Koolhof/Mektic surge into Shanghai final
Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic got through another stern test Friday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters to bolster their chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals.
The pair came through its third championship tie-break of the week unscathed against Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, the duo prevailed 6-7(3), 6-4, 10-6 to book their spot in their fifth final of the season.
Koolhof and Mektic clinched the Nitto ATP Finals trophy in 2020 and, after three years with different partners, have reunited in a bid to emulate that success.
[ATP APP]With three titles as a pair in 2024, including the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Koolhof and Mektic have pushed up to seventh in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, leapfrogging Wimbledon champions Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.
However, with ninth-placed Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow trailing them by just 453 points, Koolhof and Mektic will not rest on their laurels heading into the remaining weeks of the year.
Into their first Shanghai final as a team, the Dutch-Croatian duo will face either Jean-Julien Rojer and Adam Pavlasek or Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni for a shot at the trophy.
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