Krawietz/Tecau Capture Halle Doubles Title

Third seeds Kevin Krawietz and Horia Tecau overcame Felix Auger-Aliassime and Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(4), 6-4 to claim the doubles title at the NOVENTI OPEN in Halle on Sunday.

It is the first time they claimed a title as a team. This year, they have reached the final at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam (l. to Mektic and Pavic) and the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell (l. to Cabal and Farah). The German-Romanian tandem, currently No. 11 in the FedEx ATP Doubles Team Rankings, did not drop a set en route to the title and are now 23-11 on the season.

“I love coming here, it is a relaxing week,” Tecau said. “They are very good quality grass courts, everything feels good and friendly for the players. I also played some good tennis here, and after winning the title with Kevin, I like it even more. It is great to get a title at one of your favourite tournaments.”

In a close opening set, Auger-Aliassime and Hurkacz fended off break points in the fifth and ninth games, winning 79 per cent (22/28) of their first-service points to force a tie-break. Krawietz and Tecau marched to a 4-2 lead and closed out the opener to move within one set of victory.

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Last week’s Roland Garros quarter-finalists won 94 per cent (16/17) of their first-service points in the second set as they continued to put pressure on their opponents. After failing to convert three break points at 4-3, Krawietz and Tecau capitalised two games later on Auger-Aliassime’s serve to claim victory in 89 minutes.

 

Auger-Aliassime and Hurkacz, who were competing in their second doubles final both individually and as a team, won the Rolex Paris Masters last year (d. Pavic and Soares). They could not repeat this on Sunday though, with the pair now owning a 12-7 record since debuting together at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam in 2020.