Two Good to be True
Doubles trouble: Bryan twins narrowly win at River Oaks tennis tourney
Quisner vs. brothers BryanPhoto by Cameron Blaylock
Quisner vs. brothers BryanPhoto by Cameron Blaylock
In a thrilling third-set super tie breaker, Bob and Mike Bryan won the doubles title at the 2011 U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships at River Oaks Country Club. Without a doubt, the Saturday evening event was tense, with opponents Sam Querrey and John Isner winning the first set 7-6 in a tie breaker and the brothers Bryan stealing the second set, 6-2, before taking the match 10-5 in the third set nail biter.
The doubles win represented the Bryans' record fourth tournament title in Houston. The event also was the duo's 69th career title, effectively extending their record haul.
Querrey and Isner (a.k.a. "Quisner") entered the game having beaten second-seeded team Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer, 6-4, 6-3. Considering that the match against the Bryans was only Quisner's third final together, their clean performance left them with a lot to feel satisfied about.
The Bryan brothers reached the finals after downing Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Pablo Cuevas in the semifinals, 7-5, 6-1.
The audience was clearly on the brothers' side throughout the match. Indeed, a deep-set mystique surrounds the identical twins, who have been the world's No. 1 doubles team for over 225 weeks. The right-handed Mike and his two minutes younger brother, left-handed Bob, have been winning doubles matches since the age of six. After being ranked No. 1 and winning an NCAA championship at Stanford University, they joined the pro tour in 1998. In 2001 they stopped playing singles to focus on doubles.
What fascinates spectators most is the uncanny chemistry between the 32-year-old brothers. They seem to bounce around the clay court in unison, sharing not only a winning strategy , but an unprecedented telepathy.
Whispers during Saturday's match included accounts of power attorney father Wayne Bryan forcing Bob to become left-handed in order to make the twins' team all the more competitive. Under their father's master plan, no television or video games were allowed. They practiced tennis three to four hours a day, along with an hour of music and an hour or more of home work. Although Bob married in December 2010, it is rumored that Mike lives with the couple at their Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., home as a champion third-wheel.
