Bryan Brothers, Hewitt Featured In Houston Doubles

Top seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan will have some top-level competition at this week’s Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship, which starts Monday in Houston.

The six-time champions will open against American wild cards Robert Galloway and Nathaniel Lammons, but looming on the other side of the draw are wild cards Jordan Thompson and Lleyton Hewitt. The Aussies played together earlier this year at the Sydney International, where they made the semi-finals (l. to Cabal/Farah).

Houston will be Hewitt’s fifth doubles event of the year. The 38-year-old Hewitt, who retired from singles in 2016, also played in Brisbane with #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur, at the Australian Open with countryman John-Patrick Smith and at the New York Open with 19-year-old Aussie Alexei Popyrin.

“I’m lucky I could still go out there and compete reasonably well on the doubles court. It’s easier on your body and covering half the court. For me, to play with the young Australians is exciting,” Hewitt said at the New York Open in February. “I get to know them a little bit better as well and [see] how they handle different situations.”

The Bryan brothers won their sixth Miami Open presented by Itau and their 39^th ATP Masters 1000 title on 30 March. It was their second title since Bob returned to action in January (Delray Beach). He missed eight months last year because of a right hip injury that required him to undergo hip replacement surgery last August.

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