Arevalo/Pavic triumph in Hong Kong, Glasspool/Rojer win Brisbane

Sunday, 7 January
Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic made a tournament winning start on debut together at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open Sunday when they defeated top seeds Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 7-6(3), 6-4 to lift the trophy.

The second seeds, who saved three match points in their semi-final victory, won 88 per cent (38/43) of their first-serve points, while they rallied from a break down in the first set to triumph after one hour and 30 minutes at the ATP 250.

"We both have weapons in our games, but normally this takes a lot of matches to know each other," Pavic said. "We adapted fast and clicked right from the beginning here.

"Starting a new partnership like this is perfect, to have this right away is a big boost. You always want some matches, some confidence in before heading to Melbourne. We're going to be very ready for the Australian Open."

Arevalo, 33, has won 10 tour-level doubles titles. Pavic has lifted 36 trophies and has won an ATP Tour title for 10 consecutive seasons (2015-2024). They were playing together for the first time this week.

In Australia, Lloyd Glasspool and Jean-Julien Rojer capped their first week together in style on Sunday when they saved match points en route to victory against top seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz in the Brisbane International presented by Evie final.

The second seeds saved match points at 8/9 and 9/10 in the third-set tie-break, eventually triumphing 7-6(3), 5-7, 12-10 in two hours at the ATP 250 hard-court event. Glasspool and Rojer also saved one match point in their semi-final victory against Yuki Bhambri and Robin Haase.

With their victory, Glasspool improved to 4-8 in tour-level doubles finals, while the 42-year-old Rojer has now won 37 doubles crowns. Rojer was competing in a tour-level final in a 16th different season.

Germans Krawietz and Puetz were aiming to win their second title together, having triumphed as a team in Hamburg last season.

Saturday, 6 January
Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic came back from the brink Saturday to reach the final at the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open.

The Salvadoran-Croatian team saved three match points in the Match Tie-break to defeat Ariel Behar and Adam Pavlasek 5-7, 6-3, 14/12. The second-seeded Arevalo and Pavic, a new partnership for 2024, won 77 per cent (34/44) of points behind first serve to wrap a 95-minute triumph and set a championship-match clash with top seeds Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen.

In Australia, Lloyd Glasspool and Jean-Julien Rojer’s straightforward week became a little more complicated on Saturday at the Brisbane International presented by Evie.

The second-seeded duo faced a match point in its semi-final clash against Yuki Bhambri and Robin Haase, but Glasspool and Rojer recovered to clinch a 6-3, 6-7(5), 11-9 victory at the hard-court ATP 250.

After a notching a straight-sets second-round win and then advancing by walkover through the quarter-finals, Glasspool and Rojer passed the first real test of their nerves this week in style. The reeled off three straight points from 8/9 in the Match Tie-break to book a championship-match clash against Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz.

Friday, 5 January
After pulling through some Match Tie-break tension in their opening match at the Brisbane International presented by Evie, top seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz enjoyed a far smoother path to quarter-final victory on Friday.

Krawietz and Puetz defeated Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov 6-3, 7-5 at the hard-court ATP 250. The German pair, which is chasing its second ATP Tour crown as a team, converted three of five break points they earned in a clinical 83-minute display. Awaiting Krawietz and Puetz in the semi-finals will be home favourites Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson.

Eighth seeds Yuki Bhambri and Robin Haase also advanced to the last four in Brisbane. The eighth seeds downed third-seeded American pair Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 7-6(5), 7-6(6) to set a semi-final meeting with Lloyd Glasspool and Jean-Julien Rojer.

At the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open, top seeds Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen battled to a championship-match berth with a 7-6(6), 7-5 victory against Julian Cash and Robert Galloway. Gille and Vliegen delivered a strong serving performance during the 97-minute semi-final encounter. The Belgians won 78 per cent (35/45) of points behind first deliveries, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Now one win from their seventh ATP Tour title as a team, Gille and Vliegen will take on Marcelo Arevalo/Mate Pavic or Ariel Behar/Adam Pavlasek in the Hong Kong final.

Thursday, 4 January
Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson began their week at the Brisbane International presented by Evie by spoiling Rafael Nadal’s comeback party. Can they end it with doubles glory on home soil?

The Australian duo, which defeated Nadal and Marc Lopez in the opening round at the hard-court ATP 250, held its nerve in a pair of tie-breaks on Thursday for a 7-6(7), 7-6(0) quarter-final triumph against Andreas Mies and John-Patrick Smith. Despite failing to convert any of the 10 break points they earned and facing a set point at 6/7 in the first-set tie-break, Purcell and Thompson ultimately pulled through for a two-hour, two-minute triumph.

The semi-final opponents for Purcell and Thompson could be top seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz. The German pair downed home wild cards James Duckworth and Christopher O’Connell 6-4, 4-6, 10-5 to set a quarter-final meeting with Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov. Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow are also into the last eight after defeating Romain Arneodo and Sam Weissborn 7-6(2), 7-6(4).

Ariel Behar and Adam Pavlasek’s impressive start to the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open continued on Thursday, when they downed fourth seeds Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler 7-6(6), 6-3 to reach the semi-finals. Uruguayan Behar and Czech Pavlasek notched their second straight-sets victory of the week to book a showdown with second-seeded pair Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic.