Number 2 seeds Hsieh-Su and Elise Mertens beat number 3 seeds Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova 7-5 1-6 6-3 after 2 hours and 35 minutes under a close roof on Margaret Court Arena to reach the women’s doubles final at the Australian Open in Melbourne. The semifinal clash involved four players who have held the WTA Doubles World number 1 ranking.
Hsieh and Mertens played their first Grand Slam tournament back together since 2021, when they triumphed in Wimbledon.
“It’s a little bit different because we have not played together for a few years, but I know what she is doing, because I watching her at home on TVV. I have a big TV to make sure I follow all the girls”, said Hsieh.
Mertens won three Grand Slam doubles titles. The Belgian player teamed up with Aryna Sabalenka to win the Australian Open doubles title in 2021. Hsieh has claimed six Grand Slam titles in the women’s doubles, but she has not triumphed at the Australian Open. She achieved her best result in Melbourne in 2020, when she reached the final alongside Barbora Strycova.
Hunter and Siniakova earned a double break to open up a 4-0 lead. Mertens and Hsieh came back by winning seven of the next eight games with three breaks of serve to clinch the first set 7-5.
Hunter and Siniakova broke twice in the second and sixth games to race out to a 5-1 lead and served out the second set in the next game on their second set point.
Hsieh and Mertens saved all six break points they faced in the third set and converted their only break point of the third set with a volley from Hsieh to take a 5-3 lead.
Hsieh earned a match point with a volley winner. Mertens converted it with a crosscourt backhand. Hsieh and Mertens set up a final against either number 11 seeds Lyusdmila Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko or number 4 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe. Hsieh will play the first mixed doubles final of her career alongside Jan Zielinski against Desirae Krawczyk and Neal Skupski.
