The first knockout round of the mixed pairs at the 2026 Australian Open saw some big named further their case for the historic inaugural title in the discipline on the Gold Coast.
A field of 128 became 64 with matchups contested across Broadbeach and Musgrave Hill with some tantalising matchups set in the second round.
The most intriguing matchup in the second round will see the all star lineups of Sophie Kurzman and Aron Sherriff up against Moama power couple Cass Millerick and Kevin Anderson.
Kurzman, an Emerging Jackaroo enjoying a rich vein of form, linked up with the seven-time singles champion to defeat the dangerous pairing of Jackaroo Olivia Cartwright and Kurzman’s feeder squad teammate in Brad Pavey 14-7.
Millerick and Anderson were able to account for the Queensland Victoria combination of Dale Rayner and Chris Burrell 15-14 in a genuine nailbiter.
Elsewhere, eleven-time Australian Open conqueror Kelsey Cottrell and recently crowned Queensland singles champion Matt Lucas would move through with a 20-5 win over Camelia Maunsell and Robert Huthnance of New South Wales and Queensland respectively.
The Club Helensvale duo will meet New Zealand star and 2023 fours winner Kaitlyn Inch and Queensland’s Kristian Crocker in the round of 64.
The all-Jackaroo pairing of Corey Wedlock and Jamie-Lee Worsnop also enjoyed a fruitful evening with an 18-3 win over Melissa Roberts and Peter Campbell to set up a meeting with South Australian stalwarts of Anthony and Unyamunee Moffatt.
Jackaroo couple Jessie Cottell and Carl Healey produced a 19-13 win over the Moama duo of Emma Simmons and Paul Girdler, setting up a second round meeting with the Western Australian husband wife duo of Blake Butler and 2024 singles winner in Laura Butler.
Other married couples to progress are the Emerging Jackaroo and Canadian pairing of Dale McWhinney-Shillington and Emma Boyd, as well as Tasmanian stars in Jess and Rob McMullen.
2024 pairs champion and Jackaroo Jack McShane and his teammate in up and coming star Chanel Chakouch enjoyed a win, as did 2023 World Bowls Championships singles winner Tayla Bruce and Australian representative Nathan Black.
Emerging Jackaroos Sheridon Bodnar and Jacob Nelson remain, as do former Australian Champion of Champions winner Laini McGorman and her teammate in Andrew Peters.
Other winners the mother-son combination of Sonya and Cooper Sutton, Swiss World Bowls Championships representative Marianne Kuenzle and her teammate in Queensland’s Allan Newman, the brother-sister duo of Jorja and Isaac Maughan, father-daughter teammates in Akasha and Danny Fortune as well as Jenny Lim and 2023 World Bowls Championships gold medal winning director in Cody Fehlberg.
View the knockout results HERE
View the mixed pairs draw HERE
The 2026 Australian Open runs from June 5-19, 2026, on Australia’s Gold Coast. Live streaming will run from 9am AEST each day on Bowls Australia’s YouTube channel.