Italian Pair Make Rome Doubles History
Hope
Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori made history on Sunday after becoming the first Italian doubles team in the Open Era to win the men’s doubles title at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome.
The Italian duo defeated second seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 7-6(8), 3-6, 10-3 in a thrilling final lasting two hours and 19 minutes.
Bolelli and Vavassori showed resilience in the opening set, saving four set points before recovering from 3-5 down to edge the tie-break.
Although Granollers and Zeballos responded strongly to claim the second set, the Italian pair dominated the Match Tie-break with aggressive shot-making and strong defence to seal victory in front of their home supporters.
Speaking after the match, Bolelli described the achievement as a dream come true.
“To be the winner of our hometown tournament is a dream come true,” Bolelli said.
The victory was the pair’s second ATP Masters 1000 title together this season following their triumph in Miami in March. They also secured the ATP 500 title in Rotterdam earlier this year.
Vavassori praised both the quality of the final and the team’s journey to success.
“I think we played one of the best matches we have ever played against one of the strongest teams,” Vavassori said.
The Italians overcame several difficult matches during the tournament, including Match Tie-break victories over Yuki Bhambri and Michael Venus, as well as Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski. They also recorded straight-set wins against Andre Goransson and Evan King, including top seeds Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.
According to the ATP Live Rankings, Bolelli and Vavassori are projected to move up to third in the PIF ATP Doubles Teams Rankings.
Granollers and Zeballos were aiming to become only the third doubles team in the Open Era to win three Rome titles. The pair previously lifted the trophy in 2020 and 2024 but are still searching for their first title of the current season.
