Doubles Take: Doha, Dubai and more

Doubles Take brings you the latest in team play on the WTA and ATP tours.

THE STREAK CONTINUES

The first two matches in Doha were rather straightforward for Barbora Strycova and Hsieh Su-Wei, but the last two were tighter affairs. Battling through, they won their second event in a row and third of the young season.

Last year’s Wimbledon champs beat Jelena Ostapenko and Gabriela Dabrowski in the final, with the win putting Hsieh back on top of the rankings. They also became the first team since 2012 to sweep through Dubai and Doha, continuing their stay in a familiar spot: the winners’ circle.

NEW TEAM, FAMILIAR FEELING

Going into 2020, there was a fair amount of reshuffling among the top men’s teams on the ATP Tour.

The final in Dubai featured two of the most notable new pairs: John Peers (who formerly partnered Henri Kontinen) and Michael Venus against Oliver Marach (who reached the top of the game with Mate Pavic) and Raven Klaasen.

As for Klaasen and Venus? Well, they were teammates the past two years, in a partnership that saw them reach the Wimbledon final in 2018.

In this matchup, it was the Aussie-Kiwi duo that came out on top, as they beat Klaasen and Marach in straights for their first title.

AWESOME IN ACAPULCO

At the joint tournament in Acapulco, the winning teams couldn’t have come from more different places in their career if they tried.

On the men’s side, Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo topped Robert Farah and Juan Sebastian Cabal in a battle of two of the best teams on tour the past few years. It’s the first title of the season for Kubot and Melo.

Meanwhile, the women’s event saw last year’s runner-ups Desirae Krawcyzk and Giuliana Olmos go a step further in 2020. The up-and-coming duo stopped Kateryna Bondarenko and Sharon Fichman for their second title in less than a year’s time.

FEAT OF CLAY

Roberto Carballes Baena and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina—two players that have made significant strides up the singles rankings the past couple of years—shocked the field in Santiago, Chile, the last stop of the “Golden Swing.”

The Spaniards defeated Marcelo Arevalo and Jonny O’Mara, the second seeds, in the final in straight sets. It was the first doubles title for both players.

THIS WEEK

It’s a bit of a lighter schedule for both tours with Indian Wells right around the corner. The women have two main events on tap. In Lyon, France, Anna-Lena Friedsam and Mandy Minella—the top seeds—are already out, while No. 2 seeds Aleksandra Krunic and Katarina Srebotnik are comfortably through to the quarterfinals. In Monterrey, Mexico, Desirae Krawczyk and Giuliana Olmos will be going for their second title in a row. They’re the No. 2 seeds at the tournament; Georgina Garcia Perez and Sara Sorribes Tormo headline the draw.

For the men, the qualifying matches for this year’s Davis Cup Finals take place over the weekend. Each tie is a best-of-three affair, with doubles the last rubber played. The most notable doubles news around the event is the return of Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan to the U.S. Davis Cup squad.

After announcing their retirement from the team competition a few years ago, the Bryans are making a farewell appearance in their last season on tour as the U.S. takes on Uzbekistan in Hawaii.