Melbourne, Australia , 16 January 2024 | Leigh Rogers

World No.1 Storm Hunter and her new doubles partner, Czech Katerina Siniakova, were tested in their opening-round match at Australian Open 2024.

The third seeds managed to notch a 7-5 7-5 victory against Colombia’s Camila Osorio and Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, however it was far from smooth sailing.

The 29-year-old Hunter and 27-year-old Siniakova had to recover from a 1-4 deficit in the opening set and then from 0-3 in the second set.

Hunter is teaming up with world No.13 Siniakova for just the third time and for the first time since recording a runner-up finish at last year’s Adelaide International.

In other women’s doubles action, Taylah Preston and Arina Rodionova combined to win an all-Aussie battle against Kaylah McPhee and Astra Sharma.

The 18-year-old Preston and 34-year-old Rodionova recorded a 7-6(4) 7-6(0) win.

This is Preston’s first Grand Slam victory.

Aleksandar Vukic also scored a milestone first win of his own in a Grand Slam doubles draw.

The 27-year-old teamed with Portugal’s Nuno Borges to edge out a hard-fought 6-3 6-7(4) 7-6(7) victory against Ecuador’s Gonzalo Escobar and Kazakhstan’s Aleksandr Nedovyesov in the opening round of the men’s doubles competition.

Aussies in action – Australian Open

TODAY’S RESULTS
Women’s doubles, first round
[3] Storm Hunter (AUS)/Katerina Siniakova (CZE) d Camila Osorio (COL)/Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 7-5 7-5
[WC] Taylah Preston (AUS)/Arina Rodionova (AUS) d [WC] Kaylah McPhee (AUS)/Astra Sharma (AUS) 7-6(4) 7-6(0)

Men’s doubles, first round
Aleksandar Vukic (AUS)/Nuno Borges (POR) d Gonzalo Escobar (ECU)/Aleksandr Nedovyesov (KAZ) 6-3 6-7(4) 7-6(7)

COMING UP
Women’s doubles, first round
[7] Ellen Perez (AUS)/Nicole Melichar-Martinez (USA) v Wu Fang-Hsien (TPE)/Zhu Lin (CHN)
[WC] Kimberly Birrell (AUS)/Olivia Gadecki (AUS) v Varvara Gracheva (FRA)/Sabrina Santamaria (USA)
[WC] Daria Saville (AUS)/Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) v Oksana Kalashnikova (GEO)/Maia Lumsden (GBR)
[WC] Talia Gibson (AUS)/Priscilla Hon (AUS) v Linda Noskova (CZE)/Wang Xiyu (CHN)
[WC] Destanee Aiava (AUS)/Maddison Inglis (AUS) v Elisabetta Cocciaretto (ITA)/Martina Trevisan (ITA)

Women’s doubles, second round
[3] Storm Hunter (AUS)/Katerina Siniakova (CZE) v TBC
[WC] Taylah Preston (AUS)/Arina Rodionova (AUS) v Ekaterina Alexandrova/Anna Kalinskaya

> VIEW: Australian Open 2024 women’s doubles draw

Men’s doubles, first round
[2] Matt Ebden (AUS)/Rohan Bopanna (IND) v [WC] James Duckworth (AUS)/Marc Polmans (AUS)
[16] Rinky Hijikata (AUS)/Jason Kubler (AUS) v Chris O’Connell (AUS)/Laslo Djere (SRB)
John Peers (AUS)/Harri Heliovaara (FIN) v [WC] Alex Bolt (AUS)/Luke Saville (AUS)
Max Purcell (AUS)/Jordan Thompson (AUS) v Alexander Erler (AUT)/Lucas Miedler (AUT)
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS)/Alexei Popyrin (AUS) v John-Patrick Smith (AUS)/Andreas Mies (GER)
[WC] Tristan Schoolkate (AUS)/Adam Walton (AUS) v Francisco Cabral (POR)/Henry Patten (GBR)
[WC] John Millman (AUS)/Edward Winter (AUS) v Marcus Daniell (NZL)/Marcelo Demoliner (BRA)
[WC] Blake Ellis (AUS)/Andrew Harris (AUS) v Andre Goransson (SWE)/Albano Olivetti (FRA)
[WC] James McCabe (AUS)/Dane Sweeny (AUS) v [7] Hugo Nys (MON)/Jan Zielinksi (POL)

Men’s doubles, second round
Aleksandar Vukic (AUS)/Nuno Borges (POR) v [6] Maximo Gonzalez (ARG)/Andreas Molteni (ARG)

> VIEW: Australian Open 2024 men’s doubles draw

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