El Salvador’s Marcelo Arevalo and his Croatian partner Mate Pavic prevailed in a battle of nerves to edge Italian pair Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 7-5, 6-3 in the final and win the French Open men’s doubles title on Saturday.
It was the ninth seeds’ first grand slam as a pair. Arevalo, 33, won the French Open men’s doubles title in 2022, with Dutchman Jean-Julien Rojer, while the 30-year-old Pavic has now won men’s doubles titles in all four grand slams.
“It feels special,” said Pavic, who has won seven grand slams, including three mixed doubles titles. “I want to thank Marcelo for bringing me to the top. He knows how it is to be done.”
“Two crazy weeks, a lot of tough matches… we did it together man. I’m really happy,” Arevalo replied.
The first set was evenly matched until 5-5, when the Italians came close to the first break. But Arevalo and Pavic saved four break points to win the game and broke their opponents in the next game to clinch the set.
Bolelli and Vavassori, who reached the Australian Open final in January, broke early in the second set to go 2-1 up, but Arevalo and Pavic broke back in the next game and broke again to take a decisive 5-3 lead in the second set.
“You played an unbelievable match,” Vavassori told the winners.
“I hope maybe one day we can beat you,” Bolelli said. “Good luck for the rest of the season.”