Rio Headlines Week #7: The busiest month of the season continues with three tournaments, highlighted by the 500 level event in Rio de Janeiro returning for the fourth year. World No. 5 Kei Nishikori and No. 8 Dominic Thiem headline an outstanding field in Rio. In Marseille, the top two seeds are the top two Frenchmen, No. 10 Gael Monfils and No. 14 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. In Delray Beach, the first outdoor tournament in North America features World No. 4 Milos Raonic and No. 20 Ivo Karlovic as the top two seeds. Overall, 10 of the Top 20 (as of Feb. 13) Emirates ATP Rankings are in action in the three tournaments.

RIO OPEN presented by CLARO (Rio de Janeiro): The first of two Brazilian tournaments on the ATP World Tour takes place in Rio, with the beautiful Jockey Club Brasileiro featuring eight clay courts, including a 6,200-seat stadium. This is the second (of 13) 500 level tournaments of the season. Six of the Top 30 in the Emirates ATP Rankings (as of Feb. 13) are entered. Along with Nishikori and Thiem, the other seeds are: reigning champion No. 3 Pablo Cuevas, No. 4 Pablo Carreno Busta, No. 5 Albert Ramos-Vinolas, No. 6 David Ferrer, No. 7 Paolo Lorenzi and No. 8 Joao Sousa. The other former winner in the field is Ferrer (2015).

— Nishikori Top Seed: Nishikori, who competed in Sunday’s Buenos Aires final (l. Dolgopolov), finds himself as the top seed again in a February ATP World Tour tournament. He is making his Rio de Janeiro debut. For the past three years the Japanese star was the No. 1 seed in Memphis where he won the title each time. Overall, he won Memphis four straight years. He won his last 17 matches in Memphis and owns a 17-1 career record. The World No. 5 Nishikori has a 9-2 match record on the season (not including BA final). He is trying to win his 12th career ATP World Tour title. He was runner-up in Brisbane (l. to Dimitrov) and followed with 4R at the Australian Open (l. to Federer in five sets).

— Cuevas Reigning Champ: No. 3 seed Cuevas is the reigning champion and the 31-year-old Uruguayan has enjoyed playing in Brazil. After winning last year’s Rio title, he went on to capture the Sao Paulo title. He also won in Sao Paulo in 2015. He has a 5-3 career record in ATP World Tour finals. He finished a year-end best No. 22 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after reaching a career-high No. 19 on Aug. 15.

— Ferrer Looks to End Drought: No. 6 seed Ferrer enters with a 10-2 career record in Rio, reaching the semi-finals in his 2014 debut (l. to Dolgopolov), winning his last clay title two years ago (d. Fognini) and reaching the quarter-finals last year. The 34-year-old Spaniard finished last year outside the Top 20 at No. 21 for the first time since 2004 and also failed to reach an ATP World Tour final for the first time since ’04. His last ATP World Tour title came in Vienna in October 2015.

— Ruud on the Rise: The youngest player in the draw is 18-year-old wild card Christian Ruud of Norway. Ruud is No. 16 in the Emirates ATP Race to Milan standings and at a career-high No. 201 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. The future #NextGenATP star is looking for his first career ATP World Tour match win (0-2), losing in the 1R in Chengdu last year and Chennai last month.

— Brazilian Title Hopes: The top four Brazilians in the Emirates ATP Rankings are in the main draw, led by No. 75 Thomaz Bellucci, who takes on top seed Nishikori. The others are: No. 84 Thiago Monteiro, No. 88 Rogerio Dutra Silva and wild card No. 133 Joao Souza. Bellucci, who has four career ATP World Tour titles, is 2-3 in Rio with his best result being the quarter-finals in 2014. Souza advanced to the quarter-finals in 2015. Last year was the first year a Brazilian didn’t reach the quarters in Rio.

— Doubles Draw: The doubles draw features last year’s No. 1 duo in the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings, Jamie Murray & Bruno Soares. The other seeds are: No. 2 Lukasz Kubot & Marcelo Melo, No. 3 Pablo Carreno Busta & Pablo Cuevas and reigning champions No. 4 Juan Sebastian Cabal & Robert Farah, who also won the 2014 title. Cabal and Farah won the Buenos Aires final on Sunday.

OPEN 13 PROVENCE (Marseille): The second of five French tournaments on the ATP World Tour features a strong line-up with six of the Top 20 players in the Emirates ATP Rankings, led by the top French duo of Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who won Sunday’s Rotterdam final. There are four other French seeds: No. 3 reigning champion and top Aussie Nick Kyrgios, No. 4 Lucas Pouille No. 5 and top German Alexander Zverev, No. 6 Richard Gasquet, No. 7 Gilles Simon, and No. 8 Benoit Paire. There are three former champions in the field –  Kyrgios, Simon (2007, 2015) and Tsonga (2009, 2013).

— Monfils Top Seed: Monfils is playing in his second tournament of the season after opening with a 4R showing at the Australian Open last month (l. to No. 9 Nadal in four sets). The 30-year-old Frenchman is making his eighth appearance in Marseille (5-7 record) and his best result is a runner-up two years ago (l. to Simon). Prior to that he was 1-6 in Marseille. This is the 10th time in his career Monfils is the top seed in an ATP World Tour tournament. He has won two titles and reached another final:

— Kyrgios Defending Champ: No. 3 seed Kyrgios is the reigning champion and the 21-year-old Aussie is looking to defend an ATP World Tour title for the first time in his career. Last year Kyrgios entered No. 41 and he cruised to his first ATP World Tour title without losing serve (held 47 games). He closed with wins over No. 10 Gasquet (QF), No. 8 Berdych (SF) and No. 12 Cilic (F). He went on to capture two other titles (Atlanta, Tokyo) and finish a year-end best No. 13. Kyrgios is 2-1 on the season and he reached the 2R at the Australian Open (l. to Seppi 10-8 in fifth set) and won a Davis Cup match (d. Satral) to help Australia into the QFs vs. the U.S. in April.

— Simon Success: No. 7 seed Simon comes in with a 21-8 career record in Marseille. He won the title in 2007 (d. Baghdatis) and 2015 (d. Monfils). He also advanced to the semi-finals in 2009 and 2013. He opens in the 1R against #NextGenATP Russian Karen Khachanov.

— #NextGenATP Trio: There are three #NextGenATP stars in the main draw, led by Emirates ATP Race to Milan leader Alexander Zverev, who won his second career ATP World Tour title one week ago in Montpellier (d. Gasquet).and moved to a career-high No. 18 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. The others in the draw are Russians Karen Khachanov, who is ranked a career-high No. 48, and Daniil Medvedev, who is No. 2 in the Race to Milan and a career-high No. 60. There are two other future #NextGenATP players making their Marseille debut: wild cards Stefanos Tsitsipas (18) of Greece and Denis Shapovalov (17) of Canada. Tsitsipas is ranked No. 205 and Shapovalov is ranked No. 256.

— Doubles Draw: The top seeds in the doubles draw are Frenchmen Julien Benneteau & Nicolas Mahut, who are teaming together in a tournament for the first time since the 2012 US Open (QF). They last paired up in a 2015 Davis Cup 1R tie vs. Germany. The other seeds are: No. 2 Mate Pavic & Alexander Peya, No. 3 Rohan Bopanna & Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and No. 4 Wesley Koolhof & Matwe Middelkoop, who lost in Sunday’s Rotterdam final.

DELRAY BEACH OPEN (Delray Beach): The first outdoor North American tournament of the season is the 25th edition of the Delray Beach Open. Leading the way is World No. 4 Milos Raonic, who is making his tournament debut. The other seeds are: No. 2 and 2015 champion Ivo Karlovic, No. 3 and top American Jack Sock, No. 4 and reigning champion Sam Querrey, No. 5 Steve Johnson, No. 6 Bernard Tomic, No. 7 Juan Martin del Potro and No. 8 Kyle Edmund. There are five former champions in the draw: Querrey (2016), Karlovic (2015), Kevin Anderson (2012), del Potro (2011) and Tommy Haas (2006).

— Raonic Top Seed: Raonic is the top seed in an ATP World Tour tournament for the second time this season and sixth time in his career. The 26-year-old Canadian is coming off his best career season in 2016 when he finished No. 3. He began this year with a semi-final in Brisbane where he was top seed (d. No. 9 Nadal, l. to eventual champion Dimitrov) and followed with a quarter-final at the Australian Open (l. to Nadal). Raonic withdrew from the 1R Davis Cup tie vs. Great Britain due to an adductor injury he suffered during the Australian Open.

— Querrey Defending Champ: No. 4 seed and wild card entry Querrey is the reigning champion. The 29-year-old Californian is making his fifth straight Delray Beach appearance and ninth overall (13-7 record). Last year he came in ranked No. 61 and capped off his title run with wins over del Potro in the SF and Ram in the final. He also was a semi-finalist in three tournaments (Memphis, Acapulco, ‘s-Hertogenbosch) and quarter-finalist at three other events, including Wimbledon where he beat No. 1 Djokovic in 3R. This season Querrey has a 3-3 record, with his best result being the 3R at the Australian Open (l. to Murray).

— Delpo Makes 2017 Debut:  One year ago Juan Martin del Potro returned to Delray Beach ranked No. 1,042 and for the first time since his title run in 2011 (d. Tipsarevic). This was the start of his second ATP Comeback of the Year season (2011). The 28-year-old Argentine finished No. 38 with a 32-12 match record on the season, highlighted by his 19th career title in Stockholm (d. Sock). He also earned a silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics where he beat No. 1 Djokovic in 1R and No. 5 Nadal in SF, (l. to No. 2 Murray). He closed the season by leading his country to a first Davis Cup title (d. Croatia) with two wins (d. Karlovic, No. 6 Cilic). The No. 7 seed in this year’s tournament opens against fellow big man Kevin Anderson, who won the title in 2012 and reached the final in 2014. Anderson has a 14-6 career record in Delray Beach.

— #NextGenATP Foursome: There are four #NextGenATP stars in the main draw, led by World No. 61 Borna Coric, who is looking for his first win of the season (0-3). The others are: No. 100 Jared Donaldson, No. 114 Taylor Fritz, who was last year’s ATP Star of Tomorrow recipient, and No. 120/wild card Stefan Kozlov, who is from nearby Pembroke Pines.

— 2015 Repeat Final: Karlovic, who was not broken en route to the 2015 title, opens against Donald Young, the player he beat 63 63 in that final. The 37-year-old Croat also reached the final in 2010 (l. to Gulbis). He has an 11-7 career record and six other times the Croat didn’t get past the second round, losing in 1R four times and 2R twice. He opened the season with a quarter-final in Doha (l. to Verdasco) and followed with a 3R showing at the Australian Open where he opened with a 22-20 win over Zeballos in 1R, hitting a tournament record 75 aces.

— Tommy Returns: Tommy Haas, who won the 2006 title, is playing in Delray Beach for the first time since 2014 (l. to Johnson in 2R). Haas an 11-7 record here. The 38-year-old German is playing on a protected ranking. He is the tournament director at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and he plans to retire this season.

— Doubles Draw: The top seeds in the doubles draw are four-time champions Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan, who are playing for the first time since their Australian Open runner-up effort last month (l. to Kontinen/Peers). The other seeds are: No. 2 Raven Klaasen & Rajeev Ram, No. 3 Treat Huey & Max Mirnyi and No. 4 Oliver Marach & Fabrice Martin, the defending champions (d. Bryans).

The gap between Milos Raonic and the very best players on the ATP World Tour comes down to an adjective: unpredictable.

Raonic, the top seed at the Delray Beach Open this week, always wants his opponents wondering about his game, his location on the court and his next move. He wants all of his rivals, and especially those at the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings, to feel discomfort when he faces them across the net.

“You have to make them feel uncomfortable. Because as soon as you start giving them the same scenario too many times, they adjust in a fantastic manner and they’re the best in the world at that,” Raonic said of the top players during a pre-tournament call with reporters.

The 6’5” right-hander has taken steps to become less predictable. In December, he hired former World No. 4 Richard Kraijcek as his coach. The 1996 Wimbledon champion captured 17 tour-level titles with a charge-the-net mindset. Early on in 2017, the Canadian has also done his best to continue improving his attacking style, reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian Open (l. to Nadal).

“What I feel like I needed to add to my game was not only the element of serving well and following it up with a big forehand, I felt like I needed to be able to get myself forward to take time away from them and make them always feel like I could make that step forward,” Raonic said.

The Canadian will make his debut appearance this week at the Delray Beach Open, an ATP World Tour 250 tournament. The World No. 4 will be the highest ranked player to participate in the tournament during its 25-year history. In 2003 and 2007, respectively, World No. 6 Andy Roddick and World No. 6 James Blake played at the tournament. Roddick fell in his opener to countryman Mardy Fish; Blake lost in the final to Xavier Malisse.

When Raonic was ranked much lower, at No. 361, he had hopes of playing at the 2010 Delray Beach Open. But he didn’t make the cut for the qualifying draw.

“It’s definitely nice to be able to come back. I’m very excited to play there and create a different storyline rather than it being the tournament that I didn’t get into,” Raonic said.

The Delray Beach field is packed with top players again this year. Argentine Juan Martin del Potro starts his season at the tournament for the second year in a row. Del Potro reached the semi-finals last year during the beginning of his comeback year. The right-hander skipped the ATP World Tour events Down Under and the Australian Open last month to have a longer off-season and build up his fitness.

No. 20 Ivo Karlovic, No. 21 Jack Sock and No. 29 Sam Querrey, a wild card recipient, round out the top four seeds. Del Potro, No. 36, is the seventh seed.

In many ways, last season was the best year in Raonic’s career. He finished with a career-high year-end Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 3. The Canadian reached his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon before falling to Murray. During the semi-finals of the ATP Finals, the right-hander held a match point against World No. 1 Andy Murray. 

But Raonic feels he’s even better than he was a year ago. “I think that I’m a player that’s moved along mentally and physically quite significantly over where I was 52 weeks ago, even where I was at the end of last year. That makes me very excited,” he said. “I’ve tried to be more outward with my energy in a positive way to get out a higher level continuously throughout the match, and I think that’s what’s going to make a difference in the important moments.”

Raonic last played in the quarter-finals in Melbourne. An old adductor injury bothered him during the match but he said he’s feeling ready to play in south Florida. The 26 year old took about two weeks off from tennis to rest the injury.

“Everything’s feeling good. The doctors and the physios are very happy with the progress I’m making and now it’s really about just easing my way into it,” he said.

He will have plenty of fan support to help push him through any niggles this week. The Delray Beach tournament is a favourite among Canadians who have moved south.

“I’m well aware that there is a huge Canadian contingency down there. I know that people will come out. It’s a tournament that I’ve always wanted to play,” he said. “I’m very excited about [it] and hopefully it leads to good things for me to getting my year going and getting some good matches in.”

Read More: Dolgopolov Completes Dream Week In Buenos Aires

Ryan Harrison’s game was on song all week at the Memphis Open and the American was rewarded with his maiden ATP World Tour title. Harrison upended Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 6-4 in just 76 minutes on Sunday, displaying a dogged defence that saw him deny all 12 break points faced.

The 24 year old is the second first-time winner this year, joining Sydney champion Gilles Muller. He is also the second player to clinch an ATP World Tour title without dropping a set, in addition to Alexandr Dolgopolov, who won in Buenos Aires earlier on Sunday.

“It’s always going to be special, but it’s even better here in front of a group of people that drove up from your hometown and have known you since you were five years old,” Harrison said. “To do it in front of friends and family and people that saw the work I was putting in and my dedication, it definitely makes it more special.

“This was the first place I saw a professional tennis match, driving up from Shreveport. I will always remember Memphis. All those emotions were coming out there at the end. You have dreams and aspirations in life and for me it’s trying to be as great as I can in tennis. For me to come back here and win this title when I had thought it was impossible, it’s amazing.”

Basilashvili rode his bludgeoning forehand to the final, but was unable to penetrate Harrison’s defences. The American snatched the first break in the fourth game and forced a backhand error to take a commanding 5-1 lead. After closing out the opener in 25 minutes, Harrison came under pressure often in the second set, but escaped break points in all five of his service games.

The Louisiana native survived a 0/40 deficit in the sixth game and would consolidate the decisive break for 4-2. He crossed the finish line with one of his nine aces after just over an hour.

“I don’t think I had a single easy hold in the second set,” Harrison added. “He came out and was playing really good tennis. Honestly, he outplayed me most of the second set and I managed to save a bunch of break points and convert on the only one I had. But that happens in tennis. I was fortunate to be the one saving the opportunities.”

Harrison has won 10 matches – and 20 sets – in a row after also lifting the trophy at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Dallas two weeks ago. He is the first player to win Challenger and ATP World Tour titles in consecutive tournaments since David Goffin reeled off four victories in four weeks, including his maiden tour-level crown in Kitzbuhel, in 2014. He is also the first to win on both circuits this year.

The World No. 62 adds $114,595 and 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points and is projected to return to the Top 50. The first American winner at the Racquet Club of Memphis since Andy Roddick in 2011, he also finished runner-up with Steve Johnson in the doubles final on Sunday.

Basilashvili, meanwhile, was contesting his second ATP World Tour final, having finished runner-up to Paolo Lorenzi in Kitzbuhel last year. He was bidding to become the first player representing the Republic of Georgia to lift a trophy. The big-hitting 24 year old takes home $60,355 and 150 Emirates ATP Rankings points.

“In the first set, I could not find any rhythm. I was not going for my shots and playing very defensive. Ryan was serving really well on the break points. I had a lot of chances in the second set, but the energy wasn’t great today. It hurts so much, but you have to learn from this for the next matches.

“Ryan was playing unbelievable in the 12 break points,” said Basilashvili. “He was playing really well. If I had just one, I could have found the rhythm, but I wasn’t able to. He made me play a lot of shots, which helped him. He has been playing very good all week.”

The encounter between the American and the Georgian was their first in eight years. Harrison triumphed in the semi-finals of an ITF Futures event in Shingle Springs, California in 2009, when both players were 16 years of age.

Alexandr Dolgopolov arrived at the Argentina Open with just one win in his past 11 matches, but leaves Buenos Aires as champion after defeating top seed Kei Nishikori 7-6(5), 6-4 in Sunday’s final.

With his remarkable turn in form this week, the Ukrainian earns his third ATP World Tour singles title and his first since prevailing in Washington, D.C., in July 2012. He also picks up his first win against his Japanese opponent, having lost all five of their previous FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings in straight sets. Dolgopolov gains 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points and receives a cheque for $97,470.

Dolgopolov didn’t drop a set throughout the week and advanced through a challenging draw. He defeated second seed Pablo Cuevas in the second-round and fourth seed Pablo Carreno Busta in the semi-finals before taking out Nishikori. Dolgopolov also handed Nishikori his first to a player outside the Top 50 since 2014, ending a 50-match win streak.

Nishikori was seeking his 12^th ATP World Tour singles title, but finishes the week as the first Asian-born player to reach the Argentina Open final. He receives 150 Emirates ATP Rankings points and a cheque for $51,335.

Both players traded service holds in the opening set to force a tie-break, but Dolgopolov found another gear when it mattered most, cracking a forehand winner on his second set point to grab the early advantage. The Ukrainian grabbed the lone break of the match at 3-3 in the second set with a backhand return winner. He held his slight advantage the rest of the way, converting on his first match point to prevail in one hour and 40 minutes.

Both Nishikori and Dolgopolov will compete next week at the Rio Open presented by Claro. Nishikori is the top seed once again and faces Thomaz Bellucci in the opening round, while Dolgopolov will start the week off against sixth seed David Ferrer.

Ivan Dodig and Marcel Granollers have clinched their first ATP World Tour title as a pairing at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament with a 7-6(5), 6-3 victory over Dutch wild card team Wesley Koolhof and Matwe Middelkoop.

Dodig/Granollers, playing just their second event together, had dispatched top seeds Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert for a place in the Rotterdam final, whilst Koolhof/Middelkoop were looking to add to their Apia International Sydney trophy they won last month.

Watch Full Match Replays

With no breaks, a tie-break was required to separate these in-form pairings in the opening set and the third seeds managed to edge ahead. They struck instantly in set two to build a 2-0 lead, an advantage they maintained until closing out the title in 73 minutes.

“We have played some amazing tennis together. We played some great matches at the Australian Open, played the quarter-finals and lost a tough match to the Bryans,” said Dodig after they claimed the title without dropping a set. “I am really happy the way we are playing and hopefully we can continue this level.”

The Rotterdam champions secured 500 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings Points and €111,890 in prize money. Dodig landed his seventh tour-level doubles trophy, Spaniard Granollers took his tally to 14.

“I am very happy,” said Granollers. “We played great tennis all week in all of the matches. Without a doubt, it has been a great start with Ivan, reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and winning an [ATP World Tour] 500 title. We are very happy with our form.”

Koolhof/Middelkoop were bidding to become the first Dutch duo to win on home soil in Rotterdam since Jacco Eltingh and Paul Haarhuis in 1998, but still leave with 300 ranking points and €54,780 prize money.

Nikoloz Basilashvili raced through the latter stages of his Memphis Open semi-final on Saturday and into his second ATP World Tour final, weathering a marathon opening set to advance past Mikhail Kukushkin 7-6(5), 6-1.

“The more matches you play, the more you get used to playing in these important moments,” said Basilashvili. “I have really good energy at the moment and am enjoying being on the court, so I hope to keep this level going.”

Awaiting Basilashvili in the final is the winner between Americans Ryan Harrison and Donald Young.

The Georgian player hasn’t lost a set this week and has been enjoying a hot streak on indoor hard courts, recording a semi-final finish last week in Sofia (l. Dimitrov).  He’s now one win from his first ATP World Tour title after finishing runner-up in his maiden final this past July in Kitzbuehel (l. Lorenzi). Currently at a career-high No. 67 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, a win on Sunday would put Basilashvili inside the Top 50.

Basilashvili and Kukushkin battled through a 78-minute opening set, with several games featuring multiple deuces. Little separated the two players through the tie-break, but some impressive scrambling from Basilashvili at 5/5 drew two errors from Kukushkin and gave the Georgian the early advantage. Losing the set appeared to flatten Kukushkin’s spirit, while Basilashvili raised his level further and began pinning his opponent well behind the baseline. The Georgian broke his opponent twice in the second set en route to prevailing in one hour and 46 minutes. 

DOUBLES

American Brian Baker and Croatian Nikola Mektic reached their first final of the year by defeating Australians Matthew Ebden/Bernard Tomic 7-6(1), 6-2. They will play the winner between second seeds Oliver Marach/Fabrice Martin and Americans Harrison/Steve Johnson.

Alexandr Dolgopolov has been a dominant force this week at the Argentina Open and the Ukrainian continued his strong form on Saturday, blasting past Pablo Carreno Busta 7-5, 6-2 to reach the final.

Dolgopolov has not relinquished a set in advancing to his seventh ATP World Tour final and first on the clay of Buenos Aires. He will contest his first title match in three years, since falling to Rafael Nadal in Rio de Janeiro in 2014, against either top seed Kei Nishikori or home hope Carlos Berlocq.

The 28 year old needed just 69 minutes to dispatch fourth seed Carreno Busta on a sunny afternoon on Court Guillermo Vilas. Dolgopolov settled down after being broken to love to open the match, breaking back immediately and turning aside the Spaniard’s four other chances in the encounter.

Dolgopolov’s successful week comes at an opportune time, having dropped 10 of 11 matches entering Buenos Aires. The World No. 66 will look to complete his resurgent run against either Nishikori or Berlocq in Sunday’s final.

Defeat for Carreno Busta, meanwhile, ends an eight-year run of Spaniards reaching the Buenos Aires final. The 25 year old was bidding to join Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Nicolas Almagro, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Tommy Robredo in that span.

Reigning Doubles Champs Survive
Defending champions Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah were made to work to book a return trip to the Buenos Aires final. The Colombian power stepped up with their backs against the wall, rallying past Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini 4-6, 7-6(0), 10-3 in Saturday’s semis.

Bolelli and Fognini held a match point while serving for a spot in the final at 6-4, 6-5, but Cabal and Farah reeled off eight straight points to force a Match Tie-break and eventually advanced after one hour and 50 minutes. The top seeds will appear in their 18th ATP World Tour final together, facing Santiago Gonzalez and David Marrero on Sunday.