Doubles Take: Top-seeded Czechs face local Aussies

Day 2 of doubles in Melbourne saw a major upset. The recap and a look ahead in today’s Doubles Take.

The top seeds across the Australian Open have been relatively safe across the whole Australian Open over the first few days.

That all changed in men’s doubles.

Jack Sock and Jackson Withrow pulled off the upset of the tournament so far by rallying to beat last year’s finalists, Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, in three sets.

Sock has now won 15 straight doubles matches at the Grand Slam level and after punching a major hole in the draw right off the bat, he and his longtime friend Withrow can potentially add to the streak.

Here’s a look at some of Thursday's matches.

1

Henri Kontinen/John Peers (12) vs. Ken Skupski/Neal Skupski:

It was only two years ago that Kontinen and Peers broke through at the Grand Slam level, with their first major in Melbourne.

Some surprising results over the past year have left them out of their customary place near the top. If the dip in form continues, the Skupski brothers—who’ve been on the upswing the past 18 months—are capable of capitalizing.

2

Samantha Stosur/Shuai Zhang vs. Su-Wei Hsieh/Abigail Spears (8):

Last year, Stosur and Zhang played nine matches together. They won eight of them.

After their surprise semifinal appearance at the US Open, the pair won a title in Hong Kong several weeks later. Stosur has famously struggled in the past in singles in front of the home crowd, but has had success in doubles. She and Zhang should be able to pull off the upset against the doubles specialists.

3

Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (1) vs. Monique Adamczak/Jessica Moore:

Compared with their Australian opponents, the top-seeded Czechs have experienced success at a rapid pace with two major titles together already on the ledger by their early 20s. They looked sharp in the first round and are expected to win this one. The Aussies will need to effectively harness all the fan support they’ll garner to keep this one close.

Follow Van on Twitter: @Van_Sias

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