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Mike and Bob Bryan may not have a lot in common with Scott Lipsky and David Martin, other than the fact all four played tennis at Stanford. The Bryans have been ranked No. 1 in the world in doubles while Martin and Lipsky haven’t broken into the top 50.
Now, however, all four have something in common as doubles champs at the SAP Open in San Jose.
While the Bryans have won in San Jose before, Lipsky and Martin are the 2008 champions after shocking the top-seeded Bryan brothers on Sunday at HP Pavilion to cap the pro tennis tournament’s week-long run. It was the first all-Stanford doubles final in the tourney’s history.
Lipsky and Martin made their first career pro doubles title a special one by beating the Bryans, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5. It was only the second doubles final ever for Lipsky and Martin, who reached the finals of the Los Angeles Open in 2007.
The Bryans, meanwhile, were seeking their 45th overall doubles title. The Bryan brothers have been regarded as the world’s top doubles tandem and usually are ranked No. 1 in the world during the year. They came into the SAP Open ranked No. 5 in the world while Lipsky and Martin weren’t even in the top 100.
No matter. When former Stanford players get together you never know what might happen. On Sunday, it was the underdogs’ day.
“That was incredible,” said former Stanford men’s head coach Dick Gould, who was on hand to watch the match before doing TV commentary for the singles final. “It was really special. They played the doubles final before the singles, so they had a big crowd.”
Gould, of course, coached all four players. Lipsky and Martin played at Stanford together from 2000-03 and were All-Americans three straight seasons. The Bryans left after their sophomore seasons in 1998, earning All-American honors both years.
Lipsky and Martin played on Stanford’s 2000 NCAA championship team while the Bryans led the Cardinal to consecutive national titles.
Interesting enough, had the Bryans remained in school all four years, they would have been teammates with Lipsky and Martin their senior year.
–Keith Peters
–Keith Peters
–Keith Peters