Granollers/Zeballos Save 3 Championship Points, Win Buenos Aires Title

Top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos battled through a wild Argentina Open final on Sunday, saving three championship points before defeating home favourites Guillermo Duran and Juan Ignacio Londero 6-4, 5-7, 18-16 to lift the trophy.

“It was crazy, it was a spectacular battle,” Zeballos said. “They raised their level and it ended up being a high-level match.”

Granollers and Zeballos, who won last year’s Coupe Rogers title in their tournament debut, saved championship points at 9/10, 11/12 and 15/16 before ultimately triumphing after one hour and 47 minutes. The Spanish-Argentine duo is now 17-6 as a team, also reaching last year’s US Open final.

“The match points are played with tremendous nerves,” Zeballos said. “In the Match Tie-break we started very down, but we also had to think that the rivals play too, and they can dip the same way.”

Granollers and Zeballos struck nine aces and won 75 per cent of their first-serve points. They also won 71 per cent of their second-serve points, which was better than Duran and Londero’s first-serve winning percentage of 69 per cent. Granollers and Zeballos only lost one set en route to the trophy.

“We played a set and a half very well and won the game at the end,” Granollers said. “In doubles that happens, it is a format that is a lottery. We have endured well, fighting every point until the end.” 

The champions earn 250 FedEx ATP Doubles Ranking points each and share $34,580. It is Granollers’ 19th tour-level doubles trophy and Zeballos’ 14th trophy.

This was Duran and Londero’s fourth tournament together, and they had not won a match as a team before this event. Duran and Londero, who did not lose a set before the final, split $17,720 and they add 150 points each.