Australian Open 2016: Mixed Doubles Preview
A competition that only exists at the Grand Slams and the Olympics, the mixed doubles begins with 32 teams in the fray - unlike men’s and women’s doubles (64 teams) or men’s and women’s singles (128 players).
The Heavy Favorites: (http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/scores/draws/xd/xddraw.pdf)
Martina Hingis and Leander Paes: Since their combined WTA and ATP ranking couldn’t get them a top-8 seeding, the legendary duo is unseeded in this draw. But this is the team that won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open together last year in dominating fashion. Hingis’ all-court craft combined with Paes’ dipping returns and reflex volleys, makes this team’s IQ very high. Their chemistry is simply unmatched.
The Contenders:
a) No. 1 seeds Sania Mirza and Ivan Dodig: This is a first time pairing. Mirza and Bruno Soares decided to change partners for this year after a win-less 2015. While Mirza has won mixed doubles titles with Mahesh Bhupathi (Australian Open 2009 and French Open 2012) and Soares (US Open 2014), Dodig is slam-less in this discipline. But Mirza and Dodig enjoyed playing with one another in the IPTL at the end of last season and decided to pair up for this year.
b) No.2 seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Bob Bryan: While Mattek-Sands has 2 mixed doubles titles to her name, Bryan has 7. Interestingly, none of those 7 was won in Melbourne. But Mattek-Sands’ first one came here in 2012 alongside Horia Tecau. The American duo is very experienced across the board.
c) No.4 seeds Katarina Srebotnik and Jamie Murray: Srebotnik has won 5 mixed slams; one of those was the Australian Open in 2011 with Daniel Nestor. Murray’s only title to date came in 2007 at Wimbledon with Jelena Jankovic. However, Murray’s left-handed serves and Srebotnik’s solidness at the net/baseline can make this team tough to beat.
Draw Highlights:
a) Mirza and Dodig have their work cut out for them from the get-go. They start their campaign against Aussies Ajla Tomljanovic and Nick Kyrgios who are mainly singles players but will put a show in front of their home crowd. Further in the draw, the top seeds could meet Hingis and Paes or No. 8 seeds Hao-ching Chan and Max Mirnyi (Wimbledon 2014 runners-up) in the quarterfinals.
b) No. 3 seeds Yung-jan Chan and Rohan Bopanna are in the bottom half of the draw and are slated to meet Mattek-Sands and Bryan in the semis. Neither Chan nor Bopanna have any slams of any kind to their names, but they reached the semis of the US Open last year and lost to eventual champions, Hingis and Paes. Can they win their first slam here?
Do you think any team can stop Hingis and Paes from defending their title? Share your thoughts.
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