Llodra-Zimonjic Capture Beijing Title

© Getty ImagesMichael Llodra and Nenad Zimonjic won their third title together.

Third seeds Michael Llodra and Nenad Zimonjic captured their third ATP World Tour team title on Sunday at the China Open in Beijing as they defeated Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau 7-6(2), 7-6(4). 

The French-Serbian pairing have already secured their place at the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and earned 500 more ATP World Tour ranking points. Their other titles this season – their first year playing together – came in back-to-back weeks at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, where they also defeated Lindstedt and Tecau, and the Rogers Cup in Montreal (d. Bryans).

Neither team was able to engineer a breakthrough in the first set, though both had multiple break point chances, and it was the third seeds who dominated the tie-break to take the opener. Lindstedt and Tecau got the first break of the match to open up a 4-2 lead in the second set, but Llodra and Zimonjic broke straight back and in the subsequent tie-break they never relinquished an early lead to claim victory in one hour and 48 minutes.

"They are such a good team," said Zimonjic. "They have big serves and they hit the ball really hard. They're two big guys, so it's never easy to play them. Today I thought we played really well in the tie-breaker and important points. Really happy with the performance today. It's very important obviously to play well in the finals.

"We are playing better and better every week. I hope that we can just continue in the same direction until the end of the season, and then next year as well."

By reaching their seventh final of the year, Lindstedt and Tecau boosted their chances of joining Llodra and Zimonjic at the season finale in London; they are currently sixth in the 2011 ATP Doubles Team Rankings. The Swedish-Romanian duo won titles at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Casablanca (d. Fleming-Zelenay) and the SkiStar Swedish Open in Bastad (d. Aspelin-Siljestrom), and count Wimbledon (l. to Bryans) among their five runner-up showings.