Doubles partnerships seize momentum in Asian finals
Amid the hum of hard-court crowds in Hangzhou and Chengdu, two teams transformed season-long tension into triumphant resolve, their victories a blend of tactical grit and budding synergy on the tour’s demanding swing.
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The Asian hard-court circuit pulsed with late-season urgency on Tuesday, as Francisco Cabral and Lucas Miedler claimed the Lynk & Co Hangzhou Open doubles crown, their straight-sets mastery a release after months of calibrated pressure. Across the region in Chengdu, Constantin Frantzen and Robin Haase forged their first title together, rallying from the edge in a match that tested the raw edges of a fresh alliance. These triumphs, etched under floodlights and rising cheers, marked pivotal shifts for pairs chasing consistency amid the tour’s relentless rhythm.
This victory elevated them three spots to No. 13 in the live doubles teams rankings, while for Cabral, it equaled Joao Sousa’s four tour-level titles as Portugal’s Open Era leader in the discipline. The pair’s poise under pressure hinted at deeper harmony, their eyes already fixed on Tokyo’s faster surfaces where such saves could propel further climbs.
Robin Haase and Constantin Frantzen win their first team title. Photo: Chengdu Open.
As the Asian swing surges toward Tokyo, both duos carry this forged resilience forward, their tactical adjustments— from mid-match volleys to surface-savvy returns—poised to challenge the tour’s elite in the season’s closing hard-court battles.
Resilience turns break point into breakthrough
Cabral and Miedler, top seeds since pairing in Marrakech last April, faced Nicolas Barrientos and David Pel in a final where every rally carried the weight of their 21-11 season ledger. The Portuguese-Austrian duo absorbed early probes, Pel’s inside-out forehands stretching them wide on the Hangzhou hard courts, but they repelled the lone break point with a crisp crosscourt volley that hushed the humid night. Their 6-4, 6-4 win showcased a refined one–two pattern—powerful serves followed by net-rushing approaches laced with underspin—turning defensive scrambles into offensive surges as the crowd’s murmurs swelled into applause.“Thanks for another great week. We’ve been doing great things,” Cabral said to his team. “I’m very, very happy about our second title, and there are still a few tournaments to go until the end of the year, so we’re just happy to get the chance to play again in Tokyo next week.”
Rally from setback sparks Chengdu fire
In Chengdu’s thickening heat, Frantzen and Haase confronted Vasil Kirkov and Bart Stevens, dropping the opening set 4-6 as the Dutch veteran’s volleys met resistance from the baseline duo’s crosscourt exchanges. Yet the German-Dutch tandem, united just since Gstaad in July, flipped the momentum in the second frame with Haase’s down-the-line slices disrupting Stevens’ rhythm on the grippy hard courts. They claimed it 6-3, then dominated the super-tiebreak 10-7 over 78 minutes, the ball’s tempo accelerating amid the arena’s building roar. Their path echoed earlier drama, having erased two match points in the first round against Rohan Bopanna and Takeru Yuzuki through angled returns that exploited gaps in net coverage. Now at 8-3 in tour-level play, the win delivered Frantzen his debut trophy and Haase his tenth, the 38-year-old becoming Chengdu’s second-oldest doubles champion behind Jonathan Erlich’s 2017 triumph at 40.“Thank you Robin for playing with me, for picking up the phone two weeks ago,” Frantzen said to Haase. “I’m very happy that I called you. It’s my first title and I’m very happy to do it here in Chengdu.”
DoublesHangzhouFrancisco Cabral
