Big-Serving Mirnyi-Nestor Beat Bryans For Final Spot

© Getty ImagesMax Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor are both former champions at the year-end championships.

Winning 33 of 35 first service points, third seeds Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor beat top seeds and three-time former champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 7-6(6), 6-4 on Saturday for title-shot at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

In the final, Mirnyi and Nestor will challenge this season's US Open finalist Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski, who beat fourth seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes.

"If you could reproduce it every time it would be no fun," Mirnyi told ATPWorldTour.com. "We know it won't happen every time. We knew we had to serve well against Bob and Mike, so we went after our serves and attacked any first volley above the net."

Mirnyi and Nestor, who went 3-0 in Group B round-robin play, are both former champions at the year-end championship. Belarusian Mirnyi has an 18-13 record, including a title run in 2006 (w/Bjorkman), while Nestor is a three-time titlist, winning in 2007 (w/Knowles) and 2008, 2010 (w/Zimonjic). The Canadian has a 31-19 record in his 13th appearance.

Buy Tickets | Discuss On Facebook | Watch Live Online

In a serve-dominated first set, which went with serve to the tie-break, Mirnyi and Nestor won 21 of their 22 points on first serve and hit six aces. They had a set point at 5/4, on a sudden death deuce point on Bob Bryan's serve, but Nestor hit a backhand return inches long.

In the tie-break, the Bryans fought back from a 2-4 deficit, winning four straight points. Nestor saved the Bryans' first set point chance with a smash winner, while Mirnyi hit an unreturned backhand on the second point. Nestor clinched the 43-minute opener with a crosscourt backhand return winner, which saw Mike Bryan slip in attempting to retrieve it. The Bryans lost nine points on serve all set.

Nestor told ATPWorldTour.com, "We just needed to hang in there [at 4-6 down in the tie-break]," said Nestor. "Against the top teams you have to take your chances when you get them, hang in there and try to stay close. Luckily we got an early break in the second set on a close game and held on."

Watch Mirnyi-Nestor Interview

Bob Bryan lost his serve in the opening game of the second set, when Mike made three errors at the net. Nestor sealed the pair's 46th match win of the season with their 12th ace.

Mirnyi and Nestor won 33 of their 35 first service points to seal victory in 79 minutes. The Bryans were unable to earn a break point opportunity. They hit eight aces and won 47 of their 69 service points. It was a repeat of the Erste Bank Open final at Vienna last month, which the Bryans won 7-6(10), 6-3.

"We will have to be on top of our game [tomorrow] and execute our chances well again," said Mirnyi. "It's nice to be in this position again and go for the title. I thinking looking back the past two years, I am playing better tennis individually and I am feeling more confident on the court with Daniel."

The Bryan twins dropped to a 25-13 record at the year-end championship, where they won the 2003-04 and 2009 titles. They finish the year with a 60-16 season record, which includes eight titles - including trophies at the Australian Open (d. Bhupathi-Paes) and Wimbledon (d. Lindstedt-Tecau).

Read DEUCE Magazine: Bryans - A Winning Combination