be a WTA 250 event at the venue. Autograph sessions and interactive kids clinics are organised throughout the week. A hospitality area is filled with food trucks, vendors and games for fans to enjoy.

Among players’ favourite aspects of the tournament are the views, first-class organisation, and everything that Monterrey has to offer as one of Mexico’s largest cities.

“The Challenger 125s tend to be higher quality and I think this one is special even among those. We have everything here,” World No. 103 Nuno Borges told ATPTour.com. “I really like the views. The hotel and the club have nice views, that was my first impression. The courts are pretty quick too because it’s at altitude.

“I’d like to go for a hike in Monterrey, but it’s not very energy efficient! Hopefully when I’m done with the tournament, I can explore a little bit.”

Past champions at the Abierto GNP Seguros include David Ferrer (2018), Alexander Bublik (2019) and Fernando Verdasco (2022). Now in its eighth edition, the Monterrey Challenger always finds ways to improve.

“It’s one of the best Challengers I’ve played, it might be number one, honestly,” World No. 124 Aleksandar Kovacevic said. “The fans here are unbelievable. I don’t know where they come from. I guess they do a good job of marketing the tournament. It’s amazing, I love it here. The other night against Adrian Mannarino was one of the coolest experiences in tennis and I’ve played in some decent stadiums, so I would say that’s saying something.

Aleksandar Kovacevic greets fans at the 2023 Monterrey Challenger. Credit: Abierto GNP Seguros

“I wouldn’t consider myself in any sense a big shot. Having that many people ask for my autograph is flattering but also a bit confusing. I hope in the future to have more of those moments.”

Mexican doubles players Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela and Hans Hach Verdugo, who saved three match points Thursday to advance to the semi-finals, are aiming to collect the trophy on home soil this weekend. The duo shared that the minute details of the tournament go a long way to leave a strong impression on players.

“It’s special for us to be at home, we look forward to it,” Reyes-Varela said. “I think tournaments in Mexico are very well organised, that’s a common thing you hear from players. Puerto Vallarta and Monterrey have both won Challenger Of The Year before. They try to take care of players.”

“I don’t think many Challengers have the stadium we have here,” Hach Verdugo said. “The amount of courts we have for practice is a lot, like seven practice courts. There’s always people taking care of the players’ lounge and transportation. It’s a great atmosphere. Mexico likes to host and have foreigners. That’s why they’ve won many awards on the Challenger Tour.

“They’ve had a bunch of activities, I heard the players’t party was out of this world but I wasn’t able to attend, I was still in Delray Beach. They want to do things right. Every year is better.”

Carlos Alcaraz’s title defence at the Rio Open presented by Claro picked up steam on Thursday, but not before a vintage opening set from Fabio Fognini threatened the Spaniard’s reign at the Brazilian ATP 500.

In a rematch of their 2022 Rio de Janeiro semi-final, Alcaraz earned an entertaining 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 victory, improving to 6-0 on the season as he bids to back up his Cordoba title with second trophy in as many weeks on the South American clay.

“It was really tough. Both Fabio and I played such a high level, great points, great shots,” Alcaraz said post-match, later admitting to feeling tired but ready for more. “It’s amazing to play these kinds of matches. I would say both players played almost our 100 per cent.”

Alcaraz led 3-0 in the opening set and had two break points for 4-0 before Fognini stormed back into the match with his unique brand of shotmaking, frequently leaving his opponent and the Rio crowd stunned with his inventiveness. After breaks in seven of the set’s final eight games, Fognini’s brilliance peaked at 4/5 in the tie-break, when a casual pickup volley came off inch perfect to spark a run of three points to seal the set.

“I struggled with my serve a little bit. I was up with a lot of control of the match. But a lot of breaks of serve in a row,” Alcaraz said of the eventful opening set. “I got a little bit down in that moment and it was tough to come back after that.

“But I know that a tennis match is really long. I was going to have my chances to improve the game on my serve and I think I did.”

As Alcaraz left the court following the first set, Fognini had his right ankle taped. The Italian struggled with the issue early in set two, and this time Alcaraz saw home his 3-0 advantage. A moment of good sportsmanship briefly cut the tension as Alcaraz helped Fognini to his feet after the 35-year-old slipped while running down a drop shot — a shot both men used to great effect throughout the highlight-filled match.

Despite the fall, Fognini’s movement improved as the match wore on. Undeterred, Alcaraz built a 3-0 lead for the third consecutive set in the decider. While the Italian clawed back to 3-2, he could not generate a break chance in his final three return games despite twice bringing up 30/30.

A winner after two hours and 48 minutes on Court Guga Kuerten, Alcaraz will next face the winner of the all-Serbian matchup between Laslo Djere and Dusan Lajovic.

Fognini, who won all five of his break points, was seeking his first win in his past 14 attempts against Top 10 opponents.

Earlier on Thursday, Bernabe Zapata Miralles upset fourth seed Francisco Cerundolo 6-1, 4-6, 6-1. He will next meet fellow Spaniard and seventh seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the quarter-finals, after his 6-2, 6-4 win against Daniel Elahi Galan.

Sixth seed Sebastian Baez also progressed to the last eight with a 7-5, 7-6(6) result against Juan Pablo Varillas, setting up a meeting with Nicolas Jarry. The Chilean defeated Pedro Martinez 6-2, 6-2 on Thursday.

The fourth Rio quarter-final will see Wednesday winners Cameron Norrie and Hugo Dellien square off. Norrie, seeded second, remains on a collision course with Alcaraz for a rematch of their Cordoba final.

If you can’t find Aleksandar Kovacevic on the tennis court or on a plane, perhaps you should look to the mountain slopes to find the American who is making quick progress on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“My favourite thing to do in the world is snowboard,” Kovacevic said when sharing his love for thrill-seeking activities such as jet-skiing and skydiving. “In 2022, I went and snowboarded with my buddy who lives in Lake Tahoe, California. I was there for like four days during the Australian Open because I didn’t qualify. But this year I went to Australia, so I missed out on snowboarding.

“I grew up in New York City, so I’d go to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, it’s about a 90-minute drive from where I lived. I sustained some injuries from snowboarding when I was younger because all my friends were regular people, they didn’t play sports like I did. All they wanted to do was try tricks at the terrain park and I was a little kid trying all these tricks. I wasn’t very good so I hurt myself a lot. Now, I’m a little smarter.”

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The 24-year-old, who is competing at this week’s Monterrey Challenger, misses the days when he had more spare time to pack his gear and head out for a getaway, but now he’s focused on a different mountain: climbing the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Earlier this month, the former University of Illinois standout earned his maiden Challenger title in Cleveland, Ohio before rising to a career-high 122. En route to the title, the two-time ITA All-American needed a deciding set in four of his five matches and took out the top three seeds: Emilio Gomez, Steve Johnson, and Wu Yibing, whom the American defeated in a highly-contested championship match.

“To win my first Challenger there was special, it feels great,” Kovacevic said. “It’s something I wanted to check off my list before moving into ATP. Not something that I had to check off or that it was necessary to get into the Top 100 or 50, but definitely a plus. It’s something I’m happy to put behind me.”

The Cleveland Challenger wasn’t the first time Kovacevic and Wu met in a tight battle. In July, the Chinese star fended off Kovacevic’s six championship points to grab the Indianapolis Challenger title. A week after Kovacevic was crowned champion in Ohio, the 23-year-old Wu completed a dream run at the Dallas Open. Despite falling short in Indianapolis, Kovacevic kept his head high and waited for a rematch.

“It was definitely tough,” Kovacevic said. “I don’t think I necessarily choked that final. I didn’t feel as down about it as maybe I would be if I had the match on my racquet or something. But it was definitely tough, I had six match points. What I learned from that final is I have to be ready to play with that guy. When I first played him in Indianapolis, I brought a pretty good level but I was pretty impressed with him.

Aleksandar Kovacevic in action at the 2023 Cleveland Challenger. Credit: Ben Peskar

“In the first set of the Cleveland final I remember thinking, ‘This guy is the best tennis player I’ve ever seen in my life.’ Then seeing him beat Top-10 players was a little eye-opening for me because not only did I beat him recently, it was just a few days before. Me and him are good friends too and a lot of the guys that are coming up that have made some breakthroughs, I’m good friends with. Trying to be part of that crew is cool.”

Kovacevic made his Tour-level debut at last year’s ATP 250 event in Seoul, where as a lucky loser he defeated the-then World No. 32 Miomir Kecmanovic and completed a semi-final run before falling to eventual champion Yoshihito Nishioka.

The New York City native, who now lives and trains in Boca Raton, Florida, has his sights set on more ATP Tour breakthroughs. Still early in his career, Kovacevic is determined for a strong showing in 2023.

“I’d like to finish the year Top 50, that’d be nice. Obviously Top 100 is the immediate, short-term goal. Given the opportunities coming up, if I can make the Top 100, I think I can make a push to the Top 50. Ultimately, my goal is to be Top 10 one day but that’s far away as of now.”