Swedish pair join ATP top ten

JAKARTA (JP): The ATP Tour World Doubles Championship victors Jan Apell and Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden charged ahead in their bid for a second appearance here in November when they moved into the top 10 of the world rankings this week.

Playing before their home crowd, the Swedish pair won their first title of the year after defeating Australian pair Jon Ireland and Andrew Kratzmann 6-3, 6-0 in the Swedish Open final.

"We have wanted to win a title for a long time now," Bjorkman said. "It feels good to have finally won one and show the people that we belong at the top."

The victory boosted the Swedes' ranking points to 1,074 and put them in tenth place of the latest ATP doubles rankings. Only the top eight teams will be eligible for the season-ending tournament here.

Also moving into contention are Luis Lobo of Argentina and Javier Sanchez of Spain, who won the Swiss Open in Gstaad on Sunday, their second title as a team. They clinched their first title together in Athens last year.

The mixed nationality pair, who had lost four finals before winning in Gstaad, are looking forward to making their first trip to Jakarta. "It was incredible. We hope to continue like this to make it to Jakarta," Lobo said. The doubles team trails one place behind the Swedes with 996 points.

There are no changes in the top eight spots, with the Dutch duo of Jacco Eltingh and Paul Haarhuis leading with 2,474 points.

"The next few weeks, with the Canadian Open and then the U.S. Open, will be crucial for gaining points," said Russell Barlow, ATP Tour Consultant for the World Doubles Championship.

The competition on the road to Jakarta continues in the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany, and the Legg Mason Tennis Clasic in Washington D.C., both of which get underway this week. (amd)