Indians at Australian Open: Sania-Tecau fall at final hurdle

Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and her Romanian partner Horia Tecau’s dream run came to an end in the mixed doubles event of the Australian Open on Sunday.

Canada's Daniel Nestor Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic pairing were nominally the underdogs against their sixth-seeded Sania Mirza and Horia Tecau but wrapped up a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory inside an hour on Rod Laver Arena win the mixed doubles at the Australian Open title on Sunday.

Defeat for Indian Mirza and her Romanian partner Tecau denied Asia a second Australian Open champion in two days after China's Li Na won the women's singles title on Saturday evening.

"I've had a good week in the mixed so it's a good start to the year," said Mirza, who no longer plays singles.

If Sania and Tecau would have won the summit clash, it would have been the Indian's second Australian Open mixed doubles title. Sania had earlier won the trophy with Mahesh Bhupathi in 2009.

In the semi-finals, the Indian and her Romanian partner Horia Tecau defeated the Australian pair of Jarmila Gajdosova and Matthew Ebden 2-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a contest lasting an hour and 13 minutes.

Nestor has targeted a mixed doubles Grand Slam in 2014.

It was a third MelbournePark mixed doubles title for Canadian Nestor after his 2007 triumph with Elena Likhovtseva and 2011 victory with Katarina Srebotnik.

Nestor then told his 20-year-old partner Mladenovic on court that he would now like to target a sweep of the major titles to complete the Grand Slam in one year.

"I was half joking but I always tell my friends my best chance of winning Grand Slams nowadays are in mixed," the 41-year-old, who now has won a total of 12 Grand Slam doubles titles, later told reporters.

"But obviously I'd still like to win men's doubles titles, too... I just think this is the best chance, but I'll keep playing both and hopefully good will come out of it."

The last time a single partnership won doubles titles at all four majors in one year was when Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver performed the feat in women's doubles in 1984.