MELBOURNE, Australia -- Todd Woodbridge and Jonas
Bjorkman beat Zimbabwean Wayne Black and his German partner
David Prinosil 6-1, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday to win the Australian
Open men's doubles final.
Woodbridge had won 11 major doubles honors as half of the
most successful doubles partnership in Open tennis history,
alongside fellow Australian Mark Woodforde.
But this was his first with a new partner after Woodforde
retired last year.
With his victory on Rod Laver Arena court, Woodbridge also
equaled Woodforde's career haul of 12 grand slam victories.
Afterwards, he set his sights on passing that mark.
Woodbridge, 29, said: "I want to thank Jonas. He had some
big shoes to fill but he filled them very quickly, so well done.
"A lot of people have asked me why I wanted to continue when
Mark retired. Well, I knew he had 12 titles, so it's good to
have equaled him.
"I couldn't let him have one up on me!
"I'm still young, and I felt like I had another major in me,
like the one we've just won today.
"That was the driving force, and I'm going to continue
because I feel I can win more."
Woodbridge, who danced a jig of delight on court after their
victory on Saturday, said his partnership with Sweden's Bjorkman
was very different.
"It's the first time I've ever played at a grand slam
without Mark, so it's bound to feel different," said Woodbridge.
"Jonas is bringing me out of my shell. He's making me dance
on court, and now I'm even wearing my cap backwards and letting
my shirt hang out."
Woodbridge won the Australian Open doubles title with
Woodforde in 1992 and 1997.
The pair were also triumphant once at the French Open, six
times at Wimbledon and twice at the US Open.
It is Bjorkman's third Australian Open doubles crown.
He won in 1998 with Dutchman Jacco Eltingh and in 1999 with
Australian Pat Rafter.
Woodbridge and Woodforde finished with 61 doubles titles to
their name, although they could take only silver at the Sydney
Olympics last year.
Their haul of 11 grand slam titles together remains one
adrift of the all-time record, held by Australians John Newcombe
and Tony Roche.
In the Australian Open mixed doubles event, South African
Ellis Ferreira and American Corina Morariu advanced to Sunday's
final with a 6-4 7-5 victory over South Africa's Robert Koenig
and American Meghann Shaughnessy in the semifinal on Saturday.
In Sunday's final, they will meet Australian Joshua Eagle
and Barbara Schett of Austria.
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