Roland Garros
Doubles – Final: (1) Mirnyi/Nestor def. (2) Bryan/Bryan 6-4 6-4
This took “only” about an hour and a half, but it was a very close thing. There were only two breaks in the match — but those two both went to defending champions Mirnyi/Nestor. They must be thinking that it is about time. It’s their third title of the year, but their first since Memphis, and their first big title since last year’s year-end victory. It’s their first Slam since winning Roland Garros last year. And it lets them keep the top rankings, although by a somewhat reduced margin:
1..(1) Mirnyi………….9450
1..(1) Nestor………….9450
3..(3) Bryan…………..8910
3..(3) Bryan…………..8910
5..(5) Llodra………….6760
6..(6) Zimonjic………..6740
7..(7) Paes……………6375
8..(8) Fyrstenberg……..5995
8..(8) Matkowski……….5995
10.(10) Lindstedt……….5200
10.(11) Tecau…………..5200
It’s the fourth Roland Garros title for Daniel Nestor, and the third in a row; he has won it with Knowles, Zimonjic, and now twice with Mirnyi. Mirnyi has two titles with Bjorkman and two with Nestor. Between them, they have won six of the last eight titles. (The other winners in that time were Cuevas/Horna and Dlouhy/Paes.)
The Bryans will surely have more chances at the #1 ranking this year; like Mirnyi/Nestor, they have three titles this year (Sydney, Monte Carlo, and Nice). But they’re now about a thousand points behind Mirnyi/Nestor in the Race. That’s a lot of ground to make up with the year half over. We’d say Mirnyi/Nestor have qualified for the year-end Championships. The Bryans should qualify, too, but the pressure is mounting….