Mirnyi-Ram Edge Into Final

© Getty ImagesMax Mirnyi and Andy Ram saved five break points.

Seventh seeds Max Mirnyi and Andy Ram advanced to the final of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals after edging fifth seeds Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak 6-4, 7-6(4) Saturday afternoon at The O2 in south-east London.

Mirnyi and Ram are making their debut together at the season finale, but it will be a second appearance in the title match for the 32-year-old Mirnyi, who lifted the trophy in 2006 with Swede Jonas Bjorkman. It is the first time that the 29-year-old Ram has advanced past the round-robin stages.

In the final they will face either Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, who are vying for the crown of ATP World Tour Doubles Champions this week. Mirnyi and Ram beat the Bryans in their first round-robin match this week.

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“Another day, another good match,” reflected Mirnyi. “Happy to come away with a win.  It's a tough situation here. You play the last tournament of the year, it's the finals. There's a lot to play for. It's a great crowd that you want to play your best tennis in front of. Really happy that we've come through.

“Tomorrow is just going to be another exciting day,” added the Belarusian. “This is probably our biggest occasion for the time that we've played together. This tournament is right up there with the Grand Slams.”

Mirnyi and Ram are playing their final tournament together before joining up with different partners next year. Mirnyi, who is scaling down his schedule to spend more time with his family, will combine with Mahesh Bhupathi and Ram will open the 2010 season with Michael Llodra.

“We're just enjoying our last matches together,” said Ram. “Enjoyed very much last year, really, playing with Max. Learned a lot from him on the court and off the court. It was a great experience.”

The first of the doubles semi-finals was decided largely by Mirnyi and Ram’s ability to win the big points in the 93-minute clash. The Group B winners, who qualified with a 2-1 record, broke early in the first set and were able to save five break points to hold on for a one-set lead, closing it out with a volley down the middle from Ram.

Mirnyi and Ram were unable to convert any of the three break points they created in the second set. But the Belarusian-Israeli duo stepped up a gear in the tie-break as Ram inspired them to victory, earning a mini-break for his team courtesy of an outstanding backhand return cross court, before setting up two match points as he smashed away a high forehand volley. Victory was sealed for Mirnyi and Ram as Cermak’s backhand volley landed long at 6-4.

The Belarusian-Israeli tandem, who united while Ram’s regular partner Jonathan Erlich struggled with injury, have reached three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals this year – triumphing at the Sony Ericsson Open (d. Fisher-Huss) in Miami and finishing runner-up at the BNP Paribas Open (l. to Fish-Roddick) in Indian Wells and the Rogers Cup (l. to Bhupathi-Knowles) in Montreal.

Cermak and Mertinak capped a stellar debut season together with a strong showing at the season finale, including victory over reigning ATP World Tour Doubles Champions Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic en route to reaching the semi-finals. They have won five ATP World Tour titles from seven finals, most recently prevailing at the Valencia Open 500 (d. Granollers-Robredo) last month.

“I mean, it's not disappointing,” said Cermak. “I mean, we played good today. Unfortunately, they played a little bit better. But we are satisfied with our matches here.”

“It was a good year, very good year for us,” added Mertinak. “We try to keep this for next year also.”