With the win, Marach and Pavic became the first men’s team this millennium to win three titles in the first month of the year.
In 2017, the pair had a similar run through the grass-court season, except they came out on the losing end in all three finals they played, which included a runner-up finish at Wimbledon. Playing together for most of the year, they didn’t win their first tournament as a team until October in Stockholm.
They kicked off this year with a romp through Doha, where they won without dropping a set. In their following event in Auckland, the duo went to deciding super tiebreaks in three of their four matches.
Coming through in the clutch surely inspired them with confidence in Melbourne as they won third-set tiebreaks in the quarterfinals and semis to reach the final.
Cabal and Farah weren’t going to be an easy out by any stretch. “Colombian Power” has been one of the tour’s most consistent teams the past few years, winning 10 titles together since 2014. Some potential titles were left on the table, though, as Farah missed a big chunk of 2017 due to injury.
He appears to be back in good health as the team reached its first career major final. Along the way, they notched some impressive wins, which included beating Bob and Mike Bryan in the semifinals.
However, they ran into a team that’s been living in the proverbial zone for weeks now. Marach and Pavic have been dominant at times during this run, but more importantly, have also shown the necessary fighting spirit when they haven’t been at their best.
Now, they can call themselves Grand Slam champions.
Here’s a look at the last doubles match of the tournament, the mixed doubles final.
(5) Timea Babos/Rohan Bopanna vs. (8) Gabriela Dabrowski/Mate Pavic: It’s already been a tournament to remember for all four of these players by virtue of reaching a Grand Slam final. Babos and Pavic—already doubles champions here—have an opportunity to make it even more special as they face off for a second Australian title.
Dabrowski and Pavic have yet to drop a set this week, while Babos and Bopanna are coming off a tight semifinal match. The players know each other’s games well—perhaps none more than Dabrowski and Bopanna, who won the French Open together last year.
Follow Van on Twitter: @Van_Sias
