Newly crowned Italian Open doubles champion Storm Hunter was among eight Australian players to contest finals this week.
Rome, Italy, 21 May 2023 | Leigh Rogers
Australian players featured in finals across three different surfaces and four different continents this week.
Storm Hunter continued her impressive form on European clay, winning the Italian Open doubles title alongside Belgian Elise Mertens.
This is set to propel Hunter, who is now on an eight-match winning streak, to a career-high world No.5 in the doubles rankings.
> READ MORE: Hunter and Mertens win Rome title
Aleksandar Vukic is also in career-best form and set to break into the world’s top 100 in singles after reaching an ATP Challenger final in Portugal this week.
The most outstanding performers of the week include …
Storm Hunter: The 28-year-old won her sixth career WTA doubles title – and second at WTA 1000 level – in Rome. It was Hunter’s first WTA clay-court title and makes her only the seventh Australian to win an Italian Open women’s doubles title in the Open era.
> READ: Hunter – “Just keep believing and never give up”
Alex de Minaur and Jason Kubler: Teaming up for the first time, the Aussie duo advanced to the Italian Open doubles quarterfinals. It was Kubler’s career-best result at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament and De Minaur’s best result at that level since August 2021.
Aleksandar Vukic: The 27-year-old continued his red-hot form at ATP Challenger level, reaching a second consecutive singles final. Vukic’s nine-match winning streak came to an end in the title match in Oeiras (Portugal).
> READ: Vukic – “It’s important to train and get better every day”
John Peers: The 34-year-old recorded a runners-up finish in the doubles event, alongside American Nathaniel Lammons, at an ATP Challenger tournament in Turin (Italy). It was Peers’ second final appearance of the season.
James McCabe: The 19-year-old made his career-first ATP Challenger doubles final. McCabe and Tunisian Aziz Ouakaa fell just short of winning the title, losing a three-set final in Tunis (Tunisia).
Priscilla Hon: The 25-year-old advanced to the singles quarterfinals at a WTA 125 tournament in Florence (Italy). This improved Hon’s season record on clay to 10 wins from 15 matches.
Talia Gibson: The 18-year-old won her fifth career doubles title – and first this season – at an ITF 60 grass-court tournament in Kurume (Japan). Gibson and China’s Wang Yafan claimed the title without losing a set.
Lizette Cabrera: The 25-year-old made the singles semifinals at an ITF 60 tournament in Kurume, marking her career-best run at a grass-court event.
> READ: Cabrera – “Tennis has helped me become more resilient”
Elysia Bolton: The 23-year-old advanced to her third doubles final of the season. Bolton and American Robin Anderson finished runners-up at an ITF 60 tournament in Pelham (USA).
Gabriella Da Silva Fick: The 22-year-old teamed with Luxembourg’s Marie Weckerle to win an ITF 25 doubles title in Monzon (Spain). It is the fourth – and biggest – ITF doubles title of Da Silva Fick’s career.
Maddison Inglis: The 25-year-old reached her third singles final of the season at an ITF 25 hard-court tournament in Monzon. Although Inglis lost in the final, she has now won 10 of her past 12 matches.
> READ: Inglis – “It’s really important to just give everything”
Ellen Perez: The 27-year-old made the singles semifinals at an ITF 25 tournament in Monzon, where she lost an all-Australian battle with Inglis. It is Perez’s best singles result since February 2022.
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