THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTE CARLO — It didn’t take Toronto’s Daniel Nestor and Serbian partner Nenad Zimonjic long to add the Monte Carlo Masters men’s doubles title to their resume Sunday.
The second seeds swept past top-seeded Americans Bob and Mike Bryan 6-4, 6-1 in a match that lasted just 47 minutes.
“Everything clicked today at a place where I’ve never done well,” Nestor said. “I don’t know what was wrong with the Bryans today, but they were not their usual selves — it’s usually the other way around when we play them.”
Nestor and Zimonjic, last year’s season doubles champions, were playing their first final here, a place where Nestor has previously never excelled.
“I hope we can do this at last once more in our lives,” Nestor said. “I’ve got to thank Nenad for really helping us through all of this.”
The win leaves Nestor, 36, needing only the Paris Bercy crown to complete a matched set of titles at the ATP Masters 1000 level.
The win was Nestor’s 57th career in doubles from 99 championship appearances.
Nestor and Zimonjic each broke the California twins twice and clinched the opening set in 22 minutes. It was more of the same in the second set, with the Canadian veteran firing the match winner that hit the net and sailed good past the Americans for the victory.
Nestor and Zimonjic fired seven aces and never faced a break point in the one-sided championship contest.
The title is the second this season for Nestor and Zimonjic, who also won in Rotterdam in February. But following that victory, they went into a swoon with first-round defeats at Dubai, Indian Wells, Calif., and Miami.
Nestor and Zimonjic made a timely recovery this week, capturing their seventh title since pairing up in 2008. They’re also building towards next month’s French Open with a full slate of clay-court events planned.
Nestor and Zimonjic reached last year’s French Open doubles final before losing to 6-2, 6-3 to Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas and Peru’s Luis Horna. Nestor won the ’07 crown with former partner Mark Knowles of the Bahamas.