TENNIS NEWS – MEN’S DOUBLES MELO & KUBOT GRASS-COURT STREAK INTO WIMBLEDON FINAL, MELO TO BECOME NO. 1

Written by: Staff on 14th July 2017

TENNIS NEWS - MEN'S DOUBLES MELO & KUBOT GRASS-COURT STREAK INTO WIMBLEDON FINAL, MELO TO BECOME NO. 1

epa06084853 Lukasz Kubot (R) of Poland and Marcelo Melo (L) of Brazil in action during their Men's Doubles semi final match against Henri Kontinen of Finland and John Peers of Australia for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 13 July 2017. EPA/GERRY PENNY EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO COMMERCIAL SALES |

Melo and Kubot continue grass-court streak into Wimbledon final, Melo to become No. 1

By Ricky Dimon

Roger Federer is putting together a nice run on grass, with a 10-match winning streak that includes the Halle title and another trip to the Wimbledon semifinals. Not even Federer, however, is as hot as two of the players who will be on the court for the men’s doubles final on Saturday.

Marcelo Melo and Lukasz Kubot, who played two grass-court tournaments prior to Wimbledon, are still yet to lose on the lawn this season. They won the ‘s-Hertogenbosch title, triumphed in Halle, and have now picked up five more match victories at the All-England Club to reach the championship match.

Melo and Kubot have won 13 matches in a row since falling to eventual champions Ryan Harrison and Michael Venus in the French Open second round.

The Brazilian and Polish duo has survived seven of those 13 contests in either fifth sets or third-set super-tiebreakers. Their Wimbledon run includes a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, 3-6, 11-9 victory over Alexander Peya and Philipp Petzschner in the second round, a comeback from two sets down against Florin Mergea and Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi two days later, and an epic 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-2, 4-6, 9-7 defeat of Henri Kontinen and John Peers–the world No. 1 team–in Thursday’s semifinals.

More than just a spot in the Wimbledon title match was at stake in the Thursday thriller. The No. 1 ranking was also in the line. If Kontinen and Peers had prevailed, Kontinen would have remained in the top spot. Instead, Melo will assume the top ranking on Monday.

Wimbledon’s Instagram account posted the following, accompanying a picture of Melo kissing the grass in celebration: “When you reach the #Wimbledon final *and* become the new @atpworldtourdoubles No.1. All in a day’s work for @marcelomelo83″.

It could, of course, have gone either way. After splitting the first four sets, neither team showed any signs of cracking in the fifth set. That finally changed with Kontinen serving at 7-8. Melo and Kubot brought up a break point–and match point–at ad-out and converted it following a wild rally, clinched when the Brazilian struck a forehand winner.

The other semifinal lasted even longer than the three hours and 32 minutes that were required in Melo and Kubot’s win over Kontinen and Peers. Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic outlasted Franko Skugor and Nikola Mektic 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(4), 3-6, 17-15 after four hours and 34 minutes.

Marach and Pavic will both be playing in their first Grand Slam final on Saturday, but it has not come out of nowhere. Almost as hot as Kubot and Melo on grass, the Austrian and Croat reached the final in both Stuttgart and Antalya prior to Wimbledon.