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The second seeded Belgian and Belarus pair of Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka have clinched their maiden doubles title at the ongoing Australian Open. The duo shared a great camaraderie and had previously won the US Open in 2019 by trouncing Victoria Azarenka and World No. 1 in women's singles Ash Barty.
Mertens and Sabalenka crushed past third seeded Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 6-3 and etched their names on the silverware. They pocketed the match on their fourth championship point. However, Krejcikova has another shot at winning a trophy along with partner American Rajeev Ram in the mixed doubles section of the Australian Open.
“It’s been a tough couple of weeks and I want to thank everyone who made this tournament possible. Thanks to my partner and we didn’t have fans for a couple of days and I’m really glad they are back,” said ecstatic Mertens after the victory.
Mertens and Sabalenka wasted three championship points in the last set but held their nerves to win in the fourth point. They are increasingly becoming one of the best women’s doubles pair since their debut in 2019. Sabalenka is a top 10 seeded women’s singles player.
In the men’s tennis first semi-final, eight-time champion Novak Djokovic steamrolled past Aslan Karatsev. It was Aslan’s first grand slam tournament. In the 2nd semi-final, Stefanos Tsitsipas will face off against Daniil Medvedev at the Rod Laver Arena. The winner will face the Serbian Djokovic in the finals. Meanwhile, the final of the Women’s singles tournament will be played on February 20 between Jennifer Brady and Naomi Osaka at the Rod Laver Arena.