Murray/Venus Reach Cincinnati Final
Jamie Murray and Michael Venus moved to within one win of capturing their fourth tour-level title together this season on Saturday when they advanced to the Western & Southern Open final.
The British-Kiwi pair overcame Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-3, 6-4 to reach their first ATP Masters 1000 title match as a team. Murray and Venus were strong on serve in the crucial moments in Cincinnati, saving all six break points they faced to advance after 77 minutes.
With their victory, they have jumped two spots to 10th in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings. Murray and Venus, who clinched trophies in Dallas, Banja Luka and Geneva earlier this year, can rise to seventh if they lift the title on Sunday.
Murray, 37, is aiming to triumph in Cincinnati for the second time, having won the crown with Bruno Soares in 2018. Venus, 35, is seeking his second Masters 1000 title. He lifted the trophy in Paris in 2021 with Tim Puetz.
Murray and Venus will face Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in the final.
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The Argentines saved two match points en route to a 7-6(6), 1-6, 15-13 victory against second seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek.
Gonzalez and Molteni, who are sixth in the Live Doubles Teams Rankings, rallied from 4/7 in the Match Tie-break, saving match points at 9/10 and 11/12 before converting on their fourth opportunity to reach their fifth tour-level final of the season as a team after two hours and four minutes.
Earlier this year, Gonzalez and Molteni triumphed in Cordoba, Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona and Washington. Prior to Cincinnati, their best result together at a Masters 1000 event this year was a quarter-final showing in Miami.