Delbonis/Gonzalez Retain Sao Paulo Crown

Argentines Federico Delbonis and Maximo Gonzalez retained the Brasil Open crown on Saturday, defeating Brits Luke Bambridge and Jonny O’Mara 6-4, 6-3 in 62 minutes to win their second title as a team.

It is Delbonis’ third Sao Paulo triumph, as he also was victorious in singles five years ago. Gonzalez reached the doubles final in all four ‘Golden Swing’ events — at Cordoba, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo — this year, lifting the trophy in three straight events (finalist in Cordoba) with three different partners.

Delbonis and Gonzalez did not drop a set in this ATP 250 event, winning six of their eight sets by a margin of 6-4 or greater. The compatriots are now 9-2 as a tandem. The Argentines leave Brazil with 250 ATP Doubles Ranking points and a share of $31,300.

The battle was won on first serves. Delbonis and Gonzalez lost just two points (23/25) on their first deliveries, while Bambridge and O’Mara were able to win only 69 per cent (23/32) of their first-serve points. The Argentines broke four times in the match, while they were broken just once.

It was still a strong week for Bambridge and O’Mara, who also reached the final of the Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune to start the season. The Brits captured titles in Eastbourne and Stockholm last year. They add 150 points to their tallies and split $15,940 in prize money.

Did You Know?
Since the Brasil Open started in 2001, the Delbonis/Gonzalez pairing is the only all-Argentine team to lift the doubles trophy.