Koolhof/Kubot Pass First-Round Test In Dubai

Wesley Koolhof and Lukasz Kubot bounced back from a lopsided second set on Monday to book their place in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships quarter-finals.

The third seeds overcame Marcelo Melo and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-4, 0-6, 12-10 to reach their third quarter-final of the season. Koolhof and Kubot, who joined forces at the start of the this year, are aiming to capture their first team title in Dubai.

Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek recovered from 3-6, 1-3 down and saved three match points in a 28-point Match Tie-break to beat Marcelo Arevalo and Matwe Middelkoop 3-6, 7-5, 15-13. The fourth seeds, who failed to convert three consecutive match points at 9/6 in the Match Tie-break, were a point from elimination at 9/10, 11/12 and 12/13.

Dodig and Polasek converted their fifth match point to keep alive their hopes of a second title run this year. Last month, the pair claimed their first Grand Slam title as a team at the Australian Open.

Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic did not require a Match Tie-break in their Dubai opener. The second seeds moved past David Goffin and Joran Vliegen 7-6(2), 6-2 in 75 minutes.