Doubles Preview: Confident Bryans Seeks Sixth Crown
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan return to the principality of Monaco this week for the 14th time in search of their sixth trophy (2007, 2011-12, 14-15) at the historic clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament.
Fresh off winning their 37th Masters 1000 trophy at the Miami Open presented by Itau, the American twins are up to No. 2 in the ATP Doubles Race To London, behind only Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic, who got off to an exceptional start in the 2018 season.
But this week’s fifth seeds have been drawn in the same half as top seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo, 2016 Monte-Carlo champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, and Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau.
Kubot and Melo will be keen to get their campaigns back on track in order to improve upon their 8-4 record in team finals – and fourth Masters 1000 crown (2017 Miami, Madrid, Paris). Having lifted the Sydney International crown (d. Struff-Troicki) and advanced to the Australian Open quarter-finals (l. to McLachlan-Struff), top seeds Kubot and Melo have posted a 2-4 record.
Second seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers bid to improve their impressive 11-1 record in finals and come through the bottom half of the draw that includes 2016 finalists Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares, in addition to Australian Open titlists Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic, who opened their season with 17 straight match wins and three successive trophies.
Monte-Carlo resident Novak Djokovic features in the draw alongside fellow Serbian Filip Krajinovic, Alexander Zverev plays with his brother Mischa Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov joins forced with David Goffin, Tomas Berdych partners Fernando Verdasco and Milos Raonic lines up alongside Karen Khachanov.