HALLE NEWS & NOTES
*Bolelli-Vavassori are back to defend their titles this week in Halle. The Italians won the championships over Krawietz-Puetz in a clash of the one and two seeds. Bolelli-Vavassori were slight favorites at 1.75 (-133) in the 7-6(3), 7-6(5) victory. It was their second straight year in the final and the second time in three years that the top seeds won the titles in Germany. Granollers-Zeballos did the trick back in 2022.
*Halle has largely seen seeds win in the end. There has been just one unseeded champion since 2016. That came in 2023 when Melo-Peers downed Bolelli-Vavassori in the title match in a battle of unseeded pairs. There have been a few unseeded finalists here with at least one in four of the last seven years. They’ve been more prevalent in getting into the semifinals with eight of the last 20 semifinal duos being unseeded. That includes a clean sweep of the semifinals in 2023.
*Super tie breaks were a steady occurrence in 2024 with six of the 15 matches needing the extra frame to find a winner. Three of those came in round one with two more in the quarterfinals and one in the semis. That was down from a burst of ten STBs in 2023. Five of those came in round one with three of the quarterfinals also featuring STBs. Historically, round one looks a good place to put your focus for those super tie break finishes. Seventeen of the last 32 round one matches have needed a super tie break. There is also a three-year streak with at least one semifinal STB.
*Only one seed failed to get out of their opener last year. That resulted in one of the four underdog wins in the opening round. It was a stark contrast to the carnage in 2023 when three of the four seeds were sent packing in the first round. There were also four underdog scores in that round as well. 2022 was the last time all four seeds survived round one. As you’d expect with that stat, there were no underdog wins in round one that year.
*Underdogs tallied six wins in all last year at the Terra Wortmann Open. All of those came in round one or the quarterfinals. 2023 saw seven underdog wins, while 2022 saw NONE. Since the field shrunk to 16 pairs in 2022, round one looks like the best bet to see multiple dogs bark.
*The field in 2025 is led by last year’s finalists with Krawietz-Puetz seeded first this time around and Bolelli-Vavassori second. Harrison-King and Doumbia-Reboul round out the seeds. For the third seeded American duo, it will mark their debut on grass. They’ve taken to all surfaces in their meteoric rise in 2025, so you’d think that grass won’t be a problem eventually. Do remember it took them some time to get going on clay, so they may not see instant success on the surface. Doumbia-Reboul made the semifinals last year, so three of the four seeds have seen good runs in Halle.
THE UNSEEDED MENACES
So is there room for a surprise or two this year in the unseeded field or are the seeds too strong? Let’s take a look at the top pairs to monitor in the unseeded field.
Goransson-Verbeek
This is a danger duo that announced their presence in 2025 with the stunning run to the Australian Open semifinals. They have cooled quite a bit since then, but grass was a good surface for them last year. All that work was at Challengers and Newport, but they did rack up seven wins in nine matches including the titles at the very last run of the tournament in Newport. They have Krawietz-Puetz first, but they’ve already proven they can compete and beat those guys. Goransson-Verbeek lost a super tie break to them in Adelaide, but then scored a big win on German soil in the Munich final on clay. The Germans did exact revenge in Madrid, but that also went to a STB. They’re going to be a pest in round one and really might be favorites in that top half if they spring the early upset.
Sinner-Sonego
If not Goransson-Verbeek as the dark horses in that top half, could this Italian duo be another? They have some reps together with a career record of 5-3 over the past two seasons. Of their three losses, only one did not come in a super tie break. They’re in the same quarter as Krawietz-Puetz and Goransson-Verbeek. Sinner got close to a semifinal here a year ago when paired with Hurkacz, losing 10-8 in a STB to Doumbia-Reboul. They may do absolutely nothing, but I think they’re a pair to keep eyes on early to see if they can grab a win in round one.
Lammons-Withrow
Am I drunk already? Yes, the Americans have been awful this year at 2-11. They have not won since Australia. However, this surface suits their skill set better than any other. They rely on their serves to carry them and grass helps tremendously with doing just that. Lammons-Withrow went 8-4 on grass in 2024 and have a grass court title in each of the last two season. They were also close to breaking that lengthy losing streak in their opener in Hertogenbosch last week, dropping a super tie break to Behar-Vliegen (10-8). Being the Bolelli-Vavassori quarter you’d think would preclude them from even having a shot, but keep in mind that the Italians haven’t been in tune consistently since early in the season. This will probably look dumb in round one, but the piggy sense is tingling a bit in thinking the Americans are long overdue for some better fortune.
Cabral-Miedler
This is a pair that is growing in confidence each week. They started pairing in the Spring and blew up the Challenger circuit on clay with four finals and two titles in the mix. They stepped up to the ATP level in late May in Geneva and made a semifinal. You can forgive a first round loss to Granollers-Zeballos at the French Open. The question for me was can they win on something other than clay? Yes was the answer in Stuttgart where they made the semifinals, losing to the eventual champions Gonzalez-Krajicek. I think these smaller fields are perfect for them and where they are at right now. They’re in a winnable quarter and if Krawietz-Puetz get beat early, they may really have a legit shot to make the final. They’re very good at winning tight matches as evidenced by their 18-16 super tie break win in qualifying. They’ve won nine of 12 super tie breaks so far.
ONE AND DONE WATCH
Only two of this year’s seeds do not have grass reps under their belt. Does that make them more prone? Let’s take a look at the seeds who could struggle early on.
(1)Krawietz-Puetz
The Germans draw is brutal to open. They’re facing Goransson-Verbeek, a team they have already seen three times in 2024. Goransson-Verbeek have just one win, but lost the other two wars in super tie breaks. The Germans might survive, but it won’t likely come easy.
(2)Bolelli-Vavassori
If the Italians hadn’t stumbled through more of the past few months, I might have them on the immunity list. Although they did get hot by winning Hamburg, they were a bit of a disappointing round three loss at Roland Garros. They get Melo-Zverev who are 0-2 this year, but do have chemistry in the past with 15 total wins in 33 matches. Where I think it gets tough is that Melo has always been a very good partner on grass. He’s 13-6 on the surface since the start of 2023. Zverev made back-to-back finals with his brother Mischa back in 2017-2018, but has not won on grass in doubles since then albeit with just three matches played. I think it’s all about the partner here and Melo-Zverev on grass I think can be a handful. Bolelli-Vavassori could be challenged.
DRAW PREVIEW
TOP HALF
This opening quarter is a lot more interesting that one might think with two singles pairs sprinkled in and a fairly cold team in Goransson-Verbeek. That would make the top seeds Krawietz-Puetz substantial favorites, right? Not so fast. I’ve already beat it into your heads that Goransson-Verbeek have been an extremely difficult matchup for the Germans. That’s going to be a tough one. In the all-singles clash, Sinner-Sonego take on Khachanov-Michelsen who are pairing up for the first time. Michelsen of course has had a great week in doubles in Stuttgart, making the final with Rajeev Ram. This is different though when paired with another singles player. Edge to the Italians for me with built-in chemistry and decent results together. I don’t know that either of the singles pairs would be Krawietz-Puetz, but I also can’t say they wouldn’t. Michelsen was part of the pairing that knocked them out of Stuttgart in the quarterfinals.
The second quarter features (4)Doumbia-Reboul as the seeds. They get the Russians, Medvedev and Rublev, pairing up for the first time in doubles. Rublev has played a lot of doubles, mainly with Khachanov. Medvedev? This is his doubles debut for 2025. He did have a surprising run with Safiullin in Montreal last year and also at the ATP Cup in 2023. On grass, he’s 0-3. Rublev is also 0-3 for his career on grass. Doumbia-Reboul may not be grass experts by any stretch, but they’re more capable and I expect they can survive and advance. The other match in this quarter sees Fonseca and Tsitspas teaming up. They will get a qualifier to start. It’s Cabral-Miedler are in good form. They played well in their first run on grass in Stuttgart, making the semifinals. They beat Doumbia-Reboul in that run. Cabral-Miedler are now 18-6 as a pair this year and showing they’re more than just clay court specialists. Half of their matches have seen super tie breaks, so keep that in mind for round one. It wouldn’t be that much of a surprise to see them back in another semifinal with this draw.
There is a lot of who knows in this half with all the singles pairs, most of whom have no experience together. If a seed makes it to the final in this half, it just might be Doumbia-Reboul rather than the German favorites. Of course all the Germans might need to make a big run is to get past Goransson-Verbeek in round one and then everything else could fall into place. Top seeds don’t have a curse here in recent times, so you can make that case. Goranssson-Verbeek and Cabral-Miedler are definitely the unseeded pairs that look like they could cause some wrinkles in this draw.
My Favorite: Goransson-Verbeek
My Sleeper: Cabral-Miedler
BOTTOM HALF
If Harrison-King take to grass quickly, this quarter is theirs to take. They should have an opportunity to get out of the gates with their first grass court win as they take on Gonzalez-Molteni. That’s a pair they’ve already beaten twice this year on both clay and hard courts. The Argentinian pair have seen better days with a mediocre 13-11 record overall. It is interesting to note that they showed up at Wimbledon last year with no prep work and made the quarterfinals. Grass isn’t necessarily something this pair is allergic too, even if clay is where they’ve made their living. Eight of their eleven career matches on grass have required either a super tie break or third set, so this round one affair could wind up going the distance.
The winner is going to be expected to settle in to a semifinal with the other match in this quarter in round one featuring Shapovalov/Auger-Aliassime against German wild cards Schoenhaus-Struff. Struff is again pairing with a German teen this week, so it’s an uphill battle. You have to like the Canadian duo here with plenty of experience as a pair. This will be their first time teaming since Davis Cup play in late 2024 though, so it might take a minute for them to get in tune. I think if they’re motivated, Shapo-FAA could be a sleeper in this section. They’ve got the requisite serve and forehand combos to dominate on grass. If you look at their track record, they’ve been competitive in just about all of their doubles matches at this level. They might be the ones who could go toe-to-toe with Harrison-King.
The final quarter sees defending champs (2)Bolelli-Vavassori in what could be a banger in round one against Melo-Zverev. I already talked about the lack of results of late for Melo-Zverev in fewer matches this year, but Melo has always been a player who thrives on grass. I think they’ll be competitive in this one and it’s not like the Italians have shown enough consistency since early in the season to feel too comfortable with them early. The match opposite of them will be one I’m fascinated with as Lammons-Withrow match up against the maiden voyage of Machac-Zielinski. This looks like a one-off for Zielinski who was the one who initiated the split with Sander Gille. As far as I know, he’s still looking for another regular partner. This might be a lightning-in-a-bottle combination, but who knows until they hit the court. Against Lammons-Withrow, they may just need to go blow for blow on serve to give themselves a shot to win. I already made my opinion known that I think Lammons-Withrow are due for a turnaround and that grass could aid that cause, but until they get a win, it is really just a pig throwing darts.
Bolelli-Vavassori are still the deserved favorites in this half. Even if their 2025 has flattened out since a red hot start, they’ve played too well here the last two years to be dismissed as key contenders in Halle. I’ll be paying attention to that opener with Melo-Zverev. If they’re more in tune with who they can be, that is a match that they should honestly win in straight sets with how Melo-Zverev have been of late. This half definitely has more of a seed versus seed vibe for the semifinals. If it falls that way, it’s a great test for Harrison-King to show what they can be on grass. If there is a surprise from the unseeded field, you might do well to keep your eyes on the veteran pairs. That means Gonzalez-Molteni and Lammons-Withrow, even with both not in inspiring form at the moment.
My Favorite: Bolelli-Vavassori
My Sleeper: Lammons-Withrow
CLOSING TIME
There are a few unseeded menaces in this draw that could find the spark for a championship run, but this draw feels more like it will fall to a seed in the end. Krawietz-Puetz and Bolelli-Vavassori obviously have both enjoyed this stop and have the success to be listed at the top of the contender’s list. I think Harrison-King and Doumbia-Reboul aren’t without chances this week, but either need a bit of help with the draw or in the case of the Americans, to prove they can win on the new surface. You already know my sleepers here that I’ve pushed on you with Goransson-Verbeek being the ones that I think have the draw to get to a final, albeit with a tough, tough opener against the top seeds. Lammons-Withrow is a total gut call that will probably look awful at the end of the week, right? The other team that makes no sense based on 2025, but does make some sense based on their past and I think their play on grass, is Melo-Zverev.
There’s certainly an amount of guess work when the calendar shifts to grass as players scramble to get used to a specialized surface that just doesn’t have much space on the tennis calendar. It’s a shame as grass court tennis is fun to watch, but the tours don’t give players enough time to get acclimated from the French Open to Wimbledon in my opinion. So your guess is probably as good as mine.
PIG PIX
Goransson-Verbeek
Bolelli-Vavassori
DOUBLES TOURNAMENT PREVIEWS & PICKS 