THE CANADIAN PRESS
MADRID, Spain — Toronto’s Daniel Nestor and partner Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia fell 6-3, 6-4 to American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan in Sunday’s Madrid Masters doubles final.
The victory drops top seeds Nestor and Zimonjic from their No. 1 position on the ATP Tour, with the Bryans taking over.
Nestor and his partner were broken twice in the 55-minute final, with the Americans saving all three break points they faced.
The victory gave the Bryans their 61st career doubles title, tying Australians Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde for the most all-time.
Nestor’s team, winner of spring clay trophies in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, own a 28-7 record on the season heading into the French Open, which begins next week in Paris.
"The Bryans always play us tough," said Nestor. "We’ve had some good wins against them but they’ve been too tough this season.
"Obviously, it’s all about the Slams for us now, and our next big objective is the French Open. We’ll head to Paris now and regroup. We want to be playing our best in a week when the major begins."
Nestor was broken in the third game of the second set, providing the margin the Americans needed to hold on for the victory, which they claimed on a first match point.
All 12 previous meetings between the teams have come in finals, seven of those in Masters events.