The experienced team of Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski face the team of Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Australian Open on Wednesday.
The top seeds have shown their class so far in the competition. Last year, they were ousted in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open by an Australian duo. They would hope there’s no repeat of the same as they prepare to face another Aussie duo in the quarterfinals.
Koolhof and Skupski began the 2023 Australian Open with a thumping win against Alexander Bublik and John-Patrick Smith. They faced Stefanos Tsitsipas and his brother, Petros Tsitsipas in the second round. This turned out to be an intriguing affair as the Tsitsipas brothers showed great perseverance. In the end, Skupski and Koolhof won the match 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 7-6 (10-7). 8 double faults also didn’t do the 2022 US Open runner-up team in favor. In the third round, Koolhof and Skupski played a good match against the team of Nikola Cacic and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and defeated the Serbian-Pakistani duo in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.
The Aussie wildcards have received good support from the fans and they have given them plenty to rejoice thus far in the competition.
They began the tournament with a solid performance against the team of John Isner and Hans Hach and won the match in straight sets 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. Hijikata and Kubler followed it up with a sensational come-from-behind win against the 6th-seeded team of Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara. The match ended 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 in favor of the Aussie duo. In the third round, Kubler and Hijikata produced another miraculous comeback after being a set and break down against the team of Gonzalo Escobar and Tomislav Brkic. They won the match 1-6, 7-6 (10-8), 6-4.
Prediction: Neal Skupski and Wesley Koolhof to win in three sets.
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