Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos were sharpest when it mattered most on Thursday at the Mutua Madrid Open, winning a first-set tie-break and a Match Tie-break to get off to a winning start at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
The Spanish-Argentine duo moved past the all-Spanish duo of Pablo Carreno Busta and Pedro Martinez, 7-6(8), 2-6, 10-5.
After leading by an early break and missing out on three set points on the return at 5-4 in the opening set, Granollers and Zeballos won an extended tie-break in which they saved a pair of set points themselves. They secured the set on their second set point of the tie-break and fifth of the stanza.
After dropping the second set by a double break, the second seeds took command of the Match Tie-break by winning four straight points from 5/4, ultimately sealing the victory on their second match point.
[FOLLOW ACTION]
They advance to face fifth seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in Friday's quarter-finals. The Colombians were walkover winners against Felix Auger-Aliassime and Grigor Dimitrov.
The two other doubles matches contested on Thursday both produced upsets. Two-time Roland Garros champions Andreas Mies and Kevin Krawietz of Germany dismissed top seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, 6-4, 6-4, while Simone Bolelli and Ivan Dodig edged third seeds Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic, 7-5, 3-6, 10-6.
All four men's doubles quarter-finals are set for Friday in Madrid.
