Top 5 new doubles teams at the Australian Open 2016

Every year there is a buzz in the doubles circles regarding the new pairings and the success they could have. Many of them have long term goals, but some fizzle out early in the season. This year too is not an exception. With the beginning of the first slam of the year. Here is a look at the some of the new doubles teams at the event.

#5 Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares

Murray (L) and Soares have already won their first title of 2016

Another high profile doubles team to join forces in 2016 is the duo of Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares. The former was ranked as high as no.7 last year, which he still holds on to, while the latter reached a career high rank of no.3 in 2013.

They have played two tournaments this year. They finished as semifinalists in Doha while they bagged the trophy in Sydney last week. They are seeded seventh at the Australian Open.

They face a tricky opening round against Jonathan Marray and Aisam Qureshi. If they manage the win they would have to face some strong pairs like Dominic Inglot/Robert Lindstedt, Eric Butorac/Scott Lipsky, Rajeev Ram/Raven Klaasen, Steve Johnson/Sam Querrey, and the Bryans, who all feature in the same quarter as the seventh seeds, in the next few rounds

Murray enjoyed a career best season last year and a partner change at such a juncture would only mean increased expectations..

#4 Svetlana Kuznetsova and Roberta Vinci Svetlana Kuznetsova last won here in 2012

Kuznetsova (L) and doubles specialist Roberta Vinci will play together at the Open

Another all-star unseeded team will be the pair of Roberta Vinci and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The Italian boasts of owning at least one trophy from each of the Grand Slams, all coming with longtime partner Sara Errani.

Kuznetsova, on the other hand has reached the finals of all the four events winning two titles at the Australian Open. Her last win came with compatriot Vera Zvonareva against Errani and Vinci.

They opened this season with a quarterfinal finish at the Sydney WTA Premier event, but have not played earlier.

They start their Australian Open against the sixteenth seeds Kiki Bertens and Johanna Larsson and could run into the top seeds Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis in the third round.

It would be interesting to see how this veteran pair fares at the event which has given both the players two titles with other partners.

#3 Henri Kontinen and John Peers

Peers (L) and Kontinen won the doubles title at Brisbane this year

Finn Henri Kontinen and Australian John Peers will team up to form one of the youngest pairs in the top of the Men’s game. They started the year with a title win at Brisbane International, dropping no sets enroute.

Kontinen was very successful at the juniors level and is a rising star on the doubles circuit. Peers established himself as a top 10 doubles player in partnership with Jamie Murray. The duo reached finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, failing to win either title.

They are seeded eighth at the Australian Open, being placed in the fourth quarter of the draw.They start their campaign against wildcard entrants John-Patrick Smith and Luke Saville. They could face Vasek Pospisil and JAck Sock in the pre-quarterfinals and Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo in the quarterfinals.

The young team is undefeated so far this year and would like to continue the streak. As one of the leading teams of the next generation, their success will be watched closely by many.

#2 Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez

The all-Spanish pair have played together before

They might not be playing together for the first time, but the pair of Marc Lopez and Feliciano Lopez has surely drawn some eyes. With an eye at the coveted Olympic medal, the two Spaniards have decided to team up for the year.

They began with a convincing title win in Doha against Philip Petzner and Alexander Peya.

They had reached the finals of the Valencia ATP event in 2004 as a team. They have not played often since then.

They are seeded fifteenth and are slated to meet fellow Spaniards Daniel Munoz de la Nava and Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the first round and the top seeds Jean Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau in the pre-quarterfinals. With a tricky draw, they will be made to face some good tests in preparation for a tough year ahead.

#1 Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sabine Lisicki

American Mattek-Sands (L) will play with German ace Sabine Lisicki

Defending champions Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova will not defend their Australian Open title this year, having emerged as the surprise champions last year.

Safarova is skipping the event due to illness. When critics were mulling whether theirs was a fluke win, the duo established themselves as one of the top teams in the world despite playing only a few tournaments during the year.

This year, Mattek-Sands will play with Sabine Lisicki of Germany.While the American is a two time winner at the Grand Slams, the German’s best result at the top four events was a runner-up finish at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, two years before her singles final.

They have not played together earlier. With an opening round against the Polish team of Klaus Jans-Ignacik and Paula Kania and a probable second round against the eighth seeds Lara Arruabarrena and Andreja Klepac, they do not have tough opening rounds.

Can they emulate the success that Mattek-Sands and Safarova enjoyed last year at this event? Many would be eager to know the answer.