2016 Monte Carlo Masters champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut have failed to defend their title. Herbert and Mahut have been defeated by Spain's duo Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez in the semi-final. The Lopez duo handed a straight-sets loss to the French duo 6-1 7-6 (7-4). The pair from Spain had a convincing 6-1 5-2 lead -- Herbert and Mahut refused to give up but couldn't escape the loss in the end. The winners converted 4-of-6 of their break point chances in an hour and 17 minutes of play.
Lopez and Lopez now have taken a 3-1 lead in their head-to-head record over Herbert and Mahut.
The Lopez team got better off the French duo last year at the French Open and ATP World Tour Finals, before ending on the winning on Saturday in Monte Carlo. The Spaniards went on to claim the 2016 French Open men's doubles title after handing a loss to the French pair in the quarter-final stage. Herbert and Mahut defeated Lopez and Lopez at the Paris Masters in November 2016.
The Spaniards hoping to make a breakthrough
Feliciano and Marc Lopez haven't had a great 2017 tennis season so far. The 2016 Doha and French Open champions have yet to win a title this year. Except for this week's Monte Carlo Masters final achievement, their Rotterdam Open quarter-final result could be noted. Winning it all in Monte Carlo could help the Spanish duo to 'kick off' their season and give them some momentum ahead of the upcoming big clay-court events.
Rohan Bopanna and Pablo Cuevas, the remaining finalists
India's Bopanna and Cuevas have also reached the Monte Carlo Masters men's doubles final. Bopanna and Cuevas had to make it past local player Romain Arneodo and France's Hugo Nys. Bopanna and Cuevas outgunned Arneodo and Nys in a two-set battle 6-4 6-3.
Bopanna and Cuevas were tough on their service, winning 21-of-26 of their first serve points and saving 5-of-5 off the break chances of their opponents.
The winners from India and Uruguay converted 3-of-5 of their break chances. The match lasted an hour.
The first ever meeting
Two-time ATP Champions as a team, Lopez and Lopez, will be clashing off against Bopanna and Cuevas for the first time. Both teams will be looking to win their first title this season on Sunday at the Monte Carlo Masters, having not one yet.
After playing together for the first time in 2007, Bopanna and Cuevas waited ten years to play again together -- they are playing their fifth tournament this year. The Lopez pair should be the favorites to expose over Bopanna and Cuevas accounting the fact that they have played more times together and that they have been able to land some big titles already.
Meanwhile, Lopez and Lopez won't be the only Spaniards in action on Sunday, as Rafa Nadal and Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain are set to meet in the singles final. Former world number one Nadal is hoping to land his 10th Monte Carlo title on Sunday. It could be a big day for Spain in Monte Carlo.
