World number one Ashleigh Barty will partner US Open semi-finalist Jennifer Brady of the United States in doubles at the 2021 Australian Open.
Barty has had multiple doubles partners in the last year, playing with now-retired German Julia Georges in this year’s tournament in Melbourne where they lost in the second round to eventual champions Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic.
She partnered Kiki Bertens at the Brisbane International at the beginning of January, reaching the final where they lost to Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strycova, and partnered Demi Schuurs at the Qatar Total Open in February, where they did not get past the first round.
Going back a little further, Barty reached the US Open final in 2019 with Victoria Azarenka, who she partnered for much of 2019 as the Belarusian looked to gain more match practice on her comeback trail.
Barty has a fine doubles record, having made the final of all four Grand Slams with long-time partner and compatriot Casey Dellacqua, and winning the US Open in 2018 with Coco Vandeweghe.
Defending singles champion and world number four Sofia Kenin has changed her doubles partner and will play with Swiss world number 12 Belinda Bencic.
Hsieh and Strycova, the 2020 runners-up, are the top-ranked women’s duo for the Grand Slam, which has been delayed by three weeks due to Australia’s strict border rules to curb the spread of COVID-19 and will start on February 8.
American Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury of Britain will return to defend their men’s doubles title with the field headlined by the top-ranked Colombian duo of Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, who won the Wimbledon and US Open crowns last year.
Britain’s seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion Jamie Murray has also reunited with his former partner Bruno Soares after splitting last year and will look to repeat their 2016 success when they won the Australian and US Open titles.
