Glasspool/Heliovaara Survive Hurkacz/Shelton In Madrid Doubles Opener

Doubles play began on Thursday at the Mutua Madrid Open, where four tightly contested matches featured at the ATP Masters 1000 event. While at least one tie-break was played in all four contests, all of them were decided in straight sets.

Sixth seeds Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara edged Hubert Hurkacz and Ben Shelton 6-4, 7-6(3), saving all seven break points against them and converting on one of their five break chances. The British-Finnish pair survived 10 aces from the singles stars and rose to the occasion in the second-set tie-break to advance to the last 16.

Seventh seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden took a similar path into the second round with a 6-3, 7-6(4) win against Roberto Bautista Agut and Daniel Evans. Bopanna/Ebden won 95 per cent (37/39) of their first-serve points and saved seven of eight break points against them in the victory. They will next face Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev, who beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Emil Ruusuvuori 7-6(5), 6-3.

Rounding out Thursday’s doubles action, Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow defeated Alex de Minaur and Grigor Dimitrov by the narrowest of margins, 7-6(6), 7-6(5).