Hantuchova and Sugiyama upset Black and Huber in major thriller

Earlier today, I said it was time to talk about doubles. Now, it's really time to talk about doubles. Top seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber have been upset in the Australian Open quarterfinals by Daniela Hantuchova and Ai Sugiyama, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6. The three-hour ordeal was an absolute thriller, with Black and Huber finally dominating the first set with a 7-0 tiebreak score, Hantuchova and Sugiyama getting themselves together in the second, and back-to-back thrills occurring in the third.

Of course, that third set didn't look too thrilling for a while, although there were some very entertaining rallies. Hantuchova and Sugiyama were down, 2-5, and it just looked like a matter of moments before Black and Huber won the match. But suddenly, Hantuchova and Sugiyama began to play completely in sync with one another, with Hantuchova setting up superb volleys for Sugiyama. About this time, Black became somewhat vulnerable, too, which gave her opponents some room to hit shots between her and Huber.

Hantuchova and Sugiyama brought the match to a tiebreak, but then went down 2-6 in that. Again, the match appeared to be over, and again, Hantuchova and Sugiyama refused to go out. They won the tiebreak 12-10, and saved a total of seven match points. The crowd response was tremendous throughout, as the reunited team of Hantuchova and Sugiyama played one the best matches of their careers.