Melbourne: Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai, who last played a Grand Slam together at Wimbledon in 2022, reunited at the Australian Open to win the women’s doubles title.
The Belgian-Chinese duo defeated Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic 7-6(4), 6-4 to win what is a ninth Grand Slam doubles title between them in just their seventh career event as a pair. Mertens now has six Grand Slams, three in Australia, while Zhang has three. Zhang lifted her other women’s doubles trophies with the now-retired Samantha Stosur at the 2019 Australian Open and the 2021 US Open. Mertens has now won a doubles Grand Slam in each of the last three years. Currently ranked World No. 6, Mertens was assured of getting back to World No. 1 regardless of the final result. She will log her 40th week on top next week. Agencies
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