Doubles Take: Team Bucie makes a winning return

Looking for recaps and previews of Wimbledon doubles action? Look no further: Doubles Take is back with the daily report on what's happening at the All England Club.

It’s official: “Team Bucie” is back.

Lucie Safarova and Bethanie Mattek-Sands won their first Grand Slam match together in more than a year when they defeated the No. 16 seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok and Alla Kudryavtseva in straight sets.

Their fellow 2017 Australian Open doubles champions won’t be joining them in the next round. In a major upset, Henri Kontinen and John Peers lost a battle to Maximo Gonzalez and Nicolas Jarry, 10-8 in the fifth set. Kontinen and Peers, who won the title at Queen’s Club on grass a couple of weeks ago, were Wimbledon semifinalists last year.

As the first round wraps up for the men and women, and the mixed event starts up, here’s a look at some of today’s matches.

Dominc Inglot/Franko Skugor (15) vs. Santiago Gonzalez/Marcelo Demoliner: It’s not the flashiest matchup on the docket: a 15 seed going against an unheralded opponent. However, it’s harder to find two teams playing better at the moment. Gonzalez and Demoliner are fresh off a title in Antalya, while Inglot and Skugor took the first-place hardware in ‘s-Hertogenbosch for their second triumph of 2018. Both pairs posted straight-set victories in the first round—something has to give in this encounter.

Wesley Koolhof/Elise Mertens vs. Jamie Murray/Victoria Azarenka: In mixed-doubles draws, you’re always likely to spot a few intriguing pairs. Aside from the Sloane Stephens/Jack Sock duo, another team that’s going to get some attention is Murray and Azarenka. Murray is the defending mixed champion, having won the title with Martina Hingis last year.

Azarenka’s Hall of Fame credentials in singles overshadows her doubles accomplishments: She’s won two major mixed titles and an Olympic Gold medal in the discipline. Provided she’s shaken off any rust, this could be a formidable pairing.

Alicja Rosolska/Abigail Spears vs. Latisha Chan/Shuai Peng (5): Chan and Peng held off a couple of experienced players in the first round in two close sets. Now they face a duo that has more familiarity with each other in Rosolska and Spears. The Polish/American team just won their first title together in Nottingham a few weeks ago, while Chan and Peng have only won one match on grass together—their first-round victory at Wimbledon. It will be another test for the No. 5 seeds.

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