Max Mirnyi/Daniel Nestor advance to the finals of the Sony Ericsson Open
Belarusian/Canadian combination of Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor cruised past Austrian/German pair of Jurgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner in straight sets 6-4, 6-1 in the semi-finals at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami on Thursday.
Melzer and Petzschner took just 1 hour and 1 minute to oust their opponents.
In the opening set, the Belarusian/Canadian pair broke their opponents once, winning it 6-4. Mirnyi and Nestor neither hit any ace nor committed any double fault in the first set. The duo delivered 48 per cent of the first serves,
winning a whopping 92 per cent of the first serves in the opening set. The Belarusian/Canadian pair converted 1 of the 4 break chances they received in the set. The duo saved both break points they faced in the first set.
Mirnyi and Nestor carried the winning momentum into the second set, dominating it completely. The Belarusian/Canadian pair broke Melzer and Petzschner twice and allowed their opponents to win just a single game in the second set
to win it 6-1.
The second seeded pair fired in 5 aces and did not commit any double fault in the second set. They hit 75 per cent of the first serves, winning 78 per cent of the points on them in the second set. In comparison, Melzer and Petzschner
kept their first serve percentage at 78 per cent and won 57 per cent of the points on the first serve. The Austrian/German pair failed to convert any of the 4 break points they received in the set. On the other hand, Mirnyi and Petzschner converted both break
points they received in the second set.
Talking to the journalist after the match, Nestor said, “The first set was tight… there were a lot of break points saved. We finally converted at the end to take it. We got ahead in the second with some good tennis. We tried to
keep on top of them as leads are critical, especially in doubles.”
Mirnyi and Nestor will play the “Indian Express” Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes, seeded 3rd at the championship, in the final. The Indian pair battled past Austrian/Serbian pair of Olivier March and Janko Tipsarevic
in three thrilling sets 6-3, 5-7, 11-9 in the semi-finals.
Mirnyi said, talking about the coming match, “There will be no surprises come Saturday. We all know each other’s games so well. Daniel and I know the guidelines we need to follow to have a chance, with our serves, returns and rest
of our game. It’s about being in the moment and showing up with your best tennis.”
Last time, these two teams met in the semi-finals at the Australian Open, where Bhupathi and Paes won in three sets 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3.
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