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Interested in learning more about the Australian Open doubles tournaments? Check out the key information for the various events right here.
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Australian Open Doubles – 2023 Breakdown
Although the singles events tend to receive the most attention from fans and pundits, the doubles events in Melbourne are certainly worth watching. Compared to singles, doubles is much quicker, the court craft required is more intense, and it’s just generally pretty wild to watch at times. And if you are considering tuning in for the Australian Open doubles events in 2023, we’ve got exactly what you need to know right here.
Simply keep reading for a full run-through of each of the main doubles tournaments being held in Melbourne over the next fortnight.
Australian Open Men’s Doubles
Fortunately, for those who can’t wait to watch the men’s doubles at the 2023 Australian Open, you don’t have to wait too long. The doubles event for the men will begin on Wednesday, January 18th. And the draw will consist of 64 pairs from nations all around the globe. Of course, the games will then be played right the way through until we reach finals day. As for the actual format of the matches, they are played as the best of three tie-break sets with a 10-point breaker to finish should the match reach 6-6 in the third.
Since the draw size is fixed at 64 pairs, this means that to win the tournament, a pair must win six matches back to back. This is easier said than done, yet the Aussie duo of Kyrgios and Kokkinakis achieved that in 2022. However, for the men’s doubles this year, the top contenders have to be Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury. They won the 2022 US Open and are in great form at the minute. That said the number 1 seeded pair Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski might have something to say about all this. In any case the men’s Australian Open doubles are bound to have new champions as Kyrgios got hurt on the eve of the tournament so the 2022 winners won’t be participating.
Day 10 – the final
The final day of the Doubles competition saw the Men’s Doubles title-decider taking place and the local fans had plenty to celebrate. The wildcard received by Hijikata/Kubler proved arguably the best decision the organisers have done. The Australians lifted the 2023 Australian Open Men’s Doubles title after straight sets win in the final against the other pleasant surprise of the tournament the unseeded Polish pair Nys/Zielinski.
It wasn’t easy and both sets were very competitive, with the Poles taking an early lead in both. However, helped immensely by the wild support from the stands Hijikata/Kubler managed to win the 5-6 decisive points that saw them triumph. In the end they won 6-4, 7-6 (4).
In set 1 the Poles won their opening service game to quieten the crowd, but then 3 consecutive winners hit by the 21-year-old Hijikata saw the Aussies breaking for 2-1 lead. As the set progressed Nys/Zielinski started to play better and better but this early break proved costly and they lost the set.
The second set was much more competitive and there were no breaks so things go to a tiebreak. In it another back-to-back crucial winners from Hijikata at 3:3 gave the Aussies a decisive lead they protected well to triumph in the end.
Australian Open Women’s Doubles
Moving to the women’s doubles now, things are again shaping up nicely. Much like the men’s event, a grand total of 64 pairs will compete in the women’s doubles. This means that the same six-game win streak is required to ultimately win the tournament. And as a reminder, the duo of Krejcikova and Siniakova won the 2022 Australian Open doubles tournament. In fact, these two were formidable all season long, winning three of the four Grand Slam doubles events.
Needless to say, because of such obvious success, they are heading down under as the red-hot favourites to win their second Australian Open in a row. As for the general format, women’s doubles is also played as the best of three sets with a deciding tiebreak at 6-6 in the third.
Day 11 -the final
The world number 1 Czech pair Krejcikova/Siniakova became the first ones to defend their Women’s Doubles Australian Open title since 2014. Hot favourites even before the match started Krejcikova and Siniakov wasted no time against the 10th seed Aoyama/Shibahara and broke the Japanese in the opening game.
This early break proved decisive and despite having to save 3 breakpoints themselves the experienced Czechs took a 6-4 lead. With the win so close they started set 2 in similar fashion against broke Aoyama’s first service game.
Credit to the Japanese duo they broke back soon after but there was no stopping Krejcikova/Siniakova. The Czechs showed great skill at the net with their precise volleys allowing them to dominate and cause serious damage when receiving serve.
The champions broke their opponents 2 more times in set 2 to wrap up things with 6-3 success. This was their 7th Grand Slam title and right now it’s hard to see who can beat Krejcikova/Siniakova on doubles. Already bookmakers started taking bets about the possibility of the Czechs winning all 4 Grand Slams in 2023. Could they do it? Well, based on what we witnessed in Melbourne they at least have realistic chances to try.
Australian Open Mixed Doubles
Compared to the men’s and women’s doubles tournaments, the mixed doubles have a more condensed draw. For this one there are 32 pairs instead of 64 taking part, which reduces the required number of wins to five for an overall tournament victory. Last year, the champions were Mladenovic and Dodig, who managed to beat the Aussies, Kubler and Fourlis, in straight sets. However, there is no clear ‘top contender’ for the 2023 mixed doubles events as some of the strongest pairs have split.
And before we continue, we should mention that the format for these matches is different from the women’s and women’s doubles. For mixed doubles, the matches are best of three sets followed by a 10-point breaker in the third. This is played instead of a full third set to keep matches compact and keep the tournament moving forward.
Daily report – Day 8 (final day)
The Mixed Doubles tournament concluded on day 8 with the final going the way of the pair we backed to win the title. The all-Brazilian pair Stefani/Matos won in straight sets against the Indians Mirza/Bopanna. Crucial proved the opening set with tiebreak needed to decide it. Mirza/Bopanna led 5:3 in this first set but as they failed to close it and then lost the tiebreak their confidence suffered a major blow.
Once able to take the first set Stefani/Matos began to dominate on Mirza’s serve and they quickly decided everything with 6-2 win in set 2. The winners deserved their triumph, but there was sadness all around the court in the end as this was the last official match for the retiring veteran Mirza. She left many in tears with her emotional speech during the award ceremony and it was slightly disappointing that her last match was a final’s defeat. In any case we’re sure we’ll be seeing more of Mirza in the future as at some point she is bound to join the Legends’ Competition.
FAQs – Australian Open Doubles
When does the official Australian Open doubles draw get published?
The draw for all of the Australian Open events will be held on Thursday, January 12th. Only then will we know where each doubles pair has been placed in the draw.
Do the favourites typically pull through and win in doubles?
That’s tough to say really. While yes, the favourites have a better overall shot of winning the individual matches, things don’t always work out that way.
Can I bet on the upcoming doubles matches at the Australian Open?
Absolutely. The top betting sites in the UK such as bet365, Ladbrokes, Coral, and several others will all be covering the Australian Open doubles events. So you can go ahead and bet on these just as you would for any singles games.
Can I also watch the matches through an online betting account?
Yes. Once again, the leading bookmakers in the UK usually provide live streaming for the Australian Open. However, you must have a funded account to be able to make use of any streaming features.
When does the mixed doubles tournament begin?
The mixed doubles tournament will start on Thursday, January 19th. This is one day after the start of the men’s and women’s doubles event, which is Wednesday, January 18th – just to clarify!
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