Erler/Miedler rally to second Vienna crown, Murray/Peers soar to Basel title

  • Posted: Oct 27, 2024

Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler gave the fans in Vienna something to cheer about on Sunday when they clinched their second title at the Erste Bank Open.

The Austrians, who triumphed at the indoor hard-court ATP 500 in 2022, rallied to defeat Neal Skupski and Michael Venus 4-6, 6-3, 10-1. With the one-hour, 25-minute victory, the duo improved to eight consecutive wins after lifting the trophy in Antwerp last week.

“The crowd went crazy today. With 10,000 people, it was an unbelievable atmosphere and we’re really happy with how the match ended,” said Miedler. “Now it’s time to celebrate. We managed to serve well [in the Match Tie-break], connect on the returns. It’s amazing to play a 10-1 tie-break against them.”

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Erler and Miedler led by a break in the opening set, but lost four consecutive games to fall behind in the championship match. Undeterred, they clawed their way back in a well-fought second set, during which they produced some scintillating tennis on return to shift the momentum in their favour in the Match Tie-break.

Buoyed by the home support at a sold-out Wiener Stadthalle, Erler and Miedler finished with a flourish to seal their eighth ATP Tour title as a team, winning 12 of the final 13 points.

With their run to the championship match in Vienna, Skupski and Venus are up to 13th in the PIF ATP Doubles Teams Rankings. Their impressive season is underpinned by back-to-back title runs on the British grass in Eastbourne and London.

Murray/Peers seal Basel crown
Qualifiers Jamie Murray and John Peers capped off a strong week by winning their first title together this year at the Swiss Indoors Basel.

The British-Australian duo produced a clinical performance in the championship match to upset top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic 6-3, 7-5.

“It was a crazy week for us,” said Murray, who saved three match points in their opening qualifying match. “We managed to battle through today, it was a really tough match. There were a lot of opportunities for both teams to break serve. Everyone was returning good and putting a lot of pressure on the server and we managed to hang tough at the end.

“It was a battle and we’re super excited to win and have a strong finish to what has been a tough year.”

Murray and Peers first teamed in 2013, amassing six ATP Tour titles together over the course of three years. After an eight-year spell with different partners, they rejoined forces in August this year.

“We’ve kept building and working hard ever since we got back together in America,” added Peers. “I think it’s a reward for all the hard work we’ve put in. We’ve been great with each other, combing well like we never left.”

With the defeat, Koolhof and Mektic remain in fifth place in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, 368 points ahead of eighth-placed Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten. They won the Nitto ATP Finals in 2020 and are still in strong contention to return to Turin in Koolhof’s final season as a professional.

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