Wildcards Jaimee Fourlis and Andrew Harris won an all-Aussie mixed doubles battle to reach the mixed doubles quarterfinals.
Melbourne, Australia, 22 January 2024 | Leigh Rogers
Jaimee Fourlis and Andrew Harris scored a massive upset in the second round of the Australian Open 2024 mixed doubles competition.
The Aussie wildcards eliminated top seeds, world No.1 Storm Hunter and world No.4 Matt Ebden, in a thrilling all-Australian encounter this evening at Court 3.
The 24-year-old Fourlis and 29-year-old Harris proved clutch under pressure, fighting back from a 3-6 deficit in a high-pressure second-set tiebreak, to post a 6-4 7-6(6) victory.
“We played really well and beat a tough team in the first match, so we knew if we played well, that anything is possible,” Harris said.
“We just tried to stay aggressive and play to win. I thought we did pretty well tonight, we served our way out of trouble in a couple of moments.”
Although Fourlis is currently ranked No.403, she proved she was a doubles threat by advancing to the Australian Open 2022 mixed doubles final with Jason Kubler.
This is world No.99 Harris’ best Grand Slam result as a professional. He did enjoy major success as a junior, claiming the Roland Garros and Wimbledon boys’ doubles titles in 2012 alongside Nick Kyrgios.
The Aussie pair, who both live in Melbourne and are teaming up for the first time, next play world No.5 Laura Siegemund and world No.26 Sander Gille for a place in the semifinals.
Fellow Aussie wildcards Olivia Gadecki and Marc Polmans have also advanced to the quarterfinals. They scored a 5-7 6-3 [10-6] victory against world No.28 Aldila Sutjiadi and world No.21 Michael Venus earlier today.
This is the second consecutive year that 21-year-old Gadecki and 26-year-old Polmans have reached this stage at their home Grand Slam.
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Aussies in action – Australian Open
TODAY’S RESULTS
Mixed doubles, second round
[WC] Jaimee Fourlis (AUS)/Andrew Harris (AUS) d [1] Storm Hunter (AUS)/Matt Ebden (AUS) 6-4 7-6(6)
[WC] Olivia Gadecki (AUS)/Marc Polmans (AUS) d Aldila Sutjiadi (INA)/Michael Venus (NZL) 5-7 6-3 [10-6]
Heather Watson (GBR)/Joe Salisbury (GBR) d [8] Ellen Perez (AUS)/Jean-Julien Rojer (NED) 6-3 6-2
COMING UP
Mixed doubles, quarterfinals
[WC] Jaimee Fourlis (AUS)/Andrew Harris (AUS) v [5] Laura Siegemund (GER)/Sander Gille (BEL)
[WC] Olivia Gadecki (AUS)/Marc Polmans (AUS) v [6] Gabriela Dabrowski…
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