Knowles-Roddick Reach Beijing Final; Hutchins-Kerr Advance To Tokyo Title Match

© Getty ImagesJordan Kerr and Ross Hutchins, competing together for only the third time, have advanced to the Tokyo final.

First-time pairing Mark Knowles and Andy Roddick booked a place in the China Open final Saturday with a 4-6, 6-2, 10-7 victory over Lukas Dlouhy and Philipp Kohlschreiber.  The Bahamian-American duo struck six aces, won 66 per cent of service points, and saved three of five break points.

Knowles and Roddick will next meet second-seeded Americans Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, who needed just 47 minutes to dismiss French team Julien Benneteau and Jeremy Chardy 6-2, 6-1. The Bryans broke serve five times from seven opportunities, while saving five of the six break points they faced to reach their 10th tour-level final of the season.

The Californians, playing in their first event since reaching the US Open semi-finals (l. to Dlouhy-Paes), have already secured their place at the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals after capturing five titles this year, including the Australian Open (d. Bhupathi-Knowles).

At the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, Austrians Julian Knowle and Jurgen Melzer will challenge Briton Ross Hutchins and Jordan Kerr of Australia in the Tokyo final on Sunday. 

Knowle and Melzer defeated Japanese wild cards Satoshi Iwabuchi and Takao Suzuki 6-2, 4-6, 10-4 in 77 minutes Saturday for a shot at clinching their second ATP World Tour team title of the year.  The pair improved to a 23-18 match record on the season, highlighted by one ATP World Tour title at Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven (d. Soares-Ullyett).

The 28-year-old Melzer has a 5-11 record in ATP World Tour finals while Knowle, 35, has a 12-13 lifetime record in title matches.  He also finished runner-up with Andy Ram at the Open 13 in Marseille.

Hutchins and Kerr, appearing together for the third time at an ATP World Tour tournament, converted three of four break point opportunities to beat Christopher Kas and Jaroslav Levinsky 6-3, 3-6, 10-7 in 82 minutes.  Both pairs hit seven aces.

Hutchins, son of former Great Britain Davis Cup captain Paul Hutchins, will be appearing in his fifth ATP World Tour doubles final (1-3 record) on Sunday. 

Kerr, 29, has a 9-3 record in finals.  He has lifted one title this year at the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport (w/ Rajeev Ram) and also finished runner-up at the BMW Open in Munich and Indianapolis Tennis Championships (b/ with Ashley Fisher).