Melbourne: Wildcards John Peers and Olivia Gadecki claimed a thrilling victory in the mixed doubles final at the Australian Open, defeating France’s Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard in a tense showdown at Rod Laver Arena.
The French pair took the first set 6-4, but Peers and Gadecki bounced back to win the second set 6-3, forcing a match tiebreak. The decider was closely contested, with the Australians under pressure at 7-5. Showing remarkable composure, they won five of the final six points to clinch the tiebreak 10-8.
Gadecki was particularly strong in the closing stages, hitting precise groundstrokes from the baseline, while the French duo struggled to handle the pressure. Peers and Gadecki overcame early setbacks and appeared determined to turn the match around, demonstrating resilience and tactical awareness throughout.
🏆 BACK2BACK 🏆
Olivia Gadecki and John Peers have done it again at #AO26 pic.twitter.com/TxFl1trlpF
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 30, 2026
With this win, Peers and Gadecki became the first pair to secure back-to-back Australian Open mixed doubles titles since Jana Novotna and Jim Pugh in 1988-89. They are also the first Australian duo to win consecutive mixed doubles crowns at Melbourne Park since Margaret Court and Ken Fletcher achieved the feat in 1963-64.
The victory marks Peers’ third grand slam mixed doubles title. He previously won the 2022 US Open mixed doubles with Storm Sanders. Peers has also enjoyed success in men’s doubles, winning the Australian Open in 2017 with Henri Kontinen and earning Olympic gold at the Paris 2024 Games alongside Matthew Ebden.
