Melbourne, Jan 29:
In a perfect climax to their stupendous run, Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis were crowned the Australian Open women’s doubles champions after taming the spirited Czech duo of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka in straight sets, here today.
The top seeds fought past seventh seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 7-6 (1) 6-3 in the women’s doubles final that lasted one hour and 45 minutes.
It was their third consecutive Grand Slam title for Sania and Martina, having won the Wimbledon and US Open in the 2015 season.
In an incredible feat, Sania and Martina have now extended their unbeaten run to 36 matches, winning eight titles in a row. They won five straight titles in 2015, starting from the US Open and before the Australian Open today they had won Brisbane and Sydney events.
It was Sania’s second title at the Australian Open, having won the mixed doubles in 2009 with Mahesh Bhupathi.
However, later in the day, Sania fell in the mixed doubles semifinals with Croatian partner Ivan Dodig. The top seeds lost 5-7 6-7(4) to fifth seeds Elena Vesnina and Bruno Soares.
The women’s doubles final though was not a stroll in the park for the world number one team with the Czechs putting up a great fight in the opening set. The match was littered with breaks with the two teams struggling to hold serve throughout.
Hlavackova was excellent from the baseline and Hradecka was terrific at the net, playing some breathtaking shots and winners.
The top seeds though had enough resources in their kitty to blunt the challenge of the Czech girls.
“I would like to thank everyone for coming out and supporting us. For me Australian Open is special, it’s like home. I have special memories here. We had an incredible one year. Martina is an amazing champion and an amazing person, so it is a privilege for me to play with her,” Sania said. (PTI)
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