Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo defeated Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 3-6, 7-5, 10-5 to progress to the BNP Paribas Open where they will face Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram.
Murray/Soares power through to win the first set
Melo and Murray held their opening service games to get both teams on the board. In the third game, the pair of Murray/Soars upped their game and earned two break points at 30-40. With Kubot/Melo camped at the net, the Brazilian played a lob and broke the eighth seeds before consolidating for a 1-3 lead. In control of the match, the fourth seeds then gained a further two break points with an unforced error. Murray then missed a volley as the game went to deuce but the pair of Kubot and Melo also won the deciding point to hold for 2-3.
The fourth seeds held their next service game to keep a break ahead at 4-2 before applying pressure. Up 40-30, Soares hit a behind the back shot and caught unaware, Kubot netted the return with a deciding point coming up at deuce. The Pole then hit a great serve and held for 4-3. The Brazilian eased through his service game and once more, Kubot/Melo were pressurised. Back-to-back unforced errors from Kubot gave the fourth seeds set point and they won the set with Murray hitting a timely passing shot winner, 3-6.
Kubot/Melo fight back, send match to a deciding tiebreaker
In the second game, a break point went the way of the fourth seeds when Murray smashed a return winner. However, Kubot/Melo held to get on the board at 1-1 with a return going long. The next three games were holds of serve and Murray/Soares still had a hold of the game, causing their opponents a lot of trouble and the sixth game saw them grab double break points. A volley wide gave them the break and already a set ahead, the match was in their reach.
But the Pole/Brazilian had other ideas and found a way back into the match by breaking straight back before holding serve to draw level at 4-4. The team of Kubot/Melo were in the driving seat at this point and took advantage in the eleventh game running away to a love-40 lead and breaking with a Murray unforced error to serve for the set at 6-5. The Brit/Brazilian took a love-40 lead but failed to break the Pole/Brazilian as they battled on to win four straight points to take the game to deuce. A good, unreturnable serve from the pole gave he and Melo the set, 7-5 to send the match to a deciding tiebreaker.
Kubot/Melo win the tiebreaker, advance to the final
The eighth seeds made an impressive start to the breaker by going 3-0 up. They lost the next two points but the match continued on to serve for the next couple of points with the score now at 5-4. Kubot sent a volley wide on the next point with Murray/Soares striking back for 5-5. But from then on in the Pole/Brazilian ran away with the breaker.
They won the next point to 6-5 up before breaking Murray/Soares twice after that to go ahead 8-5. A good first serve from Kubot gave he and Melo match points at 9-5 before the Pole won the breaker 10-5 with a volley at the net to seal a place in the final of the first Masters of the year.