January 28, 2022 - Croatian tennis player Ivan Dodig and French partner Kristina Mladenovic won the 2022 Australian Open mixed doubles title on Friday, defeating the Australian side of Jaimee Fourlis - Jason Kubler 6-3, 6-4 after 77 minutes of play!
This is the sixth Grand Slam title for the 37-year-old from Medjugorje, the fourth in the mixed doubles competition, and the second in Melbourne Park, where he celebrated last year in men's doubles with partner Filip Polašek.
Dodig won the first three mixed doubles titles with Taiwanese partner Latisha Chan, with whom he was a two-time champion at Roland Garros (2018 and 2019) and once at Wimbledon (2019).
Mladenovic triumphed in mixed doubles for the third time and has five more Grand Slam trophies in women's doubles. She became the champion at the Australian Open for the fourth time after celebrating in mixed doubles with Canadian partner Daniel Nestor in 2014. In 2018 and 2020, she won the women's doubles tournament with Hungarian partner Time Babos.
It took Dodig and Mladenović 35 minutes and a small turnaround to win the first set after Mladenovic lost the serve in the third game. Immediately in the next game, the Croatian-French side broke the serve of 22-year-old Jaimee Fourlis and tied it at 2-2. Dodig and Mladenovic were precise with their returns and volleys, and the Croatian player served for 6-3 in the first set.
The scenario of the second set was similar, in which the Croatian-French side was the first to break in the third game. Fourlis was the victim again, but the Australian side retaliated in the next game when Mladenovic served.
Dodig and Mladenovic gained a new advantage in the seventh game. After losing the deciding point, Fourlis fell into a fit of rage and launched the ball under the closed roof of the Rod Laver Arena.
When Mladenovic held the 5-3 lead in the next game, only one game separated them from the trophy. Jason Kubler forced Ivan Dodig to serve for his second title and fourth for Mladenovic at Melbourne Park.
After one hour and 16 minutes of play, Dodig and Mladenović reached the first match point. Mladenovic played an excellent volley for the eighth Grand Slam trophy in her career. The Australian side entered the tournament by invitation.
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