MELBOURNE: France’s Kristina Mladenovic and Croatian Ivan Dodig swept to a 6-3 6-4 victory against local duo Jaimee Fourlis and Jason Kubler to claim the Australian Open mixed doubles crown at Melbourne Park on Friday.
Playing under a closed roof on Rod Laver Arena, Mladenovic and Dodig got off to a solid start, securing a vital break at 4-3 before closing out the set after some big serving from the Frenchwoman.
Playing under a closed roof on Rod Laver Arena, Mladenovic and Dodig got off to a solid start, securing a vital break at 4-3 before closing out the set after some big serving from the Frenchwoman.
Lift it up 🏆 @KikiMladenovic • @DodigTennis • #AusOpen • #AO2022 https://t.co/J2iT4VQtND
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The Australian wildcard pairing were broken again early in the second set as Dodig’s exquisite play at the net proved too good for Fourlis on serve.
The 22-year-old, however, made amends right away and forced Dodig into an error to get the break back and level at 2-2.
Momentum swung back quickly to Mladenovic and Dodig, however, and they secured another break before a fine angled volley from Mladenovic gave the fifth-seeded pair their first Grand Slam title together.
“We texted each other many times to play mixed. What a way to end our first time playing together,” said Mladenovic.