MELBOURNE – In a thrilling semifinal showdown at the Australian Open, local wildcards Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans have scripted history by advancing to the men’s doubles final. The Australian duo overcame Great Britain’s Luke Johnson and Poland’s Jan Zielinski with a hard-fought 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory on Thursday, electrifying the home crowd at Melbourne Park.
Kubler, sporting a bandage on his surgically repaired left knee, showed no signs of discomfort. He leaped for a massive smash to secure the first break, then fired consecutive return winners from the ad side to surge ahead 5-1 in the opening set. Polmans sealed it effortlessly, holding serve without dropping a point.
The second set swung the momentum as the Aussies struggled with their first serves, landing just 9 out of 23. Their opponents leveled the match. But in the decider, Polmans dug deep to save his serve in a grueling seventh game, paving the way for the crucial break in the next.
A long return from Zielinski handed the Aussies the win, confirming their finals berth. Waiting in the final is the experienced British-American pair of former World No. 1 Neal Skupski and Christian Harrison, who dismantled third seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in straight sets earlier.
For Kubler, this marks a chance at back-to-back Australian Open doubles titles after his 2023 triumph with Rinky Hijikata as wildcards. Polmans, who reached the semis here in 2017 with Andrew Whittington, eyes his maiden Grand Slam final. The stage is set for an epic home showdown, with Australia dreaming of doubles glory once more.