Doubles Take: 's-Hertogenbosch, Stuttgart & more

Doubles Take kicks the clay out of its soles and gets ready to take on the grass-court action with the winning teams on the ATP and WTA tours.

THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM

Dominika Cibulkova hasn’t exactly had the follow-up campaign to her dream 2016 season that she would’ve liked. So far this year, she has yet to make a singles final. Last year, she won four tournaments, including the season-ending championship.

Perhaps things will begin to turn around for her after finally entering the winner’s circle—in doubles.

Cibulkova and Kirsten Flipkens won the title at the Ricoh Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, knocking out the Dutch pair of Kiki Bertens and Demi Schuurs, 4-6, 6-4, 10-6.

It’s Cibulkova’s first career doubles title, and if she was going to break through, this was probably the venue to do so: Her previous two career doubles finals were at this tournament in 2011 and 2013.

ANOTHER DEN BOSCH BREAKTHROUGH

On the men’s side at the Ricoh Open, Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo lived up to their billing as the top seeds. Two-time ATP Masters 1000 champions already this year, Kubot and Melo won their third title of 2017, defeating second seeds Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram in a rematch of this year’s Indian Wells final, won by Klaasen and Ram.

The straight-set victory held some major significance for Melo. Just when you thought the Brazilian had done it all in his career with a Slam, a No. 1 ranking and multiple ATP Masters titles, he accomplished something he had yet to do in his stellar career—win a grass-court title. That’s right: After four prior runner-up finishes on the turf—including a Wimbledon final back in 2013—Melo finally broke through.

THE DRIVE TO WIN

Sure, Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares might have had a hiccup—or 11—in their quarterfinal match, but after getting through that, they were in prime position to take home the title in Stuttgart.

Last year’s Australian and US Open champs beat Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic, 6-7 (4), 7-5, 10-5. It’s the second title of the season for Murray and Soares.

AUSSIES FIND ENGLAND TO THEIR LIKING

It’s official: Monique Adamczak and Storm Sanders are on a tear. After capturing the ITF Pro Circuit $100,000 event in Surbiton, the Aussie duo won Nottingham to make it eight matches on the trot through England.

The unseeded pair beat the top-seeded team of Gabriela Dabrowski and Olga Savchuk in the first round, and never looked back. They took the final 10-4 in the match tiebreak against another unseeded team, Jocelyn Rae and Laura Robson.

It was the first title for both of them, and the first final for each of them, too.

A LOOK AHEAD

It’s more grass-court action as both the men and women have two tournaments on the docket. In London, the top seeds are Henri Kontinen and John Peers, who’ve already won their first-round match. Two-time defending champs Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut are already out as they had to retire from their first-round match.

At the ATP stop in Halle, Kubot and Melo will look to extend their winning streak on the grass. Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram are seeded second, while the third seeds, Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea, are already out, having lost to Brian Baker and Alexander Peya.

It’s another week, another tournament in England for the women, this time in Birmingham. Countrywomen Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova (“Team Substitute-Bucie?”) are the top seeds, followed by the veterans Abigail Spears and Katarina Srebotnik. Everyone should watch out for the unseeded pairing of Sania Mirza and Coco Vandeweghe: There’s a lot of firepower in that combo.

At the Mallorca Open in Spain, one-half of the defending champions, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, is teamed up with Andreja Klepac this year. The fourth seeds face a loaded draw with Yung-Jan Chan and Martina Hingis in the top spot, and Timea Babos and Andrea Hlavackova as the two seeds.

Follow Van on Twitter: @Van_Sias