| Sunday, 6 July 2008 Written by Beci Wood It was billed as the battle of the American siblings part II, however the mixed doubles final ended in a low-key fashion on a darkened No.1 Court. One day after Venus Williams got one up on sister Serena, Bob Bryan and partner Samantha Stosur upset twin brother Mike and Slovakia's Katarina Srebotnik in straight sets 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and one minute. The victory also made up for Stosur's disappointment in the ladies doubles final on Saturday when she and partner Lisa Raymond came unstuck against the Williams sisters in straight sets. Due to the late running of the men's singles final, this match became something of an anti-climax after getting downgraded to No.1 Court and kicking off in front of a sparse crowd at 8.32pm.
But the dark and chilly conditions did not dampen the spirits of the competitors as all four contributed to an entertaining match scattered with some fantastic and lengthy rallies.
The Bryans, who won the 2006 Wimbledon men's doubles title together, had never been opponents in a final at the All England Club.
In the opening four games, the faithful supporters that had stuck around were duly rewarded with a sibling rivalry that was clear to see as the brothers exchanged quick-fire points at the net. Srebotnik and Stosur also started well, the Slovakian 27-year-old pulling off an unbelievable pick-up to draw level at 1-1, while Australian Stosur, who served so well in the semi-final win over Andy Murray and Liezel Huber, continued her fine vein of form.
Despite the jovial atmosphere, the first set was close as both partnerships combined well. However, it was always Bryan and Stosur, playing in their first tournament together, who looked the likelier to gain the upper hand. Srebotnik's serve was constantly under threat and after staving off two break points at 2-3, she eventually buckled under the pressure at 5-5 after a fizzed return at her feet by Mike. Mike, two minutes older than his brother, made no mistake serving out a one set advantage in 34 minutes. In the second set, a great Stosur return set up an easy volley that Bob put away to break and lead 3-1. As the light faded fast there were discussions about whether to suspend the match until tomorrow, but the players wanted to continue, rushing through the remaining games and changing ends with no intervals. At 3-4, Mike forced a break-back opportunity on Stosur's serve after successive volley winners, but both were saved and the unseeded pair regained their two-game advantage.
With Bob serving for the championship, the Australian-American pairing clinched victory in near darkness on the first of three match points when Mike hit a return into the net.
The title marks an impressive 10th Grand Slam victory for Bob, who has won five men's doubles with Mike and four mixed titles, one at Roland Garros last month with Victoria Azarenka, and three at the US Open, with Srebotnik in 2003, Vera Zvonereva in 2004 and Martina Navratilova in 2006. Stosur has now won four Grand Slam titles, two in the mixed competition and two in the women's doubles with partner Lisa Raymond.
| Court 1 - Mixed Doubles - Finals | |
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Match Statistics
Bob and Sam Mix It Up
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