Canada’s Pospisil and American Sock reach men’s doubles final at Wimbledon

LONDON – Canadian Vasek Pospisil and American partner Jack Sock earned a berth in the Wimbledon men’s doubles final Friday with a 7-6 (5), 6-3, 6-4 upset victory over India’s Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic.

Pospisil, from Vancouver, and Sock will compete for the title against defending champions and top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan of the United States, who defeated the 12th-seeded French duo of Michael Llodra and Nicolas Mahut 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2.

Pospisil and Sock are playing together for the first time and may have surprised even themselves with their progress. The fifth-seeded Paes and Stepanek had beaten Toronto’s Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia in the quarter-finals a day earlier.

It has been a breakthrough tournament for several Canadian players at the All England Club.

Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., was scheduled to play Roger Federer in the men’s singles semifinal later Friday. Eugenie Bouchard from Westmount, Que., will play the women’s final on Saturday against 2011 champion Petra Kvitova.

Nestor and French partner Kristina Mladenovic, the defending mixed doubles champions, have reached the semifinal and will next play Max Mirnyi of Belarus and Hao-Ching Chan of Taiwan.

The Bryans did not reach the final at any of the last three Grand Slam tournaments — after winning four major titles in a row before that. Left-hander Bob and right-hander Mike have a record 15 Grand Slam doubles titles, including three at Wimbledon.

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With files from The Canadian Press.