Astra Sharma and John-Patrick Smith downed in Australian Open mixed doubles final
Local pair Astra Sharma and John-Patrick Smith have been beaten in the Australian Open mixed doubles final.
The wildcard entries have enjoyed a stellar fortnight at Melbourne Park but were outplayed in the decider on Saturday night, losing 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 to third seeds Barbora Krejcikova and Rajeev Ram.
The pair were the first of four Aussie entries in double finals at the 2019 Open to lose.
On Thursday, Heath Davidson paired with Dylan Alcott to win the quad doubles; a day before Samantha Stosur won the women's doubles with China's Zheng Shuai.
On Sunday afternoon John Peers has the chance to win his second Australian Open doubles when he teams with Finland's Henri Kontinen against French specialists Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut.
More to come
