American Duo of Bob and Mike Bryan to Play for Doubles Gold
August 3, 2012 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
American top seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan advanced to the men’s doubles gold medal match at the London 2012 Olympics with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over French pairing Julien Benneteau & Richard Gasquet. Benneteau & Gasquet will now have the chance to play for the bronze medal against the losers of the second semifinal. The Bryans lost just three points behind their first serve and broke their opponents once in each set to claim victory in 57 minutes.
“It is a great feeling to be playing for an Olympic gold medal,” said Bob Bryan. "As kids, we watched the U.S. Dream Team basketball win the 1992 Barcelona Gold and remember what it meant to 200 and 400 meter runner Michael Johnson.”
The 34- year-old Bryan Brothers are guaranteed to go to at least one better than the bronze medal. They won at the Beijing Olympics four years ago. They will either face Spanish pairing David Ferrer & Feliciano Lopez or the French team of Michael Llodra & Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
"This will top off everything we have ever done if we win gold, but it will be a very difficult match," said Mike Bryan. "Tomorrow we will begin to focus and prepare for the match, but we’re definitely in for a sleepless night."
