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Nestor & Zimonjic Claim Doubles Title

MASON – Daniel Nestor & Nenad Zimonjic saved eight championship points in the match tie-break during Sunday’s doubles final to emerge with the title of the 2009 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters after a 3-6 7-6(2) 15-13 win over Bob & Mike Bryan.

Nestor is now tied with Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde with a tournament record four Open Era titles in Cincinnati, while this was the first for Zimonjic.

Bryans broke in the fourth game of the match on Nestor’s serve and that was all the advantage they would need to claim the opening set 6-3.

Neither team faced a break point in the second set, forcing a tie-break. Nestor-Zimonjic breezed through the tie-break and claimed it 7-2 on a Zimonjic service winner.

The match tie-break remained on serve through the first nine points, but the Bryans extended their 5-4 lead by winning four consecutive points to get championship points at 9-4.

Nestor-Zimonjic won six consecutive points to extend the match tie-break, and eventually prevailed 15-13.

“It's a great win just because we hung in there, even after the first set,” said Nestor.  “We really got dominated.  We hung in there in the second set.  We started paying very well in the second.  Both teams played very well pretty much from the second set on.”

The Bryans, the 2003 and 2008 champions, were appearing in their fifth final overall in Cincinnati and their fourth in a row.

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