Austrians Erler/Miedler Win Acapulco Doubles Crown In Two Tie-breaks
After being two points from defeat in their opening match at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler finished the week with another dramatic win to claim the doubles title in Acapulco. It is the third ATP Tour title for the team and their first outside of their native Austria.
The Austrians edged Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 7-6(9), 7-6(3) in Saturday's final, saving six set points in the opening set and another in the second.
"It feels great," said the 26-year-old Miedler. "After winning both titles in Austria, that was our next goal, to win one somewhere else. Mexico will always be in our hearts."
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After missing out on a set point at 5-4 in the first set, Erler/Miedler erased a 2/6 deficit in the tie-break and fought off two further set points at 8/9 before claiming the set. They denied Lammons/Withrow as the Americans attempted to serve out the second set at 5-4, saving a set point at 40/40, and never trailed in the second tie-break.
With the victory, the Austrians extended their perfect record in ATP Tour finals to 3-0. They improved to 20-13 overall and 9-6 on the 2023 season.
"We are really happy. It was a great week," said Erler, 25. "We're improving on and off the court. It feels really special and we hope to come back next year."
One for the memories ????
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 5, 2023
Erler and Miedler pose with their trophies in sombreros!@abiertotelcel #AMT2023 pic.twitter.com/TFTB8p02eI
To reach the Acapulco final, the unseeded champions upset third seeds Jamie Murray and Michael Venus in the first round and top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski in the semis, both in Match Tie-breaks. The pair, which ended the 2022 season at No. 36 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Teams Rankings, won its previous titles on home soil Kitzbuhel (2021) and Vienna (2022).
Both Erler and Miedler moved up 14 spots this week in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Live Rankings, to No. 42 and No. 43, respectively. Both men are set for new career highs on Monday in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings.
Asked about their greatest strength as a team, Erler spoke about the pair's complementary games and personalities.
"We are completely different on and off the court," he said. "I think everybody who knows us knows that we are two [different] types of people but that obviously fits very good together. Probably that's our best strength, that if we have some weaknesses the other guy can cover it."
Lammons/Withrow fell to 1-4 in finals as a team, having won the 2022 San Diego title on home soil. The 29-year-olds ended last season at No. 32 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings.