BRISBANE, Australia—The newly formed doubles duo of Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios faced an early exit from the Brisbane International, bowing out in the second round.

The wildcard team clashed with the top-seeded pair consisting of Nikola Mektic from Croatia and New Zealander Michael Venus, ultimately losing the match with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 10-8 on Wednesday.

A critical moment in the match came when Djokovic committed a double-fault while holding an 8-6 lead in the match tiebreak. This mistake proved costly as they subsequently dropped the final four points, sealing their defeat.

Mektic expressed his satisfaction after the match, commenting on the thrill of competing against Djokovic and Kyrgios. “Incredible,” he remarked to the enthusiastic audience. “I was very happy when I saw them; I could play them on the first of January. It’s an amazing feeling to start the year like this and we knew there would be points like that against players like this.”

In their first doubles encounter, Djokovic and Kyrgios entertained the crowd with a spirited performance, celebrating their moments on the court at Pat Rafter Arena.

Kyrgios, who returned to the tour after an 18-month hiatus due to injury, unfortunately lost his first singles match the previous day. In contrast, Djokovic began his singles competition with a win and is scheduled to face Gael Monfils next, against whom he boasts an impressive 19-0 winning record.