MELBOURNE - Fifth seeds Sun Tiantian of China and Serbia's Nenad Zimonjic fended off a stern challenge from Indian pair Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza to win the Australian Open mixed doubles title, 76(4) 64.

Sun and Zimonjic led 3-1 in the first set before the Indian pair fought back, reeling off three successive games until Mirza, who had her left thigh heavily strapped, lost her serve. Both pairs held serve to force the tiebreak, with Bhupathi and Mirza jumping out to a 3-0 lead before Sun and Zimonjic dragged themselves back and took it 7-4.

Sun and Zimojnic broke Bhupathi in the first game of the second set and threatened to break Mirza again in the seventh before they held championship points on Bhupathi's serve in the ninth, which the Indians managed to fight off. Zimonjic, however, sealed victory in the next game at the second opportunity when a Bhupathi volley sailed wide.