Russian tennis players Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Andrey Rublev won Olympic gold in the mixed doubles final against compatriots Elena Vesnina and Aslan Karatsev.

Pavlyuchenkova and Rublev squandered four match points and staved off one in a thrilling super tie-break as they eventually won 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 13-11.

Rublev was ranked seventh in the world by the Association of Tennis Professionals during Tokyo 2020.

In his singles career, he has reached the quarter-finals of the Australian, French and US Opens.

He reached the fourth round at Wimbledon earlier in 2021.

He was born in Moscow in October 1997, and his father was a former professional boxer and his mother a tennis coach at the Spartak Tennis Club.

She worked with the likes of Anna Kournikova.

Nine aces and 86 per cent of break points saved were key for Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Andrey Rublev's victory ©Getty Images
Nine aces and 86 per cent of break points saved were key for Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Andrey Rublev's victory ©Getty Images

Born in Samara, Pavlyuchenkova also has a sporting family.

Her father was a rower, her mother was a swimmer and her brother, Alexander, played professional tennis, reaching a career-high ranking of 705.

The 30-year-old was ranked 18th in the world by the Women's Tennis Association during the Olympics.

She reached the final of the French Open in June 2021 but lost 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 to Barbora Krejčíková.

In her career, she has also reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open three times as well as the same stage in the US Open and Wimbledon.