Tennis: Kiwi Square Stars are recruiting high-profile partners for the Australian Open

New Zealand doubles tennis players Erin Routliffe and Artem Sitak will play alongside high-profile doubles at next month’s Australian Open.

Routliffe, 55th in the doubles rankings, will meet the young Canadian again
Leylah Fernandez and Sitak join forces with Aslan Karatsev, Russia, in 18th place singles.

Routliffe and Fernandez played together at the US Open last September to reach the third round of the doubles, and 19-year-old Fernandez advanced to the doubles final, where she lost to 18-year-old Briton Emma Raducanu.

Fernandez is in 24th place in the doubles before the new season, with the pair playing in one WTA 500 tournament in Adelaide in the first week of January.

“We talked about it casually after the US Open, and then we had the rest of the time to try to figure it out. Then when I finished my season in the second week of November, I contacted him again and decided we would play together in Australia, so I’m really excited to play with him again.” , Routliffe said.

It’s a partnership that flourished in New York, where Routliffe achieved its best Grand Slam result. Kiwi, 26, says their games complement each other.

“I think in terms of tennis, I might bring a little more power and then he’ll bring a little more accuracy and consistency.” Routliffe said. – He still hits a really big ball behind the field, and online he has really good hands, and I love being online.

“In terms of personality, we just want to keep each other focused and calm, but we still have a really good time and bring each other out when we have to get up, so I think we’re both just really positive. That’s probably where success came so we can do it again.”

As a singles player, Fernandez only plays one tournament before the Australian Open, so Routliffe will play alongside Olivia Rogowska of Australia in one of the tournaments the week before the Australian Open.

Sitak took a difficult year on tour, dropping to 110th in the doubles rankings, and had to find a high-profile duel to play with in order to qualify for the Australian Open.

Karatsev was virtually unknown before qualifying for the Australian Open semi-finals in February this year, and he played an excellent season and placed in the top 20 of the year. He was voted the best player in the ATP in 2021.

“I’ve known him for a long time when he was in the 250 or 300 rankings. I kept saying to everyone, ‘How can this guy be 250 or 300?’ He has a game to be at least in the top 50, ”Sitak said.

“I then played against him in the Challenger tournament, and he beat me in a doubles, and he was amazing. I walked off the field wondering how the guy ranked so low. So his success hasn’t come as a surprise to me at all.

“Something clearly clicked in his game and approach – maybe in his mental state – and we’ve been friends for a long time. I asked him to play in several tournaments over the last year, we almost met, but it didn’t work out.

“But this time it was pretty easy. I asked him early enough, just ‘Hey, do you want to play in the Australian Open together?’ And he said, ‘Sure, let’s do it.’ or for months. “

Sitak will start the year by playing consecutive ATP 250 tournaments in Adelaide with Kwon Soon-Woon of Korea, a top 100 doubles player who helped win the New Zealand Davis Cup draw in Newport last September.

Other New Zealand representatives in the Australian Open are number one in the doubles Michael Venus (15) and Marcus Daniell (51).

Venus is playing again with German Tim Puetz and is probably the seventh seed. The couple had a fabulous six months together in 2021, and although they only played half the season, they made it to the ATP Finals in Turin as an alternative and together won the Paris Masters title, one of the biggest tournaments outside of the Grand Slam.

However, Venus will start the year at the ATP tournament in Melbourne with another partner, Yuki Bhambrin of India, with whom Venus played at the Challenger level several times between 2013 and 2015.

Puetz will play for the German national team in the ATP Cup and return with Venus to the Australian Open.

Daniell will start the year with his player, whom he finished 2021, with Marcelo Demoliner of Brazil, and the pair will open their season at the ATP in Melbourne in the first week of January and are committed to playing together until the end of the Australian Open. swing at least.

Queenstown-born Kiwi Ben McLachlan, who represents Japan, is playing again with Raven Klaasen of South Africa and the pair will start their season at the Melbourne ATP before the Australian Open.