ATP Doubles: Nicolas Mahut & Edouard Roger-Vasselin conquer Tokyo



by DZEVAD MESIC

ATP Doubles: Nicolas Mahut & Edouard Roger-Vasselin conquer Tokyo
ATP Doubles: Nicolas Mahut & Edouard Roger-Vasselin conquer Tokyo

France's Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin have captured their seventh title together after winning it all at the Japan Open in Tokyo. Mahut and Roger-Vasselin, seeded at No. 2, handed a straight-set defeat to Nikola Mektic and Franko Skugor of Croatia in the Tokyo final 7-6 (7) 6-4.

Mektic and Skugor claimed the first break of the match in the fifth game but failed to capitalize on the early break as they didn't manage to serve out for the first set in the 10th game. Mektic and Skugor saved three consecutive set points in the 12th game and two more in the tie-break but the Frenchmen kept their focus as they realized their sixth point to win the set.

After winning a tight opener, Mahut and Roger-Vasselin claimed an early second set break and then held on to their serve for the rest of the set to clinch their fourth straight-set win of the week and conclude their campaign without a dropped set.

Elsewhere, Croatian Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek of Slovakia surprised No. 2 seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-3 7-6 (4) to lift the China Open doubles title. One break of serve was enough for Dodig and Polasek to win the first set as Kubot and Melo failed to convert their lone break point of the set.

Dodig and Polasek then won a highly inconsistent second set to win it all in Beijing and to lift their second team title. Kubot and Melo won five games in a row to recover from a 0-2 deficit and take a 5-2 second set lead, before they failed to serve out for the decider in the ninth game.

Kubot and Melo paid the price for failing to serve out for the set as Dodig and Polasek realized their first match point in the tie-break to seal the win in an hour and a half of play.

Nicolas Mahut Ivan Dodig Filip Polasek