Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Jan 27: The Brazilian team of Rafael Matos and Luisa Stefani defeated Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna in the mixed doubles final on Friday. At the Rod Laver Arena, the Indian team lost the match 6-7 (2-6), 2-6.
Sania Mirza’s Grand Slam career had the kind of fairytale conclusion that the set was designed to facilitate. However, despite the 36-year-best old’s attempts, the end wasn’t the same. Six doubles championships were the culmination of her great career.
After giving up an early break of serve, the Indian pair didn’t have a good start. They made amends, though, by winning one to tie the first set at 2-2 before taking a 3-2 lead. Bopanna and Sania gained a foothold back into the match after falling behind 0-2 earlier.
The Indian team swiftly reclaimed the initiative with a 4-3 advantage after the Brazilians refused to give up and promptly tied the score at 3-3. Bopanna-Mirza earned their second serve break to increase the margin to 5-3 at the crucial moment.
The Brazilians, however, weren’t going to give up so simply. They gained a break back, managed to stay in the set, and eventually tied it at five. For the third time in the set, Sania held service to give India a 6-5 lead, and Bopanna’s serve was the main worry.
Stefanie managed to knock off an ace to offer Brazil two chances of breaking after failing to hold serve in the opening 11 games. Bopanna, however, rescued both goals and kept India in the game. However, the Brazilians maintained their serve to force a tiebreaker in the opening set.
Before Bopanna’s forehand gave India their first points, they were down 0-3. But Brazil dominated the opening set, taking it 7-6. (6-2).
Brazil gained a 3-1 lead after a break of serve in the second set, which was extremely one-sided. The Indian pair soon found themselves in a now-or-never situation as the lead grew to 4-1. Matos and Stefanie, however, won the set and the contest.
