Mate Pavić

[Kamileki]

[Lucas]

[Nando]

Mektic/Pavic Lead Doubles Field: Croatians Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic have had a dream maiden year together, clinching nine tour-level titles – including three ATP Masters 1000s and Wimbledon – while also capturing gold at the Tokyo Olympics. The top seeds will lead the field in Toronto and are joined by second-seeded Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah. American-British tandem Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury are seeded third, while Halle champions Kevin Krawietz and Horia Tecau are the fourth seeds.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/toronto ... ing-report

[Kamileki]

[Damian]

Mektic/Pavic Save Match Point Against Familiar Foes In Toronto

Spoiler:

Second and third seeds also advance to the last eight
Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic have dominated the ATP Tour in 2021, but on Thursday they barely escaped their opener against Britons Daniel Evans and Neal Skupski.

The Croatian stars saved a match point at 9/10 in the Match Tie-break before rallying past Evans and Skupski 3-6, 7-5, 13-11 to reach the quarter-finals of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers. It was their third victory of the year against Evans and Skupski, with the previous two coming in the Miami and Monte Carlo finals.

Mektic kept his cool when serving down match point, delivering a big serve to get out of trouble. The top seeds, who have won nine titles this year — including the doubles gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics — will next play Dutchman Matwe Middelkoop and Australian Luke Saville.

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The second and third seeds also advanced to the last eight. Second seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah eliminated Russian singles stars Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-4, while third seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury ousted Kazakshtani Andrey Golubev and German Andreas Mies 6-3, 6-2.

In other action, Russian Aslan Karatsev and Serbian Dusan Lajovic beat fifth seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-4, 6-4, and Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen battled past Dutchman Wesley Koolhof and American Austin Krajicek 7-6(5), 2-6, 10-8.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/mektic- ... 1-thursday

[Damian]

[Damian]

Mektic/Pavic March Into Toronto Final

Spoiler:

The top seeds have won nine tour-level titles this season
Top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic held their nerve in the big moments on Saturday in Toronto to continue their dominant season.

The Croatians recorded their 56th victory of the year as they edged past fourth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Horia Tecau 7-6(3), 7-6(12) to reach the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers final.

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Mektic and Pavic saved four set points in an epic second-set tie-break before taking their fourth match point to advance to their 12th tour-level final in their first season together. They will face either third seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury or Belgians Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen in the championship match.

Mektic and Pavic have won nine tour-level trophies this season, including three ATP Masters 1000 crowns, Wimbledon and an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo. Krawietz and Tecau were aiming to capture their second title as a team this week, having triumphed at the NOVENTI OPEN in Halle in June.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/doubles ... 1-saturday

[Damian]

Top Seeds Mektic/Pavic Upset In US Open First Round

Spoiler:

Wild cards Lammons/Withrow win fifth match together in 2021

Top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic are out in the opening round of the US Open men’s doubles, following a 6-2, 7-5 upset to American wild cards Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow on Thursday. The Croatians, who qualified first for the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals in July, were beaten 6-2, 7-5 in 79 minutes.

Mektic/Pavic were on a red-hot run this season, having won their first Grand Slam doubles trophy together at Wimbledon, Olympic doubles gold in Tokyo and three ATP Masters 1000 titles in Miami, Monte-Carlo and Rome. Their nine-title haul this season also includes trophies at the Murray River Open in Melbourne, Rotterdam and Eastbourne.


You May Also Like: Inside Mektic & Pavic's Dominance: 'No One Could Have Imagined This'
They were 56-7 for the season coming into the match for an 88.9 winning percentage, while Lammons had won just one career Grand Slam doubles match and Withrow's best result at a major came in 2019 when he reached the quarter-finals at the US Open with Jack Sock. The pair improved their record for the season to 5-10 and will next meet Ricardas Berankis and Benoit Paire, following the Lithuanian-French duo’s 6-4, 6-4 victory over Australians Luke Saville and John-Patrick Smith.

Colombian fifth seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah also went down. Unseeded Poles Hubert Hurkacz and Szymon Walkow surprised the 2019 US Open champions 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-3 to set a second-round meeting with Australians Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell. Roland Garros champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut had few such difficulties in their first match.

The third seeds defeated American wild cards Eliot Spizzirri and Tyler Zink 6-4, 6-4 in 63 minutes. The Frenchmen dropped just one point on their first serves and only five on their second serves to set a second-round clash with Marcus Daniell and Marcelo Demoliner. Second seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos won their opening match 6-3, 6-3 against all-Argentine pair Facundo Bagnis and Federico Delbonis on Thursday.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/mektic- ... 1-thursday

[Damian]

Mektic/Pavic Claim Year-End No. 1 FedEx ATP Doubles Team Ranking

Spoiler:

Croatians have won nine tour-level titles together this year

Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic have clinched the year-end No. 1 FedEx ATP Doubles Team Ranking after a season full of historic achievements. Pavic has finished in top spot twice before, partnering Oliver Marach in 2018 and Bruno Soares last year. This is the first time Mektic has been part of the year-end No. 1 tandem.

The Croatians are the only men from their country to claim year-end No. 1 in singles or doubles. They began the year in top form and never looked back, tallying an impressive nine tour-level titles, including victories at Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympics and three ATP Masters 1000 events.

"I think it’s a really good achievement, especially after the year we had. I was really looking forward to this happening,” Mektic said. “That was definitely one of the goals when I saw how things were going. I think it’s a pretty good achievement to crown the whole year of really nice wins and great tournament titles with the No. 1 ranking."

“I’m extremely happy. Obviously it’s been the third time for me in the past four years with three different partners. It is the first time I’ve done it with my fellow Croatian, so I think it’s definitely a big achievement for us personally, but also in general for Croatian tennis to have a year-end No. 1 team coming from Croatia,” Pavic said. “I think it’s a big achievement. Obviously we had a great year and we’re looking forward to playing in Turin this year at the Finals and trying to finish the year the same as we started.”

Mektic, 32, and Pavic, 28, began their partnership this year with titles at the Antalya Open (d. Dodig/Polasek) and the Murray River Open (d. Chardy/Martin) before advancing to the Australian Open semi-finals. Their season-opening 12-match winning streak was a sign of things to come.

The Croatians won 56 of their first 61 matches in 2021, including Masters 1000 triumphs at the Miami Open presented by Itau, the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (d. Evans/N. Skupski both times) and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (d. Ram/Salisbury). Mektic and Pavic made history at Wimbledon, where they became the first all-Croatian team to win a men’s doubles Grand Slam title (d. Granollers/Zeballos).

The countrymen did not suffer a let-down at the Tokyo Olympics, where they defeated fellow Croatians Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig for the gold medal. Mektic and Pavic have also lifted trophies at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam (d. Krawietz/Tecau) and the Viking International Eastbourne (d. Ram/Salisbury) this year.

Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman said: “Congratulations to Nikola and Mate on an outstanding season and finishing the year as No.1. To start so strongly and have such success in their first season as a team is impressive and they should be truly proud of their achievements. We look forward to seeing them in action in Turin at the Nitto ATP Finals.”

Mektic and Pavic will be the top seeds at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 14-21 November. Mektic emerged victorious alongside Dutchman Wesley Koolhof at the season finale last year, when it was held at The O2 in London.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/mektic- ... r-end-no-1

[Damian]

Mektic & Pavic Seek 10th Title Of Season In Turin

Spoiler:

Croatians aim to crown stunning season with 10th title in Nitto ATP Finals team debut

There’s no question that Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic are being seen as the team to beat at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, where they are pursuing their 10th title of 2021.

After a stellar season including winning Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympics and three ATP Masters 1000 titles, the Croatian pairing have already secured the year-end No. 1 FedEx ATP Ranking – a first for Mektic: “Considering [the] season we had, I was really hoping we could crown it somehow with this achievement, so I’m very, very happy.”

Pavic has been part of year-end World No. 1 pairings twice before, with Oliver Marach and Bruno Soares, but he’s never known a start to the season like the one he had with Mektic. The duo won 56 of their first 61 matches in 2021.

“It definitely was not easy,” Pavic acknowledged. “At one point I think we had, I read somewhere, a 17-1 record in the super tie-breaks, so obviously a lot of those matches that we won were tough matches. We won it in super tie-breaks and that’s just a few points, a few balls here and there…

“I think the biggest thing was just to get to know each other on the court a little bit, because we never really played together an official match. We were lucky enough to win the first two tournaments, had a lot of matches even before Australia, so from the beginning we found a chemistry on the court and we played well and that was the thing.”

The chemistry that Mektic and Pavic found at the start of 2021 proved enduring. Over the following eight months, the nine ATP Tour-level titles they claimed spanned hard courts, clay and grass. They became the first all-Croatian pairing to win Wimbledon, then went on to become Olympic gold medallists in Tokyo. Both men came into this partnership as proven elite players, but not even they could have expected so much success so fast.

“To be honest I was hoping we can be the best,” Mektic admitted. “I knew we were going to be good, no reason not to [expect that], but I was hoping we could be the best.

“Of course, it’s tough to expect nine titles especially three Masters Series, Grand Slam, Olympics. Those are unbelievable titles, unbelievable results, it’s tough to expect something like this. But I was confident that we could be the best team in the world.”

Now Mektic and Pavic will end 2021 as the top doubles pairing in the world, no matter what happens at the Nitto ATP Finals. That doesn’t mean the Croatian duo aren’t still hungry for success at the year-end championships, which would be a first for them as a team. “Well, I’ve never won it, he did last year [with Wesley Koolhof],” Pavic said. “I would love to lift the trophy here obviously.”

With such an elite field in Turin, Mektic and Pavic aren’t taking anything for granted. “I don’t consider ourselves favourites compared to everybody else. Everyone who’s here is really, really good,” Mektic said.

“I think everybody knows here that they have a chance to go all the way, so I don’t think anybody’s super-pumped to beat us [more] than anybody else. So we’re going to look for our chances same as everybody else and we’re going to try to be the best every day.”

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[Damian]

[Damian]

Mektic/Pavic Record 60th Match Win In 2021, Begin Nitto ATP Finals Bid

Spoiler:

Croatian duo aim for 10th title on season
Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic started their Green Group campaign at the Nitto ATP Finals with a their 60th match win of the season on Sunday.

The Croatians, who have already finished at year-end No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Doubles Team Rankings, defeated eighth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Horia Tecau 6-4, 6-4 in 77 minutes at the Pala Alpitour.

In an outstanding season, 34-year-old Mektic and 28-year-old Pavic have captured ninth tour-level trophies, including at Wimbledon (d. Granollers/Zeballos), the Tokyo Olympics gold medal (d. Cilic/Dodig) and three ATP Masters 1000s: the Miami Open presented by Itau and Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (d. Evans/N. Skupski both times), and the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome (d. Ram/Salisbury).

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Tecau came under pressure immediately, losing his serve when he missed a half volley at the net in the first game, but the Romanian recovered from 15/40 with four straight points at 1-3. Pavic calmly closed out the 35-minute opener with a hold to love in a serve-dominated performance, with the Croatians striking four aces and winning 90 per cent of their first-service points overall.

The second set turned in favour of Mektic and Pavic when Krawietz hit a second double fault on the deciding point at 2-2. It proved to be decisive, as Mektic later closed out the match with an ace.

Krawietz and Tecau are now 28-14 on the season. Six years ago, Tecau did not drop a set en route to 2015 Nitto ATP Finals trophy with Jean-Julien Rojer to the season as the World No. 1 team.

Fourth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, and sixth seeds Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek also feature in the Green Group at the Pala Alpitour in Turin.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/mektic- ... 021-sunday

[Damian]

[Damian]

Mektic/Pavic Presented Year-End No. 1 Trophy In Turin

Spoiler:

Croatians receive hardware after opening Nitto ATP Finals win

After an impressive opening win on Sunday at the Nitto ATP Finals on Sunday, Croatians Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic were presented with the year-end No. 1 FedEx ATP Doubles Team Ranking trophy.

“Obviously we are extremely happy with this,” Pavic told the crowd inside the Pala Alpitour. “It’s the first time for Nikola, third time for me and the first time that two Croatians lifted this trophy at the end of the year. I just wanted to say thank you to all the team over there, the coaches, girlfriends, everybody. Thanks a lot, and I hope you’re going to enjoy some tennis this week.”


You May Also Like: Mektic & Pavic Seek 10th Title Of Season In Turin
In their debut season as a team, Mektic and Pavic have won nine tour-level titles, highlighted by victories at Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympics and three ATP Masters 1000 events.

The Croatians are the top seeds this week and are now 1-0 in Green Group action following their triumph against Kevin Krawietz and Horia Tecau. Australian Open champions Ivan Dodig/Filip Polasek and fourth seeds Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos are also in their group.

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Mektic/Pavic Keep Alive Hopes Of 10th Title In 2021

Spoiler:

World No. 1 pairing finish second in Green Group

Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic are still in the hunt for a 10th ATP Tour-level title of 2021 after reaching the semi-finals in Turin.

The top-seeded Croatians defeated sixth seeds Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek 6-4, 7-6(6) in their final round-robin match at the Nitto ATP Finals to join fourth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in the semi-finals.

The defeat marks the end of the partnership between Australian Open champions Dodig and Polasek, but their Croatian opponents seemingly go from strength to strength. The duo won 56 of their first 61 matches in 2021, including titles at Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympics and three ATP Masters 1000 events.

After both teams defeated eighth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Horia Tecau earlier in the week, the semi-final spot came down to a straight fight in the final round-robin match of the Green Group. Mektic and Pavic led the ATP Head-to-Head 2-1, but had lost arguably the biggest match of the rivalry when Dodig and Polasek triumphed in the Australian Open semi-finals. Three of the four players had also featured in the gold medal match at the Tokyo Olympics, where Dodig had partnered Marin Cilic to the silver medal.

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Mektic and Pavic got off to the brighter start, breaking Dodig and Polasek at their first opportunity in the fifth game. Although Dodig and Polasek fended off four break points at 2-4 to stay in touch and had two break points of their own as the Croatians served for the set, Mektic and Pavic were able to close out the opener in 38 minutes.

Dodig and Polasek broke immediately to lead 2-0 in the second set, but Mektic and Pavic soon broke back. The Croatians raced to a 4-1 lead in the tie-break before being pegged back on serve by some strong returning from Dodig, but ultimately Pavic landed a return winner for a second match point and then converted with a big serve.


This will be Pavic’s first appearance in the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals, while Mektic won the title with Wesley Koolhoff in 2020.

Mektic and Pavic will have to wait to find out who their semi-final opponents will be, with three teams in the Red Group still in contention going into the final day of round-robin matches on Friday.

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[Kamileki]