© Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour
Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury own three tour-level titles as a team.
Cabal/Farah claim 10th win of 2021
Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury opened their Miami Open presented by Itau campaign on Saturday with a 6-2, 7-6(5) victory against Austin Krajicek and Franko Skugor.
The seventh seeds won 83 per cent of their first-serve points (30/36) to improve their 2021 record to 8-3. Ram and Salisbury are seeking their first title of the season in Miami. The American-British pair advanced to their second straight Australian Open final last month (l. to Dodig/Polasek).
Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah defeated Nikola Cacic and Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-4. The Dubai champions, who saved six of the seven break points they faced, own a 10-4 record this season.
Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares claimed a single break in each set to beat Marcus Daniell and Philipp Oswald 6-4, 6-4. The fifth seeds will face British duo Daniel Evans and Neal Skupski in the second round.
Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut also advanced on Saturday. The 2016 champions earned a 6-3, 6-2 win against Rohan Bopanna and Benoit Paire on Court 5.