World doubles No.1 Marcelo Melo has claimed his fourth consecutive title alongside Croatia’s Ivan Dodig after defeating Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock 6-2, 3-6, 10-5 in the final of the BNP Paribas Masters.
Second-seeded Melo and Dodig was the highest ranked pair remaining in the tournament after the top seeded Bryan Brothers were stunned in the quarterfinal by sock and Pospisil, the 2014 Wimbledon doubles champions.
The final clash was a tough task for Melo and his partner, who was forced to recover from a set down to force the match into a deciding final set tie-break. The duo was broken twice during the early part of the tie-break before coming back to level the score at 4-4. The resistance displayed by the two soon paid off as they claimed six consecutive points to secure the title.
Watch one of the most exciting doubles points in recent memory! Astounding court-coverage! https://t.co/kRsZ9udpkC https://t.co/7JFRPg6wk7
— TennisTV (@TennisTV) November 8, 2015
The victory in the Paris final has destroyed Sock’s and Pospisil’s chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals in London. The duo had to grab the title in Paris to secure their place in the tournament. Instead the eighth and final qualifying spot will go to Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea, who will play together in the tournament for the first time.
Speaking about the 66-minute match. Dodig spoke of his delight about claiming his first doubles title in a Masters event since the 2013 Shanghai Masters.
“They really started sharp in the match,” said Dodig.
“We didn’t have that many chances in the first set. For a set and a half they were the better team. Then suddenly we broke them for the first time and the match turned our way. In the Match Tie-break we came out a little more like ourselves and with more concentration on the important points. In the end, it was a very good match. The Match Tie-break was very exciting for the crowd and for us. We managed to win, which is great for us.” He concluded.
The title in Paris is the third that the two have won together this year after Acapulco and the French Open. Melo has also won three additional titles this year with other players. He won the Tokyo Open and Shanghai Masters with South Africa’s Raven Klaasen and the Vienna Open with Poland’s Lukasz Kubot.
