Melbourne, Australia , 22 January 2023 | Leigh Rogers
Alexei Popyrin’s Australian Open 2023 campaign is not over yet.
After bowing out of the men’s singles competition yesterday, the 23-year-old Aussie turns his attention to doubles.
“I have had my best experiences as a professional player,” reflected Popyrin of his past week.
“I’ve had a crowd chanting my name, I’ve had the whole of Australia behind me, which is a feeling that I’ll never forget, and hopefully I’ll get more of.”
Popyrin, who has progressed to the second round in the AO 2023 men’s doubles competition alongside compatriot Marc Polmans, is among 26 Aussies in action today at Melbourne Park.
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Aussies in action:
[4] Storm Hunter (AUS)/Elise Mertens (BEL) v Timea Babos (HUN)/Kristina Mladenovic (FRA)
Women’s doubles, second round, John Cain Arena, second match (not before 12.30pm AEDT)
After fighting past tough opponents in the opening round, the draw doesn’t get any easier for world No.12 Hunter and world No.5 Mertens. The fourth seeds now face former world No.1s Mladenovic and Babos, who made three consecutive Australian Open finals between 2018-2020. The recently reunited world No.15 Mladenovic and world No.81 Babos have won four major titles together, including two at the Australian Open.
> VIEW: Australian Open 2023 women’s doubles draw
Max Purcell (AUS)/Jordan Thompson (AUS) v Hugo Nys (MON)/Jan Zielinski (POL)
Men’s doubles, second round, Kia Arena, third match (not before 1.30pm AEDT)
Thompson has advanced to the second round in an Australian Open doubles draw for the first time since 2014. The 28-year-old Thompson and his Davis Cup team-mate Purcell, a 24-year-old ranked No.33 and a two-time Australian Open doubles finalist, are determined to continue that winning run against world No.40 Nys, a 31-year-old from Monaco, and world No.36 Zielinski, a 26-year-old from Poland.
[WC] Marc Polmans (AUS)/Alexei Popyrin (AUS) v [2] Rajeev Ram (USA)/Joe Salisbury (GBR)
Men’s doubles, second round, Kia Arena, fourth match
Polmans, a 25-year-old from Melbourne, and 23-year-old Popyrin face a big challenge in their second-round doubles match. The Aussie wildcards, who are teaming up for the first time this week, meet world No.1 Ram, a 38-year-old American, and world No.2 Salisbury, a 30-year-old Brit. The No.2 seeds are two-time Australian Open finalists and won the 2020 title together.
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