Number 8 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Mate Pavic saved a match point in the match tie-break to battle past Timea Babos and Rohan Bopanna 2-6 6-4 11-9 under a closed roof on Rod Laver Arena and claimed the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Pavic has become the first player to win both the men’s doubles and the mixed doubles in the same edition of the Australian Open since Bruno Soares in 2016.
In the opening set Babos and Bopanna got two breaks of serve and dropped just six points on serve. Dabrowski dropped serve in the fourth game after a poor backhand slice. Babos got the double break with a return winner in the eighth game to close out the first set after 24 minutes.
Pavic and Dabrowski dropped just two points on serve in the second set. Babos had to save three break points in the third game. Pavic got the break with a volley winner in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead. Pavic and Dabrowski sealed the second set with a service winner in the 10th game forcing the match to the decisive match tie-break.
Pavic and Dabrowski got a double mini-break on the first and ninth points in the tie-break to open up a 6-3 lead. They did not convert two championship points at 6-4 and 8-7.
Bopanna hit a forehand to earn a first championship point at 6-6 but Pavic saved it with two consecutive aces.
Babos and Bopanna earned a championship point at 9-8. Pavic fended it off with an ace and earned their own match point with an ace. Dabrowski hit a forehand return winner to clinch the win on their first opportunity. Pavic and Dabrowski claimed their maiden Grand Slam. Pavic also won the men’s dooubles title with his teammate Oliver Marach after beating Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 6-4 6-4 in this year’s edition and the 2016 US Open mixed doubles with Laura Siegemund. Dabrowski teamed up with Bopanna at 2017 Roland Garros.
“It feels pretty good. I have to say. I did not imagine that I am able to do that. If somebody would have told me, I would not believe him”, said Pavic.
