Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos showed what pasta they are made of this Sunday in their debut at the ATP Finals 2021. The Spanish-Argentine couple, fourth favorite, raised a very adverse score and saved four match points against the one formed by the Croatian Ivan Dodig and Slovak Filip Polasek (6th) with caste and ability to survive in the playoffs that decided the match: 4-6, 7-6 (9) and 10-6 in 2h03.
Marcel and Horacio did not start well in a first heat that escaped them at the last breath, just for 6-4, but they were not playing a bad game either, which gave them hope of being able to come back. Although the start of the second set made them capsize, due to a break in the fourth game, which fortunately for them they were able to counteract in the seventh.
FOUR-MIDABLE recovery 🔄@HoracioZeballos & Marcel Granollers save 4 match points vs Dodig / Polasek to get off to a winning start in the #NittoATPFinals Green Group, triumphing 4-6 7-6 10-6 pic.twitter.com/GmLGvDkHLO
– Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 14, 2021
From there they took the reins and after lifting three match points with 6-5 against, they resisted in an agonizing tiebreaker and saved another to equalize. In the final super tie-break they were far superior. They started it with a devastating 5-1 and kept their distance to add a very important victory against a pair that they had already won once, precisely at the premiere of their collaboration, at the 2019 Canadian Masters 1,000. On Tuesday they will face the number one duo in the world, the one formed by the Croatians Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, who easily beat German Kevin Krawietz and Romanian Horia Tecau (double 6-4).