Arevalo/Middelkoop Earn Clash Against Top Seeds Mektic/Pavic In Indian Wells
Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Dutchman Matwe Middelkoop battled through a nail-biting Match Tie-break on Sunday evening to defeat South African Raven Klaasen and Japan’s Ben McLachlan 6-2, 0-6, 11-9 in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open.
It will not get easier for the unseeded duo, which will next play top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, who have won nine titles together this year. The Croatians eliminated Americans Mackenzie McDonald and Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 6-2.
[FOLLOW ACTION]In other action, Dutchmen Wesley Koolhof and Jean-Julien Rojer reached the second round by beating American Austin Krajicek and German Andreas Mies 1-6, 7-6(4), 10-5.
Rojer has lifted two men’s doubles major trophies, winning Wimbledon in 2015 and the US Open in 2017 with Horia Tecau. Koolhof triumphed at last year’s Nitto ATP Finals alongside Mektic.
Koolhof and Rojer will next face Australian John Peers and Slovakian Filip Polasek, who also came through a tight encounter Sunday. The seventh seeds outlasted Uruguayan Ariel Behar and Ecuador’s Gonzalo Escobar 7-5, 6-7(1), 10-7 in just under two hours.
Russian singles stars Aslan Karatsev and Andrey Rublev also advanced with a 6-3, 5-7, 10-3 victory against Italian Simone Bolelli and Argentine Maximo Gonzalez.