Top seeds Bob Bryan and Mike
Bryan captured their 76th team title, defeating wild cards Matthew Ebden and
Jarkko Nieminen 6-1, 6-4 in the Apia International Sydney final on Sunday.
The Bryans commanded the match
from the beginning, opening with a 5-0 lead. They won 77 per cent of their
points on serve and did not face a break point. The World No. 1 pair converted
three service breaks against Ebden and Nieminen to seal the victory in just 53
minutes. "First of all, congrats to Jarkko on a Herculean effort here in
Sydney. Twelve matches in one week is no easy feat," said Bob Bryan.
"With that said, it's a nice feeling to get a title this early in the
season. I thought we played some great tennis and we hope to carry this
momentum into Melbourne Park."
The American twins are now
two-time champions at the ATP World Tour 250 event, having first lifted the
trophy in 2009. They also finished runners-up in 2011, 2008 and 2004. The
Bryans will now head to the Australian Open, an event they’ve won five times in
the past six years. "Thanks to everyone for another great event. Sydney is
a beautiful city and we always enjoy starting the year here," Mike Bryan
said. "We love this tourney and we think it's the perfect springboard into
the year's first Grand Slam. We're excited for Melbourne and the rest of
2012."
Ebden and Nieminen, who ousted
No. 2 seeds Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor in the quarter-finals, were playing
their first tournament together. Ebden dropped to a 2-1 final record, while
Nieminen fell to a 2-4 mark. The Finn was bidding to win both the singles and
doubles titles at a tournament for the first time, after beating Julien Benneteau
earlier Sunday to win the singles crown.
No comments:
Post a Comment