In a thrilling finale at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, Olivia Gadecki and John Peers successfully defended their Australian Open mixed doubles title on Friday. The Australian duo overcame France’s Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard in a gripping encounter, sealing a 4-6, 6-3, 10-8 victory in the deciding super tiebreak.
The match swung dramatically into a tiebreak after a fiercely contested second set. Trailing 5-7, Gadecki and Peers mounted a stunning comeback, clinching five of the final six points. Gadecki’s composure under pressure shone through, delivering crucial returns, while Peers’ powerful play kept the French pair on the back foot. A long return from Mladenovic sailed wide at 8-7, followed by Peers’ blistering response to make it 9-7. Despite saving one championship point, Guinard’s net cord error handed the win to the home favorites.
This triumph marks a historic achievement: Gadecki and Peers become the first pair in 37 years to defend a Grand Slam mixed doubles title consecutively, echoing Jana Novotna and Jim Pugh’s feat from 1988-89. As Australians, they are also the first since Margaret Court and Ken Fletcher in 1963-64 to win back-to-back titles at their home Slam.
‘I can’t believe we’re in this position,’ Gadecki beamed post-match. ‘I knew we could do it, but actually doing it is unbelievable.’
For Peers, this is his third Grand Slam mixed doubles crown, following his 2022 US Open win with Storm Sanders. The 30-year-old has also tasted men’s doubles glory at the 2017 Australian Open with Henri Kontinen and Olympic gold in Paris 2024 alongside Matthew Ebden. This marks his second mixed title with Gadecki, after their 2024 Melbourne success.
The victory electrifies the home crowd and cements Gadecki and Peers as modern mixed doubles royalty, setting the stage for more dominance in the slams ahead.