Bryans Lead Seeded Teams Through To Third Round

© Getty ImagesAisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer were among Friday's winners.

Top-ranked doubles team Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan defeated Flavio Cipolla and Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of the Australian Open on Friday. The Bryans broke the Italians once in each set to seal the victory in 65 minutes.

“We are very happy to get another win under our belt,” said Bob Bryan. “We're hoping to keep improving and we look forward to getting back out there on Sunday.”

The American twins are looking to break the all-time record for most major team titles. They tied the mark set by John Newcombe and Tony Roche by lifting their 12th Grand Slam trophy at the US Open this past September. In Melbourne, the Bryans have finished in the winners’ circle five times (2006-2007, 2009-2011). The top seeds next face Jeremy Chardy and Lukasz Kubot. The French/Polish duo topped Australians Samuel Groth and Matt Reid 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

Third seeds Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez moved through to the third round after beating Paolo Lorenzi and Potito Starace 7-5, 6-4. The Spaniards capitalised on four of their six break points to advance in 69 minutes.

Granollers and Lopez are bidding to win their first major title, having reached the semi-finals of the US Open last year. The two went on to capture the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, adding to triumphs at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Rome and the ATP World Tour 250 tournament in Gstaad.

For a place in the quarter-finals, Granollers and Lopez will meet Eric Butorac and Paul Hanley. The American/Australian tandem, finalists at the Brisbane International, dismissed Michael Kohlmann and Jarkko Nieminen 6-1, 6-4, saving all four break points they faced.

“The Australian Open has always been my best slam and now playing in Paul's home country, it has been even more enjoyable,” Butorac said. “After a final in Brisbane, and now being into the third round, I think we are both happy with our start to the season.”

Sixth-seeded Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer edged Belgians Xavier Malisse and Dick Norman 7-6(5), 6-4 to win the second-round meeting in one hour and 33 minutes. In 2012, Qureshi and Rojer advanced to the semi-finals at Roland Garros and US Open in their first season together.

Elsewhere, Sergiy Stakhovsky and Mikhail Youzhny, along with Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, also prevailed in second-round action.

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