After a dramatic game, the duo loses in the semi-finals. Never before has a German double triumphed in Melbourne.
The dream of the first joint title has been shattered: the German “world champion double” Kevin Krawietz (32) and Tim Pütz (37) missed out on the Australian Open final after a bitter defeat. The two specialists lost to the wily Wimbledon champions Harri Heliövaara (Finland)/Henry Patten (Great Britain) after a nerve-wracking thriller 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (7-10).
Heliövaara/Patten will now face the Italian duo Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in the final. Krawietz/Pütz, on the other hand, missed out on becoming the first German doubles team in the history of the tournament to lift the trophy. David Prinosil in 2001 remains the only German to have ever made it to the doubles final.
The Wimbledon champions drew on their experience at the start of the match. An early break was enough for Heliövaara and Patten to take the first set. After that, however, Krawietz and Pütz took control because they too now played out their service games consistently. In front of a somewhat disappointing crowd in the large Rod Laver Arena, the deciding set had to be played: there, the opponents took it to the limit – with the worse end for the Germans.
The final had originally been scheduled for Friday, but will now take place late Saturday night in Melbourne.
The fourth-seeded doubles Krawietz/Pütz surprisingly triumphed at the ATP Finals in Turin, the unofficial World Cup, in November. However, veteran Pütz is still waiting for a Grand Slam title in the men’s doubles. Krawietz won the French Open in 2019 and 2020 alongside Andreas Mies, while Pütz triumphed in Paris in 2023 together with Miyu Kato of Japan in the mixed doubles.
