Doubles Take: Laver Cup, Osaka and more

As the season winds down, the schedule ramps up for both tours. Here’s Doubles Take with your weekly look at team action.

SMELLS LIKE TEAM SPIRIT

The third annual Laver Cup, which pits Team Europe against Team World in a series of singles and doubles matches, took place over the weekend. While there wasn’t a Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal pairing this year, the duos were still pretty dynamic, like Jack Sock and Nick Kyrgios taking on Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Sock and Kyrgios pulled that one off, but it wasn’t enough as Team Europe won the title for the third year in a row.

SISTER ACT 2

At the Toray Pan Pacific Open, Latisha and Hao-Ching Chan battled through a rain-plagued week to reach the final. There, they would face a surprise pairing, but one they found they had a lot in common with: countrywomen—and sisters—Su-Wei and Yu-Chieh Hsieh. In the end, it was the more experienced Chan team that prevailed.

With the win, the Chans notched their fourth tournament victory of 2019 and 14thoverall.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

At the Guangzhou International Women’s Open in China, the final came down to two unseeded teams: Shuai Peng and Laura Siegemund versus Alexa Guarachi and Giuliana Olmos.

If you’re ever looking for a favorite in a doubles matchup there, though, you’d have to go with the former world No. 1 from China.

Peng won her fourth doubles title at the tournament and 23rd overall, while Siegemund picked up her fifth career doubles title.

THE STREAK CONTINUES

The ATP Tour is getting ready to hit the home stretch for the 2019 season. But before that happens, Robert Lindstedt had some business to take care of at the Moselle Open in France: namely extending his title-winning streak.

The Swede and Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany defeated the hometown favorites Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin for the top prize.

The champs had to fight off match points in the quarterfinals, and three of their four foes were seeded. No one can say Lindstedt didn’t earn this one.

FIRST TIME’S THE CHARM

Igor Zelenay and Divij Sharan teamed up for the first time at the St. Petersburg Open.

If their run there is any indication, they might want to hit the court together again at some point.

The duo defeated Italians Matteo Berrettini and Simone Bolelli in the championship match, giving Sharan his second title of the year and Zelaney the first of his career.

SEOUL POWER

Sometimes, a player just feels extra-comfortable at a tournament. For Lara Arruabarrena, it appears that event is the South Korea Open in Seoul.

The Spaniard won her third career doubles title with as many different partners over the weekend, teaming up with Tatjana Maria to defeat Hayley Carter and Laura Pigossi in the final. Seoul is also the site of Arruabarrena’s most recent singles title, as she won the top prize there back in 2016.

THIS WEEK

The men take to the courts in Asia for two events this week. In Zhuhai, the top seeds are the two-time Grand Slam champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau, followed by Luke Bambridge and Ben McLachlan—always dangerous when they’re playing together. At the other event in China, the Chengdu Open, Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek—a strong candidate for comeback player of the year—are the top seeds. Leading the way at the bottom half of the draw are Dominic Inglot and Austin Krajicek, who’ve won two titles together in 2019.

On the women’s side, the Wuhan Open saw top seeds Su-Wei Hsieh and Barbora Strycova drop their opener. US Open winners Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka are the No. 2 seeds, and will face the new pairing of Caroline Garcia and Bethanie Mattek-Sands next.

The other event on the WTA Calendar, the Tashkent Open, is led by Anna Kalinskaya and Viktoria Kuzmova, followed by Irina-Camelia Begu and Lidziya Marozava.

Folllow Van on Twitter: @Van_Sias