Nenad Zimonjic and Daniel Nestor defeated defending champions Bryan and Mike Bryan 7-6(5), 6-3 in 83 minutes in the final of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia to win their third ATP World Tour title in as many weeks at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tennis tournament in Rome.

The terrific Serbian-Canadian duo extended its winning streak to 12 matches, they defeated Bahamian Mark Knowles — Nestor’s former partner — and India’s Mahesh Bhupathi 6-3, 7-6 (9) to win the Barcelona Open doubles title last Sunday and the previous week, they had thumped the Bryans 6-4, 6-1 at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in Monte-Carlo, Monaco.

"I have a long history with the Bryans, they are the favourites in every match they play," said Nestor. "You have to hang in there with them, if you stay close then you have a chance. We played the big points very well."


"This was a great turnaround, similar to last year, where we found our game in Rome. We then won Hamburg, made the final in Paris and won Wimbledon," said Nestor.

"This year we've won two Masters 1000s and Barcelona, we're playing pretty similar to the way we played last year. Hopefully we haven't peaked too soon. We want to keep it going."

It bodes well for the pair heading into the French Open, as they've now won 12 straight clay-court matches and taken two finals in three weeks versus their biggest rivals in the Bryan brothers.

(photo/Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic Clinch Third Successive Title