Delbonis/Gonzalez Triumph In Sao Paulo

Federico Delbonis won his maiden ATP World Tour singles title in Sao Paulo four years ago, so it was only fitting that he would find his doubles breakthrough at the Brasil Open, too.

Delbonis partnered Maximo Gonzalez to cruise past recent New York Open finalists Wesley Koolhof and Artem Sitak 6-4, 6-2 on Sunday in 73 minutes to triumph at the Brasil Open, earning their first tour-level title as a team. It is Delbonis’ first doubles crown and the fourth of Gonzalez’s career. The pair had only won a single match together (1-2) at the tour-level prior to the week. 

“It’s great. First time in singles, first time in doubles. I think it’s a special city for me,” Delbonis said of Sao Paulo. “I want to enjoy this title a bit. It’s always special to win a title. Now, I have a little more confidence for the next tournament and the next month.”

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The match was not as easy as the scoreline might indicate, as Delbonis and Gonzalez faced eight break points in the match. But the Argentines nullified seven of the eight opportunities that the Dutch-Kiwi pair held, while converting on four of their seven break chances. They needed three sets in two of their four victories in Sao Paulo, including a tough opener against second-seeded Hans Podlipnik-Castillo and Andrei Vasilevski.

“We really started with a tough draw, but we started playing good,” Gonzalez said. “Today we had the best match of the week. I’m happy to be with Federico, he’s a good friend of mine.”

Gonzalez and Delbonis will share $27,980 and bank 250 ATP Doubles Rankings points each. 

Koolhof and Sitak fall to 0-4 in tour-level finals together. It is the second time in three weeks that they have finished runner-up on the ATP World Tour, losing to Max Mirnyi and Philipp Oswald in the New York Open championship match. Both players are still pursuing their fourth ATP World Tour titles. They will split $14,710 and add 150 ATP Doubles Rankings points to their tally. 

Did You Know?
Delbonis and Gonzalez had played three tour-level matches together (1-2) prior to this year’s Brasil Open. They won four matches this week to claim their first title together.