Australian doubles pair Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Groth bowed out of the Australian Open on Wednesday after losing their quarter-final to Colombian 11th seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 6-4, 7-5 on Margaret Court Arena.
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It was an emotional ending for Groth, as the loss spelled the end of his ATP career after he announced his retirement prior to the tournament.
The big-serving New South Welshman broke down in tears at the conclusion of the 89-minute match as he thanked his family and fans for all the support they had given him over the years.
Cabal and Farah will now face legendary American doubles duo Mike and Bob Bryan in the semi-finals.
The Bryan brothers, who already hold the all-time record of men's doubles grand slam titles for a team (16), are chasing a seventh Australian Open title and their first since 2013.
Hewitt and Groth hit more winners than the Colombian pairing (35-26) but also doubled them for unforced errors (18-9).
The big points were where the Australians came undone. Cabal and Farah were efficient when their break-point opportunities came up too, winning two of three, while Hewitt and Groth failed to convert either of their two chances.
The Colombians' superiority in percentage of first serves in (79-68) and percentage of second-serve points won (53-33) also proved to be decisive factors.
