Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez won their third team title on Sunday, defeating Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer 7-6(5), 6-4 at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.
The 2016 Roland Garros champions won 88 per cent of points behind their first serves (35/40) in the one-hour, 52-minute encounter to win their first tour-level title together since their success in Paris two years ago. It is Feliciano Lopez’s fourth doubles crown, while Marc Lopez has now lifted 14 titles. Both men had previously advanced to the Barcelona final, with Feliciano Lopez doing so in 2005 alongside Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez reaching the final with Marcel Granollers in 2012.
Qureshi was bidding to retain his Barcelona trophy, having won the title in 2017 with Florin Mergea. Rojer was aiming to win his second title of the season, after success with his regular partner Horia Tecau at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships just two months ago. Rojer has reached the Nitto ATP Finals in three of the past four season with Tecau, who is currently recovering from a right foot injury. Qureshi and Rojer were competing together for just the second time since 2013. The duo also reached the championship match on its last outing, falling to Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic at the 2017 Intrum Stockholm Open.
In the first set, the Spaniards failed to convert set points at both 5-4 and 6-5 before finally taking a one-set lead in the tie-break on their seventh set point. The momentum carried into the second set, with a crucial break in the first game earning Lopez and Lopez a strong lead. The duo continued to hold serve and, despite failing to convert three championship points at 5-3, clinched the title on serve in the following game to clinch the victory.
Lopez and Lopez receive 500 ATP Doubles Ranking points and share €162,940 in prize money for lifting the trophy. Qureshi and Rojer gain 300 ATP Doubles Rankings points and will split €79,770.
Did You Know?
Despite Spanish dominance in the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell singles event, Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez are the first Spanish winners of the doubles tournament since 1997 (Berasategui/Burillo).
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/2r891La
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