Dodig/Melo Back On Track With Miami Win

Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo notched their first win since the Australian Open on Saturday in Miami. The Croatian/Brazilian pairing won six ATP Tour titles from 2013-16 and are now playing their sixth event as a team this season.

They opened their campaign at the Miami Open presented by Itau with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen, saving four out of five break points in the contest. The duo dropped serve on a sudden-death point in the very first game, but held strong the rest of the way to advance to the second round.

The other four break points all came in the opening game of set two, when they escaped 0/40 to get on the board before breaking to love in the next game. That was part of a run of 10 straight points that set Dodig and Melo on course for a straightforward second set. 

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They will next face Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini, who upset fourth seeds John Peers and Filip Polasek, 6-2, 6-4, on Saturday.

The tournament’s second and third seeds started their respective campaigns with a pair of straight-sets victories. Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury got past Lloyd Glasspool and Michael Venus, 7-5, 6-4, while Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos were 6-2, 6-2 winners over Raven Klaasen and Ben McLachlan.

The only other seeded duo in action, eighth seeds Nicolas Mahut and Fabrice Martin, were eliminated by Edouard Roger-Vasselion and Austin Krajicek, 6-3, 6-4.

At the conclusion of Saturday’s play, the Round of 16 will be set in Miami.