Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai claim title at Australian Open doubles event.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Elise Mertens celebrated her return to the No. 1 position in women’s doubles by teaming up with China’s Zhang Shuai to secure the Australian Open title on Saturday.
Mertens and Zhang found themselves down 3-0 and 4-1 in the opening set but fought back to defeat Anna Danilina from Kazakhstan and Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic 7-6 (4), 6-4. They established a 5-0 lead in the final set before enduring a comeback effort from Danilina and Krunic, who won four consecutive games.
Currently positioned at No. 6 in doubles, Mertens, who claimed the Wimbledon doubles title last year alongside Veronika Kudermetova, will ascend to the No. 1 ranking following the Australian Open.
This achievement will mark the Belgian player’s 40th total week at No. 1 in doubles, a milestone that was assured regardless of the result in the Melbourne Park final on Saturday.
The victory on Saturday represents Mertens’ sixth Grand Slam doubles title, with her previous wins including those at Melbourne Park in 2021 and 2024. Zhang now holds three titles, including the 2019 Australian Open and the 2021 U.S. Open.
In the men’s doubles final later, American Christian Harrison and Britain’s Neal Skupski were set to face the Australian duo of Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans. Kubler boasts a 14-3 doubles record at his home Grand Slam.
Harrison and Skupski, who both participated in last year’s ATP Finals with different partners, teamed up for the first time in Adelaide earlier this month, where they reached the semifinals.
The mixed doubles final took place on Friday, where Australians Olivia Gadecki and John Peers became the first team to win back-to-back titles since 1989, defeating the French pair of Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard 4-6, 6-3, 10-8.
Source: espn.com
