Doumbia/Reboul down Sinner/Hurkacz in Halle; Ram/Salisbury oust De Minaur/Korda
Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul spoiled the Halle partnership between Jannik Sinner and Hubert Hurkacz on Thursday with a 7-6(3), 4-6, 10-8 victory at the Terra Wortmann Open.
The Frenchmen continued the trend of doubles players beating singles stars at this week’s ATP 500s.
From 5/5 in the Match Tie-break, Doumbia and Reboul won five of the next eight points to reach their eighth tour-level semi-final of the season. Champions in Montpellier and Bucharest, they will meet second seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz in the last four after the Germans downed countrymen Constantin Frantzen and Hendrik Jebens 7-6(3), 6-4.
Sinner and Hurkacz were teaming for the first time since last year in Halle.
Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori also reached the semi-finals, defeating Alexander Bublik and Arthur Fils 6-4, 6-3. The Italians, 2023 finalists in Halle, next face wild cards Yannick Hanfmann and Dominik Koepfer.
[ATP APP]Ram/Salisbury, Arevalo/Pavic Advance In London
Second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury ousted Top 25 singles players Alex de Minaur and Sebastian Korda 7-6(6), 7-5 in the cinch Championships first round.
The ATP Doubles trial featured at The Queen’s Club this week puts singles teams against doubles teams in the first round whenever possible and on Thursday, Ram and Salisbury stepped up in key moments to advance. The American-British duo saved a set point in the first-set tie-break and earned a decisive break at 6-5 in the second.
<img src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/06/20/19/48/ram-salisbury-queens-2024-thursday.jpg” style=”width:100%” alt=”Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury at the cinch Championships.” />
Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury at the cinch Championships. Credit: Luke Walker/Getty Images for LTA
Roland Garros champions Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic, competing for the first time since the clay-court major, overcame Julian Cash and Robert Galloway 6-4, 6-4.
Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek, defending titlists in London, were 6-3, 7-6(2) winners against Australians John Peers and Jordan Thompson. Taylor Fritz and Karen Khachanov won 6-4, 6-4 against Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Fritz last year partnered Jiri Lehecka to make the ATP 500 final.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Wednesday, 19 June
Neal Skupski and Michael Venus got their cinch Championships campaign underway on Wednesday in London when they defeated singles stars Ugo Humbert and Ben Shelton 6-4, 6-3.
The seventh seeds were aggressive throughout the 69-minute clash on the lawns in west London, striking deep returns and closing the net sharply to reach the second round. Skupski and Venus are teaming for the second time this season and next play Alex de Minaur and Sebastian Korda or second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury.
Other singles teams to fall in London included Jack Draper and Cameron Norrie and Sebastian Baez and Adrian Mannarino. Sixth seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin beat Draper and Norrie 6-4, 6-4, while fifth seeds Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic downed Baez and Mannarino 4-6, 6-3, 10-3.
Mektic and Koolhof arrive in London in good form, having advanced to the final on grass in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
Top seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden also advanced to the second round, defeating Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler 6-4, 6-4. Ebden and Bopanna have won tour-level titles together at the Australian Open and in Miami this season.
The ATP Doubles trial, which was first held at the Mutua Madrid Open, is taking place at the Queen’s Club. Some of the changes include less time between points, adjustments to time allowances during changeovers and the use of “time extensions”.
Hurkacz/Sinner advance in Halle
Singles stars Hubert Hurkacz and Jannik Sinner earned victory in their first match of the season together at the Terra Wortmann Open, where they beat third seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 6-4, 5-7, 11-9.
The Pole-Italian team saved two match points in the Match Tie-break to seal victory after 82 minutes. Sinner is the top seed in the singles draw and is competing as No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time.
Top seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori beat Pedro Martinez and Aleksandr Nedovyesov 6-3, 6-3. Bolelli and Vavassori reached the final at the ATP 500 grass-court event last season.
Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul defeated Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 7-6(4), 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals, while Constantin Frantzen and Hendrik Jebens eliminated Yuki Bhambri and Albano Olivetti 5-7, 7-6(12), 10-7. The Germans saved two match points in the second set.
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