Britain’s Jamie Murray moved a step closer to an eighth Grand Slam doubles title as he and Bethanie Mattek-Sands reached the Australian Open final.

Murray and American Mattek-Sands saw off Australian wild cards Astra Sharma and John-Patrick Smith 6-3 7-6 (7-4).

They will face fifth seeds Barbora Krejcikova from the Czech Republic and Croatia’s Nikola Mektic on Saturday.

“There was a lot at stake. For us to be in the final is really exciting,” said Murray, 33.

Murray and Mattek-Sands won in one hour and 22 minutes with the roof closed over Rod Laver Arena because of the extreme heat policy, after temperatures topped 40C.

The Scot is chasing a sixth mixed doubles title to add to the two men’s doubles majors he won at Melbourne Park and the US Open in 2016.

Murray and Mattek-Sands have already won two mixed doubles titles together, with both coming at the US Open.

Britain’s Joe Salisbury and American partner Rajeev Ram are into the men’s doubles final, where they face Australians Luke Saville and Max Purcell on Sunday.

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