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Poles through to first year-end dubs final


 

Originally published on: 26/11/11 20:42

Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski saw off fourth seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Leandar Paes 6-4 4-6 10-6 to reach their first final in five appearances at the season-ending championships.  

The Polish pair, who won two of their three group matches to qualify for the semi-final bout with the Indian duo, will have another shot at Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor in Sunday’s final having lost to the pair during round robin play. 

Defeat means a disappointing end to the year for Bhupathi and Paes, who confirmed this week that they will go their separate ways again next year.  

The Indian duo, who finished runners-up at the tournament in 1997, 1999 and 2000, won more points than their Polish counterparts – 65 to 64 by the match’s end – but Fyrstenberg and Matkowski clinched those that mattered.  

With Bhupathi and Paes hitting back from the loss of the opening set to take the second, the Poles blunted their opponents momentum by pulling back from 3-0 down in the champions’ tiebreak, holding their nerve to win it 10-6 and set up a repeat clash with Nestor and Mirnyi at 3:30pm tomorrow.  

Victory in the Sunday showpiece would see the Poles pocket an extra $125,000 to add to the $140,000 they have already earned for winning their semi-final plus two round-robin matches.

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Tim Farthing, Tennishead Editorial Director & Owner, has been a huge tennis fan his whole life. He's a tennis journalist and entrepreneur as well as playing tennis to a national standard. He also helps manage his local club and volunteers for his local tennis organisation. He's a specialist in content about the administration of professional tennis and tennis coaching for all levels.