Melbourne: Abigail Spears-Jan Sebastian Cabal are the 2017 Australian Open mixed doubles champions. They stunned the second seed Sania Mirza-Ivan Dodig 6-2,6-4 in the final.
Spears-Cabal took a quick double break in the first set, with the solid Spears serving it out in under 30 minutes.
Mirza and Dodig surged to a 3-0 lead in the second set but they couldn't hold on, with Spears and Cabal clawing back into the match and the Colombian winning it with a smash.
2nd set: Mirza-Dodig 4-6 Spears-Cabal
What a comeback! Spears-Cabal have comprehensively beaten Mirza-Dodig to win the Australian Open mixed doubles title.
2nd set: Mirza-Dodig 4-4 Spears-Cabal
Things are falling apart for Sania here. Spears and Cabal have shown tremendous strength to comeback form 1-4 down to make it 4-4. Mirza-Dodig needs to get act together sooner rather than later.
2nd set: Mirza-Dodig 4-3 Spears-Cabal
Sania and her partner had a lead of 4-1 and would have hoped to win the set but Spears and Cabal are not ready to lay down their arms, the duo have fightback to make it 3-4.
2nd set: Mirza-Dodig 3-0 Spears-Cabal
Amazing how quickly things can change. The Mirza-Dodig pair is now dominating this game. Spears-Cabal are now looking clueless as they trail 0-3.
2nd set: Mirza-Dodig 1-0 Spears-Cabal
Good start for Sania in the second set. Dodig holds his serve and the duo leads the second set by 1-0.
1st set: Mirza-Dodig 2-6 Spears-Cabal
Poor start for Mirza-Dodig, the pair has lost the first set 2-6. They have to find their form soon if they have rescue this game.
1st set: Mirza-Dodig 2-5 Spears-Cabal
This time Mirza-Dodig hold their serve to make it 2-5, good effort to keep the opening set alive. Spears-Cabal are looking very good out there.
1st set: Mirza-Dodig 0-3 Spears-Cabal
Not a good start for Sania and Dodig. The duo have failed to hold their serve twice in the first set. Now trail 0-3.
Melbourne: Sania Mirza will aim for her seventh Grand Slam title as she faces the unseeded Abigail Spears of America and Colombian Juan Sebastian Cabal in the Australian Open mixed doubles final at Melbourne Park, on Sunday.
Sania will play with her Croatian partner Ivan Dodig. If they manage to win, it would be Sania's first Grand Slam title with Dodig and fourth major mixed doubles triumph overall.
The Indian tennis ace Sania has won three mixed doubles titles so far, the last being the 2014 US Open with Brazilian Bruno Soares.
It will be Sania's fifth final at the Australian Open. She was runner-up with Mahesh Bhupathi in 2008, and the pair triumphed the following year. She was runner-up in 2014 with Horia Tecau.
Sania is the lone Indian to have made all the way to the first Grand Slam final of the season as Paes, Rohan Bopanna, Purav Raja, Divij Sharan and juniors – Zeel Desai and Siddhant Banthia – all made early exits.
