Bryans Lose Doubles Final to Frenchmen

The top-seeded team of Bob and Mike Bryan of Camarillo lost in their first Australian Open final today. Frenchmen Michael Llodra and Fabrice Santoro, the fifth-seeded team, defeated the Bryans, 7-6 (4), 6-3.

The Bryans had never lost to the French team on a hard-court surface, but Llodra and Santoro were the defending champions. This was the third Grand Slam final for the Bryan twins, who won the French Open title last year.

*

Top-seeded Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez won their fifth Grand Slam women’s doubles title Friday. They defeated the fourth-seeded Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Likhovtseva, 6-4, 6-3.

It was the eighth straight Grand Slam doubles final for Ruano Pascual of Spain and Suarez of Argentina. Their serve was broken only once, while serving for the match at 5-2, but rallied for their fourth break.

“Our coordination is really good,” Suarez said. “I think we have a really good feeling between us.”

*

Martina Navratilova, 47, took another step toward her 10th Grand Slam mixed doubles title. She and India’s Leander Paes, the defending champions, beat Jonathan Erlich of Israel and Liezel Huber of South Africa, 6-4, 6-4, in the semifinals.