Sixth seeds Bob and Mike Bryan eased their way into the Australian Open semifinals with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Marcin Matkowski and
Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi after just one hour and five minutes. They will now face either 11th seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah or Sam Groth/Lleyton Hewitt.
Bryans race away to a set lead
Bob Bryan began the match with a comfortable hold of serve. The Pakistanian struggled on his serve as he was foot-faulted twice and missed an easy sitting forehand volley as they faced a breakpoint immediately. Matkowski then sent a volley into the net with the Bryans breaking for 2-0. Mike consolidated the break to love to go 3-0 ahead.
Haven't yet won a game, the 15th seeds were struggling and the Pole Matkowski handed the twins a breakpoint chance for a double-break lead with his second double-fault of the game. Mike Bryan struck a neat volley winner in the next point to break the 15th seeds and go up the double-break lead.
They once again consolidated for a 5-0 lead and were a game away from a bagel. However, Serving to stay in the match, Matkowski and Qureshi fell behind a set point at 40-30 with Bob hitting a clean forehand winner. But Qureshi denied them and won the next two points to gain their first game of the match.
They seemed to have gained some confidence from the hold as they then earned their first break point of the match. The Bryans then showed some excellent defending to force the error as they saved a breakpoint. They would be forced to save another as Qureshi began to step up his game. The 39-year-olds would then grab a set point and clinch the set in just over 20 minutes.
Matkowski and Qureshi put up fight but fall in straight sets
Matkowski and Qureshi made a better start to the set by holding an important service game to get the set underway. Meanwhile, the Bryans were flying through their game, holding to love to restore parity at 1-1. Qureshi held his second service game and for the first time in the match, the Bryans were put under some pressure.
Up 15-30, The 37-year-old Pole struck a forehand winner to earn he and Qureshi two breakpoints. The Bryans saved the first one and the second one with an ace out wide with the game going to deuce. They held serve with an excellent touch at the net from Mike Bryan.
Struggling on his service games, Matkowski found himself facing a breakpoint at advantage as he sent a forehand sailing wide of the line. Qureshi got the Pole out of trouble momentarily but the pair would be left saving another breakpoint. Matkowski's fortunes didn't improve as he gifted the sixth seeds the break by netting.
More breakpoints would come and go in this set, this time for the 15th seeds who missed two chances to break with the Bryans holding for 4-2. The next three service games went with the server as the sixth seeds went within a game of the match. The Bryans brought up two match points and though they missed their first chance, they won the next point to win the set 6-4 and advance.
