BARCELONA, April 10, 2018 (Press Release)
The four best pairs in the world will participate in the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell doubles draw. Now that the entry deadline has closed, the doubles field is of the same quality as the singles tournament. The top-ranked team in the ATP rankings, Poland’s Lukasz Kubot and Brazil’s Marcelo Melo, will lead the line-up.
The second favorites will be Henri Kontinen of Finland and the Australian John Peers. The third pair are Austrian Oliver Marach and the Croat Mate Pavic and the fourth are the legendary Bryan brothers, Mike and Bob, who will play for their fourth victory in the tournament. If the Californian tennis players win the title they will become the only couple to register their names in the list of winners for the fourth time. To date, the Australians Neale Fraser and Roy Emerson captured three titles in the 1960s as well as the Swedes Anders Jarryd and Hans Simonsson in the 1980s.
The champions of the last year’s US-Open, Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau, will also participate at the Real Club Tenis Barcelona, as well as Marcel Granollers and Pablo Cuevas and Feliciano and Marc López. The other great Spanish pair, formed by Fernando Verdasco and David Marrero, champions of the ATP World Tour Finals in Londonin 2013, will also compete at the ATP 500 event.
The Spanish tennis players will once again try to win on the Rafa Nadal court, as they have not clinched the doubles title since 1997 when Alberto Berasategui and Jordi Burillo emerged victoriuos. Two years ago, Granollers played with Cuevas, but lost to the Bryan brothers in the final (7-5, 7-5).
This is the highest quality doubles field in recent history. Marach and Pavic are the reigning Australian Open champions, Kubot and Melo won at Wimbledon 2017 and Kontinen and Peers lifted the trophy at the ATP World Tour finals last year
.
The singles field of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell is led by Rafa Nadal and four other top 10-players. The tournament will be played between the 21st and the 29th April. The draw will take place at the Fan Corner on Saturday 21st at 12 noon.
