Harare — CARA Black raked up a total of US$186 613 after winning the mixed doubles title and reaching the women's doubles final at the just-ended Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne.

The Zimbabwean women's tennis star, who turns 31 on February 17, first made US$72 453 with her American partner Liezel Huber after losing in the final of the women's doubles at the Australian Open.

Black then picked up another US$114 160 which was at stake for the winners of the mixed doubles title, which she clinched with top Indian male player Leander Paes on the last day of the first Grand Slam of the year on Sunday.

In fact, as an individual, Black made some rich pickings at this year's Australian Open where she amassed a total of US$93 306,50.

And according to the latest Women's Tennis Association Tour Prize Money list for 2010, which was released on Monday in New York, Black has collected a total of US$228 613 on the road this year.

She has made a total of US$114 453 in the women's doubles competition with Huber, in which they first picked up a cheque for US$11 000 after winning the season-opening ASB Classic tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, at the beginning of January.

Black and Huber collected another cheque for US$31 000 after winning the women's doubles title at the Medibank International tournament in Sydney, Australia, on January 16.

And after playing in Auckland and Sydney, Black and Huber flew to Melbourne for the two-week Australian Open, which ran from January 18 to 31.

In Melbourne, they both played in the women's doubles and mixed doubles competitions.

In the women's doubles, Black and Huber, who were the top seeds, managed to fight all their way through to the final, in which, they met the second-seeded pair of Serena and Venus Williams of the United States last Friday. But Black and Huber had their dreams of winning their third straight title on the road this year as a team dashed by the Williams who beat them in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 in the final.

The Williams pocketed A$450 000 for lifting the women's doubles title at this year's Australian Open while Black and Huber received A$225 000 (approximately US$72 453) which was on the table for the losing finalists.

Apart from playing in the women's doubles final, Black also fought her way to the final of the mixed doubles with her Indian partner Paes. And they confirmed their top seeding in the mixed doubles by beating the pair of Ekaterina Makarova of Russia and Jaroslav Levinsky of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-3 in the final on Sunday.

Black and Leander were handed a cheque for A$134 460 (approximately US$114 160) for winning the mixed doubles title in Melbourne.

This saw Black amassing a total of US$186 613 in both the women's doubles and mixed doubles competitions at this year's Australian Open.

It also means that as an individual, she made US$93 306 50 in Melbourne -- not a bad amount for sweating on the courts for two weeks.

With just a month gone in the New Year, Black is now placed sixth in the WTA Tour Prize Money List for 2010 with a total of US$228 613. This brings to US$6 215 870 her career prize money since turning professional on January 1, 1998.

The WTA Tour Prize Money List for this year is currently headed by world number one singles player Serena Williams whose total earnings are US$1 984 467.

Serena took her season's tally to US$1 984 467 after she first won the women's doubles title at the Australian Open with her sister Venus last Friday before clinching the singles crown 24 hours later in Melbourne.

In second place is the woman who Serena beat in Sunday's singles final of the Australian Open -- Justin Henin of Belgium -- who has so far made US$891 231 this year. Venus (Williams (US$353 046) and the Chinese duo of Jie Zheng (US$351 421) and Na Li (US$342 328) are in third, fourth and fifth places.

Black and Huber are, however, still ranked as the top women's doubles team in the world despite their failure to lift the Australian Open title last weekend.

They are still perched at the top of the Race to the Sony Ericsson Championships Doubles Rankings with 2 150 points.

The Williams sisters -- Serena and Venus -- are lying in second place with 2 000 points while American Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs of Australia occupy third place with 901 points.

In the world doubles rankings for individual players, Black and Huber are jointly sitting on top of the pile with 9 540 points each.

They are followed by the Williams sisters who are sharing third place with 7 440 points.