Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson were among six Australian players to record doubles victories on day six at Roland Garros 2024.
Paris, France, 1 June 2024 | Leigh Rogers
From impressive breakthroughs to stunning comebacks, Australian players have made a memorable start in the Roland Garros 2024 doubles events.
Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson improved their season record as a team to 18 wins from 21 matches, however needed three sets to subdue alternates Swede Andre Goransson and David Pel of the Netherlands.
The all-Australian duo scored a hard-fought 6-7(7) 6-3 6-4 victory to set up a second-round showdown with the No.7 seeds, Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands and Croatian Nikola Mektic.
World No.9 Koolhof and world No.22 Mektic are the only other team to win three ATP doubles titles so far this season.
Rinky Hijikata achieved a milestone result alongside Argentina’s Guido Andreozzi, with the first-time pairing edging out a 7-6(5) 6-4 victory against Colombian Nicolas Barrientos and Portugal’s Francisco Cabral.
This is 23-year-old Hijikata’s career-first win at Roland Garros at professional level. His has only previous match win at the tournament came in juniors in 2018, when he reached the second round of the boys’ singles competition as a 17-year-old.
John Peers, a former world No.2, also scored an opening-round victory partnering Roman Safiullin. This is the 10th time, from 12 appearances, that the 35-year-old Peers has progressed to the second round in a Roland Garros men’s doubles draw.
Ellen Perez and American partner Nicole Melichar-Martinez made a winning start to their campaign in the women’s doubles competition – but it wasn’t without a scare.
The second seeds squandered a 4-1 advantage in the opening set of their first-round meeting with Brazilian Ingrid Gamarra Martins and Brit Olivia Nicholls, losing six of the next seven games to find themselves in a precarious position.
However, the co-ranked world No.7s were soon able to regain control and close out a 5-7 6-2 6-1 victory.
The 28-year-old Perez returned later in the day to post a first-round victory in mixed doubles too, teaming with fellow Aussie Matt Ebden to triumph 6-2 6-4 against French wildcards Tessah Andrianjafitrimo and Ugo Humbert.
This is Perez’s first-ever mixed doubles win in Paris.
Matt Ebden and Ellen Perez celebrate their first-round mixed doubles win in Paris. Picture: Tennis Australia
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