# 2026 Australian Open – Mixed doubles
The 2026 [Australian Open](https://www.edgepedia.org/australian-open) mixed doubles event was won by the Australian wild-card pairing of Olivia Gadecki and [John Peers](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-peers), who defeated France's Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard 4-6, 6-3, [10-8] in the final at [Rod Laver Arena](https://www.edgepedia.org/rod-laver-arena) on Friday, 30 January 2026[1](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/gadecki-and-peers-claim-back-back-ao-mixed-doubles-titles) • [2](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jan/30/olivia-gadecki-john-peers-australian-open-mixed-doubles-final-title). The victory made Gadecki and Peers the first team to retain the Australian Open mixed doubles title since Jana Novotna and Jim Pugh won back-to-back crowns in 1988 and 1989, and the first all-Australian duo to do so since Margaret Court and Ken Fletcher in 1963 and 1964[1](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/gadecki-and-peers-claim-back-back-ao-mixed-doubles-titles).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Champions | Olivia Gadecki (AUS) and John Peers (AUS), wild cards[1](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/gadecki-and-peers-claim-back-back-ao-mixed-doubles-titles) |
| Final | Defeated Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) and Manuel Guinard (FRA) 4-6, 6-3, [10-8] in 93 minutes[1](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/gadecki-and-peers-claim-back-back-ao-mixed-doubles-titles) • [2](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jan/30/olivia-gadecki-john-peers-australian-open-mixed-doubles-final-title) |
| Historic defense | First team to retain the AO mixed doubles title since Novotna/Pugh in 1988-89; first all-Australian pair since Court/Fletcher in 1963-64[1](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/gadecki-and-peers-claim-back-back-ao-mixed-doubles-titles) |
| Peers' record | His third Grand Slam mixed doubles title, after the 2022 US Open with Storm Sanders[1](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/gadecki-and-peers-claim-back-back-ao-mixed-doubles-titles) |
| Semifinal | Beat fourth seeds Nikola Mektic and Taylor Townsend 7-6(2), 2-6, [13-11][3](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/all-aussie-mixed-doubles-duo-one-step-snapping-37-year-drought) |
| Tournament dates | 18 January to 1 February 2026, Melbourne Park; total prize pool A$111,500,000[4](https://wtafiles.wtatennis.com/pdf/matchnotes/2026/901_MXF.pdf) |
## The final
Gadecki and Peers played catch-up for most of the match. Peers, the 37-year-old Melburnian, was broken in the opening game and again in the fifth, and Mladenovic's returns and Guinard's net attacks gave the French pair control early; the [Australians](https://www.edgepedia.org/australians) saved a couple of set points before dropping the first set in 39 minutes[1](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/gadecki-and-peers-claim-back-back-ao-mixed-doubles-titles). They took advantage of Mladenovic's off-color serving in the second set, which Peers closed with an ace after 36 minutes to level the match[1](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/gadecki-and-peers-claim-back-back-ao-mixed-doubles-titles).
The match tiebreak, played to 10 points, decided the title. The Australians fell behind 5-7 before winning five of the last six points: they moved ahead 8-7 when Mladenovic hit a long return, Peers' return made it 9-7 for two championship points, and the title was sealed when Guinard, a first-time Grand Slam finalist, netted the return of Peers' second serve[1](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/gadecki-and-peers-claim-back-back-ao-mixed-doubles-titles). Mladenovic, playing her 17th [Grand Slam](https://www.edgepedia.org/grand-slam-tennis) final, said afterward that the loss hurt because it came down to a matter of a few points[1](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/gadecki-and-peers-claim-back-back-ao-mixed-doubles-titles).
## Road to the title
In the semifinals, Gadecki and Peers defeated the fourth-seeded team of [Nikola Mektic](https://www.edgepedia.org/nikola-mektic) and [Taylor Townsend](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-townsend) 7-6(2), 2-6, [13-11], saving the match in a tight deciding tiebreak[3](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/all-aussie-mixed-doubles-duo-one-step-snapping-37-year-drought). That win made them the first reigning mixed doubles champions to reach the final at [Melbourne Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/melbourne-park) since Kristina Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor at the 2015 Australian Open[3](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/all-aussie-mixed-doubles-duo-one-step-snapping-37-year-drought).
Townsend, who reached the semifinals alongside Mektic, had the chance to join the small group of players who have won both the mixed and women's doubles titles at a single Australian Open[5](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/townsends-shot-history-all-aussie-duos-progress-doubles).
## Significance of the defense
No team had retained the Australian Open mixed doubles crown in the 37 years between the Novotna-Pugh titles of 1988-89 and the 2026 event, and no all-Australian pair had done so since Court and Fletcher in 1963-64[1](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/gadecki-and-peers-claim-back-back-ao-mixed-doubles-titles). The 2025 title had also been an all-Australian affair, with Gadecki and Peers beating Kimberly Birrell and John-Patrick Smith 3-6, 6-4, [10-6][6](https://ausopen.com/history/honour-roll/mixed-doubles).
For Peers, a former world No. 2 in the ATP doubles rankings, it was a third major mixed doubles crown, adding to the 2022 US Open won with Storm Sanders; he had previously taken the [2017 Australian Open](https://www.edgepedia.org/2017-australian-open) men's doubles title with Henri Kontinen and an Olympic gold medal in Paris 2024 with [Matthew Ebden](https://www.edgepedia.org/matthew-ebden)[1](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/gadecki-and-peers-claim-back-back-ao-mixed-doubles-titles) • [7](https://www.atptour.com/en/news/gadecki-peers-guinard-mladenovic-australian-open-2026-mixed-doubles-final).
## Context within AO 2026
The mixed doubles final was part of a strong doubles program at the tournament, which ran from 18 January to 1 February 2026 with a total prize pool of A$111,500,000[4](https://wtafiles.wtatennis.com/pdf/matchnotes/2026/901_MXF.pdf). Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski won the men's doubles title over Australian wild cards Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans 7-6(7), 6-4, and [Elise Mertens](https://www.edgepedia.org/elise-mertens) and Zhang Shuai took the women's doubles crown[8](https://www.tennis.com.au/content/dam/tennisaustralia/documents/reports/ao-by-the-numbers/AO26-By-the-Numbers.pdf). Polmans, beaten in the men's doubles final, also reached the Wimbledon mixed doubles final in July 2026 with Storm Hunter, where they lost to Marcelo Arevalo and Jelena Ostapenko[9](https://www.atptour.com/en/news/wimbledon-2026-mixed-doubles-final).
The final drew attention beyond tennis: [Bill Gates](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-gates) and Paula Hurd, friends of Peers from his student days at [Baylor University](https://www.edgepedia.org/baylor-university), watched from the stands[1](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/gadecki-and-peers-claim-back-back-ao-mixed-doubles-titles).
## References
1. [Gadecki and Peers claim back-to-back AO mixed doubles titles, Australian Open](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/gadecki-and-peers-claim-back-back-ao-mixed-doubles-titles)
2. [Home heroes Gadecki and Peers go back-to-back with Australian Open mixed doubles title, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jan/30/olivia-gadecki-john-peers-australian-open-mixed-doubles-final-title)
3. [All-Aussie mixed doubles duo one step from snapping 37-year drought, Australian Open](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/all-aussie-mixed-doubles-duo-one-step-snapping-37-year-drought)
4. [Match Notes, Australian Open 2026 Mixed Doubles, WTA](https://wtafiles.wtatennis.com/pdf/matchnotes/2026/901_MXF.pdf)
5. [Townsend's shot at history, all-Aussie duos progress in doubles, Australian Open](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/townsends-shot-history-all-aussie-duos-progress-doubles)
6. [Mixed Doubles Honour Roll, Australian Open](https://ausopen.com/history/honour-roll/mixed-doubles)
7. [Gadecki/Peers defend Australian Open mixed doubles title, ATP Tour](https://www.atptour.com/en/news/gadecki-peers-guinard-mladenovic-australian-open-2026-mixed-doubles-final)
8. [Australian Open 2026 By the Numbers, Tennis Australia](https://www.tennis.com.au/content/dam/tennisaustralia/documents/reports/ao-by-the-numbers/AO26-By-the-Numbers.pdf)
9. [Arevalo/Ostapenko rally to clinch Wimbledon crown, ATP Tour](https://www.atptour.com/en/news/wimbledon-2026-mixed-doubles-final)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Racket and precision ball sports › Tennis › Tennis tournaments and circuits › Grand Slam tournaments › Australian Open*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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