Elise Mertens remembered from last year that it would not be an easy task. She then lost the final match alongside Hsieh Su Wei against Kryjsikova and Sinyakova. The Czech duo also lost only 3 times this season and won 3 Grand Slam titles.
So Mertens still had a piece of the pie with the Czechs, as Kuidermetova wanted revenge for the losing semi-final at the Australian Open. The Belgian-Russian duo started strong with two breaks and a 4-0 lead, and was good to win the first set.
Mertens and Koidermova also had a break in the second set, but the Czechs have now fought back. With 3 impressive matches in a row, Krejcikova and Siniakova had a great tiebreak.
And the reigning champions continued their momentum: in a jiffy, Mertens and Koidermova faced down 7-2 behind. But they didn’t throw the towel. “I asked Elise to continue to believe and stay positive,” said Kuidramitova. And it worked. They rebalanced the boards and finished the match at the second match point.
For Mertens and Koidermetova, this is their third title together. Mertens, who now has 16 double titles on her record, climbed once again to the top five in the WTA double rankings. Her partner Kudermetova became No. 2.
Elise Mertens walked away after her first successful WTA Finals. “You can feel the match starting to turn, so I’m definitely proud to have us back in the tiebreak,” she said.
“We always believed in it. This title is definitely in my top 5, along with the Grand Slam titles. We play here against the best 8 in the world, nothing is higher. This is one of my most beautiful titles anyway.”
“Just clicked this week. We took our chances and always stayed positive. Kids can learn from this: anything is possible.”
However, Mertens still has to wait for the holiday, as she now travels to Glasgow for the final stage of the Billie Jean King Cup. “I hope I can still make my journey. We have a strong squad with Yesalin, Marina and Alisson, but maybe I can still play doubles.”
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