Australian Open 2012 live stream

American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan are just one win away from a record-breaking sixth Australian Open men’s doubles title.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the world’s no. 1 pair in the semifinal at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday. They had to save a match point in the third set against Swede Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau of Romania, the no. 7 seeds, before clinching the match in a high-pressure tiebreak.

The final score was 4-6 6-3 7-6(5).

“We fought off one at 5-6 on Bob's serve.  The breaker was just about over at 5-2 them serving up two mini breaks,” Mike said.

The Bryan brothers found a way back though, reeling off five consecutive points to book a berth in their eighth Australian Open doubles final. They celebrated with their trademark chest-bump.

“I think we maybe got a little lucky. We played kind of our best tennis at the very end,” Mike said.

If the Bryan brothers are successful in Saturday’s final, it will be their 12th Grand Slam title as a combination. It will make the pair, who is currently tied with Australian duo Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde for the most Grand Slam titles, the most successful team in the open era.

Saturday could be a big day for Bob Bryan, with his wife also due to give birth to their first child. He will fly back to Miami on Sunday morning.

“It's going to be tight the next couple days, especially with the nerves,” Bob said. “She's not getting out of bed.  She can see the finish line.  She knows she's a few days away from me coming home.”

Standing in their way of a fourth consecutive Australian Open title is unseeded combination Leander Paes of India and Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic. Paes and Stepanek defeated no. 2 seeds Daniel Nestor of Canada and Max Mirnyi of Belarus 2-6 6-4 6-4 in the other semi-final on Thursday.

Stepanek is chasing his first Grand Slam title, with Paes aiming to win his 7th men’s doubles Grand Slam and first Australian Open title. The pair has won one tour title together, back in 2004.

The women’s doubles final will be played tomorrow, with Italian pair Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci, the no. 11 seeds, facing unseeded Russian combination Vera Zvonareva and Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Errani is having the tournament of her life, following up her career-best quarter-final showing in the singles draw, with a career-best doubles result.  In her four previous visits to Melbourne Park, Errani had never passed the first round of the doubles draw. Now the 24 year-old finds herself one win away from taking the title.  It is the first Grand Slam final for both Errani and Vinci. They are aiming for their sixth title as a team.

On the other side of the court, experienced Russian duo Vera Zvonareva and Svetlana Kuznetsova are no strangers to Grand Slam finals. Kuznetsova is a two-time singles winner, winning the US Open in 2004 and the French Open in 2009 and finishing runner-up at the French Open in 2006 and the US Open in 2007.  This will be her seventh Grand Slam women’s doubles final, where she’ll aim to collect a second Australian Open title. She won her first alongside Australian Alicia Molik in 2005.  Zvonareva, who finished runner-up in the singles draw at both Wimbledon and US Open in 2010, has one Grand Slam doubles title, winning the US Open in 2006 and finishing runner-up at Wimbledon in 2010. She also has two mixed doubles Grand Slam championships to her name. It is their first Grand Slam final as a team.