Ekaterina Makarova and Jaroslav Levinsky have advanced to the Australian Open mixed doubles final after surviving a spirited comeback from Flavia Pennetta and Marcelo Melo.
Makarova/Levinsky took 58 minutes to win 6-0 4-6 (10-8) in a match tie-break at Rod Laver Arena.
Makarova, from Russia, and the Czech Republic’s Levinsky dominated the first set, breaking both Melo’s and Pennetta’s serve and holding to take a 3-0 lead within eight minutes of the match starting.
The pair broke once more to eventually take the set 6-0 in just 17 minutes – thanks to clever work at the net from Makarova and a low first serve percentage from the Pennetta/Melo combination.
The second set was a much tighter affair, with Pennetta and Melo fighting their way back into the match with solid service games to keep the set on serve to 5-4.
With the one-game advantage, they pounced and managed to break serve at the ideal moment to take the set 6-4, sending the match into a match tie-break.
Makarova and Levinsky rediscovered their first set form early in the tie-break, dominating from the net to take a 6-2 advantage. Again, the Pennetta/Melo pairing bravely fought back, bringing the score to 8-9.
However, Makarova and Levinsky snared the match at their third opportunity, winning the tiebreak 10-8.
They’ll now face the winner of the second semi-final between top seeds Cara Black and Leander Paes and the American/South African pairing of Lisa Raymond and Wesley Moodie.
Fast facts
- The Makarova/Levinsky pairing won 82 per cent of points on their first serve.
- Makarova and Levinsky converted three of eight break point chances.
- Melo and Pennetta managed one of two break point opportunities.
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