Rafael Nadal became the first male tennis player to win 21 Grand Slam singles title on Sunday. But the 35-year-old did it the hard way by coming back from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open 2022 final at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne. (More Tennis News)
Earlier in the day, top-ranked Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova took another major step in a partnership that began in junior ranks when they won the women's doubles 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4 from unseeded Anna Danilina and Beat💃riz Haddad Maia.
Here's how the final day at the season-opening Grand Slam in Melbourne unfolded on Sunday and Monday (all times local, latest first)
1:15 a.m. (Monday)
Rafael Nadal got to 21 first.
The 35-year-old Spaniard has broken the men’s record for most Grand Slam singles titles but he had to do it the hard way by coming back from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in an Australian Open final that lasted 5 hours and 24 minutes. He was broken when serving for the c🐎hampionship at 5-4 in the fifth set but made no mistake the next time.
It was the🐼 second-longest Australian Open 🥃final after Novak Djokovic beat Nadal in five sets in 5 hours and 53 minutes in 2012.
Nadal now has one more than Roger Federer and Djokovic, hi🐠s long-time rivals in the so-called Big Three.
With the 2-6, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 win that started Sunday night and was delayed for a while in the second set when a protester jumped onto the court, Nadal also becomes just the fourth man in hist𝔍ory to win all four of the 🐟sport’s major titles at least twice.
Midnight
Rafael Nadal has rallied from two sets down to take t♉he Australian Open final to a fifth set against U.S. Open champion Daniil ♉Medvedev.
Nadal took the third and fourt𒁏h sets 6-4, 6-4 after Medvedev had opened a 6-2, 7-6 (5) lead.
In the fourth, Nadal broke fওor a 5-3 lead and then had a set po♌int but Medvedev saved and held to make the 20-time major winner have to serve it out again.
Nadal had no proble🍰m with that, holding at love. The match has already gone past 4 hours and 12 minutes.
The 35-year-old Spaniard’s bid for a men’s record 21st major titlᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚe is still alivꦦe.
He missed a chance to serve out the second set when he was broken in a game that lasted more than 12 minutes and was interrupted by a court invader. Nadal had 🍨been facing breakpoint in the ninth game of that set when the protester jumped from the stands into the playing arena at Medvedev’s end. Medvedev is still potentially one set from back-to-back major titles.
11 p.m.
Rafael Nadal has taken the Australian Open final to a fourth set against U.S. Open cha𓃲mp⛄ion Daniil Medvedev.
Nadal won the third set 6-4, breaking in the ninth game and then serving out at love, after Medvedev won the first twꦇo sets 6-2, 7-6 (5).
The 35-year-old Spaniard’🌳s bid for men’s record 21st major title is still alive. He missed his chance to serve out the second🔯 set when he was broken in a game that lasted more than 12 minutes and was interrupted by a court invader.
Nadal had been facing breakpoint in the ninth game of the second set when the🉐 protester jumped from the stands into the playing arena at Medvedev’s end.
Security quickly surrounded both players and detained the protester, who was carrying a banner⭕ with the🐎 words: “Abolish Refugee Detention.” Medvedev broke serve in that game, held and then won the tiebreaker to get potentially within one set of claiming back-to-back major titles.
9:55 p.m.
Daniil Medvedev has taken a 6-2, 7-6 (5) lead in the Australian Open final agaꦜinst Rafael Nadal after a dramatic second set that was interrupted by a coဣurt invader and contained four service breaks.
Nadal was trying to serve for the set in the ninth game about 1 1/2 hours into the match and was facing a break point when a protester jumped from the stands into the playing arena at Medved🐷ev’s enꦬd.
Security quickly surrounded both 💛players and detained the protester, who was carrying a banner printed with the words: “Abolish Refugee Detention.” Nadal saved that point to get back to deuce, wasted a set point and then dropped the service game to allow Medvedev back into the set.
The U.S. Open champion clinched it on his first set point, on Nadal’s 𝐆serve, with a backhand passing shot and then waved both arms up for the crowd seeking some support.
8:30 p.m.
Dani♑il Medvedev has taken the first set 6-2 in the Australian Open final against Rafael Nadal.
The U.S. Open champion broke Nadal’s se꧃rve twice and then served it out in 42 minutes. Nadal’s first serve percentage was down to 54% compared with Medvedev’s 82%.
Medvedev is bidding to be the first man in theღ Opꦯen era to win his second Grand Slam title at the next major tournament. He lost last year’s Australian Open final to Novak Djokovic.
Nadal is chasing a men’s record 21st Grand Slam singl💖es titl💦e to break a tie for the mark he currently shares with Roger Federer and Djokovic.
7:50 p.m.
Ra𓄧fael Nadal is serving first in the Australian Open final against Daniil Medvedev.
🔯The 35-year-old Spaniard is chasing a men’s record 21st Grand Slam singles title to break a tie for the mark he currently shares with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Nadal is also aiming to be just the fourth man in history to win all four of the tennis majors at least ꧟twice.
U.S. Open champiཧon Medvedev is bidding to be the first man in the Ope𓂃n era to win his second Grand Slam title at the next major tournament.
He lost last yea🗹r’s Australian Open final to Djokovic💦.
6:00 p.m.
Barbora Krejcikova and Kater👍ina Siniakova moved a step closer to a career Grand Slam in doubles when they won their first Australian Open title on Sunday, beating Anna Danilina and Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-4.
The Czech pair already had two French Open’s and a Wimbledon title along with Olympic gold medals.🐠 But their win on Sunday gave them their fourth Grand Slam title in five finals and their first on hard courts.
The top seeds were forced to fight all the way by their unseedไed rivals, dropping a set for 🀅the first time at the tournament and battling 2 hours, 42 minutes before clinching their victory.
Siniakova first served for the match at 5-2 in the third set but Danilina of Kazakhstan and Haddad Maia of Braz📖il broke her serve to prolong the match. Krejikova finally served out the match at the next opportunity.
The pair have 🐽been doubles partners since junior tennis and won the French Open junior title against a partnership including Hadd📖ad Maia.
5:05 p.m.
Top-seeded Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova have rallied to level the A🌊ustralian Open women’s doubles final against unseeded Anna Danilina and Beatriz Haddad Maia after dropping the first set.
Danilina of Kazakhstan and Haddad Maia of Brazil took ℱtheဣ first set 7-6 (3) but the Czech pair of Krejcikova and Siniakova leveled the match when they took the second set 6-4.
The top-seeds broke Haddad Maia’s serve in the opening game of the se✱cond set and held that advantage to send the match into a deciding third set.
Krejcikova 🎶faced aღ break point in the sixth game but held to retain the top seeds’ advantage.
The Czech pair are bidding for their first Australian Open title, after losing in last year’s final, and are chasing their fourth Grand Slam doubles title, their first on a hard court. They won the French Open in 2018 🗹and 2021 and Wimbledon in 2018.
The pair also are Olympic champions.
4:00 p.m.
The startling rise of Anna Danilina and Beatriz Haddad Maia as a doubles partnership continued Sunday wh🍨en they took the first🅘 set of the Australian Open women’s final 7-6 (3) against top-seeded Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova.
Danilina of Kazakhst💛an and Haddad Maia of Brazil have won all nine matches together since they became a doubles partnership, including the final of the Sydney International heading into the first Grand Sla🌠m of the year.
They twice led by a service break in Sunday’s final before🎐 the Krejcikꦚova and Siniakova rallied to take the set into a tie-breaker.
Danilina and Haddad Maia broke Siniakova in the third game of the first set and both held serve to go ahead 4-2. Krejcikova and Siniakova broke Danilina in t༒he eighth game to level the match.
Siniakova dropped her serv🀅e again in the 11th game but the top-seeded pair🍌 again broke back immediately.
Danilina and Haddad Maia then took th🎐e first six points of the tie-breaker before clinching the first set 7-6 (3).
2:00 p.m.
Before Rafa🀅el Nadal and Daniil Medve🌟dev take center stage in the men’s singles final at the Australian Open on Sunday, top seeds Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova will face unseeded Anna Danilina and Beatriz Haddad Maia in the women’s doubles final.
Krejcikova and Siniakova will be appearing in the final for the second year in a row after losing to Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka in last♕ year’s final. The 🅰Czech pair will also be attempting to take a step closer to a career slam in doubles after winning the French Open in 2018 and 2021 and Wimbledon in 2018.
Krejcikova 💟and Siniakova also were Olympic champions last 💯year.
They reached the final with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Veronika Kuder♋meto🔯va of Russia and Belgium’s Mertens who was attempting to win her second-straight Australian Open final.
“We had to go through a lot of tough matches to get to the final, so I think I can say for both of us that we’re really proud and looking forward t♋o the final,” Krejcikova said after the semifinal victory.
Danilina of Kazakhstan and Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil beat the second-seeded Japanese pairing of Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in their semifinal.𝐆 They are unbeaten in nine matches together.
(With AP inputs)
