Australian duo Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler will take to the court at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday night for a doubles final against Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski.
The local wildcard pair, who had never played together before the tournament, will be hoping to emulate the achievements of fellow Australian stars Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis, who won at last year’s Open.
The Australian Open doubles featuring Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler will kick off at the end of the women’s singles championship trophy presentation
Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler advanced to the Australian Open doubles final
The duo beat eighth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-4 6-2 to set up a decider against the pair of Poland and France.
AGAIN: Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler were the surprise seeds to reach the Australian Open doubles final
It was a superb effort from the local favorites with Hijikata ranked 267th in doubles to Kubler’s 163rd.
But their physicality and strength on the court has caught the eye, edged No.1 seeds Wesley Koolholf and Neal Skupski in straight sets to reach the semi-finals, before they lifted the roof with other impressive performances against Granollers and Zeballos.
Their last two confident wins have been a far cry from a shaky start at Melbourne Park as they battled their way through rounds two and three in three sets.
The Australians face a tough task to claim the crown although their opponents also impressed during their run to the final.
The experienced duo of Nys and Zielinski, who claimed the double at Metz last year and have played together extensively, beat second seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in the second round of the Open to reach the final in fine form.
But if Australia can claim the trophy, they will become only the second wildcard duo in the Open era to lift the title thereafter. Kyrgios and Kokkinakis do it in 2022.
What time do Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler play in the Australian Open doubles final?
Times are approximate and subject to weather conditions and the completion of the women’s singles final between Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka.
Rybakina and Sabalenka will kick off the evening session on Rod Laver Arena starting at 7.30pm AEDT with the doubles final following shortly after.
|
English |
United States of America |
Canada |
Australia |
Date |
Saturday, January 28 |
Saturday, January 28 |
Saturday, January 28 |
Saturday, January 28 |
Time |
Starting at 08:30 WIB |
From 3:30AM ET |
From 3:30AM ET |
Starting at 19:30 AEDT |
How to watch Rinky Hikikata and Jason Kubler vs Hugo Nys and Jan Zielinski
|
English |
United States of America |
Canada |
Australia |
television channel |
Eurosport 1 or 2 |
ESPN/ESPN2 |
TSN1/TSN5 |
Channel 9 |
Stream |
eurosport. uk |
ESPN+ and fuboTV |
TSN+ |
Australia: Nine Network is the broadcaster of the 2023 Australian Open which is broadcast for free.
The Australian Open can also be watched on SmartTV 9Now and Sports Booth as well as 9Gems.
Fans can also stream the Australian Open via 9Now and Sports Booth.
Great Britain: Coverage of the Australian Open 2023 will be broadcast in the UK live and exclusively on Eurosport.
Eurosport 1 and 2 will provide daily coverage of the action in Melbourne.
England fans can also stream the Australian Open via the discovery+ app, the Eurosport app or via eurosport.co.uk
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: United States-based tennis fans will be able to watch this year’s Australian Open via ESPN. The match will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2.
ESPN+ and fuboTV will offer live streaming during the 2023 Australian Open. FuboTV offers a free trial.
Canada: The 2023 Australian Open will be broadcast in Canada by TSN.
Matches will show on TSN1 or TSN5.
Canadian fans can live stream the action from Melbourne Park on TSN+.
Complete TSN+ broadcast schedule can be accessed here.
“Coffee enthusiast. Hipster-friendly social media fanatic. Certified zombie expert. Problem solver.”