A forehand crosscourt set up match point, and Baghdatis netted a backhand to finish it in 2 hours 46 minutes.
mixed doubles
Martina Hingis has another Grand Slam title, her 15th, just a month into her comeback.
The 25-year-old Hingis teamed with India's Mahesh Bhupathi to beat Daniel Nestor and Elena Likhovtseva 6-3, 6-3 in the mixed doubles final.
Hingis, returning from a three-year retirement because of foot and heel injuries, also had a successful run in the singles competition, making it to the quarterfinals before losing to Kim Clijsters.
"If anyone asks me why I came back, this is why, the dream of being back on court, of winning major titles," Hingis said.
Hingis, who began her comeback in early January at a tournament on the Gold Coast, lost her serve when she and Bhupathi were up a break in the first set at 4-2. But they immediately broke Likhovtseva's serve for a 5-3 lead.
After the teams traded breaks early in the second set, Likhovtseva again had problems on her serve -- two volleying errors by the Russian gave Hingis and Bhupathi three break points.
They needed only one, breaking for a 4-3 lead when Bhupathi pounced on a volley at the net.
Hingis ran up to Bhupathi and gave him a hug at the T-line when Nestor's attempted backhand return hit the net at Rod Laver Arena to end the match.
Hingis has five Grand Slam singles titles -- three of them at the Australian Open. She has nine Grand Slam women's doubles championships among her 36 career titles but her previous best mixed doubles result was a semifinal appearance at the US Open in 1996.
Eight of Hingis' Grand Slam titles have been at Melbourne Park, including doubles crowns in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2002.
It was Bhupathi's sixth Grand Slam mixed doubles title -- with six partners. He also has three men's major doubles titles.
RSS