Monday, August 06, 2012
MYT 2:30:02 AM
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's hopes of two gold medals on the final day of the Olympic tennis tournament were ended by Belarusian mixed doubles duo Victoria Azarenka and Max Mirnyi on Sunday.
Andy Murray had already claimed the men's singles gold by beating Roger Federer but fell just short of a magnificent double as he and partner Laura Robson lost 3-6 6-3 10-8.
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Britain's Andy Murray and Laura Robson pause during the mixed doubles tennis gold medal match against Belarus' Max Mirnyi and Victoria Azarenka at the All England Lawn Tennis Club during the London 2012 Olympic Games August 5, 2012. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth |
Roared on by a patriotic crowd still buzzing from Murray's exploits, the British pair bounded into an early lead, taking the first set comfortably.
The Belarusian top seeds hit back to take the second, however, to set up a tense championship tiebreak.
Mirnyi and Azarenka, who won bronze in the women's singles, moved 9-6 ahead and although the British pair saved two match points Azarenka's volley claimed Belarus's first gold medal in Olympics tennis.
Mixed doubles was making its return to the Olympics as a medal event for the first time since 1924.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Ed Osmond)