Newly crowned Italian Open doubles champion Storm Hunter was among eight Australian players to contest finals this week.
Rome, Italy, 21 May 2023 | Leigh Rogers
Australian players featured in finals across three different surfaces and four different continents this week.
Storm Hunter continued her impressive form on European clay, winning the Italian Open doubles title alongside Belgian Elise Mertens.
This is set to propel Hunter, who is now on an eight-match winning streak, to a career-high world No.5 in the doubles rankings.
> READ MORE: Hunter and Mertens win Rome title
Aleksandar Vukic is also in career-best form and set to break into the world’s top 100 in singles after reaching an ATP Challenger final in Portugal this week.
The most outstanding performers of the week include …
Storm Hunter: The 28-year-old won her sixth career WTA doubles title – and second at WTA 1000 level – in Rome. It was Hunter’s first WTA clay-court title and makes her only the seventh Australian to win an Italian Open women’s doubles title in the Open era.
> READ: Hunter – “Just keep believing and never give up”
Alex de Minaur and Jason Kubler: Teaming up for the first time, the Aussie duo advanced to the Italian Open doubles quarterfinals. It was Kubler’s career-best result at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament and De Minaur’s best result at that level since August 2021.
Aleksandar Vukic: The 27-year-old continued his red-hot form at ATP Challenger level, reaching a second consecutive singles final. Vukic’s nine-match winning streak came to an end in the title match in Oeiras (Portugal).
> READ: Vukic – “It’s important to train and get better every day”
John Peers: The 34-year-old recorded a runners-up finish in the doubles event, alongside American Nathaniel Lammons, at an ATP Challenger tournament in Turin (Italy). It was Peers’ second final appearance of the season.
James McCabe: The 19-year-old made his career-first ATP Challenger doubles final. McCabe and Tunisian Aziz Ouakaa fell just short of winning the title, losing a three-set final in Tunis (Tunisia).
Priscilla Hon: The 25-year-old advanced to the singles quarterfinals at a WTA 125 tournament in Florence (Italy). This improved Hon’s season record on clay to 10 wins from 15 matches.
Talia Gibson: The 18-year-old won her fifth career doubles title – and first this season – at an ITF 60 grass-court tournament in Kurume (Japan). Gibson and…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Tennis.com.au – Tennis Australia…