Home wildcards Hijikata and Kubler win Australian Open men's doubles title
Wildcard home duo Rinky Hijikata (21) and Jason Kubler (29) won their first Grand Slam crown with victory in the men's doubles final at the Australian Open on Saturday.
The Australians did a celebratory chest bump and hugged tightly after defeating duo Hugo Nys (31) of Monaco and Poland's Jan Zielinski (26) 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), to the delight of the home crowd at Rod Laver Arena.
It was Hijikata and Kubler's first event as a doubles pairing and ensures that the trophy stays in home hands, having been won last year by Australians Nick Kyrgios (27) and Thanasi Kokkinakis (26).
"Rinky and I definitely didn't think this was happening two weeks ago. Bit of a pleasant surprise," said Kubler on court.
"I've got to thank Rinky, he was the reason we teamed up for this tournament. Two weeks later we've got this trophy."