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Draper, Stosur lift Australian Open mixed doubles trophy
Scott Draper and Samantha Stosur claimed the Australian Open mixed doubles title, beating Kevin Ullyett and Liezel Huber 6-2, 2-6, 10-6 with the final set played as a champions tiebreak.
The result denied Ullyett, who won the 2002 Australian Open mixed doubles title with Daniela Hantuchova, a second title in two days after the Zimbabwean had won the men's doubles title with Wayne Black.
It was also an ironic result for the African combination who, except for one victory in a walkover, had won all their previous matches in a champions tiebreak.
Draper had not originally planned to compete in the event, but received a desperate call from Stosur at the last moment.
"We werent going to play together, but my partner called me up the night before and told me he wasnt going to play. So I called up Scotty and he agreed to play," said Stosur, who is one of Australias brightest prospects after reaching the Gold Coast and Sydney singles finals earlier this month.
That meant double duty for Draper. As well as his tennis commitment, he made his professional golf debut during the Australian Open, on Friday playing his first career 18 holes before travelling to Melbourne Park to win his mixed doubles semi-final.
And he was easily the dominant force for most of the match, with his lightning reactions at the net and some remarkable angled volleys giving the Australian pair a strong advantage.
After fighting off two break points to hold for 1-1, he fired a winning forehand volley at the net to break Hubers serve in the next game. A double-fault from Huber then gave the Australians a 5-2 lead before Stosur served out the set to love.
Despite Draper's dominance, he was responsible for Ullyett and his South African partner taking a 3-1 lead in the second set when he netted a volley at close range.
An Ullyett winner on Stosur's serve then earned a second break and took the match into a tiebreak.
The Australians led that from the start, and victory was assured when Huber struck her third double-fault.
"I've had a blast this two weeks," said Draper. "The phone call from Sam was a beauty, and thanks to the organisers for a wild card. That was a good decision."
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