Australian Open 2020 Doubles draw: Sania has it easy, Bopanna faces Bryan brothers in first round

Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and her partner Nadiia Kichenok have a relatively easy start while Rohan Bopanna will face former World No. 1 pair Bob and Mike Bryan in the opening round of the Australian Open 2020, as per the draw announced on Sunday.

The first Grand Slam of the decade has already kicked off in Melbourne and expectations are high from India's top doubles stars. After all, they have impressed in the opening couple of weeks of the season.

Also read: Sania Mirza scripts remarkable comeback to clinch Hobart International title

Sania, who made a comeback to competitive tennis after over two years, capped off her maternity leave in style by winning the doubles title at Hobert International along with her partner Kichenok. Bopanna, on the other hand, in partnership with Wesley Koolhof of Netherlands, won the first doubles title of the season in the $1,465,260 ATP tennis tournament in Qatar.

At the Australian Open, the unseeded Sania and Kichenok have been drawn to take on Han Xinyun and Zhu Lin of China, a pair who have won only one lower-level tournament, in the first round of women's doubles. A win should set them up with another Chinese pair, ninth seeds Duan Yingying and Zheng Saisai.

It's a tough ask, Sania and Kichenok should make it to the third round at least. However, this is where things might get interesting for the Indo-Ukrainian pair. In all probability, Saina and Kichenok will meet sixth seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Jelena Ostapenko in the pre-quarters.

For the other Indians, in the men's doubles fray, making it further than the first couple of rounds will be an uphill task. Bopanna and his Japanese partner Yasutaka Uchiyama, will take on the Bryan brothers, who are in their final season on the ATP Tour. Divij Sharan and Aretm Sitak are poised to meet João Sousa and Pablo Carreño Busta in the first round.