Big Surprises in Men’s Doubles—Nathan’s Blog

Written by: Staff on 26th November 2011

Big Surprises in Men’s Doubles—Nathan’s Blog |

By: Nathan M. Cuny

The weekend of November 25-27 is resulting in some big changes in doubles tennis, from Barclays semi-finals knockouts to team changes. One of the biggest surprises of the weekend came on Saturday when the No.1doubles team Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan was ousted by the No.3 team of Max Mirnyi/Daniel Nestor. Mirnyi and Nestor face the No.8 doubles team of Mariusz Fyrstenberg/Marcin Matkowski for the Barclays title at 3:30 PM Sunday the 27^th.

Top seeds and three time ATP World Tour finals champions Bob and Mike Bryan were defeated 6⁶-7, 4-6 by Mirnyi and Nestor in a matter of one hour and nineteen minutes. Mirnyi and Nestor won an astounding 33 out of 35 first service points. In an interview following the success of their match, Mirnyi stated, “We know it won’t happen every time. We knew we had to serve well against Bob and Mike, so we went after our serves and attacked any first volley above the net.”

Bob and Mike Bryan lost the tie break in the first set. The second set was closed after Mike made three errors at the net, giving Nestor finishing room with their 12^th strong ace. With Bob and Mike Bryan’s Saturday loss they finished with a season record of 60-16 and remain No.1.

The No.4 Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes made it to the semifinals but lost to Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski. Frystenberg/Matkowski were victorious 6-4, 4-6, 10-6 in one hour and thirty-nine minutes. After Bhupathi and Paes’ loss in the semifinals, the teammates announced they will not return to a partnership in the following season. There is a reason for separation far beyond Barclays.

The well renowned IndoPak express team is also following in accord with the Indian Express. Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi will no longer be a team once they leave London. The reason both teams are breaking up is in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Rohan Bopanna and Mahesh Bhupathi are pairing up for 2012 in hopes of increasing the Indians bid to compete at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Despite the sudden break up and both players doing so well with their soon to be former teammates, there is no bitterness between them.

Thursday’s match, where IndoPak Express lost against Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski, was the last game Bopanna and Qureshi will play together in possibly a very long time. Following the match, Qureshi commented on the breakup of the team, stating, “I respect Rohan’s decision to play with Mahesh, with a view to competing at the Olympics. I hope I will be there too.” It’s good to know they end their partnership on friendly terms and in the name of their sport. Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi pairs with Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands for 2012. Leander Paes is expected to pair with Lucasz Kubot of Poland.

Topics: Barclays, Doubles