Defending champions Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler have made a successful begin to their males’s doubles marketing campaign at Australian Open 2024.

The sixteenth seeds scored a snug 6-2 6-4 victory towards fellow Australian Chris O’Connell and his Serbian accomplice Laslo Djere in opening-round motion immediately at Melbourne Park.

The 22-year-old Hijikata and 30-year-old Kubler didn’t drop a service recreation within the 70-minute encounter.

This retains their unbeaten report as a group intact on the event and extends their successful streak at Melbourne Park to seven matches.

“It was good to be again right here enjoying,” Hijikata stated.

“I feel each of us had a tricky one in singles, so simply to be on the market once more was good enjoyable. It was a very good ambiance. It was fairly packed on the market.”

One other all-Aussie duo, Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson, have additionally superior to the second spherical.

The 25-year-old Purcell and 29-year-old Thompson held off a late problem from Austrian pair Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler to report a 6-2 7-6(8) victory.

This units up a second-round rematch with the seventh seeds, Hugo Nys of Monaco and Jan Zielinski from Poland.

These two groups confronted off in the identical stage ultimately 12 months’s Australian Open, with Nys and Zielinksi successful a good three-set battle after which going onto attain the ultimate.

Hijikata believes that Purcell and Thompson might be title contenders this fortnight.

“I feel they might be the third straight Aussie pair to win the event, if I’m trustworthy,” he stated.

“I obtained to play with Max in Tokyo, and I’ve seen Thommo play a ton. They’re each unbelievable doubles gamers. Each have actually good serves. I feel they’re going to be fairly robust to beat.

“Now that they’re each out of singles, they’ll most likely concentrate on their dubs a bit extra. I might say they’re an excellent shot to go deep.”

World No.4 Matt Ebden and his Indian accomplice Rohan Bopanna secured their place within the third spherical. Nonetheless, it got here on the expense of Aussie wildcards John Millman and Edward Winter.

Ebden and Bopanna scored a 6-2 6-4 victory, which ended Millman’s skilled enjoying profession.

The 34-year-old was honoured on court docket after the match, with Tennis Australia Chief Govt Officer Craig Tiley making a particular presentation to the Aussie favorite.

Aussies in motion – Australian Open

TODAY’S RESULTS
Males’s doubles, first spherical
[16] Rinky Hijikata (AUS)/Jason Kubler (AUS) d Chris O’Connell (AUS)/Laslo Djere (SRB) 6-2 6-4
Max Purcell (AUS)/Jordan Thompson (AUS) d Alexander Erler (AUT)/Lucas Miedler (AUT) 6-2 7-6(8)
John-Patrick Smith (AUS)/Andreas Mies (GER) d Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS)/Alexei Popyrin (AUS) 6-7(4) 6-4 6-4

Males’s doubles, second spherical
[2] Matt Ebden (AUS)/Rohan Bopanna (IND) d [WC] John Millman (AUS)/Edward Winter (AUS) 6-2 6-4
[6] Maximo Gonzalez (ARG)/Andreas Molteni (ARG) d Aleksandar Vukic (AUS)/Nuno Borges (POR) walkover
[14] Wesley Koolhof (NED)/Nikola Mektic (CRO) d John Friends (AUS)/Harri Heliovaara (FIN) 6-1 6-4

Ladies’s doubles, second spherical
[2] Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE)/Elise Mertens (BEL) d [WC] Daria Saville (AUS)/Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) 6-1 6-1
[11] Lyudmyla Kichenok (UKR)/Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) d [WC] Kimberly Birrell (AUS)/Olivia Gadecki (AUS) 3-6 7-6(8) 6-3
Ekaterina Alexandrova/Anna Kalinskaya d [WC] Taylah Preston (AUS)/Arina Rodionova (AUS) 6-2 6-3

Blended doubles, first spherical
[WC] Jaimee Fourlis (AUS)/Andrew Harris (AUS) d Anna Danilina (KAZ)/Andres Molteni (ARG) 6-4 6-4
[5] Laura Siegemund (GER)/Sander Gille (BEL) d [WC] Arina Rodionova (AUS)/Max Purcell (AUS) 6-2 6-4
[6] Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN)/Nathaniel Lammons (USA) d [WC] Priscilla Hon (AUS)/Adam Walton (AUS) 6-3 6-2
[7] Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA)/Kevin Krawietz (GER) d [WC] Maya Joint (AUS)/Dane Sweeny (AUS) 6-2 6-4

COMING UP
Males’s doubles, second spherical
[16] Rinky Hijikata (AUS)/Jason Kubler (AUS) v Yannick Hanfmann (GER)/Dominik Koepfer (GER)
John-Patrick Smith (AUS)/Andreas Mies (GER) v [4] Marcel Granollers (ESP)/Horacio Zeballos (ARG)
Max Purcell (AUS)/Jordan Thompson (AUS) v [7] Hugo Nys (MON)/Jan Zielinksi (POL)

Males’s doubles, third spherical
[2] Matt Ebden (AUS)/Rohan Bopanna (IND) v [14] Wesley Koolhof (NED)/Nikola Mektic (CRO)