- Won the men’s doubles at Paris Olympics
- Lined up in all Aussie final at Melbourne Park
- Caps off big year for doubles specialist
Olympic gold medallist John Peers has partnered Olivia Gadecki to clinch the all-Australian final of the Melbourne Park mixed doubles, downing Kimberly Birrell and John-Patrick Smith.
Peers and Gadecki roared home against their fellow wildcards to secure a 6-3 4-6 10-6 victory in a match tiebreaker on Rod Laver Arena on Friday.
It was the first time a local mixed pairing had triumphed since Jarmila Gajdosova and Matt Ebden were victorious in 2013 and the first all-Aussie final in the Open-era history of the event and the first since the 1967 Australian Championships.
Peers, who won gold with Eden at last year’s Paris Olympics, showed his poise in the pressure moments to help 22-year-old Gadecki, playing in her first grand slam final, home.
It’s the second mixed major title for Peers, 36, after he won the 2022 US Open crown with Storm Sanders while he won mixed doubles bronze with Ash Barty at the 2021 Tokyo Games.
Victorian Peers also won the men’s doubles title at Melbourne Park in 2017, among his six grand slam finals.
Australia’s Olivia Gadecki and John Peers celebrate with the trophy after their victory against Australia’s Kimberly Birrell and John-Patrick Smith in their mixed doubles final
It has been a golden year for Peers in particular as the doubles partners tasted glory in the all-Aussie final at their home grand slam
Peers also claimed gold in the men’s doubles with Matthew Ebden at the Paris Olympics
Gadecki’s previous best showings were semi-final runs in the Open mixed doubles in the past two years with Marc Polmans.
Birrell, 26, got her team off to a fast start with some superb net play and some searing lineballs while Smith, 35, was also sharp.
They broke Peers’ serve in the second game of the first set before steaming through to wrap it up in 57 minutes.
The second set was a tighter affair with neither pairing budging until Smith, who lost the 2019 Open final partnering Astra Sharma, offered up three set points on his serve while trailing 4-5, which their rivals pounced on.
That meant the title would be decided by a first-to-10-points tiebreak, with Peers and Gadecki getting the early jump to lead 4-1.
Another Birrell forehand blast closed the gap to 4-5, and then they levelled to ensure a thrilling finale.
Peers and Queenslander Gadecki again forged ahead 8-5 and were able to celebrate soon after.
‘JP, Kim, well done on an amazing week. To be able to have an all-Aussie final, I think it was 1967 they said since the last time, so unbelievable for everyone here,’ said Peers.
‘You guys did an unbelievable job. You were class today, another great effort. We just got a little lucky at the end.’
The winning pair will split $175,000 in prize money while the runners-up will share $97,750.
