Doubles Take: Shangai, Tianjin, Hong Kong & Linz

As the ATP and WTA tours hit their final stretches, here’s a look at the latest doubles action.

IT’S THEIR TIME NOW

Last year after the US Open is when things really began to coalesce for doubles standouts Henri Kontinen and John Peers, as they shot to the top of the rankings with stellar performances in the biggest events.

It looks like we’re in the midst of a repeat performance.

The Finnish-Australian duo won its second title in as many weeks, capturing the Shanghai Masters. They beat fellow 2017 Grand Slam titlists Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo to take their first Masters title of the year.

SISTER ACT

Former doubles partners Yung-Jan Chan and Hao-Ching Chan reunited for a week at the Hong Kong Tennis Open. The top-seeded sisters breezed through the draw, only dropping one set along the way. In the championship match, they defeated Jia-Jing Lu and Qiang Wang, 6-1, 6-1.

For Yung-Jan, it’s her eleventh title of 2017, and fifth in her last six tournaments as she’s been a force with Martina Hingis all year.

FANTASTIC FOUR

Aside from Hingis and Chan, multiple teams on the WTA Tour have been racking up the titles. One of those pairings, Kiki Bertens and Johanna Larsson, added to their title tally in Linz, Austria. The top seeds rallied in the final against Natela Dzalamidze and Xenia Knoll to bag their fourth tournament of the season.

Solid singles threats, Bertens and Larsson are comfortable on the doubles court as well, with this being their ninth title together since 2015.

A WINNING RETURN

In her first tournament back after a two-month suspension, former doubles No. 1 Sara Errani won the Tianjin Open with Irina-Camelia “Killer B” Begu. The unseeded duo beat the No. 3 seeds Dalila Jakupovic and Nina Stojanovic in straight sets in the final.

A LOOK AHEAD

The women have two tournaments on the docket this week. At the Luxembourg Open, top seeds Bertens and Larsson will look to continue their strong fall and pick up their third title in a month. At the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, the other WTA stop this week, Timea Babos and Andrea Hlavackova will also look to continue their tournament-winning ways as the event’s top seeds. The men are also playing in Moscow, where the veteran Max Mirnyi and Philipp Oswald sit atop the draw.

Bob and Mike Bryan return to action at the European Open in Antwerp, Belgium, to lead the field. And in Stockholm, Sweden, No. 1 seeds and Wimbledon finalists Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic will try to win their first title together.

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