Duo win Oz Open mixed doubles to becomes the first Indian pair to win a Grand Slam
Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza became the first Indian pair to win a Grand Slam mixed doubles title on Sunday when they crushed Andy Ram of Israel and Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy 6-3, 6-1.
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It rounded off a successful tournament for India after 16-year-old Yuki Bhambri won the boy's junior championship on Saturday.
For Bhupathi, Sunday's victory was his 11th Grand Slam title while Mirza celebrated her first success at this level.
"It's been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for me this weekend," he said.
"I want to thank all the Indians -- we are very lucky that there are so many millions supporting us, not just here but back at home."
The unseeded Bhupathi and Mirza, who were granted a wildcard to the Open, were in great touch all tournament from the moment they beat sixth seeded Czech pair Pavel Vizner and Kveta Peschke in the first round.
They started well against Ram and Dechy, breaking Dechy early in the first set.
Ram and Dechy broke back but the Indians attacked Dechy's serve later in the set and broke again to take the first set in 28 minutes.
It took two minutes less to wrap up the second set and with it the match as they outplayed their opponents with some perfect doubles.
"We wanted to stay out there and make it longer but they were just too good for us," Ram admitted.
Bhupathi had a mixed weekend after he lost the men's doubles final with Mark Knowles on Saturday.
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