Melo/Kubot Boost London Hopes; Capture Beijing Trophy

Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo improved their chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals on Sunday, beating Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic 6-1, 6-4 to capture the China Open title.

“It means a lot for us,” said Melo. “I think it was a great week… we finished with the title. [There were] some ups and downs, but we are very happy. I love to play in China, I always feel good.”

Kubot and Melo, currently in eighth position in the ATP Doubles Race To London, lifted their 11th tour-level team trophy after 65 minutes, saving both break points they faced en route to victory. Kubot has now won 23 tour-level crowns, while Melo now owns 31 doubles titles.

“It was a very important tournament for us, especially right now with the ATP Doubles Race To London,” said Kubot. “It gives us a lot of confidence. We had four great matches here in Beijing.”

The Polish-Brazilian duo has clinched three titles this season, after previously triumphing in Sydney and Halle. Kubot and Melo, who own a 32-18 record this year, also improve their FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Marach and Pavic to 2-0, having won their only previous encounter, in dramatic fashion, in the 2017 Wimbledon final.

“We put together everything we worked on during the week… We started playing the tournament one way and we finished with the perfect match, especially against [Marach and Pavic]. We are very, very happy to have put it all together in the final,” said Melo.

Marach and Pavic, who have already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, were aiming to lift their fifth trophy in their ninth tour-level final of the season. The top-seeded duo has won 45 of its 60 matches this season.

Kubot and Melo receive 500 ATP Doubles Ranking points and split €220,790 in prize money for earning their third trophy of the season. Marach and Pavic gain 300 points and share €108,100.