Dutchman Wesley Koolhof and Briton Neal Skupski reached their second ATP Tour final in as many weeks by defeating second seeds Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo 6-4, 6-1 on Friday in the semi-finals of the Adelaide International 2.
Third seeds Koolhof and Skupski triumphed at the Melbourne Summer Set tournament last week (d. Nedovyesov/Qureshi), but their opponents also came into the match in good form. The second-seeded Croatian-Brazilian pairing of Dodig and Melo had reached the final in Adelaide last week (l. to Bopanna/Ramanathan), but they were unable to replicate that performance this week at the same venue.
Koolhof and Skupski will meet Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar in the final. The Uruguayan-Ecuadorian pairing both finished 2021 with career high ATP Doubles Rankings, and the sixth seeds have started 2022 brightly, too. They beat the eighth seeds Tomislav Brkic and Nikola Cacic 6-4, 6-7(5), 10-6 in the second semi-final.
Bolelli/Fognini Recreate Top 10 Days to Reach Sydney Final
Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini, the 2015 Australian Open champions, reached the Sydney Tennis Classic final on Friday, defeating sixth-seeded Germans Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies 6-4, 6-2.
All four players have been Top 10 in the world in doubles, but the constant pressure Bolelli and Fognini were able to put on their opponents’ serves was key. The Italians converted four of 10 break points on their way to victory.
In the other semi-final, Australian John Peers and Slovakia’s Filip Polasek defeated all-Australian duo Alexei Popyrin and Matt Reid 7-6(2), 6-3.
Third seeds Peers and Polasek, saved the only break point of the first set before winning the tie-break. They had too much for the unseeded Aussie pair in the second set, however, and Peers and Polasek can now look forward to the support of the home crowd when they take on Bolelli and Fognini on Saturday.
Third seeds Koolhof and Skupski triumphed at the Melbourne Summer Set tournament last week (d. Nedovyesov/Qureshi), but their opponents also came into the match in good form. The second-seeded Croatian-Brazilian pairing of Dodig and Melo had reached the final in Adelaide last week (l. to Bopanna/Ramanathan), but they were unable to replicate that performance this week at the same venue.
Koolhof and Skupski will meet Ariel Behar and Gonzalo Escobar in the final. The Uruguayan-Ecuadorian pairing both finished 2021 with career high ATP Doubles Rankings, and the sixth seeds have started 2022 brightly, too. They beat the eighth seeds Tomislav Brkic and Nikola Cacic 6-4, 6-7(5), 10-6 in the second semi-final.
Bolelli/Fognini Recreate Top 10 Days to Reach Sydney Final
Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini, the 2015 Australian Open champions, reached the Sydney Tennis Classic final on Friday, defeating sixth-seeded Germans Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies 6-4, 6-2.
All four players have been Top 10 in the world in doubles, but the constant pressure Bolelli and Fognini were able to put on their opponents’ serves was key. The Italians converted four of 10 break points on their way to victory.
In the other semi-final, Australian John Peers and Slovakia’s Filip Polasek defeated all-Australian duo Alexei Popyrin and Matt Reid 7-6(2), 6-3.
Third seeds Peers and Polasek, saved the only break point of the first set before winning the tie-break. They had too much for the unseeded Aussie pair in the second set, however, and Peers and Polasek can now look forward to the support of the home crowd when they take on Bolelli and Fognini on Saturday.