Australian Open: Mattek- Safarova crowned women’s doubles champion

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Mattek- Safarova crowned the Australian Women’s doubles title for the second time. Image Source: twitter

Internet Desk: The American-Czech pair of Bethanie Mattek and Lucie Safarova have beaten Czech-China’s pair of Andrea Hlavackova and Peng Shuai by 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-3 to clinch year’s first major title for the second time.

The pair is unbeaten for a record 12 matches at Melbourne Park. They had won their maiden doubles title in Australian Open in the year 2015 when they debuted as a team. But they didn’t feature last year’s tournament, as Safarova missed the tournament for her illness.

It was their fourth Grand Slam success as a team. They had won the French Open in 2015 and won the year ending French Open in 2016. Bethanie Mattek has strengthen her grip on the No.1 ranking and her partner Safarova rose to a career-high No.2. The pair also shared a prize money of 660,000 Australian dollars for winning the championship.

The victors did a rehearsed dance routine on Rod Laver Arena after being presented with their trophies and held aloft the perpetual cup.

“We were celebrating like 5-year-old kids out there. When we got the trophy and saw our names on it and to know they will be on it again is special,” Mattek-Sands said. “She’s my rock out there. We play aggressive and have fun. We really balance each other out.”

It was the first meeting of the teams in which all four players have won at least two Grand Slam doubles titles.

Hlavackova and Peng, who had not dropped a set on the way to the final, took an early service break and seemed in command of the opening set.

But Mattek-Sands, 31, and Safarova, 29, were able to retrieve the situation and the set headed inevitably to a tiebreaker. Hlavackova, 30, and Peng, 31, surged to the lead and held on to close it out 7-3.

Hlavackova and Peng both lost serve to slump to 0-3 in the second set before breaking Mattek-Sands to get on the scoreboard. It proved to be merely a slight interruption for Mattek-Sands and Safarova as they powered through the second set to square the final.

The set swung on Hlavackova’s serve in the fourth game of the deciding set. After seemingly being in control, she fended off a break point and then double-faulted on the next one to give up the crucial service break.

In the mixed doubles, second-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia and India’s Sania Mirza will play Colombian Juan Sebastian Cabal and American Abigail Spears in the final on Sunday.

The Dodig-Mirza combination beat Australians Sam Groth and Samantha Stosur 6-4, 2-6, 10-5 in their semifinal. Cabal and Spears beat Chris Guccione of Australia and Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine 7-6 (1), 6-2.