Butorac/Lipsky Reach Auckland Final; Sydney Final Set
Butorac/Lipsky Reach Auckland Final; Sydney Final Set
Murray/Soares to face Bopanna/Mergea in Sydney finale
Fourth seeds Eric Butorac and Scott Lipsky will look to win their third ATP World Tour team title after defeating Julian Knowle and Oliver Marach 6-1, 6-4 to reach the final of the ASB Classic in Auckland on Friday.
The Americans also triumphed in Estoril seven years ago and lifted the trophy at the end of last year in Valencia. In Saturday’s final they will face Croatian Mate Pavic and home favourite Michael Venus, who beat wild cards Marcus Daniell and Artem Sitak 6-2, 6-3.
“We finished last season strong, winning in Valencia, and are happy to get off to a great start early in 2016,” said Butorac. “Auckland is one of our favourite tournaments and the atmosphere on centre court is always electric. We know we won’t be the fan favourites in the final, but it will be a great experience nonetheless.”
Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares won two matches on Friday to reach their first ATP World Tour final together at the Apia International Sydney. The British/Brazilian duo defeated Australians Matt Reid and Jordan Thompson 6-4, 6-4 in the quarter-finals before later edging Polish pair Lukasz Kubot and Marcin Matkowski 7-5, 2-6, 10-3 in the semi-finals.
“It was a great win for us today,” said Murray, reacting to the semi-finals. “Bruno played some crazy points in the tie-break. I was just along for the ride! Conditions were very tough because it was so windy. It’s great to be in our first final so early in the season and we’re looking forward to getting out on centre court tomorrow and competing for a trophy.”
In the final they will face fourth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea, who defeated Thomaz Bellucci and Leonardo Mayer 7-6(8), 6-4 in 83 minutes. Bopanna and Mergea, who finished last season as runners-up at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (l. to Rojer/Tecau), will challenge for their third title together.
“We’re really happy to reach the final here in Sydney. It’s our first tournament of the year and it’s indeed a great feeling,” said Bopanna, who won the title last year with Daniel Nestor. “We have been playing some confident tennis in the past few matches, so that’s a boost as a team.
“After the way we finished 2015, to start the season winning matches and having another shot at a title, it gives us a lot of confidence not only going into the final tomorrow, but also for the upcoming Grand Slam. Also, for me personally, it’s good to be back in the final and have the chance to retain my title.”