Powered By Superman, Behar/Escobar Reach Belgrade Semis
Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar continued their pursuit of a third team title this season on Thursday by defeating John Millman and John-Patrick Smith 6-4, 7-5 in the quarter-finals of the Serbia Open.
Behar received plenty of attention for his memorable outfits earlier this year, and in the quarter-finals he wore a Superman Lego shirt. The winners fittingly powered their way past the Aussies, winning 80 per cent of their first-serve points.
The Uruguayan-Ecuadorian team has already won ATP Tour titles this year in Delray Beach and Marbella, and they will next play Tomislav Brkic and Nikola Cacic. They beat the Bosnian-Serbian duo in the Buenos Aires final and beat them for the Marbella trophy.
Brkic and Cacic defeated Simone Bolelli and Maximo Gonzalez 0-6, 7-6(7), 10-8. Also advancing were Matteo Berrettini and Andrea Vavassori, who eliminated Luke Bambridge and Dominic Inglot 6-4, 7-6(3).
Top Seeds Advance In Barcelona
Top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah reached the semi-finals of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell with a 6-3, 6-4 win against Daniel Evans and Neal Skupski, who reached the final in Miami and Monte-Carlo. The Colombians will next face Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin.
Third seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury also advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Ivan Dodig and Jamie Murray. They will battle Kevin Krawietz and Horia Tecau for a spot in the championship match. Krawietz and Tecau ousted John Peers and Luke Saville 6-4, 6-3.