Kontinen/Peers Survive Day Of Upsets
Henri Kontinen and John Peers booked their spot in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros on Saturday, beating Italians Daniele Bracciali and Andreas Seppi 7-6(2), 6-4.
The reigning Nitto ATP Finals champions hit five aces and won 59 per cent of second-serve return points to beat the Italians after one hour and 36 minutes.
Kontinen and Peers will meet 2016 champions Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez for a spot in the semi-finals. The Spaniards progressed after 76 minutes, beating Leonardo Mayer and Joao Sousa 6-3, 6-3.
Rohan Bopanna and Edouard Roger-Vasselin took just 90 minutes to upset top seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-4, 7-6(1) at Roland Garros on Saturday.
Bopanna and 2014 champion Roger-Vasselin (w/Benneteau) fired six aces and won 79 per cent of first-serve points en route to victory. The Indian-French duo won the final seven points of the match, from 0/1 down in the second-set tie-break, to book a meeting with Mutua Madrid Open champions Nikola Mektic and Alexander Peya.
Fourth seeded Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares also suffered a third-round exit, as Maximo Gonzalez and Nicolas Jarry prevailed 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 after two hours and 17 minutes.
The South Americans secured the only break of the deciding set in the fifth game before converting their first match point to upset the Acapulco titlists.
Nikola Mektic and Alexander Peya edged a tight third-round encounter against Open 13 Provence champions Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus 7-6(2), 7-6(4).
The No. 8 seeds saved one set point at 4-5 (40-A) in the second set before holding serve and prevailing in the tie-break. Mektic and Peya won 80 per cent of points behind their first serves (38/47).
Did You Know?
Michael Venus and Marcelo Melo were both bidding to win their second Roland Garros doubles titles before their losses on Saturday. Venus was also aiming to become the first man since Daniel Nestor (2010-2012) and Max Mirnyi (2011, 2012) to win consecutive titles at Roland Garros, after lifting the trophy in 2017 alongside Ryan Harrison.