Wimbledon: Bob and Mike Bryan win men’s doubles

THE Bryan brothers Bob and Mike won the Wimbledon men’s doubles yesterday to complete a “Golden Slam” - holding all four majors and the Olympic title simultaneously.

It is quite an achievement from the 35-year-old identical twins from California, who break records tournament after tournament.

No other doubles team have held all four grand slam titles at the same time in the open era and yesterday they extended their own all-time record for the most titles as a duo to 15.

The Bryan brothers achieved the latest feat by overcoming Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo on Centre Court.

Their opponents, making their sixth grand slam appearance together, started brightly, taking the first 6-3 in 31 minutes.

However, the top seeds were not to be denied and stormed back to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to secure their third Wimbledon title, leaving them one title short of the calendar slam.

Meanwhile, Belinda Bencic of Switzerland beat Taylor Townsend of the United States 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to win the Wimbledon girls’ championship.

It’s the second consecutive junior grand slam title for the 16-year-old Bencic, following the French Open last month.

The top-seeded Bencic also defeated the 17-year-old Townsend in Paris and at the grass-court Wimbledon warm-up tournament at Roehampton, England. Townsend won the 2012 Australian Open girls’ title.

“Everything is difficult when you play her. It’s really tough to play against her every time,” Bencic said.

The Swiss is coached by her father and Melanie Molitor, who is the mother of five-time major champion Martina Hingis.

However, there was disappointment later for Bencic as she and her partner Petra Uberalova of Slovakia lost to Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine and Iryna Shymanovich of Belarus 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 in the semi-finals of the girls’ doubles.

Teenage British prosopect Kyle Edmund’s junior career ended in disappointment as he and his Portuguese partner exited the boys’ doubles at the semi-final stage. The 18-year-old from Beverley in East Yorkshire is widely considered as Britain’s best male prospect since Andy Murray emerged and is joining the men’s tour on a full-time basis.

Edmund and Frederico Ferreira Silva lost 6-4 7-6 (9/7) to the
top seeded Enzo Couacaud of France and Italian Stefano Napolitano.