Mate Pavić & Oliver Marach end year as world’s No.1 doubles team in tennis
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Mate Pavić and Oliver Marach (Photo: Australian Open/Twitter)
Mate Pavić has become the first Croatian tennis player to end a season ranked No.1 in the world in either singles or doubles.
Pavić and his Austrian partner Oliver Marach will end 2018 as the world No.1 doubles pairing after securing a semi-final berth at the Paris Masters with a victory over American John Isner and Brit Neal Skupski.
Never in Croatian tennis history has a player ended a year ranked No.1. The 25-year-old Croatian and his 37-year-old partner have had a year to remember, playing in nine finals and winning four of them, including the Australian Open.
They will have a chance to make another final in Paris today when they take on Marcel Granollers and Rajeev Ram in the semifinal.
Earlier this year Pavić became the youngest doubles world No.1 since 1996, a ranking which ranks individual doubles players. He lost that title to Mike Bryan from the US and is currently ranked No.2.
This is the first time he has been ranked as part of the No.1 doubles pairing in the world and is a first for Croatian tennis.
Goran Ivanišević reached a high of No.2, whilst Ivan Ljubičić and Marin Čilić have both peaked at No.3.
