Melbourne: Zhang Zhizhen and Tomas Machac came back from a set down to win their second round Australian Open men’s doubles match. China’s Zhang and the Czech Republic’s Machac outlasted the German duo Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner with scores of 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, in a match that lasted just over two hours on Saturday night.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the tightly contested match saw only three breaks of serve, one in each set. Zhang and Machac edged out Schnaitter and Wallner by just three points overall, with the victory largely decided in the shorter points. The winning pair secured 83 out of their 103 total points in rallies lasting 0-4 shots, including 35 out of 42 points in the deciding set, while Schnaitter and Wallner’s short point tally dropped to 19 in the final set from 30 in the first.
With Machac serving at 5-4 in the final set, the Germans had two opportunities to break and level the score, but both were denied by Zhang’s decisive volley winners. At deuce, Zhang displayed strategic acumen by allowing a close ball to land out, setting up a third match point, which Machac sealed with an ace.
In the second set, Zhang and Machac also demonstrated resilience by saving two break points with Zhang serving. The Chinese player then delivered an unreturnable wide serve to bring up set point, which he clinched with a forehand winner down the line.
Zhang and Machac will next face the tournament’s 15th seeds, Hugo Nys and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, in the third round.
