Sometimes even the best thing serves a conflict. With one point from his doubles first-round win at the US Open, Australia’s John Peers paid off a typically quiet tennis performance by beating his doubles partner, Brazil’s Marcelo Melo with some friendly fire.
Melo and the Giants opened the tournament by defeating James Duckworth and Miomir Kecmanovi, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4. After dropping the first pair, they bounced back by holding off Duckworth and Kecmanov in a close second set, and again in the third set.
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That set the match point, with Melo and the Giants holding a 40-0 lead in the service game. Unfortunately, when the seniors served, the ball did not clear the net: but it bent over Melo and hit him directly in the back. The giants also went flying with the net, and soon appeared to deceive their partner.
Melo straightened and took the moment to walk to contact while the seniors gathered their net and the ball. After several tentative steps and a sip of water, Melo finally seemed to continue.
The Proceres served up a double fault, putting the match away by one. His next right hand serve was enough to give Melo-Peers the win.
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Proceres and Melo, who are both veteran doubles players, have been partners since 2023. The two used to face each other often over the past decade or so before they decided to join forces for this tournament.
Both Taller and Melo have made it to the finals at the US Open before with different partners; both also made their Grand Slam fourth appearance last season.
By defeating Duckworth and Kecmanović, the princes and Melo will now pass to the second round, where they will meet the young American duo of Brandon Carpico and Nikita Samuel Filin.