Olivia Gadecki and John Peers repeat as Australian Open mixed doubles champions

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Olivia Gadecki and John Peers became the first team to win consecutive Australian Open mixed doubles titles since 1989 after beating the French pair of Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard 4-6, 6-3, 10-8 on Friday.

The Australians trailed 7-5 in the final-set tiebreaker before coming back to lead 9-7. On match point and with Peers serving, Guinard hit a backhand into the net to clinch victory for the home players at Rod Laver Arena.

Wild-card entries Gadecki and Peers were the first reigning Australian Open mixed doubles champions to return to the final the following year since Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor in 2015. The 23-year-old Gadecki was born 13 years after Jim Pugh and Jana Novotna went back to back in 1988 and 1989.

"Sort of a bit shocked," Peers said. “That could have gone either way. Just sort of happy that we kept sticking with it . . . it was on a knife’s edge.”

The French team won the opening set on its second set point when Peers hit a shot wide, three games after Mladenovic double-faulted on set point and the Australian team broke to keep the set alive.

In the second set, Gadecki and Peers went ahead 3-1 on a service break and then held to take a 4-1 lead, winning 13 of 15 points to put them in control of the set and level the match.

Mladenovic was trying to win her fourth Grand Slam mixed doubles title — she won Wimbledon in 2013 and the Australian Open in 2014 with Nestor and the 2022 Australian Open mixed doubles title with Ivan Dodig. She also has six Grand Slam women's doubles titles.

"Winning a Grand Slam once is very difficult but defending it is even harder ... big congrats to you!” Mladenovic said to Gadecki and Peers.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

France's Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard address the crowd aftre losing to Australia's Olivia Gadecki and John Peers in the mixed doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Australia's Olivia Gadecki and John Peers kiss their trophy after defeating France's Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard in the mixed doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Australia's Olivia Gadecki and John Peers celebrate after defeating France's Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard in the mixed doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Australia's Olivia Gadecki, left, and John Peers, second right, are congratulated by France's Kristina Mladenovic, right, and Manuel Guinard, second left, after winning the mixed doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Australia's Olivia Gadecki and John Peers in action against France's Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard in the mixed doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Australia's Olivia Gadecki and John Peers celebrate after defeating France's Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard in the mixed doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

SEATTLE (AP) — Shane Wright scored two goals and the Seattle Kraken extended their winning streak to three games with a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night.

Brandon Montour and Matty Beniers also scored for the Kraken, who have won four of their last five games. Joey Daccord stopped 29 shots.

Nicholas Robertson and Morgan Rielly scored for Toronto, which slipped to 0-5-1 over its past six games.

Anthony Stolarz, making his second straight start in goal after missing two months with an upper body injury, allowed a goal on the opening shot for the second consecutive game and finished with 17 saves.

Wright, the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft, had the second multi-goal game of his career. He hadn't scored in his last 13 games before netting his eighth and ninth of the season.

Beniers scored 1:21 into the first period for Seattle. He has a point in five straight games and set a franchise record for 10 goals in a calendar month.

Robertson tied it at 1 with 4:58 remaining in the first on a slap shot from the top of the left circle.

Wright scored on a backhand off a rebound 6:23 into the second period, and Montour added a goal 31 seconds later to give Seattle a 3-1 lead.

After Wright’s holding penalty, the Maple Leafs capitalized with a power-play goal from Rielly 6:04 into the third period to cut their deficit to 3-2.

After forcing a defensive zone turnover, Wright’s wrist shot put Seattle up 4-2 at 8:32 in the third.

Jared McCann the 199th goal of his career into an empty net with 2:37 left.

Berkly Catton, the Kraken’s first-round pick in the 2024 NHL draft, took a hard hit to the head from Toronto’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the first period and did not return.

Up next

Maple Leafs: Host Vancouver on Saturday.

Kraken: At Las Vegas on Saturday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

CORRECTS DATE - Seattle Kraken center Berkly Catton, right, falls against Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, left, during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

CORRECTS DATE - Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, top, checks on Seattle Kraken center Berkly Catton, bottom, after a collision during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Toronto Maple Leafs center Max Domi (11) shoots as Seattle Kraken center Chandler Stephenson (9) looks on during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit (2) tries to block a shot from Seattle Kraken right wing Eeli Tolvanen (20) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord (35) blocks a shot from Toronto Maple Leafs center Bobby McMann (74) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)