Doubles Take: Kubot, Melo set for Wimbledon defense

Your daily Wimbledon doubles coverage starts now, by way of Doubles Take.

The doubles teams on the ATP and WTA tours are set to begin their bids for tennis immortality. Here’s a look at three of the opening matches to keep an eye on.

1

Alex Bolt/Lleyton Hewitt vs. Raven Klaasen/Michael Venus (13)

Hewitt, aka "Rusty" seems to be anything but in his return as a doubles specialist: Teaming up with an assortment of his compatriots over the year, Hewitt has had some notable results. He and Bolt did drop a close two-setter to Klaasen and Venus in ‘s-Hertogenbosch a few weeks ago, but the best-of-five format at Wimbledon could help the Aussies out.

2

Luke Bambridge/Jonny O’Mara vs. Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo (2)

The bulk of the 2018 season had been somewhat disappointing for defending Wimbledon champions Kubot and Melo, until they finally won their second title of the year in Halle a couple of weeks ago. They’re going to have to be sharp from the start as they’re facing one of the hottest teams on tour in Bambridge and O’Mara. The Brits are coming off their first main-draw title in Eastbourne and won the Surbiton ATP Challenger at the start of the grass-court season. O’Mara loves to dive around a grass court, so expect plenty of shots like this:

3

Ysaline Bonaventure/Bibiane Schoofs vs. Hao-Ching Chan/Zhaoxuan Yang (7):

Fighting through the qualifying rounds has its benefits: You’re already in tournament mode while the players you’re drawn to face might be a little less sharp. Bonaventure and Schoofs, who had to win two matches to make the main draw, are hoping to catch French Open semifinalists Chan and Yang, who only went 1-2 on the grass leading up to Wimbledon, off-guard.

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