Bryan brothers on the verge of return to No. 1 ranking

Bob and Mike Bryan have doubled as the greatest tennis team of all time, but don’t tell them they are slowing down at the age of 38. They rallied back from a set and a break to defeat Croatians Marin Cilic and Nikola Mektic 6-7 (4), 6-4, 11-9 and land in the semifinals at the Miami Open.

As usual, the Americans didn’t disappoint with their skillful touch, crisp overheads and leaping chest bumps.

After bolting out to a 6-2 lead in the tiebreaker, the Croatians closed the gap, until Mike Bryan’s apparent first-serve fault at 10-9. Their challenge revealed an ace on match point and a victory chest bump.

It’s always twice the fun when the brothers hang around for a celebration. They took several minutes to please the fans as Bob signed the remaining tennis balls and Mike hit them to clamoring hands. Then, Bob popped open five new cans to empty the barrel and add a little more promotion for Penn. They hit at least 20 balls into the stands.

Although the Bryans have been standing on 16 major doubles titles since the 2014 US Open, they are continuing their twilight run as formidable contenders in every draw they enter. They finished runners-up at the Australian Open, and moved up to No. 3 in the doubles rankings.

Two big matches loom larger than their fifth Miami Open title. They will battle compatriots Jack Sock and Nicholas Monroe for a berth in the final and a chance to slip past John Peers for No. 2.

If they win the trophy, the brothers will return to No. 1 on Monday and deny Henri Kontinen his first week at the top. It would be Mike Bryan’s record-extending 455th week and Bob’s 439th week at the top, and their first time up there since November 2015.