Top seeds Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won their maiden Australian Open title on Friday, defeating Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka in the final of 2016 Australian Open women's doubles in straight sets. The Indo-Swiss pair played some quality tennis to register its 36th win on a trot, with the score reading 7-6 (7-1) and 6-3.
It was not a cakewalk for Sania and Hingis, who were strongly tested in the first set, with both teams playing their top game. The Indo-Swiss pair started the match as favourites and showed some strong character when challenged by the seventh-seed Czech pair.
The first set, which included some wonderful rallies, produced quality tennis, with both pairs looking for the elusive winners. As the set went on, the top seeds got hold of the game and played an emphatic tie-break, which they won 7-1, to clinch the first set, 7-6.
After the completion of the first set, Hingis took a medical timeout to receive attention on her right shoulder.
Though the first set might have been a tight affair, the Indo-Swiss pair put up a mighty performance in the second set, and took an early lead of 2-0, which it later increased to 4-1 to dampen Hlavackova and Hradecka's chances of a comeback.
The second set just proved why they are the deadliest combination in the women's doubles circuit. They got their bearing right where Hingis showed her amazing reflexes at the net and Sania from the baseline was a treat to watch.
Despite a decent second set from Hlavackova and Hradecka, the top seeds proved too strong as they won the set with relative ease, score reading 6-3.
With this victory in the year's first Grand Slam, SanTina — as Sania and Hingis are popularly called — has won the last three Grand Slams on a trot. They had emerged triumphant in the last two majors of 2015 — Wimbledon and US Open.
