Australian Open 2012: British pair scare the Bryan brothers but top-seeds come out on top in Melbourne

The Australian Open has seen some memorable near-misses from British players, whether it be Andy Murray’s two runners-up finishes or John Lloyd reaching the final here in 1977. Looking tasty: the British pairing of Ross Hutchins (left) and Colin Fleming (right) inflicted a 'bagel' on the Bryan brothers for the first time in two-and-half-years Photo: GETTY IMAGES By Simon Briggs

11:59PM GMT 22 Jan 2012

Yesterday there was another example in the men’s doubles, where Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins put the frighteners on the Bryan brothers, the No1 seeds and defending champions, but couldn’t quite finish the job.

If the result was frustrating, the British pairs played some electrifying tennis in the middle of the match, when they inflicted the first “bagel” 6-0 set that the Bryans have suffered for two-and-a-half years.

Unfortunately they were then broken early in the third set, when Fleming went almost a whole game without finding a first serve, and could not regain the initiative. The Americans kept things simple to clinch a 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 win.

“They just played a flawless set,” said an admiring Mike Bryan afterwards, “just making returns and making the right poaches and winning all the big points.”

His brother Rob added: “They’re improving every time, every season. I know they’ve played with different partners but each guy’s getting better. That’s a top-eight team for sure, I’d be very surprised if we don’t see them in London [at the ATP World Tour Finals] this year.”

It was an encouraging assessment for Fleming and Hutchins, especially as their stated aim this year is to climb in to the top eight in the world and thus gain entry to the season-ending jamboree at the O2 Arena. But Fleming knows that near-misses will not be enough: they will have to start winning tournaments and beating the top pairs consistently.

“We’ve shown we have a level that can get us there,” Fleming said, “but it’s up to us to go and do it, week in, week out, and not become nearly men. Today, it was positive that we played that great set but we have to look at what happened and why.”

There was better news yesterday in the junior boys’ tournament, where all four Britons scored first-round wins. Although Ollie Golding, the winner of the US Open junior title last year, has moved on to the hard graft of the Futures circuit in Turkey, there is another strong crop here in the shape of Liam Broady, last year’s junior Wimbledon finalist, Kyle Edmund, Luke Bambridge and Josh Ward-Hibbert. Australian Open

In Tennis The Tennis Podcast in association with The Telegraph 10 best moments of Australian Open 6 reasons why top GB tennis players are rare The tangled web of tennis romance Wimbledon's top 50 men players ever Who is Wimbledon's greatest woman?

Top Sports Galleries

Scores, fixtures, results and tables

Football scores and fixtures

Premier League Table

Rugby fixtures and scores

Cricket fixtures and scores

F1 results and calendar

Racing cards and results Football's most overrated players The 20 most under-rated players...ever Who are football's most over-rated managers? The world's best 100 rugby union players The Telegraph's 100 greatest ever Premier League players
[null, null, {"document_url": "https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9031059/Australian-Open-2012-British-pair-scare-the-Bryan-brothers-but-top-seeds-come-out-on-top-in-Melbourne.html", "unformatted_src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02116/HutchingsFleming_2116484b.jpg", "src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02116/HutchingsFleming_2116484b.jpg", "formatted_filename": "HutchingsFleming b", "alt_text": "Ross Hutchins and Colin Fleming - Australian Open 2012 British pair scare the Bryan brothers but top-seeds come out on top in Melbourne", "rendered_width": 620, "rendered_height": 388}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9031059/Australian-Open-2012-British-pair-scare-the-Bryan-brothers-but-top-seeds-come-out-on-top-in-Melbourne.html", "unformatted_src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01757/Briggs_60_1757423j.jpg", "src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01757/Briggs_60_1757423j.jpg", "formatted_filename": "Briggs j", "alt_text": "Simon Briggs", "rendered_width": 60, "rendered_height": 60}, null, null, {"document_url": "https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9031059/Australian-Open-2012-British-pair-scare-the-Bryan-brothers-but-top-seeds-come-out-on-top-in-Melbourne.html", "unformatted_src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03552/tennisball_3552023g.jpg", "src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03552/tennisball_3552023g.jpg", "formatted_filename": "tennisball g", "rendered_width": 140, "rendered_height": 87}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9031059/Australian-Open-2012-British-pair-scare-the-Bryan-brothers-but-top-seeds-come-out-on-top-in-Melbourne.html", "unformatted_src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03551/aussiemoments_3551222g.jpg", "src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03551/aussiemoments_3551222g.jpg", "formatted_filename": "aussiemoments g", "alt_text": "Australian Open 2016: The 10 best moments of the first grand slam of the year", "rendered_width": 140, "rendered_height": 87}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9031059/Australian-Open-2012-British-pair-scare-the-Bryan-brothers-but-top-seeds-come-out-on-top-in-Melbourne.html", "unformatted_src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03548/murray_3548672g.jpg", "src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03548/murray_3548672g.jpg", "formatted_filename": "murray g", "rendered_width": 140, "rendered_height": 87}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9031059/Australian-Open-2012-British-pair-scare-the-Bryan-brothers-but-top-seeds-come-out-on-top-in-Melbourne.html", "unformatted_src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03407/romance3_3407699g.jpg", "src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03407/romance3_3407699g.jpg", "formatted_filename": "romance g", "rendered_width": 140, "rendered_height": 87}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9031059/Australian-Open-2012-British-pair-scare-the-Bryan-brothers-but-top-seeds-come-out-on-top-in-Melbourne.html", "unformatted_src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03351/MEN_3351466g.jpg", "src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03351/MEN_3351466g.jpg", "formatted_filename": "MEN g", "rendered_width": 140, "rendered_height": 87}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9031059/Australian-Open-2012-British-pair-scare-the-Bryan-brothers-but-top-seeds-come-out-on-top-in-Melbourne.html", "unformatted_src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03350/top50women_3350747g.jpg", "src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03350/top50women_3350747g.jpg", "formatted_filename": "top women g", "rendered_width": 140, "rendered_height": 87}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9031059/Australian-Open-2012-British-pair-scare-the-Bryan-brothers-but-top-seeds-come-out-on-top-in-Melbourne.html", "unformatted_src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03254/overrated2_3254402g.jpg", "src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03254/overrated2_3254402g.jpg", "formatted_filename": "overrated g", "rendered_width": 140, "rendered_height": 87}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9031059/Australian-Open-2012-British-pair-scare-the-Bryan-brothers-but-top-seeds-come-out-on-top-in-Melbourne.html", "unformatted_src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03254/undercompo1_3254514g.jpg", "src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03254/undercompo1_3254514g.jpg", "formatted_filename": "undercompo g", "rendered_width": 140, "rendered_height": 87}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9031059/Australian-Open-2012-British-pair-scare-the-Bryan-brothers-but-top-seeds-come-out-on-top-in-Melbourne.html", "unformatted_src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03252/overrated_3252917g.jpg", "src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03252/overrated_3252917g.jpg", "formatted_filename": "overrated g", "rendered_width": 140, "rendered_height": 87}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9031059/Australian-Open-2012-British-pair-scare-the-Bryan-brothers-but-top-seeds-come-out-on-top-in-Melbourne.html", "unformatted_src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03440/100rugby_3440446g.jpg", "src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03440/100rugby_3440446g.jpg", "formatted_filename": "rugby g", "rendered_width": 140, "rendered_height": 87}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9031059/Australian-Open-2012-British-pair-scare-the-Bryan-brothers-but-top-seeds-come-out-on-top-in-Melbourne.html", "unformatted_src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03076/multi-end_3076044g.jpg", "src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03076/multi-end_3076044g.jpg", "formatted_filename": "multi end g", "rendered_width": 140, "rendered_height": 87}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9031059/Australian-Open-2012-British-pair-scare-the-Bryan-brothers-but-top-seeds-come-out-on-top-in-Melbourne.html", "unformatted_src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03285/Progress_17__3285797f.jpg", "src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03285/Progress_17__3285797f.jpg", "formatted_filename": "Progress f", "alt_text": "Progress 17 supply vehicle departs from the International Space Station", "rendered_width": 219, "rendered_height": 137}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9031059/Australian-Open-2012-British-pair-scare-the-Bryan-brothers-but-top-seeds-come-out-on-top-in-Melbourne.html", "unformatted_src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02626/obama_2626645f.jpg", "src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02626/obama_2626645f.jpg", "formatted_filename": "obama f", "alt_text": "Barack Obama warns American dream is in danger of becoming a 'myth'", "rendered_width": 219, "rendered_height": 137}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9031059/Australian-Open-2012-British-pair-scare-the-Bryan-brothers-but-top-seeds-come-out-on-top-in-Melbourne.html", "unformatted_src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03208/oscars-summary-2_3208754f.jpg", "src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03208/oscars-summary-2_3208754f.jpg", "formatted_filename": "oscars summary f", "rendered_width": 219, "rendered_height": 137}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/9031059/Australian-Open-2012-British-pair-scare-the-Bryan-brothers-but-top-seeds-come-out-on-top-in-Melbourne.html", "unformatted_src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03101/old-trafford_3101399f.jpg", "src": "https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03101/old-trafford_3101399f.jpg", "formatted_filename": "old trafford f", "rendered_width": 219, "rendered_height": 137}, null]