Doubles Take: Brisbane, Shenzhen and more

The first week of the season is in the books, with Doubles Take making its return, too. Here’s a look at what happened with the dynamic duos on the WTA and ATP tours, and a preview of what’s ahead.

IT’S GOOD TO HAVE A 'KILLER B' ON YOUR SIDE

In 2017, three WTA players did a “double-dip” at a tournament by winning the singles and doubles. Those players—Ashleigh Barty, Irina-Camelia Begu and Kiki Bertens—were coined the “Killer B’s” here at the Doubles Take. (Their achievements were pretty killer and their last names begin with a “B”: hence, the moniker.) Timea Babos earned honorary status with her performance throughout the fall, when it seemed she was in both finals every week.

In Shenzhen, Begu reached the doubles final with fellow Romanian Simona Halep, the world No. 1 in singles. Halep, who won the singles title at the tournament, captured her first career doubles title as well. She and Begu beat Katerina Siniakova, and Barbora Krejcikova in a 10-8 deciding match tiebreak.

According to the WTA, it was the first time in nearly a decade that two players (Halep and Siniakova) faced each other in singles and doubles at the same tournament.

DUTCH TREAT

The ATP almost had a singles-doubles winner of its own—and an unlikely one at that. At the Tata Open Maharashtra, Gilles Simon—who won his first singles title in more than two years—contested the doubles final with countryman Pierre-Hugues Herbert against Robin Haase and Matwe Middelkoop of the Netherlands.

The French pair fell in two tiebreak sets as Middelkoop and Haase won their first title together.

IMPRESSIVE ALL AROUND

By the semifinals, it looked like the stage was set for a blockbuster final in Brisbane on the women’s side. The new top-seeded team of Yung-jan Chan and Andrea Hlavackova took on Andreja Klepac and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, while the unseeded pairing of Bertens and Demi Schuurs battled local favorites Barty and Casey Dellacqua.

The lower-ranked teams had other plans, with both posting upsets. In the final, Bertens and Schuurs defeated Klepac and Martinez Sanchez in straight sets.

Back in September, Bertens, Schuurs and Middelkoop all won doubles titles in the same week. Those three players from the Netherlands would do well to coordinate their calendars.

Meanwhile, on the men’s side in Brisbane, top seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers continued their winning ways as they took the title over Leonardo Mayer and Horacio Zeballos.

GETTING THE FIRST ONE IN EARLY

Last year, Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic made three finals over the grass-court season, including their first major runner-up showing at Wimbledon. However, they weren’t able to get into the winners’ circle together until October in Stockholm.

Looks like they’re not trying to waste any time this year: The team won the title in Doha over Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares in a battle between the tournament’s top two seeds.

OFF TO ANOTHER GREAT START

WTA veteran Sara Errani has always played doubles well at the beginning of the year. The two-time Australian Open doubles champ won the title in Auckland with Bibiane Schoofs of the Netherlands, beating Eri Hozumi and Miyu Kato of Japan.

For Schoofs, it’s her first career title on the main tour. And yes, you read the above correctly regarding her nationality: She’s the fifth Dutch doubles champ this week!

A LOOK AHEAD

The Australian Open warmups continue this week as the teams try to get their last strokes in before the first Slam of the year. In Sydney on the men’s side, the top-seeded teams of Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo and Jean-Julien Rojer/Horia Tecau are through to the quarterfinals. It’s the same for the top-seeded women there: Chan/Sestini Hlavackova and Lucie Safarova/Barbora Strycova are through.

It’s the men’s turn in Auckland this week, where Marach and Pavic are going for their second title in a row. The second seeds there are Raven Klaasen and hometown hero/French Open champ Michael Venus.

The women are also playing in Hobart, Tasmania, where the top-seeded team of Raluca Olaru and Olga Savchuk have already won their opener. Kirsten Flipkens and Nicole Melichar are holding down the two spot. Watch out for Schuurs, who’s partnering Elise Mertens this week. The third-seeded duo won Guangzhou last year on hard courts.

Follow Van on Twitter: @Van_Sias