Peers/Venus Continue London Push In Antwerp
John Peers and Michael Venus are in a heated battle for one of four coveted spots remaining in the Nitto ATP Finals doubles field. They are showing good form, defeating Luke Bambridge and Jackson Withrow 6-4, 7-5 on Monday to reach the second round of the European Open.
The Aussie and Kiwi have won two titles this year, lifting the trophy in Dubai and Hamburg. They began the week in sixth place in the FedEx ATP Battle For London, ahead of seventh-placed Jurgen Melzer and Edouard Roger-Vasselin by 275 points.
FedEx ATP Battle For London: Doubles Standings
| Team | Points |
| 5. Wesley Koolhof/Nikola Mektic | 2,145 |
| 6. John Peers/Michael Venus | 1,810* |
| 7. Jurgen Melzer/ Edouard Roger-Vasselin | 1,535 |
| 8. Jamie Murray/Neal Skupski | 1,500 |
| 9. Max Purcell/Luke Saville | 1,425 |
| 10. Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah | 1,350 |
*Points entering this week’s play
Peers and Venus, the second seeds in Antwerp, broke serve four times and won 82 per cent of their first-serve points to triumph after one hour and 12 minutes.
In Monday’s other doubles match, Belgian wild cards Michael Geerts and Yannick Mertens ousted the American-Italian wild card team of Zane Khan and Luca Nardi 6-4, 7-6(3) in one hour and 27 minutes.
Did You Know?
The four teams that have qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals so far are Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury, Mate Pavic/Bruno Soares, Kevin Krawietz/Andreas Mies and Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos.