Murray/Soares Remain Unbeaten In 2021
Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares needed three sets to book their place in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Monday, as they rallied from a set down to defeat Simone Bolelli and Maximo Gonzalez 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4.
The British-Brazilian tandem converted all three break points it created to keep its hopes of a second Australian Open crown alive. Murray and Soares own two Grand Slam titles as a team, following 2016 title runs at the Australian Open and US Open.
Murray and Soares improved to 7-0 this year with their two-hour, 31-minute victory against Bolelli and Gonzalez. The 11-time tour-level team titlists played their first event since 2019 Roland Garros at last week’s Great Ocean Road Open, which they won with a 6-3, 7-6(7) final victory against Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah. Murray and Soares will face Marcelo Arevalo and Matwe Middelkoop for a place in the semi-finals.
Defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury continued their pursuit of a second straight trophy at Melbourne Park. The fifth seeds overcame John Peers and Michael Venus 7-6(4), 7-6(4). Ram and Salisbury will meet unseeded duo Marcus Daniell and Philipp Oswald in the quarter-finals.
Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek eliminated seventh seeds Marcelo Melo and Horia Tecau 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 26 minutes. The ninth seeds won 81 per cent of their first-serve points (30/37) to record their eighth win in 10 matches this year. Prior to the Australian Open, Dodig and Polasek advanced to the Antalya Open final (l. to Mektic/Pavic) and the Great Ocean Road Open semi-finals (l. to Murray/Soares).
Dodig and Polasek will meet Aussie wild cards Matthew Ebden and John-Patrick Smith in the quarter-finals. Ebden and Smith ripped 28 winners and did not face a break point en route to a 7-6(2), 6-4 victory against fourth seeds Wesley Koolhof and Lukasz Kubot.