Brkic/Cacic Clinch First ATP Title In Buenos Aires
Tomislav Brkic and Nikola Cacic claimed their first ATP Tour title as a team on Sunday after toppling fourth seeds Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar in the Argentina Open final.
The unseeded Bosnian-Serbian duo dropped only one set en route to the trophy, and needed one hour and 16 minutes to defeat the Delray Beach champions 6-3, 7-5.
“It was a great week for us. Coming from Cordoba, where we lost in the first round, we came here and prepared well and practised,” Cacic told ATPTour.com after the match. “We played very good, and I think we deserved to win today. That was our best match of the tournament.”
Brkic and Cacic only dropped serve once throughout the contest. They had to deal with a late comeback effort as Behar and Escobar a saved match point at 5-4 and tried to force a second-set tie-break. But Brkic and Cacic held firm, and converted their second match point to seal the victory in straight sets.
“[It’s the] first ATP title for us. This is our second tournament on the ATP Tour, and already we won a tournament. It’s a great feeling,” said Cacic. The pair have previously won an ATP Challenger Tour title in Forli last year.
The Buenos Aires triumph marks Brkic’s first ATP Tour doubles title and Cacic’s third. Brkic also became the first player representing Bosnia and Herzegovina to win a tour-level doubles title with his victory on Sunday.
“It’s a great experience for me, I’ve played already three semi-finals,” Brkic said. “It’s good for the self-confidence [to know that] I can play with the guys who are the best in the Tour in doubles.
“We just started to play together, so it’s good for us that we had such a good result here and I hope that it continues in Santiago next week.”