Djokovic outlasts Thiem for 8th title; Kenin wins women’s

MELBOURNE, Australia — Serbia’s Novak Djokovic on Sunday defeated Dominic Thiem of Austria 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 for a record-extending eighth Australian Open title and 17th overall at Grand Slams.

Second seed Djokovic got the deciding break for 2-1 in the final set and, after saving break points in the following game, completed his comeback victory on first match point after four hours of play.

Fifth seed Thiem and Djokovic traded shot for shot — and double fault for double fault — in the first three hours of the contest.

After being gifted the first set with a Thiem double fault, Djokovic faltered late in the second, losing six consecutive games during which he dropped the set and decisively fell behind in the third.

The Serbian then stepped off the court for five minutes — in what appeared to be a medical time-out — and looked reenergized again midfourth, when he pressed Thiem into three mistakes, taking a 5-3 lead and eventually forcing the deciding

set where he denied Thiem a first grand slam title in his third final.

“Congratulations to Dominic for an amazing tournament,” Djokovic said after the win.

Kenin beats Muguruza to capture first Grand Slam title

Fourteenth-seeded American Sofia Kenin defeated former world No. 1 Garbine Muguruza 46, 6-2, 6-2, in the Australian Open final on Saturday to claim her first career Grand Slam title.

The 21-year-old became the youngest to win the title in Melbourne since Maria Sharapova defeated Ana Ivanovic in the 2008 final between 20-year-olds, when Muguruza hit an eighth double fault on second match point.

In the first Australian Open final in the Open Era between players ranked outside the top 10, Kenin came back from a set down to defeat the Spanish 26-year-old in just over two hours, playing some outstanding defense and putting increasing pressure on her opponent’s serve.

At 2-2 in the final set, Kenin found herself in a 0-40 hole, but hit five winners to counter Muguruza’s assault and hold. The Spaniard then hit four unforced errors to give Kenin a break point and a double fault to hand Kenin a 4-2 lead.