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Clay Court Coronation

A deep dive into the surprising victory of unseeded underdogs Pablo Cuevas and Luis Horna at the 2008 French Open Men's Doubles tournament.

The Final Showdown ๐Ÿ‘‡ Meet the Seeds ๐Ÿ“Š

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Tournament Overview

The Unseeded Champions

In a stunning turn of events, the unseeded duo of Pablo Cuevas from Uruguay and Luis Horna from Peru clinched the 2008 French Open Men's Doubles title. They triumphed in the final with a decisive 6โ€“2, 6โ€“3 victory, capping a remarkable run through a field of seasoned competitors.

The Formidable Runners-Up

The runners-up were the second-seeded team of Daniel Nestor (Canada) and Nenad Zimonjiฤ‡ (Serbia). Despite being heavy favorites in the final, they were unable to overcome the momentum and sharp play of Cuevas and Horna, falling in straight sets.

Defending Champions' Fate

The defending champions from 2007 were Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor. They did not compete together in 2008. Nestor, partnering with Zimonjiฤ‡, made it to the final. However, Knowles, who teamed up with Mahesh Bhupathi as the fourth seed, suffered a surprising first-round exit.

The Top 16 Seeds

Contenders and Their Outcomes

The tournament featured 16 seeded teams, representing the top doubles pairings in the world. Their performance varied widely, with top seeds falling early and unseeded players making deep runs. Below is a summary of how each seeded team fared in the tournament.

Seed Players Result
1 ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Bob Bryan / ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ Mike Bryan Quarterfinals
2 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Daniel Nestor / ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ Nenad Zimonjiฤ‡ Final
3 ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Jonathan Erlich / ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Andy Ram Third Round
4 ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ Mahesh Bhupathi / ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ธ Mark Knowles First Round
5 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช Simon Aspelin / ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡น Julian Knowle Third Round
6 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Martin Damm / ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Pavel Vรญzner First Round
7 ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท Arnaud Clรฉment / ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท Michaรซl Llodra First Round
8 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช Jonas Bjรถrkman / ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ Kevin Ullyett Quarterfinals
9 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Lukรกลก Dlouhรฝ / ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ Leander Paes Third Round
10 ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Jeff Coetzee / ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Wesley Moodie Second Round
11 ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ Mariusz Fyrstenberg / ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฑ Marcin Matkowski Second Round
12 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡พ Max Mirnyi / ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง Jamie Murray First Round
13 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Frantiลกek ฤŒermรกk / ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Jordan Kerr Second Round
14 ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท Marcelo Melo / ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท Andrรฉ Sรก Second Round
15 ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Christopher Kas / ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Rogier Wassen Second Round
16 ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท Julien Benneteau / ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท Nicolas Mahut Withdrew

Journey to the Final

The Underdogs' Path: Cuevas & Horna

As an unseeded team, Pablo Cuevas and Luis Horna's journey was a masterclass in giant-slaying. Their path was fraught with challenges, requiring them to overcome multiple seeded opponents. Their most significant victory came in the quarterfinals, where they stunned the world No. 1 team and top seeds, Bob and Mike Bryan, in a thrilling three-set match. This victory signaled their intent and propelled them into the semifinals with immense confidence.

The Favorites' Advance: Nestor & Zimonjiฤ‡

The second-seeded pair of Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjiฤ‡ navigated their half of the draw with the efficiency expected of a top team. They faced tough competition but consistently proved their mettle, reaching the final without dropping many sets. Their semifinal victory over the Russian duo of Igor Kunitsyn and Dmitry Tursunov solidified their status as the team to beat for the title.

Notable Upsets and Key Matches

The 2008 tournament was defined by its upsets. Beyond the champions' run, the early exit of the fourth-seeded Knowles/Bhupathi team in the first round opened up their section of the draw. Another surprise was the semifinal appearance of the alternate team of Bruno Soares and Duลกan Vemiฤ‡, who took full advantage of their entry into the main draw to make a deep, unexpected run.

The Championship Match

Match Analysis & Bracket

The final pitted the unseeded challengers against the second-seeded favorites. Cuevas and Horna played with remarkable composure and aggression, breaking their opponents' serve consistently. They dominated the match from the start, securing a 6โ€“2, 6โ€“3 victory that was more one-sided than anyone anticipated. This win marked a historic moment for both players and their respective countries, Uruguay and Peru.

The bracket below illustrates the path of the final eight teams to the championship.

QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
1 ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ B. Bryan / M. Bryan3761 ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡พ P. Cuevas / ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ช L. Horna6677 ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡พ P. Cuevas / ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ช L. Horna66
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡พ P. Cuevas / ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ช L. Horna657
Alt ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท B. Soares / ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ D. Vemiฤ‡76
8 ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช J. Bjรถrkman / ๐Ÿ‡ฟ๐Ÿ‡ผ K. Ullyett53
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ I. Kunitsyn / ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ D. Tursunov66 ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ I. Kunitsyn / ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ D. Tursunov464 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ D. Nestor / ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ N. Zimonjiฤ‡23
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช S. Darcis / ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช O. Rochus14
2 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ D. Nestor / ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ N. Zimonjiฤ‡66
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ J. Tipsareviฤ‡ / ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ V. Troicki34

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References

References

A full list of references for this article are available at the 2008 French Open โ€“ Men's doubles Wikipedia page

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Important Notice

This page was generated by an Artificial Intelligence and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The content is based on a snapshot of publicly available data from Wikipedia and may not be entirely accurate, complete, or up-to-date.

This is not professional sporting analysis. The information provided on this website is not a substitute for expert commentary or official tournament records. All statistics and results should be cross-referenced with official sources from the ATP Tour or the French Open (Roland-Garros) for verification.

The creators of this page are not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for any actions taken based on the information provided herein.