Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna lost the mixed doubles final to Brazilian pair Luisa Stefani and Rafael Matos on January 27th. The Indian mixed doubles lost the match in the Rod Laver Arena 6:7 (2:6), 2:6. The stage was perfectly set for a fairy-tale ending to Sania Mirza’s Grand Slams journey. But it didn’t end there, despite the 36-year-old’s valiant efforts.
He ended his glittering career with six doubles titles. The Indian duo didn’t get off to a good start after an early break. of the service.
They made up for it, however, by winning one and going 2-2 in the first set before going 3-2 after that. After a 2-0 defeat, Bopanna and Sania regained their footing in the competition.
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The Brazilians didn’t give up and quickly made 3:3 the Indians before the game Duo promptly regained momentum. With a lead of 4:3. And when the time came, Bopanna-Mirza extended the lead to 5:3 with the second break of serve. But the Brazilians didn’t want to give up that easily. They earned a break and somehow stayed alive in the set and then went up to 5-5. Sania held for the third time in the set to put India 6-5 ahead and it was Bopanna’s serve that caused concern. Stefanie, still without a serve in 11 games, calls for an ace to be dealt Brazil two break chances. But Bopanna held on to both points and helped India stay alive.
But the Brazilians held on to take the first set to the tiebreak. India trailed 3-0 before Bopana’s forehand gave India the first points. Nevertheless, the Brazilian team won the first set 7:6(6-2). The second set was a one-sided error as Brazil took a 3-1 lead after serving his name.
Soon the lead was 4-1 and the Indian duo found themselves in a now-or-never situation. But Matos and Stefanie closed the set and ended the match.
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