Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka prevailed over compatriot Ben McLachlan in the U.S. Open men's doubles first round Thursday, battling to a three-set win alongside Swedish partner Andre Goransson.

Nishioka and Goransson beat McLachlan and Croatia's Franko Skugor 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-6(7) in just over two and a half hours at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka (R) and Swedish partner Andre Goransson play in the U.S. Open men's doubles first round in New York on Sept. 1, 2022. (Kyodo)

The 26-year-old Nishioka said the match, featuring two drawn-out tie-breakers, focused his mind on doubles following his men's singles first-round exit on Monday.

"I got a lot of practice. I was mindful of staying close to the net and I think I did alright," he said. "Doubles is different, it's fun."

In the women's doubles first round, Japan's Shuko Aoyama and Taiwanese partner Chan Hao-ching beat Robin Montgomery and CoCo Vandeweghe of the United States 6-4, 6-3.

The 15th seeds fought back from 0-2 in the first set and held serve throughout the second on their way to a comfortable win.

"We played well throughout the match," Aoyama said. "We were able to win games convincingly. My partner applied pressure at the net and forced our opponents into mistakes."

Aoyama and Chan will face Americans Kaitlyn Christian and Lidziya Marozava in the second round.


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