Errani, Vinci win Australian doubles

MELBOURNE, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci defeated Australians Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua and won the women's double title Friday at the Australian Open.

Errani and Vinci, the No. 1 seeds, beat the Australians 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.

Barty and Dellacqua opened the third set with a break but the Italian team quickly rallied to take control of the set and pick up the championship.

It was the third doubles title in the last four Grand Slam tournaments for Errani and Vinci, who were the runners-up at the 2012 Australian Open, and winners at the French and U.S. opens.

Errani and Vinci knocked off No. 12-seeded Serena and Venus Williams in the quarterfinals and beat fourth-seeded Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in the semifinals.

Barty and Dellacqua, who had played only seven matches together before the Australian Open, opened their tournament with an upset of third-seeded Maria Kirilenko and Lisa Raymond and didn't drop a set until the finals. They were the first all-Australian team to make the women's doubles final in 35 years.