Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Horia Tecau stormed into their first career mixed doubles final on Friday after taking out India’s Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi in straight sets.
While the match loomed as a huge task for the eighth seeds given their opponents won the Australian Open mixed title in 2009, the American and Romanian rose to the challenge winning 6-3, 6-3.
It’s a remarkable result for the pair given it’s only their second tournament playing together. American Mattek-Sands admitted they never initially intended to join forces at Melbourne Park.
“I think [Tecau was] looking [for a partner], and then I was last-minute when I decided to play. Actually, I didn’t even know I was playing mixed last year,” she said.
“But I mean it was good, I know [Tecau] was looking last-minute too.”
The win is even more impressive given Bhupathi is a seven-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champion and runner-up on four other occasions, certainly no stranger to the big stage.
As for Romania's Tecau, the victory may not make amends for his painfully close loss in the men’s doubles semifinal against the Bryan brothers yesterday, but the 27-year-old said it was nice to be on the winners’ list this time.
“Of course coming on the court after you lose that semifinal match after having one match point and 5-2 up in the breaker, it’s tough,” he said.
“But every match is different, and you don’t want to have that again so you want to shake it off and win your next one. So yeah, it is rewarding.”
The eighth seeds made all the plays early with Tecau crunching a 198km ace down the T to hold on the opening game, and Mattek-Sands striking a swift forehand winner down the line to break in the next.
The American was particularly strong at the net, using sharp volleys and quick reaction times to force her Indian opponents to play defensively from the back of the court.
While another Tecau ace on set point was overruled by Hawk Eye, the Romanian blasted a 202km serve on his second attempt to close out the opener 6-3.
With the scores locked at 3-3 in the second, Mirza was pushed out wide by the American as the Indian tried to whip the ball crosscourt, only for Tecau to intercept the shot and put it safely away to the sideline.
The Romanian’s winner set up a crucial break for the pair as they nudged ahead 4-3, promptly holding to love and finding themselves only one game away from victory.
Despite the Indians' best efforts in saving three match points at 5-3, a Bhupathi double fault handed the eighth seeds the match and rocketed them into their first Grand Slam final together.
“It’s a huge [match] obviously, being in any slam final no matter what one it is,” Mattek-Sands said.
“We’re going to figure out who we play next [and just] get our game plan.”
The pair will face either fifth seeds Elena Vesnina and Leander Paes or Italian duo Roberta Vinci and Daniele Bracciali in the final.
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