Doubles title clinches ‘Bryan Slam’

LONDON - The Bryan brothers got big air at Wimbledon on Saturday.

Yes, there was a little more room than usual between their feet and the ground for their latest version of the “Bryan Bump” - the famed chest bump they use to celebrate their victories - because of what that victory meant.

Their 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo wrapped up the Bryan Slam, making the 35-year-old identical twins from California the first men’s doubles team in the history of Open-era tennis to hold all four major titles at the same time.

“It just feels like we’re adding nuts and whipped cream and cherries to our great career,” Bob Bryan said. “We said that a few years ago: If we retire today, we feel like we’ve done it all. Let’s go have some fun and add to whatever this is.”

They now have 15 Grand Slam tournament victories, improving on the record they broke at the Australian Open when they surpassed John Newcombe and Tony Roche as the winningest men’s pairing of all time. It’s their third Wimbledon title, and the victory made the Bryans the first team to hold all the slams along with an Olympic gold medal.

If they win the U.S. Open in September, they’ll join Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman as the second men’s team to complete a calendar Grand Slam. The Aussie team did it in 1951, 17 years before the Open era began, and ended up winning seven titles in a row before the streak was snapped at the 1952 U.S. Open.

“I didn’t think anything could feel as sweet as the gold medal, but this one just feels like there’s a cap, a lid, or a ribbon around our career,” Mike Bryan said.

“It’s pretty cool. It’s something we never dreamed of,to try to win four in a row. It’s too hard to dominate in doubles. Maybe we had a little luck involved along the way.”

In the women’s final, Hsieh Su-wei and Peng Shuai won their first Grand Slam title with a 7-6 (1), 6-1 victory Saturday over Australian duo Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua.

Hsieh became the first player from Taiwan to win a Grand Slam title, while Peng gave China its first doubles title at a major in seven years.

“It’s very special because I don’t think tennis is popular in Taiwan,” Hsieh said. “We didn’t see many media during this tournament. We’re very proud we can win this tournament together with my good friend. It’s our first title, for Taiwan, so I think it’s big thing in Taiwan.”Wimbledon at a glance

LONDON - A look at Wimbledon on Saturday:

WEATHER Sunny. High of 81 degrees (27 Celsius).

WOMEN’S FINAL No. 15 Marion Bartoli of France beat No. 23 Sabine Lisicki of Germany 6-1, 6-4 to win her first Grand Slam title.

MEN’S DOUBLES FINAL No. 1 Bob and Mike Bryan of the United States beat No.

12 Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Marcelo Melo of Brazil 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to win their fourth consecutive Grand Slam title and record 15th overall.

WOMEN’S DOUBLES FINAL No. 8 Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan and Peng Shuai of China beat No. 12 Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua of Australia 7-6 (1), 6-1 to win their first Grand Slam title.

GIRLS FINAL;No. 1 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland beat No. 5 Taylor Townsend of the United States 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.

STAT OF THE DAY 47. Number of Grand Slam tournaments Bartoli has entered, the most by a woman before winning one. Jana Novotna won Wimbledon in 1998 in her 45th appearance at a major tournament.

QUOTE OF THE DAY “When I saw the packed stadium and the beautiful sky, I was like, ‘Gosh, this is going to be a great moment.’ And it was a great moment, trust me.” - Marion Bartoli.

TODAY’S MEN’S FINAL No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia vs. No. 2 Andy Murray of Britain.

TODAY’S FORECAST Mostly sunny. High of 84 (29 C).