Doubles experts vs. singles stars: An Indian Wells special

WATCH: Sometimes, singles stars can pull off stunners in doubles. Take this hot shot by Ben Shelton in Acapulco.

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Call what started Saturday morning on Stadium 6 of the BNP Paribas Open a crunchy and compelling appetizer.

On the surface, simply four men, playing doubles in perfect conditions -- blue skies and 76 degrees. But the subtext was deeper, for this was the kind of matchup that has long been a savory highlight of this tournament. One team featured two great singles players, world No. 4 Casper Ruud and 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem. Their opponents were the fourth-seeded doubles team of Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic.

Thank the configuration of the tournament for this kind of matchup happening frequently. Just like one of tennis’ four Grand Slam events, the BNP Paribas Open occupies two weeks on the calendar. Unlike those tournaments, though, the workload for many players is not nearly as labor-intensive. First, there are only 96 singles entrants, providing 32 byes. Second, all matches are only two-out-of-three sets long. Doubles matches feature no-ad scoring and, in lieu of a third set, a 10-point tiebreaker. Toss in the comfortable, spring training-like atmosphere, and the result is that many more hours of capacity open for the world’s best singles players to give the doubles a go.

Hence, the bigger conflict: Can the skilled doubles craftsmen effectively show the singles guys the kind of skill it takes to play as part of a team? Or will the singles players simply assert themselves with movement and power? In the end, it took Mektic and Pavic 70 minutes to subdue Ruud and Thiem, 6-3, 6-3. But the result was hardly what made Stadium 6 come alive.

Stadium 6 holds approximately 2,100 people. Packed like a sardine can from start to finish, the atmosphere was fantastic, a raucous mix of empathy and awe. As Ruud struck an untouchable forehand down the line, one spectator turned to her friend and said, “That’s a Chrissie shot,” referring to one of her doubles buddies back home.

That was one of several Ruud drives that went down the line, a visceral display of the firepower that took this man from Norway to two Grand Slam singles final last year. The same was often the case with Thiem – lashing forehands and that magnificent, long-familiar shoulder turn on the backhand that’s thrilled the world for many years. In this sense, Ruud and Thiem were less a band than a pair of solo guitarists, issuing lively sounds but only intermittently finding harmony. When it came, though, look out.

In contrast, Mektic and Pavic are a seasoned duo, in sync the way you’d expect to see from a seasoned tandem. This was the doubles of construction and precision. A typical point saw Mektic float a lob over the netman’s shoulder, follow it to net, punch a volley to an awkward corner, elicit a lob and terminate the point with an overhead. “See, hit it down the middle, just like our coach told us,” said a fan sitting at the south end of the court.

And yet, skilled as Mektic and Pavic are, as ballstrikers, they are nowhere near in the class of Ruud and Thiem. The challenge for Mektic and Pavic was to grapple with the unpredictable patterns and, most problematic of all, withstand many a lethal drive.

A key moment came in first set. Serving a deciding point at 3-4, Ruud first tried a 130 mph first serve that missed (your coach won’t recommend that option). In spun the second serve. Into the net came Mektic. Ruud scorched a backhand. Then came the volley. Another ripped backhand. Another volley. On the third backhand, Ruud struck it wide. From there Mektic-Pavic held at love to close out the set.

Much went the same in the second set. Mektic and Pavic broke at 3-all. Thiem served at 3-5 and went ahead 40-15. Would the doubles experts be forced to serve out the match at 5-4? Not this time. They evened the game and then, on the decisive point–match point–Thiem eschewed conventional doubles and attempted a down-the-line backhand. Into the net it went.

The long-established duo had advanced. The singles guys had entertained and will surely not lose a minute’s sleep over their defeat. The biggest winners? The fans. Off they trekked, in search of more tasty tennis treats.