Jamie Murray believes his relationship with doubles partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands was pivotal in helping him become the first man in the Open Era to win three successive mixed doubles titles at Flushing Meadows.
The duo defended their crown after a straight-sets 6-2, 6-3 victory over Chan Hao-Ching and Michael Venus, with the 33-year-old Scot securing a US Open title for the fourth successive year after first winning the men’s doubles in 2016.
The Olympian also won the mixed doubles at Flushing Meadows with Martina Hingis in 2017, switching partners the following year and joining forces with the American Mattek-Sands.
And he was quick to heap the praise on his partner and emphasise the importance of their relationship in the triumph.
“We played amazing, the whole two weeks we’ve played a lot of great tennis,” he said.
“Bethanie was so fired up today – it’s always a pleasure to play with her.
“Bethanie is good fun to play with and we have a great chemistry on court.
“She's a smart player, has a lot of skills and is very creative, plus she's feisty, gets stuck in and doesn't hold back.”
Murray’s title defence was the seventh Grand Slam victory of his career, a glittering record and one that makes him one of Britain’s most decorated players.
Backed by a partisan Flushing Meadows crowd, Murray and Mattek-Sands broke twice in a first set they went on to dominate.
And that set the tone for the rest of the final, with the duo breaking again at 4-3 in the second and a powerful backhand down the line from the American sealing a remarkable victory.
“We have the benefit in New York of her being a home player, so we've had fantastic support in all the matches we've played here in the past couple of years,” Murray added.
“She's a very popular player, which you can see with the number of people wanting to talk to her and have selfies when she's walking around the site, and she has got a good following.
"It's easier playing on the big courts, I know Beth loves it, playing in front of lots of people and she played an amazing match.
“Bethanie says I’m the ying to her yang! I’m really, really, really happy to win again.”
Sportsbeat 2019