Marcelo Demoliner and Andrea Vavassori worked double duty on Saturday to claim the Grand Prix Hassan II doubles title in Marraekch, winning their semi-final and final matches via Match Tie-breaks.
After sealing their final place with a 3-6, 6-3, 10-3 victory against Indians N.Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, the champions beat third-seeded Austrians Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler 6-4, 3-6, 12-10 for the trophy, saving a match point on the way.
"I know it's really tough to win a final like this. The level was really high," Vavassori said during the trophy ceremony. After thanking his family, team, and partner, he later added: "For me it was one of the best weeks in my career."
Demoliner was full of praise for his partner in his remarks: "Amazing to play with you. You're my hero this week," he said. "It was unbelievable what you did."
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The Brazilian/Italian team led the title-deciding Match Tie-break 4/0 and 8/4 but had to fight off a match point at 9/10 before sealing the victory on the second match point of their own.
Demoliner and Vavassori first teamed up at the 2023 Australian Open, where they reached the second round. Now 6-3 as a pair, they also reached the semi-finals in Buenos Aires this season.
The Marrakech title is Demoliner's fifth and Vavassori's third at tour-level, with the Italian claiming his second title of 2023 (Santiago with Andrea Pellegrino).
Erler/Miedler, who were seeking their third title of 2023, fell to 3-1 in tour-level finals.
After sealing their final place with a 3-6, 6-3, 10-3 victory against Indians N.Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, the champions beat third-seeded Austrians Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler 6-4, 3-6, 12-10 for the trophy, saving a match point on the way.
"I know it's really tough to win a final like this. The level was really high," Vavassori said during the trophy ceremony. After thanking his family, team, and partner, he later added: "For me it was one of the best weeks in my career."
Demoliner was full of praise for his partner in his remarks: "Amazing to play with you. You're my hero this week," he said. "It was unbelievable what you did."
[ATP APP]
The Brazilian/Italian team led the title-deciding Match Tie-break 4/0 and 8/4 but had to fight off a match point at 9/10 before sealing the victory on the second match point of their own.
Demoliner and Vavassori first teamed up at the 2023 Australian Open, where they reached the second round. Now 6-3 as a pair, they also reached the semi-finals in Buenos Aires this season.
The Marrakech title is Demoliner's fifth and Vavassori's third at tour-level, with the Italian claiming his second title of 2023 (Santiago with Andrea Pellegrino).
Erler/Miedler, who were seeking their third title of 2023, fell to 3-1 in tour-level finals.