Australian Open champions Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis battle through Miami Open doubles opener

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis needed three sets to advance to the second round in the doubles at the Masters 1000 event at Miami.

Nick Kyrgios (pictured) partnered Thanasi Kokkinakis to a doubles victory at the Miami Open on Friday. Picture: Getty Images/AFP

The fun rages on for Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

The Australian Open champions squeaked past Santiago Gonzalez and Andres Molteni 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 10-6 to set up a second-round clash with Russian stars Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov at the Miami Open.

Indian Wells quarter-finalist Kyrgios and seventh-ranked Rublev are also set to do battle at the same stage of the Masters 1000 singles draw in what promises to be a captivating contest.

Kokkinakis, who won the Adelaide title in January, qualified in the Miami singles and is also into the second round as his resurgence continues to gather speed after spending the past six years outside the top 100.

Kyrgios and Kokkinakis served for a 5-3 second-set lead that would have had them within touching distance of a straight-sets victory but stumbled and had to do it the hard way in a match tie-break.

Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios are into the second round of the Miami Open doubles. Picture: Getty Images/AFP

The ‘Special Ks’, the world’s most entertaining doubles combination, are playing their third tournament together this year but it may be their last for a while, given Kyrgios plans to skip the clay-court season again.

There was also more success in the singles on Friday for Australians, with former top-20 star Daria Saville, Jordan Thompson and Alexei Popyrin all advancing.

Saville looks to be back close to her best form after resorting to surgery last year to try to remedy an achilles problem that had dogged her for the past five years.

She was supposed to face Romania’s Simona Halep in her second-round encounter but Halep withdrew after aggravating a thigh injury.

Australia’s Alexei Popyrin won just his third singles match for the year on Friday at the Miami Open. Picture: AFP

Saville instead breezed past lucky loser Harmony Tan 6-4 6-2 in 85 minutes to move into the round of 32, where she meets Katerina Siniakova, who eliminated 11th-seeded Emma Raducanu.

She is up to No.189 in the live WTA rankings after being as low as 627 at the start of February.

In the men’s draw, Thompson rallied past French veteran Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 6-4 in his Miami opener to book a showdown with countryman Alex de Minaur, the No.25 seed.

Popyrin exacted revenge against Italian Lorenzo Musetti 7-5 7-6 (7-5) after suffering his ninth defeat in 11 matches this year at last week’s ATP Challenger event in Arizona.

The 22-year-old started the season wanting to break into the world’s top 50 but is clinging to his top-100 place, with a match-up against Croatia’s Marin Cilic to come.

Kyrgios’ brilliant form continues in Miami

Nick Kyrgios has booked a second-round blockbuster against seventh-ranked Russian Andrey Rublev at the Miami Open as his resurgence continues.

Fresh from a brilliant run to the Indian Wells Masters quarter-finals, the swashbuckling Australian – again benefiting from a wildcard – battled past French veteran Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 in 92 minutes.

It took a red-hot Rafael Nadal to end Kyrgios’ Indian Wells campaign in three sets, and he picked up where he left off.

The 26-year-old Canberran fired down 12 aces and didn’t face a single break point against Mannarino, a clean-striking left-hander who advanced to the last 16 at this year’s Australian Open.

Adrian Mannarino found Nick Kyrgios too tough in Miami. Picture: Getty Images/AFP

“It was a hell of a performance,” Kyrgios said.

“Getting on late; it wasn’t easy, so I’m really proud of myself with the way I responded. I felt good and I competed well today against a tough opponent.”

The world No.102’s latest win sets up a third career meeting with Rublev after they split their previous matches.

Rublev is amid another strong season, having won 19 of his 22 matches, including winning the Dubai and Marseille titles and reaching the Indian Wells semi-finals.

Nick Kyrgios is in a rich vein of form in the United States. Picture: Getty Images/AFP

“I grew up with him; I’ve seen him play. He’s a hell of a player,” Kyrgios said.

“Obviously, we all know what he’s capable of and I’m going into that match as a complete underdog.

“But I feel confident. If I’m serving well and playing well from the back; I can beat anyone.”

Qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis thrashed Richard Gasquet 6-4 6-2 and will next take on 13th-seeded Argentine Diego Schwartzman, but Ajla Tomljanovic, Astra Sharma and John Millman lost.

Italian lucky loser Lucia Bronzetti ousted Tomljanovic 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 6-2, four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka beat Sharma 6-3 6-4 and qualifier Daniel Elahi Galan downed Millman 6-4 6-2.