SF: Mitchell Krueger (USA) & Darren Walsh CR 395 (213+182) vs Thiemo de Bakker & Mark Vervoort (NED/NED) CR 526 (341+185)
A decent chance of making the final - I hope! That said, the Dutch boys dumped out the Mexican second seeds, Ramírez & Reyes, in three. There are no seeded pairs left in the draw.
As for Mark Vervoort, he was the opponent on the day when I saw Kyle play for the first time ever as an unranked teenager in Murcia. Kyle pummeled him off the court that day (2nd round qualies) before going on to get his first ever ranking point the following week.
Didn't rate Vervoort that highly, but of course 3 1/2 years can make a big difference.
I'd agree that it's disappointing in the sense that it would have been nice for them to win, but de Bakker on form - and he seems to be coming back on form - is a class above most Challenger opposition.
Yes, I would have been very doubtful that de Bakker's doubles ranking anywhere near truly refected his doubles ability even without his singles being back more on form.