Melbourne – The Czech duo of Petr Nouza and Patrik Rikl continued their surprising run at the 2026 Australian Open on Tuesday, earning a straight-sets victory over the tournamentS No. 2 seeds. The win marks a career milestone for Nouza and Rikl, propelling them into their frist Grand Slam quarterfinal and signaling a potential breakthrough for the rising Czech pair. Following a recent nomination to the Czech Davis Cup team, the duo’s momentum is building as they aim for further success in Melbourne.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN – Petr Nouza (27) and Patrik Rikl (27) are continuing a remarkable run at this year’s Australian Open, achieving a career-best result. The Czech duo upset the No. 2 seeds, Henri Patten (30) and Harri Heliövaara (36), in straight sets 7-6, 7-6, improving on their Grand Slam best from Wimbledon last year and advancing to their first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Nouza/Rikl – Patten/Heliövaara 7:6, 7:6
Nouza and Rikl have been nearly unbeatable at the 2026 Australian Open. Following an opening-round, three-set victory over the French pair of Terence Atman and Alexandre Müller, the Czech team didn’t drop a set against Argentines Maximo Gonzalez and Andrés Molteni, avenging countrymen Tomas Machac and Matej Vocel. Now, in their second Grand Slam eighth-final appearance, the Czechs have overcome another tough challenge, defeating the seeded duo of Patten and Heliövaara to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time.
In a tightly contested match against the favored British-Finnish team, Nouza and Rikl didn’t face a single break point on their own serve and forced a tiebreak in both sets. They dominated the first tiebreak, winning four of five points from 3-3 to take an early one-set lead. The second set was equally dramatic, as they saved three break points in a crucial third game. They then rallied from a set point down in the tiebreak, quickly turning the tables and securing the victory after two hours of play.
This result surpasses their previous Grand Slam best showing at Wimbledon last year, confirming the continued progress of the Czech pair in men’s doubles. The win sets up a quarterfinal clash against another challenging team as they look to continue their impressive run. They will face Americans Christian Harrison and Brit Neal Skupski in the next round.
Earlier this year, Nouza and Rikl received a vote of confidence from Tomas Berdych, earning their first nomination to the Czech Davis Cup team for the upcoming tie against Sweden on February 7th and 8th in Jihlava. This nomination appears well-justified, as the duo arrives in peak form and ready to contribute to the national team.
