Bryans topple Marach/Polasek to capture title – Open de Nice Côte d'Azur 2012
Top seeds, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, won their 78th tour level title, prevailing over Oliver Marach and Frank Polasek in straight sets 7-6(5), 6-3 in the Open de Nice Côte d'Azur final in Nice, France on Saturday. The
twins needed only one hour and 25 minutes to beat their Austrian-Slovakian rivals and capture third winning trophy of the season.
Bryans and Marach/Polasek did not lose their serve in the opening six games of the first set and squared off the score at 3-3. They swapped a blow in the following two, taking the score to 4-4. The rest of the set went with the
serve to level the score at 6-6 and force a tie-breaker. Bryans started flawlessly, hitting a number of groundstroke winners and grabbing a 6-0 lead. Marach and Polasek bounced back to win next five points and reduce the lead to 5-6 but they could not come
on level terms, losing it 6-7(5).
The Americans and Austrian-Slovakian duo had some similar statistics, as they did not hit any ace and committed one double fault. Both teams won three of the nine second serve points. However, the twins had a better first delivery
conversion rate, winning 24 of the 29 points compared to 21 of the 35 by their rivals.
Bryans claimed a breakthrough in the very first game of the second set and held their subsequent serve to move ahead 2-0. Serving to stay in the match at 3-5, Marach and Polasek dropped it again and went down 3-6.
The Americans banged in one ace and 75 percent of the first deliveries, capturing 12 of the 18 points on them in the second set.
Talking to the reporters after the match, a jubilant Mike said, "We've obviously very happy we came. We've been playing well on the French Riviera the last few years. Our level improved with every match and we feel confident going
into Roland Garros. We were up and down in the first set. We were down a break, so it was nice to fight back. I think we served well the whole week, especially today."
Bob added, "It's the second title with [my daughter] Micaela now, her birth put the tour and my career into perspective. I'm playing for my family now. It's not more pressure, but it's more fun.”
This was Bryans’ third title of the season, previously winning at the Apia International Sydney and Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.
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