The final is set in doubles at the ATP World Tour Finals. Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau will clash with Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea on Sunday in the final. Rojer-Tecau upped their record to 4-0 this week with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Bob and Mike Bryan. The win also netted the pair the year-end number one team ranking.
Rojer-Tecau Steady After Losing Early First Set Lead
Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau entered Saturday;s semifinal as the only team to go 3-0 in Round Robin play. They were set to take on Bob and Mike Bryan for the first time 2015. The two teams had not met since last year's Tour Finals where the Bryans emerged the victors 6-7 (4), 6-3, 10-6. The Bryans went on to win the title. To begin the proceedings on Saturday, it was Bob Bryan serving for the Americans. A grinding hold left the Bryans in charge at 1-0. Horia Tecau began on serve for his team and likewise was able to hold a tough opening service game to even things at 1-1. On Mike Bryan's serve, Rojer-Tecau put the brothers in a big 0-40 hole with a stunning double-handed backhand lob by Rojer perfectly placed at the back line to highlight the points. Mike would dig in with some big serves to get the game to deuce. Tecau made sure the fourth break chance wouldn't go wasted as he nailed a a brilliant backhand return to give Rojer-Tecau the break and a 2-1 lead.
That would hold to game six. With Tecau serving, a back and forth game went to deuce off a big backhand from Mike Bryan. On the first break chance the Bryans had seen all match, they converted with the quick hands of Mike hitting a forehand down the line for the break. At 3-3, Mike Bryan served and the game wandered out to deuce after Tecau blistered a backhand return cross-court for a point. On a second serve, Mike Bryan gifted the break to Rojer-Tecau with a double fault. Rojer quickly consolidated at-love to 5-3. Rojer would close the set with a forehand smash on the third set point to give Rojer-Tecau a one set to none lead.
Bryans Broken Early In Second, Can't Recover
The second set opened with Bob Bryan serving. A love hold jetted the Bryans out to a 1-0 margin. Rojer would answer for his team to move the set to 1-1. In the third game, Mike Bryan again struggled with his serve. Tecau continued with aggressive returns that resulted in Rojer-Tecau running off four straight points to break. The break coming on a miscommunication between the brothers who watched a Tecau volley float in between them for the decisive point. That would be the lone break of the set and the only one Rojer-Tecau needed. In the final game of the set, Rojer put away an overhead smash to clinch Rojer-Tecau's spot in the ATP World Tour Finals finale on Sunday. The win also clinched the year-end number one team ranking for Rojer-Tecau. Through four matches, Rojer-Tecau remained not just perfect with four wins, but also winning each match in straight sets.
Sunday's Final Set
Rojer and Tecau are in their first ATP World Tour Finals championship match. They will play the team of Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea. Bopanna-Mergea defeated Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo 6-4, 6-2 earlier in the day to book their spot. They too will be playing in their first WTF final as a team. Bopanna previously made the final in 2012 with Mahesh Bhupathi. Rojer-Tecau won all three regular season meetings against Bopanna-Mergea, including an epic 13-11 super tiebreak win at the Wimbledon semifinals. Rojer-Tecau went on to win the Wimbledon title against Jamie Murray and John Peers.