The race of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in the doubles draw at the Australian Open (record total prize money of 111.5 million Australian dollars) ends in the second round, which is being played on the hard courts of Melbourne Park, which has hosted the tournament since 1988.
In the second match on the ANZ Arena, the Italians, second seeding favorites (and individually no.3 in the specialty ranking), lost 3-6 6-3 7-6(8), after two hours and 35 minutes of fighting, to the Australians Kimberly Birrell and Talia Gibson, in the draw thanks to a wild card.
Errani and Paolini, Olympic champions in Paris 2024 who in 2025 celebrated their first Slam title as a couple at Roland Garros, missed three match points in the twelfth game of the decisive set. It will therefore be the “hosts” who will face the Chinese Hanyu Guo and the French Kristina Mladenovic, 16th seeds, in the third round (round of 16), winners of 6-1 4-6 6-2, in an hour and three quarters of play, over the Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and the Danish Clara Tauson.