By: Christopher Menendez
Miami – French Duo Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut win the men’s doubles 2016 Miami Open title, 5-7, 6-1, 10-7.
The Frenchmen defeated Rajeev Ram and Raven Klaasen in a three-set match. The fifth seeded team won the title at Indian Wells earlier this year and join Azarenka in a ‘sunshine double’. That takes the Frenchmen’s consecutive wins to 10 matches.
“This is our best game of the week”, “In the first set, we were hyper opportunists. We had opportunities and converted them directly. In the second, it was in front all the time and our third decisive point”, states Mahut.
Mahut and Herbert landed 70% of their first serve and won 72% of those points. “It’s a dream come true for us to be playing at this levels of doubles,” Herbert said. The team receives 1,000 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and will split the prize money of $336,920.
Herbert leaves the match confident that the duo is capable of attaining such levels of success.
About the Miami Open presented by Itaú
The 2016 Miami Open will be played March 21-April 3 at the Crandon Tennis Center in Miami. The two-week combined event is owned and operated by IMG. The Miami Open is one of nine ATP Masters 1000 Series events on the ATP calendar, a Premier Mandatory event on the WTA calendar, and features the top men’s and women’s tennis players in the world. The tournament is widely regarded as the most glamorous on the ATP and WTA calendars because of its exotic Miami location, thriving nightlife, five-star hotels and restaurants, beautiful weather and beaches, and its celebrity appeal. For ticket information, call +1.305.442.3367 or visit www.miamiopen.com.
About Itaú
Itau is the largest Latin America privately owned bank, with approximately 95,000 employees and operations in 20 countries throughout the Americas, Asia and Europe. Itaú’s relationship with sport goes back to the 1970s, when Itaú first sponsored the Itaú Tennis Cup in Brazil in 1970. Itaú has been a sponsor of the Miami Open for the last six years, and also sponsors the Rio Open, the only combined ATP/WTA event in South America. Itaú also supports the Brazilian Women’s Tennis Circuit, only female professional tournament in South America, certified by the Brazilian Tennis Confederation (CBT) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), as well as the Tennis Institute Training Center, responsible for the development of young, new talent.
About IMG
IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion and media operating in more than 25 countries around the world. IMG’s businesses include Events Media, College, Golf, Tennis, Performance and IMG Academy, Fashion, Models, Clients, Licensing, Joint Ventures, and creative management agency Art + Commerce. In 2014, IMG was acquired by WME, the world’s leading entertainment and media agency. Together, the companies offer an unparalleled client roster; strategic partnerships with sponsors and brands; and marquee assets across sports, entertainment, events, music and fashion.
