Tennis: Kiwi Artem Sitak out of Classic doubles

Artem Sitak and Nicholas Monroe during the ASB Classic Mens Doubles Semifinals. Photo / Photosport

Kiwi Artem Sitak and his partner Nicholas Monroe are out of the ASB Classic, beaten in the semifinals of the doubles event.

Sitak and Monroe enjoyed two brilliant wins at this tournament, but couldn't repeat the dose on Friday, falling 6-4 6-4 to the experienced duo of Scott Lipsky and Jonathan Erlich.

Their loss puts paid to the hopes of a New Zealand element at both ends in the final, with Kiwi Marcus Daniell and Brazilian Marcelo Demoliner set to play in the last match on Friday night.

Sitak and Monroe were under pressure from the start on Friday, with Sitak broken in their first service game.

Erlich and Lipsky didn't drop a single point in their first two service games, and the American-Israel combination sealed the first set in half an hour.

After games went with serve in the first four games of the second set, Erlich and Lipsky grabbed another break.

Sitak and Monroe were struggling to find the middle of their racquets and were being dominated at the net.

In their quarter final on Thursday the Kiwi-American pair began an unlikely comeback from a set and a break down and the large crowd on Friday were braced for another revival.

But it never looked likely - as Elrich and Lipsky were too solid and barely made any unforced errors, while Sitak and Monroe lacked power and accuracy with their returns.

Sitak and Monroe fought to the end, with Monroe saving one match point with a precise cross court backhand, then a second one with an amazing backhand that went round the net post.

But they couldn't stave off a third - as Sitak netted a volley - and Elrich and Lipsky wrapped up the victory in 65 minutes.​