Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka completed their impressive season by winning their maiden Grand Slam double title following their “Sunshine Double” at Indian Wells and Miami.
Mertens and Sabalenka beat Victoria Azarenka and this year’s Roland Garros singles champion Ashleigh Barty 7-5 7-5 on the Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Belgian and Belarusian doubles team beat Barty and Azarenka for the second time this following their 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 victory in the Miami semifinal last March.
Mertens and Sabalenka converted on their four break points. Barty and Azarenka broke just twice out of their eight break point chances.
Azarenka and Barty earned the first break of the match in the fourth game at love to take a 3-1 lead. Mertens and Sabalenka got the break straight back in the fifth game after a double fault from Barty. Sabalenka saved two break points in the next game, as both teams went on serve until 4-3. Barty held serve at love with two consecutive aces to take a 5-4 lead. Sabalenka held serve to draw level to 5-5 before earning a break point in the next game after Azarenka and Barty led 40-15 on Azarenka’s serve. Sabalenka and Barty broke serve to take a 6-5 lead, when Barty hit a volley wide. As Mertens was serving for the set, Azarenka and Barty went up a 0-30 lead, but the Belgian player fought back to earn a set point. Sabalenka netted a volley to waste the set point. The Belarusian player hit a drop volley winner to bring up a second set point chance and sealed it with an overhead winner.
Both teams traded breaks at the start of the second set, before Azarenka and Barty went up a 0-40 lead on Mertens’s serve at 4-3. Mertens and Sabalenka saved all three chances. The Belgian player saved a break point chance with a backhand winner down the line. Sabalenka held serve to draw level to 4-4.
Mertens and Sabalenka came back from 40-15 down to deuce. Azarenka hit an overhead into the net to face a break point.
Mertens and Sabalenka broke serve, when Azarenka sent her backhand wide. Mertens earned a championship point at 40-30 after Barty hit her return wide.
Mertens sealed the win, when Azarenka hit a long smash.
“I think from the start of the season we are going to play together. We didn’t think we would achieve this big thing. I am really happy about it. I think we are growing as two doubles players playing together”, said Mertens during the press conference.
