Bryan brothers win third Australian Open doubles title
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Bob and Mike Bryan won their third Australian Open doubles title with a 2-6 7-5 6-0 victory over India's Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles of the Bahamas on Saturday.
The Bryans, who reclaimed the number one doubles ranking just by reaching the final, avenged last year's quarter-final loss to the same pair.
That defeat stopped the American twins from a possible hat-trick of Melbourne Park titles in successive years.
Since then the 30-year-olds have now won all five of their matches, including at the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai, against Bhupathi and Knowles.
They started slowly on Saturday, dropping the first set in 27 minutes after Bob Bryan was broken twice.
The second set was much closer with Knowles the first to blink, dropping serve in the 12th game to send it into a decider.
The Bryans never gave Bhupathi and Knowles an opportunity during the third set, breaking three times and allowing them just 10 points to seal the match and title in 98 minutes.
Saturday's victory, their seventh, moved them into a tie for second for most men's grand slam doubles titles since tennis turned professional in 1968. The pairings of John Newcombe and Tony Roche and Peter Fleming and John McEnroe also won seven titles.
Australian pair Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde hold the record with 11 grand slam doubles titles.
Bhupathi will play the mixed doubles final with compatriot Sania Mirza on Sunday against France's Nathalie Dechy and Israel's Andy Ram.
(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
