The Brazilian pair of Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos won the Australian Open mixed doubles title on Friday, beating India’s Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna 7-6 (2), 6-2. This was Mirza’s last match at a Grand Slam tournament before she retires next month after a tournament in Dubai. The 36-year-old Mirza was emotional at the trophy presentation, thanking the arena and her fans for an amazing 18 years of Grand Slam play.
Mirza has won six Grand Slam doubles championships, including the 2009 Australian Open, and has been a great influence on Indian tennis. The Brazilian duo was relentless in the match, taking a 3-0 lead in the tiebreaker and breaking Mirza’s serve in the fourth game of the second set. Stefani and Matos are undefeated as a team, having won all seven matches together at the United Cup and Melbourne Park.
On the women’s doubles side, the top-seeded Czech team of Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova will play Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibaharabeat in the final. The Czech duo beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse and Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-2 while the 10th-seeded Japanese team beat the No. 2-seeded American pair of Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff 6-2, 7-6 (7).
The Australian Open mixed doubles final was an emotional moment for Sania Mirza and tennis fans, as they bid farewell to a great doubles player. However, it was also a celebration of the Brazilian pair’s hard work and determination, as they won their first Grand Slam together.
