Artem Sitak. Photo / Photosport
New Zealand doubles player Artem Sitak has begun strongly in his Australian Open campaign.
Sitak and his Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof have breezed into the second round, crushing the German pair of Peter Gojowczyk and Florian Mayer 6-2, 6-1 in just 49 minutes.
Sitak and Koolhof made flying starts to
both sets with early breaks and never looked back. The pair hit 22 winners to their opponents six and won 22 of 30 points on first serve. They never faced a break point in the entire match and converted four of 12 break point chances.
They will face a stern test in the second round against seventh seeds Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic. The Austrian and Croatian combination have started the year in superb fashion, winning the titles in Doha and Auckland's ASB Classic.
The other Kiwis in the draw, Michael Venus and Marcus Daniell are likely to play their first round matches on Thursday. Venus and Klaasen are seeded eighth and play American Scott Lipsky and Spaniard David Marrero.
