Spanish pair Nuria Llagostera Vives and Arantxa Parra Santonja have claimed the 2012 Brisbane International women’s doubles title following a tight 7-6(2) 7-6(2) win over American duo Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears.
Vives and Santonja, ranked 32 and 34 in the world respectively, did it the hard way – they came from 2-5 behind in both sets to force tiebreaks – before claiming them in convincing fashion.
“We had a very good attitude and we never gave up,” Vives said after the match.
While her partner, Parra Sanonja, said that their close bond on and off the court helped them get over the line.
“We know each other a lot and we have a very good relationship … I think it helps a lot during the match. We have a lot of confidence and I think it makes a big difference,” she said.
With a combined total of 18 WTA doubles titles to their name, Vives and Santonja trailed 2-5 in the first set before mounting an inspired comeback to level at 6-6.
With momentum on their side, the fourth-seeded duo looked right at home in the tiebreak, claiming it 7-2.
Remarkably, the second set was a mirror image of the first, with Kops-Jones and Spears again blowing a three-game advantage before going down in a tiebreak.
Vives paid a glowing tribute to the tennis culture in Australia, saying it is “one of the best places in the world”.
“I think Australia is one of [the] best countries for sport and especially tennis.
“The facilities are unbelievable and we have everything … of course, you enjoy playing here when there are so many people watching matches, which is very important.
“Every time we come here to Australia we enjoy [it] a lot, I think it is one of the best places in the world.”