The chance for Brisbane fans to glimpse the men’s top players on court has doubled with half the men’s doubles draw occupied by main-draw singles stars, including tournament trump card Roger Federer and all but one of the men’s other top eight seeds.
Sixth seed Feliciano Lopez is the only men’s seed missing from the doubles draw with Federer, Kei Nishikori, Gilles Simon, Kevin Anderson, Grigor Dimitrov, Dmitry Tursunov, and Jeremy Chardy all signing up alongside accomplished doubles stars.
Federer, teamed up with French veteran Nicolas Mahut, has become the nightmare first-round draw and ultimate test for top-seeded doubles specialists Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojer on their debut as a full-time partnership.
Tecau and Rojer have 25 doubles titles between them and were looking to get matches under their belt in Brisbane, but Federer and Mahut are now a looming threat with doubles credentials such as an Olympic gold for Federer in Beijing and a French Open final for Mahut in 2013.
If Federer and Mahut manage to upset the top seeds, they set up a possible spectators’ dream encounter with Jeremy Chardy and Grigor Dimitrov – the 2013 singles finalist often hailed “baby Federer” for his uncanny resemblance to the Swiss king.
In another first-round doubles blockbuster, Australian Marinko Matosevic and men’s seventh seed Dmitry Tursunov take on second-seeded singles star Kei Nishikori and big-hitting American Sam Querrey. That match will feature fourth on Pat Rafter Arena on Sunday.
The winner of that match could face Australian favourites Lleyton Hewitt and Chris Guccione, who would have to battle through a tough first-round contest with fourth seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah.
The other all-Australian partnership of Thanasi Kokkinakis and Matthew Ebden – 2013 Australian Open mixed doubles champion – will also be a team to watch, taking on third-seeded singles star Gilles Simon and former Sydney champion Jarkko Nieminen in the first round.
The pairing of Kevin Anderson and former Brisbane doubles finalist Robert Lindstedt is one to watch for those with an eye for doubles, taking on lanky Croatian Marin Cilic and the accomplished Czech Lucas Dlouhy in round one.
In battles between the power of singles prowess and the touch of a doubles specialist, no match will be an easy one to pick, but the one safe prediction is that Brisbane tennis fans will be the ones reaping the benefits.
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