Bolelli/Vavassori reign supreme in Beijing

Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori made the perfect start to their all-important Asian swing with a dazzling run to the China Open title in Beijing.

The third seeds defeated Wimbledon champions Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara 4-6, 6-3, 10-5 in a thrilling final on Wednesday to capture their third ATP Tour title of 2024. Bolelli and Vavassori's latest victory represented another big step in their qualification bid for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

Sealed by the italian duo ??@BolelliSimone and Vavassori defeat Patten/Heliovaara to become the 2024 #ChinaOpen Men's Doubles Champions ?@ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/3xfaxi89EU

“We played four really good matches [and] we really enjoyed our time here,” Bolelli said after lifting the trophy. “I’m very happy to share this title with Andrea, we’re having a really good season so we will try to enjoy it and keep going.”

Bolelli and Vavassori are third in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, 465 points clear of fourth-placed Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson, and are in strong contention to make their maiden team appearance at the season-ending finale in Turin. 

The Italians were yet to drop a set in Beijing heading into the showdown match in the Chinese capital, but they found themselves up against the wall when their opponents surged into the lead. However, they held their nerve to save all four break points they faced in the second set, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to level the final 

In the match tie-break, Bolelli and Vavassori stood firm to surge to an unattainable lead, which they were able to close out, clinching victory in one hour and 32 minutes.

With their three tour-level titles in 2024, Patten and Heliovaara are seventh in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Race. The Wimbledon champions will seek strong results in Shanghai and over the coming weeks to secure their spot in a thrilling battle for Turin qualification.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]