It was the Bryans’ 11th Grand Slam final having won four previously — French (2003), US (2005), Australian (2006) and Wimbledon (2006).
MELBOURNE: Chest-bumping American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan successfully defended their Australian Open men’s doubles title on Saturday, beating Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi of Belarus 7-5 7-5. The top-seeded Americans, who lost in the final here in 2004 and 2005 before finally lifting the trophy last year, were on top throughout and never looked like losing.
They served hard and at the body with one player tight on the net to zero in the volleys, allowing the second seeded Bjorkman-Mirnyi team little chance to get through their defences. They took the first set with a single break in 43 minutes but the second was a tougher affair. The Bryans, who have made a habit of bumping their chests together after winning crucial points, finally got the break they were chasing in the 12th game. They ground down Bjorkman’s serve to win the title on their sixth championship point in 1 hour and 33 minutes. “We were lucky today,” said Bob Bryan. “They are a great team but this has been a perfect start to the year for us.”
The two teams are great rivals, playing in their seventh straight final against each other. Bjorkman and Mirnyi had the edge coming into the match, having won their last three meetings, including the French Open final last year.
It was the Bryans’ 11th Grand Slam final having won four previously — the French Open (2003), US Open (2005), Australian Open (2006) and Wimbledon (2006) to make them the first doubles team to win all four majors in Open-Era history.
Bjorkman and Mirnyi are French Open champions but have not got beyond the semis at Melbourne before this year. It was the first time since 1976 that the top two seeds had met in a men’s doubles final here.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}