ITF

06 ITFWorld // WINTER 2018 I T F W O R L D C H A M P I O N S "The Bryans are the greatest team to ever play this sport in doubles, and it has been a privilege to be on the same side with one of them" J A C K S O C K Mike Bryan and Jack Sock are ITF World Champions in men's doubles after producing the narrative to a captivating tale which few would have believed possible at the start of 2018. The season had begun like any other with Mike partnering his twin brother Bob at the Australian Open, where the duo reached the semifinals before succumbing to Colombia's Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah. But when a hip injury sidelined Bob, Mike had to consider other possibilities. He and Sam Querrey were knocked out in the first round at Roland Garros following defeat to Ken and Neal Skupski of Great Britain. Then, after only one event together and against all the odds, Bryan and Sock joined forces to bombard their way through the field and prevail in the Wimbledon doubles courtesy of a 63 67(7) 63 57 75 victory over Raven Klaasen of South Africa and New Zealand's Michael Venus. It was far from easy, however. Three of their six matches took five sets to determine, although that mattered little to Bryan who sealed a record-tying 17th Grand Slam men's doubles title. With Bob still troubled by a hip injury, Mike once again teamed up with Sock at the US Open in September. It was a different surface but the same outcome as the duo surged to the final where they overpowered Poland's Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo of Brazil, 63 61. This triumph gave Bryan his 18th Grand Slam doubles title, which moved him beyond John Newcombe in the pecking order, while at the age of 40 years and four months he became the oldest Grand Slam doubles champion in the professional era. Further success followed at the ATP Tour Finals where Bryan and Sock defeated Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut in the doubles final. Bryan said: "Winning two Grand Slams along with that World Tour Finals made 2018 a very special year. My partnership with Jack happened unexpectedly due to Bob's injury, but our success was sudden. "Our games meshed brilliantly and our chemistry on and off court made for a very fun and memorable partnership." Sock said: "It was an amazing experience playing with Mike, and to end the year with two Grand Slam titles and as ITF World Champion is really special. "The Bryans are the greatest team to ever play this sport in doubles, and it has been a privilege to be on the same side with one of them." Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova are ITF World Champions in women's doubles following a breakthrough year which saw the Czech pairing join forces to win back-to-back Grand Slams. Their triumphs came in quick succession, at Roland Garros in June and then Wimbledon a matter of weeks later, and in the process they became the first team to lift both trophies in the same season since Kim Clijsters and Ai Sugiyama in 2003. Having also won the Junior Wimbledon doubles title in 2013, Krejcikova and Siniakova, who were both aged 22 at the time of their Roland Garros-Wimbledon double, became the maiden partnership to win both the girls' and women's doubles title at the All England Club. "The year was full of magical accomplishments," said Krejcikova. "It means a lot to me to belong among so many great champions throughout the history of tennis. I'm very honoured to receive this award." Siniakova echoed her playing partner's sentiments, saying: "We are very happy about getting this award, it was an amazing season for us. We really enjoyed the time on court and we're looking forward to next season." The duo had reached two finals, in Shenzhen and Miami, before scaling new heights by dispatching all before them on the clay of Roland Garros to seal their first professional Grand Slam crown. Their win in Paris included a semifinal victory over compatriots Andrea Sestini Hlavackova and Barbora Strycova, while Krejcikova and Siniakova dispatched Japan's Eri Hozumi and Makoto Ninomiya, 63 63, in the final. That success was merely a prelude to what was to follow at Wimbledon as Krejcikova and Siniakova navigated the field, with four of six matches going to three sets, before conquering American Nicole Melichar and Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic in the final. Krejcikova and Siniakova, who were both part of the Czech Republic team that defeated the United States in the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Final in November, are the first players from their country to be acknowledged as ITF World Champions in women's doubles since Peschke in 2011. MIKE BRYAN & JACK SOCK BARBORA KREJCIKOVA & KATERINA SINIAKOVA 08 ITFWorld // WINTER 2018

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