Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev beat Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden 6-3 3-6 10-3 after 71 minutes to clinch their first doubles title at the Madrid Mutua Open.
Khachanov and Rublev earned Match Tie-Breaks wins in four of their five matches this week. The Russian friends beat Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in the first round, number 5 seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in the second round, Jamie Murray and Michael Venus in the quarter finals, Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer in the semifinals.
Khachanov and Rublev converted the first break point in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead before sealing their first set point in the ninth game.
Ebden and Bopanna earned their first break in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead and held on their serve in their next service games to win the second set 6-3 forcing the match to the decider.
Khachanov and Rublev raced out to a 6-0 lead in the Match Tie-Break and sealed the win on their first match point.
Khachanov won the first ATP Tour level doubles title of his career. Rublev clinched three ATP 250 doubles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the mixed doubles in Tokyo. They played their first doubles tournament in a Challenger tournament in 2014.
Earlier this week Khachanov beat Rublev 7-6 (10-8) 6-4 in the Round of 16.
Rublev and Khachanov are the second all-Russian team to win an ATP Masters 1000 doubles title, after Yevgeny Kafelinikov and Andrei Olihovski in Montreal in 2005. They were playing in their third Masters 1000 final after reaching the championship match in Miami 2018 and Paris Bercy in 2019.
Azarenka and Haddad Maia win the WTA doubles title
Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia clinched the WTA doubles title at the Madrid Mutua Open after a 6-1 6-4 win over Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula.
Azarenka and Haddad Maia beat two of the top 3 seeds to clinch their first doubles title as a team.
Azarenka claimed the 10th doubles of her career and the fifth at WTA 1000 level. Haddad Maia won the biggest doubles title of her career after reaching two WTA 1000 doubles finals, including a title match together with German player Laura Siegemund in Indian Wells last March. She won two WTA Tour singles titles in Nottingham and Birmingham last year.
Earlier this week Azarenka and Haddad Maia beat Daesirae Krawczyk and Demis Schuurs in the first round, Paula Badosa and Bethanie Mattek Sands in the quarter final, Leylah Fernandez and Taylor Townsend in the semifinal.
Gauff and Pegula were chasing their third title of the season after Doha and Miami.
Azarenka and Haddad Maia broke three times to win the first set 6-1. Pegula and Gauff broke serve in the fifth game of the second set to open up a 4-2 lead, but Azarenka and Haddad Maia bounced back by winning four consecutive games.
Azarenka and Haddad Maia pulled back on serve to draw level to 4-4 and held serve to 15 to take a 5-4 lead. They broke Gauff’s serve in their second match point in the final game to seal the title.
