Britain’s Joe Salisbury and his American partner Rajeev Ram Eliminated from the Australian Open
Britain’s Joe Salisbury and his American partner Rajeev Ram have been eliminated from the Australian Open following a defeat to Tomas Machac and Zhang Zhizhen in the third round in Melbourne. The Czech-Chinese duo rallied from a set down, triumphing over the third-seeded Salisbury and Ram with a scoreline of 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, securing a spot in the quarterfinals.
Salisbury and Ram, aiming for a second consecutive Grand Slam title following their US Open victory in September, were unable to sustain their momentum. Despite having previously claimed four major titles together, including the 2020 Australian Open, the seasoned pair couldn’t overcome the determined performance from Machac and Zhang.
Tomas Machac expressed satisfaction with their performance, stating, “We played such great tennis. We were returning like animals, and he [Zhang]—I don’t know what he was serving like—was serving very well.”
Machac and Zhang, participating in their first tournament as a team, are now poised to potentially face Britain’s Neal Skupski and Mexico’s Santiago Gonzalez in the quarterfinals. The outcome of the match between the fifth-seeded Skupski-Gonzalez duo and Ariel Behar of Uruguay and Czech Adam Pavlasek on Monday will determine their next opponents.
