Across the last two weeks of December, Baseline will dish out awards for the greatest acts of 2018.

It’s one thing to get off to a good start when the tennis year begins. Maintaining a consistent level of play over the course of a long and grueling season is the difficult part.

For doubles specialists Mate Pavic and Demi Schuurs, consider the test passed.

The 25-year-olds enjoyed their best professional campaigns on the ATP and WTA tours, respectively, as they were a force to be reckoned with throughout 2018 with their partners.

And the tone was set right from the start.

Pavic and his teammate, the veteran Oliver Marach, became the first male team this millennium to win three titles in January, including their first Grand Slam together at the Australian Open.

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For a while there, the young Croat just couldn’t lose: He also added the Australian mixed doubles crown to his title haul, winning with Gabriela Dabrowski.

Pavic and Marach won four titles overall out of nine finals together, including a runner-up finish at the French Open. Pavic, who reached the top spot in the rankings in May, added another title with his countryman Ivan Dodig in the fall, and the duo helped Croatia notch its second-ever Davis Cup triumph.

While she didn’t make much of a mark at the majors, arguably the best team on the WTA Tour this year was Demi Schuurs—and anyone.

The Dutchwoman claimed seven titles on the season with four different partners. Her January also got off to a perfect start as she won in Brisbane with countrywoman Kiki Bertens.

A week later, she won her second title in as many events at the Hobart International with Elise Mertens. It was with Mertens that Schuurs had her most success with as the duo won two more tournaments and were finalists in another two on their way to a berth in the WTA Finals.

Schuurs won the two biggest titles of her career at the Premier Mandatory events in Rome and Canada with Ashleigh Barty, and the clay-court event in Nurnberg, Germany, with Katarina Srebotnik.

The 2018 season, in essence, was a near-perfect year.

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With all of their success, what would happen if Schuurs and Pavic decided to team up for the majors? The 2019 season could be a follow-up campaign for the ages.

Follow Van on Twitter: @Van_Sias