The doubles Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic have reached the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai. The Austrian-Croatian duo won the match break 3:6, 6:2 and 10:6 against Ivan Dodig and Nikola Mektic.
In the second doubles of the day three Croatians were on the field with Marach partner Mate Pavic and the purely Croatian duo Ivan Dodig and Nikola Mektic.
Dodig/Mektic got the better start into the game and took the lead early with a break and 4:2. The game was peppered with the best doubles players on the tour and the spectators in China’s biggest metropolis got to see the fans double tennis at its best.
Marach/Pavic did not recover from the early deficit and clearly lost the first run 3:6. However, the game was far from decided and the successful duo from Austria and Croatia improved their level. The result was a break to the 3:1 lead. Olli” and his partner managed the lead with solid service games.
At the right time, Marach, currently number two in the world rankings, and his partner (number three in the ranking) struck again and secured the 6:2 set balance.
The match tiebreak should bring the decision about the semi-final participation and the spectators saw a break-festival at the beginning. Four service losses at the beginning of the short decision kept the game balanced, before Marach/Pavic were able to score the first point with their own service.
As a result, the reigning Australian Open winners were not to lose a single point on their own serve and also managed two mini-breaks. A 10:6 final score in the final set makes Marach and Pavic dream of the fifth (Marach) and sixth (Pavic) titles of the season.
In the semi-finals, the two double superstars will face Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo, who beat Michael Venus and Raven Klaasen 7:6 (3), 4:6 and 10:6.