Houston, Nov 13: Australian Todd Woodbridge will have to wait until he plays at home to try and break the ATP record for career doubles titles after being eliminated from the Masters Cup.
Top-ranked Americans Bob and Mike Bryan saved two match points in a dramatic tie-breaker to defeat third-ranked Woodbridge and Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (11/9) here yesterday, ousting the losers from the season-ending event.
Woodbridge was trying to capture his ATP-record 79th career doubles title after matching Dutchman Tom Okker for the all-time mark when he and Bjorkman won last month in Stockholm.
The Bryans joined Australian Open champions Fabrice Santoro and Michael Llodra of france in claiming a semi-final berth at the season-ending showdown of the year's eight top doubles teams.

The Bryans avenged a loss to Woodbridge and Bjorkman in the US Open final, rescuing two match points in the tie-breaker. Woodbridge and Bjorkman saved two match points as well but Woodbridge's backhand off the net cord on the Bryans' third chance did not cross the net, ending the tension-packed duel.



By winning, the Bryans stretched their ATP champions race lead to 64 points over the second-ranked duo of India's Mahesh Bhupathi and Belarus' Max Mirnyi, who must win the Masters Cup title to overtake the American twins.



Bhupathi and Mirnyi face Mark Knowles of Bahamas and Canada's Daniel Nestor in Wednesday's final blue group round-robin action.


Bureau Report