Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini triumphed in the men’s doubles final of the Australian Open on Saturday night, ending Italy’s barren run in the format.

Bolelli and Fognini defeated Frenchmen Nicholas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 22 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.

It was the first time an Italian pair had won a grand slam men’s doubles title since 1959.

“We played a great week .. but we never thought we’d be here at the start of the tournament,” Bolelli said.

The unseeded duo broke the serve of Herbert to take a 5-4 lead in the first set, with Bolelli battling back from 0-30 to hold serve and grab the early advantage.

In the second set they managed to broke the serve of Mahut to take another 5-4 lead.

Bolelli, who lost to Roger Federer in the second round of the singles draw, held his nerve at championship point to serve out the match.

It was a breakthrough victory for the Davis Cup teammates, who reached the semi-finals of the US Open in 2011 and the 2013 Australian Open.

“We tried our best today and it was not enough,” Mahut said.

“This is our first tournament together and I’m pretty sure we’ll have more success.”