Melbourne: Olivia Gadecki and John Peers successfully defended their Australian Open mixed doubles crown on Friday at the Rod Laver Arena. The duo defeated the French pair Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard in a thrilling match with scores of 4-6, 6-3, 10-8.
The match reached a dramatic climax as both teams entered a tiebreak. Trailing 5-7, Gadecki and Peers rallied to win five of the final six points. Gadecki delivered an outstanding performance under pressure, while the French pair fought hard to stay in the contest. At 8-7, a long return from Mladenovic went out, followed by a powerful return from Peers to take the score to 9-7. They earned two championship points; the French team saved one, but Guinard’s next return hit the net, sealing the victory for Gadecki and Peers.
With this win, Gadecki and Peers became the first pair in 37 years to successfully defend a Grand Slam mixed doubles title. Their achievement follows the footsteps of Jana Novotna and Jim Pugh, who accomplished this feat in 1988-89. Additionally, they are the first Australian duo since Margaret Court and Ken Fletcher in 1963-64 to win their home Grand Slam mixed doubles title consecutively.
Gadecki expressed her excitement, saying, “I can’t believe we are in this position. I knew we could do it, but actually doing it is incredible.”
This marks Peers’ third Grand Slam mixed doubles title. He previously won the 2022 US Open with Storm Sanders. Peers also claimed the 2017 Australian Open men’s doubles title with Henri Kontinen and won a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics with Matthew Ebden.
For Gadecki, this is her second Grand Slam title alongside Peers, having won at Melbourne Park in 2025.
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