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Monte Carlo Masters: Rohan Bopanna and Pablo Cuevas win men's doubles

The duo unseeded Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez in a three-set battle to clinch the crown.

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Rohan Bopanna of India and Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay hold aloft their winners trophies after their three set victory against Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez of Spain in the doubles final on day eight of the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters at Monte-Carlo Sporting Club on April 23, 2017 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco.
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India's Rohan Bopanna and his Uruguayan partner Pablo Cuevas lifted their first ATP World Tour title together when they downed seventh-seeds Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez in a three-set battle in the final of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on Sunday.

The unseeded Indo-Uruguayan pair outwitted the Spanish team in the Match tie breaker for a 6-3 3-6 10-4 win in 74 minutes. It was the second title of the season for Bopanna having won the the season-opening Chennai Open crown with compatriot Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan.

"I'm really happy to win our first title together. I have come to Monte-Carlo so many years, it's such a historic tournament. We had a tough start to the season, but it s great to have won. We came through some close Match tie-breaks this week and it s a good start to the clay season. I m looking forward to the rest of the tournaments," said Bopanna.

Cuevas said, "I am really happy, as I didn t started the season well. I'm happy to win with my partner in the first tournament on European clay and I hope for a good run through to Paris."

Bopanna is now 16-24 in doubles finals and 4-4 in Masters' summit clashes. It was Cuves' second Masters trophy, adding to the 2015 Rome Masters triumph with David Marrero. Marc Lopez, one-half of the Rio Olympic champion team, came under pressure in his first service game at 1-2, 30-40, when Bopanna feinted a switch at the net off a long rally to strike a forehand volley winner into space. Bopanna and Cuevas held onto the break and wrapped up a 28-minute set when Feliciano Lopez mistimed a forehand wide on Bopanna's serve at 40-15.

In the first game of the second set, Feliciano did well to hold as he recovered from 30-40, including two break points. At 1-2, 30-40, Cuevas over-hit a lob long to gift the Spaniards their first service break and it proved to be enough for Feliciano, serving at 5-3, to strike two straight aces for a hold to 30.

The greater weight of groundstroke by Bopanna and Cuevas was felt in the Match tie-break as the pair took a 6-0 lead, largely targeting the volleys of Marc. Although Team Lopez recovered to 4-8, Cuevas sealed the first match point opportunity with a forehand down the line that Feliciano could not return cleanly.

They were trying to become the third Spanish team to win the Monte-Carlo title in the Open Era (since April 1968), joining Sergio Casal and Emilio Sanchez in 1988 and Rafael Nadal and Tommy Robredo in 2008.

 

 

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