(July 4, 2013) -- Americans
Bob and Mike Bryan find themselves a win away from achieving not only more Wimbledon history, but also completing a rare feat that no other doubles team has ever done before.
But it was not easy for the Bryans in their semifinal Thursday against the No. 14 seeds
Rohan Bopanna and
Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
The Bryans lost their first set of the entire tournament after Bopanna and Roger-Vasselin claimed the opening set in a tiebreak. From there, each team fought for control of the match, with the Bryans soon taking a two sets to one lead.
Despite having several match points in the fourth set, the Bryans saw their advantage slip away as Bopanna and Roger-Vasselin forced a deciding fifth set. But the Bryans recovered to break Bopanna in the opening game of the fifth and held on to their lead down the stretch.
The Bryans soon served out the 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 victory that now extends their winning streak to 23.
Afterwards, Bob Bryan spoke about the tough semi and how it may help them in the finals.
"Feels good to be through. You know, the two times we've won this tournament we've had these types of battles. I don't know, you just build confidence that you can win it in sticky moments. Now we're kind of battle tested and ready for the finals."
Not only are the Bryans now seeking the third Wimbledon title of their careers, but if they win, they will also then hold all four majors and the Olympic gold medal within their possession, making them the first men's doubles team to ever do so.
But though phrases like the "Bryan Slam" and "Golden Slam" are being thrown around to describe what could be their historic achievement, both brothers are not thinking about it too much.
"I've been hearing the Bryan Slam. Now you call it the Golden Slam. It's pretty cool," Mike said. "Definitely a great opportunity to do something a team's never done before, I don't think. Yeah, we're just going to go out there and have fun. There's not a huge amount of pressure. We're going to try to go out and win the Wimbledon title, which we've done before."
Facing the Bryans will be the surprise finalists of
Ivan Dodig and
Marcelo Melo. The No. 12 seeds Dodig and Melo advanced to their first ever Grand Slam final with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 win over the No. 4 seeds
Leander Paes and
Radek Stepanek.
Mike Bryan expects a tough match but is ready for it.
"We're playing kind of a fairytale team Melo and Dodig, in their first Grand Slam final. Yeah, we'll be tough to beat if we play well."