Peers/Venus Reach First Team Final In Dubai

John Peers and Michael Venus advanced to their first final as a team on Friday, beating Jurgen Melzer and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-6(2), 6-2 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

The unseeded pairing saved all three break points it faced to claim its third straight-sets victory in as many matches this week. Peers and Venus also beat Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Benoit Paire and defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury en route to the championship match.

Peers and Venus are competing in just their fourth event as a team. Last month, the pair made its debut at the ASB Classic and also reached the Australian Open third round.

Peers and Venus will face fourth seeds Oliver Marach and Raven Klaasen or Henri Kontinen and Jan-Lennard Struff for the title. Kontinen and Struff are aiming to reach their second ATP 500 final of the year after a runner-up finish at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.