The dream remains alive for local hopefuls at the Australian Open with two wildcard pairs advancing to the semifinals of the mixed doubles.
A day after upsetting top seeds Storm Hunter and Matthew Ebden, Jaimee Fourlis and Andrew Harris took down highly fancied duo Laura Siegemund and Sander Gille.
The Australian pair won 7-5 7-5 to book their spot in the last four against third seeds Su-Wei Hsieh and Jan Zielinski.
Fourlis will be hoping to go one better than in 2022, when she lost the mixed doubles final at Melbourne Park with compatriot Jason Kubler.
They could meet another Australian duo in the decider after fellow wildcards Olivia Gadecki and Marc Polmans stunned sixth seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Nathaniel Lammons 6-4 7-6 (9-7) to progress to the semi-finals.
Although the last Australian singles player, Alex de Minaur, bowed out in the fourth round, Melbourne Park has proved a happy slam for the country’s doubles players.
Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis famously “rolled off the couch” to win the men’s doubles at the Australian Open in 2022, beating fellow Australians Ebden and Max Purcell.
Reigning men’s champions Jason Kubler and Rinky Hijikata fell in three sets in the second round, ending their title defence.
But Ebden remains in the hunt to secure two Grand Slam titles — one in the men’s doubles and one in the mixed — as he is in the quarterfinals with his partner, 43-year-old Indian Rohan Bopanna.
Hunter’s mixed doubles campaign might have ended abruptly but she can still lift the trophy.
The 29-year-old, who is third seed with Katerina Siniakova, will face Barbora Krejcikova for the second time in the tournament.
Krejcikova knocked Hunter out of the singles in the third round, winning a tough three-setter that the Aussie appeared to be in a position to win.
Krejcikova and Siegemund are the fifth seeds and will prove a tough contest for Hunter and Siniakova.
The dream remains alive for local hopefuls at the Australian Open with two wildcard pairs advancing to the semifinals of the mixed doubles.
A day after upsetting top seeds Storm Hunter and Matthew Ebden, Jaimee Fourlis and Andrew Harris took down highly fancied duo Laura Siegemund and Sander Gille.
The Australian pair won 7-5 7-5 to book their spot in the last four against third seeds Su-Wei Hsieh and Jan Zielinski.
Fourlis will be hoping to go one better than in 2022, when she lost the mixed doubles final at Melbourne Park with compatriot Jason Kubler.
They could meet another Australian duo in the decider after fellow wildcards Olivia Gadecki and Marc Polmans stunned sixth seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Nathaniel Lammons 6-4 7-6 (9-7) to progress to the semi-finals.
Although the last Australian singles player, Alex de Minaur, bowed out in the fourth round, Melbourne Park has proved a happy slam for the country’s doubles players.
Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis famously “rolled off the couch” to win the men’s doubles at the Australian Open in 2022, beating fellow Australians Ebden and Max Purcell.
Reigning men’s champions Jason Kubler and Rinky Hijikata fell in three sets in the second round, ending their title defence.
But Ebden remains in the hunt to secure two Grand Slam titles — one in the men’s doubles and one in the mixed — as he is in the quarterfinals with his partner, 43-year-old Indian Rohan Bopanna.
Hunter’s mixed doubles campaign might have ended abruptly but she can still lift the trophy.
The 29-year-old, who is third seed with Katerina Siniakova, will face Barbora Krejcikova for the second time in the tournament.
Krejcikova knocked Hunter out of the singles in the third round, winning a tough three-setter that the Aussie appeared to be in a position to win.
Krejcikova and Siegemund are the fifth seeds and will prove a tough contest for Hunter and Siniakova.
