THERE was rapturous applause from the o2 arena crowd as Jamie Murray and John Peers made a successful start to their last hurrah as a doubles partnership. Having spent the best part of three years battling their way together into the big time, there is an irony in the fact that Murray and Peers have decided to go their separate ways and start again for 2016 just as they appear to have reached it. The elder Murray sibling will play with Brazilian doubles expert Bruno Soares next year and Peers with Henri Kontinen but this dramatic 7-6 (5), 3-6, (11-9) win against Italian duo Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini on the occasion of the Scot's maiden appearance in this glamorous end of season event keeps alive the pairing's chances of signing off from this one as both ATP Tour Champions and the world's No 1 doubles team. It would be quite a way to go.

Being permitted to open this event, under the lights, was another high point in a breakthrough year for Jamie. He is the first British doubles player since Jonny Marray in 2012 to qualify for this event, and he and his brother Andy are the first brothers to qualify for the World Tour Finals in singles and doubles in the same year since John and Patrick McEnroe in 1989, when they were still two separate tournaments.

Few would have begrudged him the chance to wallow in the trappings of fame for a moment, but instead Jamie opted to take a deserted 8.30am tube in to work from his house in Wimbledon, rather than the breeze in on the private boat on the Thames which competitors are entitled to use. When Fognini, watched by his girlfriend and US Open champion Flavia Pennetta, could only net as he attempted to rescue the situation match point down, the 29-year-old celebrated by pointing at two of the biggest influences on his career, his long time coach Louis Cayer and his Colombian wife Alejandra. Signing off with Peers as the top doubles players on planet tennis - ahead even of the much-vaunted Bryan Brothers - wasn't something he had really thought about.

"You've just got to play, don't you?" he said. "You've got to win five matches. That's one down, try to win the next four. We'll have to try to maintain that level we played today if we want any chance to win the trophy."

While participation in this event in some ways could be said to be the culmination of his career to date, Jamie would be forgiven if some of his thoughts are elsewhere. Like his brother Andy, he will be a key component of Leon Smith's Great Britain team for the Davis Cup final in Ghent next week, and consequently he too spent time last week practising, some of it actually alongside Andy, on a specially constructed clay court under a bubble at Queen's Club.

"This is a huge event for us which we're really excited to be a part of.," said Jamie. "We worked hard all year to qualify for this tournament. So from my point of view, we are just trying to do the best we can, finish on a high, try to make a great year even better. We want to make the most of our time here. When that's done, then I'll think about Davis Cup."

One Davis Cup related subject which he was prepared to expound upon was the participation or non-participation of Aljaz Bedene. The eligibility of the Slovenian-born player, who has been based in Hertfordshire since 2008, will finally be settled on Tuesday, the very morning which captain Leon Smith must name his team for the tie. With Dan Evans and Kyle Edmund both winning Challenger Tour finals in Knoxville and Buenos Aires respectively yesterday, and James Ward recently winning in Bangalore, Smith has plenty of options, but Jamie believes the World No 46 will deserve the benefit of the doubt in the event that he is declared eligible. Bedene played in three dead rubbers for Slovenia between 2010 and 2012, before the ITF changed rules to prevent players appearing for two different countries.

"Look, if they hadn't changed the rule last November, he would have been available to play all the matches this year," said Jamie. "He's obviously been living in the UK for five, six years now. So I hope for his sake that he's eligible to play. So on Wednesday, if he gets the green light, for me, if he does get selected, I'll welcome him with open arms. He's British, he's done what he needs to do. So I'm sure he'll be a valued member of the team."

Murray and Peers are No 4 seeds this week, having reached more finals than any other team on the tour this season, not to mention twice losing in Grand Slam finals. They edged the first set in a breaker, only for the Italians to recover their poise in the second set and soon we were into a taut deciding Champions breaker, in which the Scottish/Australian pair emerged strongest. Attention on Monday switches back to Jamie's younger brother, who faces David Ferrer of Spain not before 2pm.