TENNIS FAN FAVORITES FEDERER AND MURRAY LOSE IN LONDON, ZVEREV AND SOCK/BRYAN REACH FINAL SUNDAY

Written by: Staff on 17th November 2018

TENNIS FAN FAVORITES FEDERER AND MURRAY LOSE IN LONDON, ZVEREV AND SOCK/BRYAN REACH FINAL SUNDAY

epa07173443 Germany's Alexander Zverev in action against Switzerland's Roger Federer during their semi final match of the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament in London, Britain, 17 November 2018. EPA-EFE/WILL OLIVER |

Germany’s Alexander Zverev in action against Switzerland’s Roger Federer during their semi final match of the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament in London, Britain, 17 November 2018. EPA-EFE/WILL OLIVER

By J. Fred Sidhu and Ricky Dimon

It was an entertaining afternoon session in LONDON at the Nitto ATP Finals on Saturday, but the fans did not go home happy. The only British player in the competition–singles or double–exited London when Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares lost to Mike Bryan and Jack Sock 6-3, 4-6, 10-4 in the semifinals.

Immediately thereafter, Roger Federer lost in his semifinal showdown against Alexander Zverev–succumbing in two tight sets 7-5, 7-6(5).

The latter contest will be talked about for a while, as it brought a somewhat controversial end to Federer’s season. At 3-4 in the second-set tiebreaker, Zverev stopped playing in the middle of the point because a ballboy dropped a ball in the middle of a rally. Chair umpire Carlos Bernardes did not see it, but he agreed to call a let after the ballboy confirmed what had happened.

But enough about that (at least for now). After all, doubles deserves some of the limelight–especially after this high-quality semifinal contest.

Bryan and Sock Proudly Waive Red, White & Blue at Nitto ATP Finals

USA’s Jack Sock (L) and USA’s Bob Bryan (R) celebrate winning a point against Austria’s Oliver Marach and Croatia’s Mate Pavic during their men’s doubles round-robin match on day four of the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, 14 November 2018. EPA-EFE/NEIL HALL

There will be an American in the finals of this year’s Nitto ATP Finals, in fact there will be two of them as Mike Bryan and Jack Sock withstood a tough challenge against home-town favorite Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares of Brazil and advanced with an entertaining 6-3, 4-6, 10-4 semifinal doubles victory in 76 minutes at O2 Arena.

Bryan and Sock will face the winner of the second semifinal doubles match between Pierre-Hughes Herbert and Nicholas Mahut of France versus Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in Sunday’s doubles final.

After winning the first set in 29 minutes, Bryan and Sock remained on serve through the first nine games of the second set. Sock served to stay in the set at 4-5, but after fighting off two set points in the tenth game, Murray and Soares won the deciding point to break serve and win the set, sending the match to a match tiebreak.

Sock and Bryan regained the momentum in the match tiebreak with solid service returns and impressive net play. They extended an early 4-1 lead to 7-3 and later at 9-4, Sock smashed Soares’ service return for a winner to close out the match, which was played before a near capacity crowd.

After winning doubles titles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open earlier this year, Sock and Bryan are hoping to finish 2018 by capturing their third doubles title of the year together at the Nitto ATP Finals.

“It’s a real pleasure to play. A lot of guys are fighting to play this tournament all year. They want to finish Top 8,” said Bryan, who is attempting to win the doubles title for the fifth time in his career. “To finish Top 8 is quite an achievement. You’re playing against the best of the best in the last tournament of the year. I would call this the fifth Slam.”

Sock is excited to be playing in the doubles championship in the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.

“We have a pretty solid game plan and style we like to play together. I feel like I play similar in every doubles match, pretty loose and just firing on all cylinders,” he said. “It will be blast to get out there one more time.”

Sunday’s doubles championship in all likelihood will mark the end of the Bryan / Sock doubles partnership. Bob Bryan is scheduled to rejoin twin brother Mike this January after undergoing hip surgery this past August.

No matter the outcome of Sunday’s match, Mike is happy to have had the opportunity to play doubles this year with Sock, the first player to reach singles and doubles semifinals in back-to-back years since John McEnroe won both titles in 1983-84 at the Masters in New York.

“The memories of just being on the court together and the laughs that we’ve had. He’s got a great perspective and just lets it fly. It’s a good balance. I’ll miss the good times we’ve had together,” said the 40-year-old Bryan, who will finish the year as the oldest No. 1 player in the history of the ATP Doubles Rankings.