Big-serving duo Alexander Bublik and Ben Shelton claimed the honours in a star-studded doubles showdown at the Internazional BNL d'Italia Thursday.
In a battle between four Top 25 singles players in the PIF ATP Rankings, Shelton and Bublik saved six of seven break points faced to defeat Felix Auger-Aliassime and Frances Tiafoe 6-1, 6-7(6), 10-7.
Bublik and Shelton squandered three match points in the second-set – the first while trying to serve out the match at 5-4 and two more in the tie-break – but shook off the disappointment soon after by clinching the decisive Match Tie-break.
Shelton was making his first doubles outing of the European clay swing, but it is his seventh doubles event of the year. His best result was a semi-final showing with Emilio Nava in Dallas. Bublik snapped a five-match doubles losing streak, which had included opening-round losses at the ATP Masters 1000 level in Madrid, Monte-Carlo, Miami and Indian Wells.
Shelton and Bublik will next play Marcelo Melo and Alexander Zverev, who is No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The regular partners upset fourth seeds Austin Krajicek and Neal Skupski 7-6(0), 6-7(5), 11-9.
In another battle of singles stars, Top 30 Argentine duo Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry rallied from a set down to defeat Top 20 Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul 4-6, 6-1, 10-8.
South Americans Sebastian Baez and Thiago Seyboth Wild won an epic point (watch below) en route to defeating fellow singles stars Tallon Griekspoor and Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 7-5.
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