Doubles Take: Fed Cup, Sofia and more

There was plenty of action around the globe last week, and Doubles Take was there for it. Here’s a look back and a peek at what’s happening in the days ahead.

FED CUP SURPRISES

In the first round of this year’s Fed Cup, France beat Belgium 3-1, while Germany fell to Belarus 4-0. The doubles rubber wasn’t a factor in those two ties, but clinched the results for the other two visiting teams.

Dual threat Ashleigh Barty of Australia and her partner Priscilla Hon beat the American squad of Nicole Melichar and Danielle Collins in straight sets.

Perhaps the biggest upset of the weekend in the whole competition went down in the Czech Republic. Two-time Grand Slam winners Katerina Siniakova and Barbora Krejcikova lost to Irina-Camelia Begu and Monica Niculescu.

That win sends Romania through to the semifinals for the first time, and ends the title defense for the Czechs much earlier than anyone expected.

A FRENCH-CROATIAN CONNECTION

Veterans Ivan Dodig and Edouard-Roger Vasselin, who have been playing together since the start of the year, have had a breakout moment in their new partnership. The Croat-French duo claimed the title at the Open Sud de France over wildcards Benjamin Bonzi and Antoine Hoang.

OFF TO A GOOD START

Formerly ranked No. 9 in the world in singles, Jurgen Melzer of Austria decided last year that after dealing with multiple injuries of late, he was going to focus on doubles for the rest of his career.

It appears that he’s made the right call.

He and Nikola Mektic defeated Cheng-Peng Hsieh and Christopher Rungkat in a battle of unseeded teams. Melzer, a two-time Slam winner in men’s doubles, won his 14th career title in the discipline.

DIGGING THE DIRT

While the Cordoba Open, the first clay-court event of the year, had a surprise singles winner, the doubles final was a more straightforward affair with a pair of teams featuring players that have all known success in the past.

Roman Jebavy and Andres Molteni, the third-seeded team, beat top seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Horacio Zeballos in straight sets to clinch their second title together.

A LOOK AHEAD

The men have another three tournaments on tap around the globe, with the biggest one taking place in Rotterdam, where the draw is absolutely stacked. Case in point: Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic, the top seeds, take on Montpellier champs Ivan Dodig and Edouard-Roger Vasselin in the first round. The second seeds are Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo, making their first appearance together of 2019.

At the New York Open, the Bryan brothers’ comeback continues as they headline the draw there, followed by another set of brothers, Brits Ken and Neal Skupski. At the Argentina Open, top seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Horacio Zeballos will try to reach a second final in the country in as many weeks. They’re in the same half of the draw as their Cordoba conquerors Roman Jebavy and Andres Molteni.

The lone WTA tournament this week, the Qatar Open in Doha, features Wimbledon finalists Nicole Melichar and Kveta Peschke, followed by Su-Wei Hsieh and Barbora Strycova. Melichar and Peschke face wildcard twins Karolina and Kristyna Pliskova in the first round. Anna-Lena Groenefeld is partnering Demi Schuurs this week. Last year by this time, Schuurs already had two titles to her name, but in 2019, she only has 1-4 record at this point.

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