Home favourites McDonald/Michelsen stun Granollers/Zeballos to reach Cincinnati final

Mackenzie McDonald and Alex Michelsen delivered a stunning semi-final upset to kick-start Sunday’s action at the Cincinnati Open.

The wild cards downed top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 7-6(8), 7-6(9) after a tense rain-interrupted clash at the ATP Masters 1000 in Ohio. McDonald and Michelsen saved two set points in both tie-breaks before wrapping a two-hour, 14-minute triumph in front of their home fans.

Granollers and Zeballos are the joint-No. 1s in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings and also the leading team in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings. Yet they could do nothing to stop their American oppponents, who saved four of five break points they faced and won 80 per cent (49/61) of first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Around the net MADNESS ?@mackiemacster | @CincyTennis | #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/a99o1HuG3d

McDonald and Michelsen have proven clutch competitors in tight situations this week in Ohio, where they edged Holger Rune/Stefanos Tsitsipas in a Match Tie-break in their opening match, before doing the same to third seeds Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury in the quarter-finals. The pair is bidding to become the first all-American team to triumph in Cincinnati since Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan in 2014.

Standing in their way will be fourth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic, who later defeated Ivan Dodig and Jamie Murray 6-7(6), 7-6(3), 10-5.

Monday’s clash will be a third tour-level doubles final for McDonald, who lifted an ATP 500 crown in Tokyo in 2022 with Marcelo Melo before reaching the 2023 Washington championship match with Ben Shelton. Meanwhile the 19-year-old Michelsen, who is second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, will contest his maiden tour-level doubles final.

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