Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US (R) and Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic kiss the trophy after winning the women's doubles final at the French Open against Casey Dellacqua of Australia and Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan in Paris Sunday. — AP PARIS — Lucie Safarova made sure she left Roland Garros with at least one winner's trophy after the Czech left-hander and Bethanie Mattek-Sands won the women's doubles title Sunday. Less than 24 hours after losing to Serena Williams in the singles final, Czech Safarova and American Mattek-Sands beat Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in front of a sparse crowd on Philippe Chatrier Court. It was their second successive major title following success at the Australian Open in January. Dodig and Melo stun Bryans Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo won their first Grand Slam title by edging two-time champions Bob and Mike Bryan 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-5 in the doubles final Saturday. Melo clipped a superb lob over the head of the top-seeded Bryans to level on sets, and the Brazilian player hit the winner with a neat volley to the side to prompt wild celebrations with Dodig, a Croatian. “It's a great moment for both of us to win our first title, to beat the best team in the world and the best in history,” Dodig said. “Our main goal this season was to win a Slam. But I have to be honest, I didn't think it would happen here, as it's not our best surface. Suddenly, we have the trophy.” It was their eighth match against the Bryans, a rivalry that started in 2012, and their third win. The Bryans denied them in the finals at 2013 Wimbledon and 2014 ATP Finals. The Bryan twins were going after their 17th major title, and 107th career title. They also won at Roland Garros in 2003 and 2013. In the Court Chatrier stands, three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil cheered enthusiastically and took photos of third-seeded Melo and Dodig as they celebrated. Melo raised the trophy aloft as Kuerten — the singles champion here in 1997, 2000 and 2001 — patted him on the head. Serena mulled withdrawal Serena Williams considered withdrawing from the final against Lucie Safarova on the eve of the match as she struggled to fight off the effects of flu. Speaking after she defeated the Czech player 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-2 to take her 20th career Grand Slam title, 33-year-old Williams said that the buildup to the final had been “a nightmare” for her. “I even told the physio, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to play because this is just not looking good. I actually was really bad last night,” she said. “And then they helped me out. I hit a little bit today in the morning and I hit them pretty well. I was just like, OK, I have been playing for over 30 years. I know I can at least play tennis. After that I just went out to play a match.” The match turned out to be disjointed with both players being unable to play well at the same time, resulting in a roller-coaster of a clash. The result also left her one Wimbledon trophy away from completing what she calls the ‘Serena Slam' — holding all four slams at the same time — for the second time in her career having achieved the feat in 2003. The third Roland Garros victory has left her only behind Margaret Court (24) and Steffi Graf (22) on the list of leading major winners. — Agencies
