Australian Open 2024: Neal Skupski & Desirae Krawczyk finish runners-up in mixed doubles final
• 2 MINUTE READ
Neal Skupski and Desirae Krawczyk finished as Australian Open mixed doubles runners-up after losing to third seeds Su-Wei Hsei and Jan Zielinski in a championships tie-break.
In the first Australian Open doubles final between two of the four top seeds, the British, American duo were eventually defeated 6-7(5), 6-4, 11-9 in just under two hours on the Rod Laver Arena.
Skupski and Krawczyk had been bidding for a third Grand Slam title together after lifting the Wimbledon trophy in 2021 and 2022. Krawczyk also missed out on the chance to complete her career Grand Slam, while Skupski had been hoping to become the first British player to win the mixed doubles title Down Under for 33 years.
For both Hsei and Zielinski, this was their first mixed doubles Grand Slam title together in only their first tournament competing together as a team.
“It means a lot,” Zielinski said. “It started crumbling in my head today when we were up a lot in the super tie-break, and then things started getting out of control a little bit. We were down a match point. Saved the match point.
“But Su-Wei said before the match, when we were walking onto the warm-up, that she's a curse breaker, so thanks to her for breaking the Polish curse in the mixed doubles finals.”
Having taken a close first set, the second seeds were just two games away from the title as they broke for a 4-2 lead in the second.
However, women’s doubles finalist Hsei and last year’s men’s doubles runner-up Zielinski refused to surrender the crown and broke twice as they reeled off the final four games of the set.
There were chances for Skupski and Krawczyk in the championship tie-break as well. The duo fought back from 7-4 down to set up championship point but couldn’t quite push over the line. Hsei and Zielinski got their final mini break on their first championship point against the Krawczyk serve to see out a nail-biting final.
