Reuters

Shanghai, Nov 17: Canadian Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia beat the Bryan brothers 7-6 6-2 to win the Masters Cup doubles crown and replace the Americans as the number one pairing in the world on Sunday.

The Wimbledon champions shared $220,000 after going unbeaten on their debut at the year-end championship for the best eight pairings, clinching the title with their third service break of the match after one hour and 14 minutes.

"It's a great feeling," said Nestor. "We've had a great year. I think when we're playing well, we're deserving of the number one ranking."

Bob and Mike Bryan, the US Open champions, were looking to win a third Masters Cup title after back-to-back wins in 2003 and 2004 and to secure the number one spot at the end of the season for a record fourth straight year.

"It's pretty unusual that that number one ranking comes down to one match, that's probably one in a million," said Bob Bryan, whose serve was hindered by a shoulder injury.

"But I think they deserve it. I guess we've got to tip our hat to them. We look forward to battling it out next year for the same thing."