Kuznetsova and Zvonareva win Australian Open doubles title

Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva became the first all-Russian team to win a major doubles title yesterday when they defeated Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in the Australian Open final. The Russian team beat the Italian team 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. Errani and Vincie are, of course, known for their exciting Fed Cup victories.

Kuznetsova won the Australian title in 2005 with Alicia Molik. This is Zvonareva's first Australian Open title; she won the U.S. Open doubles title in 2006 with Nathalie Dechy.

In the third round, Kuznetsova and Zvonareva took out top seeds Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta in a thrilling, well-played match.

Meanwhile, Esther Vergeer and Sharon Walraven defended their 2011 women's wheelchair doubles title by defeating Aniek Van Koot and Marjolein Buis 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Vergeer and Van Koot will face each other again in the singles championship match.

Elena Vesnina will not have to play her doubles partner, Sania Mirza, in the mixed doubles final. Mirza and partner Mahesh Bhupati lost their semifinal match to Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Horia Tecau. Vesnina and partner Leander Paes defeated Roberta Vinci and Daniele Braccieli in the semifinals.

In juniors, an all-USA semifinal was won by Taylor Townsend. Townsend defeated Krista Hardebeck 7-6, 6-4. In the other match, 4th seed Yulia Putintseva defeated 2nd seed Eugenie Bouchard 7-5, 6-1.

Townsend and partner Gabrielle Andrews won the junior doubles title. They defeated top seeds Irina Khromacheva and Danka Kovinic 5-7, 7-5, 10-6. Andrews and Townsend, who were unseeded in Australia, were the runners-up at the 2011 U.S. Open. Townsend, playing with Jessica Pegula, also made it to the third round of the main draw at the U.S. Open.