Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai Capture Women’s Doubles Championship
In a thrilling comeback that showcased their resilience, the pair of Elise Mertens from Belgium and Zhang Shuai from China captured the women’s doubles championship at the Australian Open on Saturday. After falling behind early in the match, trailing 3-0 and 4-1 in the opening set, the duo fought back to secure victory against Kazakhstan’s Anna Danilina and Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic with a score of 7-6(4), 6-4.
Match Highlights
Displaying formidable skill, Mertens and Zhang surged ahead in the second set, racing to a 5-0 lead before holding off a fierce rally from their opponents, who managed to win four consecutive games. This title represents Mertens’ sixth Grand Slam trophy in doubles, a remarkable feat that includes previous victories at both the 2021 and 2024 Australian Opens.
Ranking Implications
With this win, Mertens is set to reclaim the No. 1 ranking in women’s doubles, a position she has held for a total of 40 weeks throughout her career. Currently placed at No. 6 in the doubles rankings, she had distinguished herself last year by clinching the Wimbledon doubles title alongside Veronika Kudermetova. Notably, both Mertens and Zhang had previously reached the Wimbledon finals in 2022, while their opponents Danilina and Krunic were runners-up at the French Open in the same year.
Upcoming Matches
In related events, the men’s doubles final is set to feature American Christian Harrison partnering with Britain’s Neal Skupski against the Australian duo of Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans. Kubler heads into the match with an impressive 14-3 record at his home Grand Slam.
Mixed Doubles Final
Earlier in the tournament, the mixed doubles final concluded with an exciting outcome as Australians Olivia Gadecki and John Peers triumphed over France’s Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard, marking a historic repeat as champions for Gadecki and Peers, the first pair to achieve consecutive mixed doubles titles since 1989.
