There will be a rematch of the 2014 doubles final during round-robin action at the 2016 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. That much was assured when the draw ceremony took place on Monday afternoon in London. Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, the year-end championship winners two seasons ago, are in the same group as Marcelo Melo and Ivan Dodig. Melo and Dodig finished runner-up to the Bryan brothers in 2014, falling 6-7(5), 6-2, 10-7 in the title match.
Neither team is favored to make it back to the final this time around. The Bryans have fallen to No. 3 in the world, while Dodig and Melo currently register in the sixth spot. They are joined in Group B at this year’s World Tour Finals by Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares and by Treat Huey and Max Mirnyi.
A rematch of the recent BNP Paribas Masters final is also in the cards for London. Henri Kontinen and John Peers, who had not even clinched a place in the World Tour Finals prior to their arrival in Paris, went all the way to the title. They upset the world No. 1 pairing of Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 3-6, 10-6 this past Sunday. By virtue of their triumph, the Finnish-Australian duo soared to No. 5 in the 2016 race.
“It was amazing to actually get the first Masters title for both of us,” Peers commented. “I know we’ve put in a lot of hard work together and it’s something to cap off a really good year, just before we head into London.”
Herbert and Mahut were eliminated in round-robin competition at the 2015 year-end event but they appear poised to make amends this time around. The Frenchman captured back-to-back titles in Indian Wells and Miami, and they also won Wimbledon. Joining Herbert-Mahut and Kontinen-Peers in Group B are French Open champions Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez in addition to Treat Huey and Max Mirnyi.
“We know all the teams quite well,” Herbert assured. “The teams are all very good and all the matches will be very tight.”
Group Fleming/McEnroe
1) Pierre Hugues-Herbert and Nicolas Mahut
3) Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez
5) Henri Kontinen and John Peers
7) Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram
Group Edberg/Jarryd
2) Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares
3) Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan
6) Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo
8) Treat Huey and Max Mirnyi
Topics: 02 Arena, 10sballs.com, Atp World Tour, Doubles tennis, London, Ricky Dimon, Sports, Tennis News, World Tour Finals