The Queenstown tennis player — who now represents Japan — has won the title in his first appearance at the ASB Classic in Auckland.
Alongside German partner Jan-Lennard Struff, he beat Michael Venus and Raven Klaasen 6-3, 6-4 in an impressive performance in Saturday’s final.
Struff’s power was a defining factor in the win, while McLachlan played consistently to help the duo over the line.
After a dominant first set, the pair was broken early in the second, and trailed 4-2.
However, they clawed their way back, holding serve and having Struff hit winners on two break points to take victory.
The win came a day after an epic semifinal in which they beat Mate Pavic and Oliver Marach — the world’s No 3 and 4 ranked players and last year’s Australian Open champions.
Beating a pairing of that calibre shows McLachlan and Struff are more than capable of another run at the Grand Slam event.
A year ago, it was the tournament at which the duo first played together, and signalled McLachlan’s breakout on the world stage.
He and Struff rolled through to the semifinals, when they were edged in three sets by Pavic/Marach.
McLachlan — ranked 18th in the world in doubles heading into the ASB Classic — was born and raised in Queenstown.
He switched allegiances to Japan in 2017, qualifying through his mother.However, he spends the majority of his time on the road throughout the year, and returns to Queenstown through November-December.
