Hours after losing his singles semifinal match, Robin Haase found comfort in his doubles triumph. The Dutch tennis player joined his compatriot Matwe Middelkoop to claim the doubles title at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open, which is their third joint title.
They bagged the previous two titles this year as well, one in Pune, India, and the other in Sofia, Bulgaria.
To take the title, they defeated Roman Jebavi and Jiri Vesely, this year’s unsung heroes in Umag, who battled past the first-seeded pair and Wimbledon semifinalists Škugor and Inglot. Last year, our dear friends from the Czech Republic went out in the first round, and this time around they were on the verge of taking it all; however, the Dutch were too good and deservedly won 6:4, 6:4.
- I was disappointed with the outcome of my singles semifinal match since I had a good chance of winning it. Still, I am glad that disappointment didn’t damage our chances in the doubles final - said Haase, who has so far clocked up five doubles titles.
Middlekoop has been a bit more successful and has two more. He also promised to come back to Umag to defend their title.
- I’ve never been here before but I’ve heard some very nice stories about Umag from the other players on the Tour. That’s what made me decide to come here and I must say I am pleasantly surprised with everything. Beautiful venue, sunny weather, beaches, excellent organization… and the center court was packed already on Monday and Tuesday, which is not something you often see at some other tournaments - the 34-year-old from Breda described his initial impressions of the tournament in Umag.
