WHAT HAPPENED: There was a Hall of Fame flavor to proceedings in Satuday's US Open mixed doubles final with the Bryan brothers watching on, Samantha Stosur sitting in the Australians' player box, and Kim Clijsters supporting her fellow Belgian Kirsten Flipkens.
Storm Sanders and John Peers rose to the occasion: The fourth seeds completed a compelling 4-6, 6-4, [10-7] comeback over Flipkens and Edouard Roger-Vasselin to clinch their first-ever Grand Slam mixed doubles title.
The all-court coverage and exceptional anticipation was on-point from the very start, the quartet all delivering flashy winners and punchy putaways.
Sanders scooped up a Flipkens acute backhand to guide her own brilliant backhand down the tramline to threaten an early break, but it was the Belgian-French combination who made the first telling move.
At 3-3 Roger-Vasselin connected with a rasping backhand return winner to catch Peers off guard, which was the catalyst to chalk up a pivotal break.
Peers’ reflexes and forehand body shot opened 0-30 for the green-and-gold duo, before Roger-Vasselin shut the door, glancing another backhand down the line to post the set lead.
"I felt like we were playing well enough to even win the first set. Got broken on my serve. Super close, could have gone either way," Sanders said.
"I'm super proud we backed ourselves and just played our game. We just kind of hung around, tried to enjoy the moment, too."
The Australians ramped up their energy to try and activate a break. At 5-4 they were finally rewarded for their consistency. Sanders and Peers went on the attack on return and within a flash, they were level, only dropping three points on serve all set.
It all came down to the championship tiebreak and the Australians elevated their level again. 4-2 up, nudged back to 5-6, the Australians bounced back again.
At 8-6, Sanders improvised with a laser-reaction volley beyond the reach of their opponents to set up Peers to rifle down a title-winning ace.
"It's a 10-point tiebreak, anything can happen. Every single point counts. That was the biggest thing," Sanders said of the deciding moments.
"We were down 8-6 in the super tiebreak the other day, came back and won it 10-8. It is kind of like you're never out of it. No matter, we were trying to put a lot of emphasis on every single point. Even if we got up a mini break there, we had to stay on it. Just backing our game and what we wanted to do. If they could come up with something, too good. Back our play. That was the main thing from my perspective."
WHAT IT MEANS: This is the second doubles Grand Slam for Peers. The 34-year-old triumphed on home soil to lift the men’s doubles Australian Open title in 2017. It’s taken Peers 32 mixed doubles majors to take home this silverware. However, this is the first taste of major glory for Sanders.
“Thank you to my partner, Peersy. I can't believe we’re Grand Slam champions, it’s crazy," Sanders said on-court in victory. "We’ve been trying to set it up for the last year to play and I've really enjoyed every moment on court with you."
She then picked the 2011 US Open singles champion in the stands. “Thank you, Sam Stosur for coming out and watching today," she added. "She's obviously a champion and it's a pleasure to play in front of you.”
In the pair's post-championship press conference, Sanders added that Stosur's presence helped give her the boost she needed. "Having Sam there as well watching on, it was just super amazing," she said.
"Kind of gave me a little bit of calmness knowing that she was there. I think she yelled out 'Believe in yourself' to me once, and that definitely helped."
Peers took to the on-court mic, as his wife and children waved from courtside.
“Stormy, we got one; well done,” said the 34-year-old, high-fiving his partner. “It's been a pleasure this week and a lot of fun. So, hopefully we can do a few more coming up at some point.”
MATCH POINT: In their first major together, Sanders and Peers are crowned the first all-Australian team to win a Grand Slam mixed doubles title since Jarmila Wolfe and Matthew Ebden at Australian Open 2013. They are also the first all-green and gold pairing to triumph in the US Open mixed doubles event since Todd Woodbridge and Rennae Stubbs in 2001.
