Gadecki and Peers return to mixed doubles final with thrilling victory

Olivia Gadecki and John Peers have booked their spot in the mixed doubles final with a thrilling win over Nikola Mektić and Taylor Townsend on Margaret Court Arena, with a 7-6(2) 2-6 13-11 victory.

Playing in front of a huge crowd, Gadecki and Peers served incredibly well to take the set to a tiebreak before bringing their best level in the tiebreak to take a set advantage. The experienced Townsend and Mektić fought back in the second set before Gadecki and Peers took the lead in the super-tiebreak thanks to an incredible sliding cross-court forehand from Gadecki to pass Mektić at the net.

The pair had multiple match points, but Mektić and Townsend saved them with inspired play before the Aussies finally closed out the match to the jubilation of the crowd.

"It means a lot any time we get to play at home and in front of friends and family, just to be able to replicate that has been amazing and having friends and family in the crowd has been really special," said Peers.

"From the word go, we've gelled very well, we just need to be really clear on the way we communicate in order to play good tennis when we've needed to."

The First Serve Live returns on Monday February 2nd at 8pm AEDT for its 18th year on the SEN Network/App, Australia's only dedicated weekly tennis program on commercial radio running through till the end of November.

The Aussies will face the energetic French duo of Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard, who battled past Luisa Stefani and Marcelo Arevalo.

There was a significant moment of controversy in the super-tiebreak where Arevalo challenged whether Guinard touched the ball on a point which they lost, with replays seeming to show the ball was very close to the racquet. Despite boos from the crowd, the umpire upheld the decision, which led to a discussion between Mladenovic and Arevalo at the net after the match.

"[Arevalo] was a little bit upset about just the fact that I told him that the ball was far, but by far, I meant, I was standing at the best angle possible, like, obviously just behind it, and on camera, it seemed it was actually really close compared to what it was looking like from behind [Guinard]," said Mladenovic. "So, I can totally understand that he was upset that it was a close situation, and he has all his right to ask for the review, and this is what the review is there for."

The French pair will provide a challenging opponent for the Aussies, with Guinard in particular dazzling so far in the tournament with ferocious ground strokes and unbridled passion, which will likely rev up the Australian crowd.

"I love playing tennis. I love playing big events. I love playing on big courts, playing against big opponents, and that's why I play tennis. I just want to compete. I'm a competitor, and I love the game," said Guinard.

While the Australians will likely have the crowd support, the French are hopeful that they will have some support of their own, with Mladenovic pleading for Tournament Director Craig Tiley to offer tickets to the French fans.

"It's going to be a tough match. We will play against Aussies and on the Centre Court, so it's probably going to be fully packed for them. And they're going to cheer, almost everybody for them, and it's normal," Guinard said. "So, I mean, we are ready for that, and we will enjoy 100 per cent this atmosphere, and hopefully, the French crowd will be there."

With last year's final not being open to ground pass holders, Peers and Gadecki hope that this time, as many Aussies as possible will be able to come and cheer them on.

"Hopefully we get as many Aussies in there as we can, and create a bit more atmosphere," said Peers. "That's what we hope for, and that's what makes it more entertaining for us. Hopefully, they can sort it out a bit earlier and get the communication across, and everyone knows what's going on, so we can get as many in there as we can."

The First Serve Live returns weekly each Monday Night on the SEN Radio Network & SEN App.

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