A doubles contest to savour

[Escude (沈默是金玫瑰)]

A doubles contest to savour
by Chris McAsey
Friday, January 30, 2004
http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2004-01-30/200401301075441471541.html

Saturday's men's doubles final between No.1 seeds Bob and Mike Bryan of the
United States and the defending Australian Open champions, French pair
Michael Llodra and Fabrice Santoro, is shaping as a significant battle
for doubles supremacy in 2004.

The two pairs last played in the final at the Tennis Masters Cup in Houston
just over two months ago, with the Bryans prevailing in a tough five-set
match.

Head to head, the Bryans now lead 3-1, with the French pair's win coming on
clay at the Tennis Masters Series at Monte Carlo earlier in 2003. The Bryans
have won all three meetings on hard courts.

Saturday's final will be the first match-up for the teams in a Grand Slam
tournament and the first Australian Open doubles final in 12 years between
two single-nation pairings.

The Bryans, identical twins from Camarillo, California, are looking to take
home their first Australian Open title after breaking through for their first
Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in 2003. They also became the first brothers
duo to finish No.1 in the ATP Doubles race in 2003 with five titles in eight
finals.

The Bryans won through to the final by easily accounting for No.3 seeds Todd
Woodbridge and Jonas Bjorkman 6-1 6-2 in a semi-final on Friday, in the
process taking revenge for their defeat by Woodbridge and Bjorkman in the
2003 US Open Final.

The American pair has now won 17 of their last 18 matches, winning titles in
Adelaide and Sydney in the lead-up to the Australian Open.

The brothers have played doubles together since they were six years old and
have been coached by their parents - a situation Bob Bryan believes gives
them a head start against most opponents.

"It helps us a lot," Bob said. "I know every shot he's going to hit, when
he's going to hit it and where to move when he does hit it, so we flow well
out there together."

Santoro and Llodra had a tougher path to the final in overcoming No.9 seeds
Gaston Etlis and Martin Rodriguez of Argentina 6-2 7-5.

The French pair has reached the Australian Open final for the third
consecutive year and won their first Grand Slam title together at Melbourne
Park in 2003. Saturday's final will be the eighth final they have played
together and the pair will be looking to improve on their 1-6 record.

Santoro and Llodra's Australian Open win last year was just the second Grand
Slam title by a French pair in the Open era, since Henri Leconte and Yannick
Noah combined to win the French Open in 1984.

--
monkey of the year.
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