Australian Open: Ram/Dechy lose in mixed doubles final
Pair defeated by India's Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi 6-3, 6-1 at the Rod Laver Arena.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFRam Dechy 248.88(photo credit: AP)
Andy Ram and his mixed doubles partner Nathalie Dechy of France lost in the final of the Australian Open on Sunday.
The pair were defeated by India's Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi 6-3, 6-1 at the Rod Laver Arena.
Bhupathi and 22-year-old Mirza broke Dechy's serve in the opening set, then broke their opponents twice in the second. Bhupathi was dominant at the net throughout the match.
It was Ram's fourth career Grand Slam mixed doubles final.
The 28-year-old Israeli, who claimed the men's doubles title in Melbourne last year with Yoni Erlich, already has two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles to his name, winning in Wimbledon in 2006 with Russian Vera Zvonareva and at Roland Garros with Dechy two years ago.
It was Bhupathi's 11th Grand Slam doubles championship.
Seven of the 34-year-old Bhupathi's majors have come in mixed doubles. He won a previous mixed title at the Australian Open in 2006 with Martina Hingis.
Bhupathi and Mark Knowles of the Bahamas lost the men's doubles final Saturday to American twins Bob and Mike Bryan.
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