Ram/Salisbury Survive Aussie Test

Second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury narrowly avoided an upset against home favourites Marc Polmans and Alexei Popyrin during Sunday’s second-round doubles action at the 2023 Australian Open. The 2022 Nitto ATP Finals champions ousted the Aussie wild card duo 7-6(6), 4-6, 6-3.

Ram and Salisbury, who are No. 1 and 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings, play their best tennis when the stage is the biggest. In 2022, the American-British duo earned four team titles, including the US Open crown. Ram and Salisbury are aiming for their second Australian Open title (2020).

They will next meet Polish team Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski, who rallied from a set down to take out Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(7).

Two French teams were victorious Sunday, including Arthur Rinderknech and Benjamin Bonzi, who fended off all six break points faced to down Nicolas Barrientos and Ariel Behar 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(2). Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin defeated Indian duo N.Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan 6-4, 6-4.