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After the bitter disappointment of losing the Australian Open mixed doubles final in 2006, Daniel Nestor and Elena Likhovtseva, have gone one better 12 months on, claiming the crown at Australian Open 2007.

The experienced pair toppled Belarus combination Max Mirnyi and teenager Viktoria Azarenka 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 19 minutes.

It was a worthy finale for Canadian Nestor and Russian Likhovtseva, who at 34 and 31 celebrated their maiden mixed doubles Grand Slam victory after three attempts.

Nestor now boasts an unusual doubles treble in Australia, having won the men's doubles gold medal at the 2000 Olympics and 2002 Australian Open and now the mixed.

Mirnyi, on the other hand, had to settle for runner-up for the second day in a row, with he and Jonas Bjorkman losing the men's doubles final to the Bryan brothers.

However, he was consoled by the poise and polish of his 17-year-old partner Azarenka, playing in her second Australian Open.

The pair received a wildcard into the tournament and achieved surprising victories against No.1 seeds Lisa Raymond and Bob Bryan and No.4 seeds Francesca Schiavone.

For Nestor and Russian Likhovtseva, the 2007 victory erases the memories of finals defeats at the 2000 and 2004 US Open.

"It's very nice … we're very happy. I'm glad that Elena decided not to retire at the end of last year," Nestor said.

"We played a tough team that appeared to be winning all their matches pretty easily."

The unseeded pair won the opening set in 34 minutes, consolidating their lead after breaking Mirnyi in the seventh game.

Nestor, with two set points up his sleeve, closed out the set with an overhead smash.

Mirnyi was quickly in trouble again, this time in the opening game of the second set, when he lost serve with four break points; and in the fifth when he struggled to hold after being 40-0 up on serve.

It was his teenage partner that kept them in the match with her all-round game and balance at the net and baseline. Although at times she showed her frustration, spraying her shots wide.

Nestor and Likhovtseva, meanwhile, rarely looked ruffled, apart from a minor glitch when the Muscovite dropped her serve after two double faults. It was the pair's only break of serve in the match.

They managed to break in the next game and Nestor followed up, almost assuring victory after conceding just a point in his service game.

Mirnyi kept his and Azarenka's hopes alive, holding on in the ninth game, but their more experienced opponents clinched the trophy when Likhovtseva's wide and kicking serve pushed Mirnyi out of the action, leaving a vacancy in the middle of the court which Nestor exploited.

It was grand finish, and finally brushed off the cobwebs of their 2006 mixed doubles final defeat to Martina Hingis and Mahesh Bhupathi.

"We played all last year together and played two finals and didn't succeed. I hope we continue to play all year (this year)," Likhovtseva said.

"I've been on the tour for a long time and I thought about doing something different," she said in reference to retiring. "But then I thought if I am still enjoying it and have good results, I decided to go another year."

For Azarenka, a junior Australian Open and Wimbledon singles champion, her mixed doubles partner tipped big things.

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