Kiwi Michael Venus fell at the final hurdle in the ASB Classic doubles final, with he and partner Raven Klaasen losing in straight sets to Japan's Ben McLachlan, and Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany.
In a rapid start to the match, McLachlan and Struff wasted little time in their surge towards the title, taking the first set 6-3 in just under half an hour.
Not to be outdone though, Venus and Klaasen started the second set as the better of the two, breaking McLachlan's serve and take a 3-1 lead.
However, McLachlan and Struff came back in the second, leveling scores at 4-4. Struff would hold serve in the next game, leaving Klaasen serving to keep the pair in the match.
At 15-40 up, McLachlan and Struff found themselves with three tournament points, before Klaasen and Venus pulled one back, moving the scores to 30-40.
Unfortunately for Venus though, McLachlan and Struff claimed the title, with his partner Klassen failing to take evasive action in time, the ball hitting him and ending both the match, and the tournament 6-3, 6-4.
Kiwi fans did have a reason to smile though, with McLachlan happening to hail from Queenstown, despite representing Japan as a professional.
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