Sania Mirza wins 2014 US Open mixed doubles title with Bruno Soares

Bruno Soares and Sania Mirza lift the 2014 US Open mixed doubles title

India’s Sania Mirza has claimed her third career Grand Slam title by winning the US Open mixed doubles title with Brazilian partner Bruno Soarez. The duo defeated Abigail Spears and Santiago Gonzalez 6-1, 2-6, 11-9 in the final to win their first Major together.

The Indo-Brazilian pair got off to a super-quick start, breaking twice in the early going to easily pocket the first set 6-1. Mirza’s forehand in particular was a huge weapon, as she used it to take the attack to her opponents by unleashing some powerful drives. Soares on his part was solid too, as he sent down some booming serves to prevent Gonzalez and Spears from getting a whiff of a chance.

The tables got turned in the second set though, as it was the Mexico-American pair to break serve twice and come right back into the match. Gonzalez-Spears cantered to a 6-2 second set victory, sending the match to a deciding super-tiebreak.

In mixed doubles events, no deciding third set is played; instead, the players engage in a slightly modified version of the conventional singles tiebreaker, with the first to 10 points (as opposed to 7 in singles) emerging as the winner.

Here again, Mirza and Soares bolted to a blistering start, getting a bunch of mini-breaks and holding their own on serve to surge ahead at 9-4. That meant the Indo-Brazilian pair had as many as five match points to play with.

Stunningly though, they squandered all five of those championship points, as Gonzalez and Spears evened things at 9-9. Mirza double faulted on one of the match points and hit a couple of errors on two others, betraying a certain nervousness that had crept into her game with the finish line in sight.

But Soares’ serve was at hand to save the day, as he stemmed the rot with a calm point to gain another match point at 10-9. This time the Indo-Brazilian combine made no mistake, as they held firm before Gonzalez’s last forehand sailed long.

It was a dream come true for Mirza, who couldn’t stop smiling at the trophy presentation. Betwen jokes and laughs, she declared that she would again be partnering with Soares at the upcoming Australian Open.

Mirza’s two earlier Slam victories came at the 2009 Australian Open and the 2012 French Open, both with Mahesh Bhupathi. She was already the only Indian woman to ever win a Major title in tennis, and this latest victory will only add to her historic list of achievements.