American-British duo Desirae Krawczyk and Neal Skupski have secured their second consecutive Wimbledon title in mixed doubles after beating Australia’s Matthew Ebden and Sam Stosur 6-4 6-3 at Center Court.
Most important points:
- Krawczyk and Skupski become the first mixed-double pair to defend their Wimbledon title since 1997
- Matthew Ebden has one last shot at glory after winning the men’s doubles final with Max Purcell
- The pair will compete against Croatian duo Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic
The second seeded capped a close first set and ramped up their game in the second, roaring back from an early lunge to win four straight games and wrap up the win in under an hour and 27 minutes.
The Australian duo failed to gain a foothold in the second set, with Krawczyk’s left-handed serve and Skupski’s dexterous play at the net getting them in constant trouble.
Krawczyk and Skupski were the first pair to successfully defend the mixed doubles title in the All England Club since Czech brother-sister duo Cyril Suk and Helena Sukova in 1997.
“I was a little nervous to start, but I got through that first service game pretty well, serving well and hitting some aces,” Skupski, who had a 26-point service game at 2-2 in the opener, told reporters.
“I think that was a really important point in the game – to get through that game, because when we take a break there it can be hard to win that set. But we kept the momentum and kept it in.”
It was the fourth Grand Slam crown in mixed doubles for 28-year-old Krawczyk, who won all majors last year except the Australian Open.
“I am speechless. This was such a special moment. Two in a row at Wimbledon,” she said.
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However, Ebden has one last chance to claim his first-ever Wimbledon crown, winning a rollercoaster men’s doubles semi-final 6-3, 7-6 (7), 6-7 (11), 4-6, 2-6 next Australian teammate Max Purcell.
The pair will take on Croatian double act Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, who had an equally tough performance against Colombians Robert Farah and Juan Sebastian Cabal on Friday, but won the final after a heady 7-6 (7), 6-7. (7), 6-4, 2-6, 6-7 (10).
