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2019 Doubles Champions: [4] A.Sabalenka -15- (BLR) and E.Mertens -07- (BEL)
Match recap from Arthur Ashe Stadium announcer Andy Taylor.
► [8] Victoria Azarenka -26- (BLR) and Ashleigh Barty -09- (AUS) 75 75
Today, at just 21 and 23-years-old, Aryna Sabalenka and Elise Mertens earned new designations: Grand Slam Champions. The two teamed for the first time this year in Melbourne – then captured the Sunshine Double, winning 10 consecutive matches in Indian Wells and Miami. After runs to the Semifinals at Roland Garros and the Wimbledon Quarterfinals, here in New York – they strung together six straight victories to lift their first Major trophy.
Meanwhile, Vika and Ashley also launched their partnership at the Australian Open. 4 events later, they lifted their first trophy together in Rome. At Roland Garros, Barty won her first Singles Slam, became World #1, and held the sport’s top-ranking for 6-weeks. Here in New York, they endured a wild ride to the Final, knocking-out to the top-seeds Kristina Mladenovic and Timea Babos in the Quarters.
Barty won her first Grand Slam title here last year, teaming with Coco Vandeweghe. This year, she and Vika came-up just short, in two tight sets. Azarenka will remember this one. Sabalenka and Mertens broke her late in both sets 1 and 2. She then missed an overhead on championship point.
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[4] Aryna Sabalenka -15- (BLR) and Elise Mertens -07- (BEL)
This team joined forces for the first time at the Australian Open. In March, they won 10 consecutive matches to capture the Sunshine Double – winning back-to-back titles at Indian Wells and Miami. Semifinalists at Roland Garros and Quarterfinalists at Wimbledon – today, both are competing in their first championship match at a Major.
Last year’s WTA Newcomer of the Year – in under 2-years this 21-year-old has accumulated 3 WTA Singles titles, 2 Doubles titles, and today – makes her Grand Slam championship match debut. In 2017, she burst onto the scene at just 18-years-old, winning the Tie-clinching Rubber over Switzerland to lift her country to the Fed Cup Final for the first time. From Belarus, please welcome Aryna Sabalenka.
At 23-years-old, over the past 2-years she’s won 5 WTA Singles titles, 8 Doubles titles, and qualified for the year-end Doubles Championship at the WTA Finals. A Singles Semifinalist at this year’s Australian Open, earlier this week – she reached the Singles Quarterfinals here at the US Open for the first time. In pursuit of her first Grand Slam title – From Belgium, please welcome Elise Mertens.
▲ FF: def [8] Victoria Azarenka -26- (BLR) and Ashleigh Barty -09- (AUS) 75 75
▲ SF: def Caroline Dolehide -114- (USA) and Vania King -198- (USA) 46 63 64
▲ QF: def [12] Yinging Duan -25- (CHN) and Saisai Zheng -28- (CHN) 64 63
▲ R3: def Sara Sorribes Tormo -69- (ESP) and Viktorija Golubic -75- (SUI) 63 75
▲ R2: def Karolina Muchova -1183- (CZE) and Jil Teichmann -460- (SUI) 76(1) 63
▲ R1: def Yafan Wang -76- (CHN) and Anna Blinkova -66- (RUS) 63 64
[8] Victoria Azarenka -26- (BLR) and Ashleigh Barty -09- (AUS)
This tandem also paired for the first time at this year’s Australian Open – and in just their 4th event together, captured the doubles title in Rome.
At 30-years-old, she is a 2-time Grand Slam Mixed Doubles Champion, an Olympic Gold Medalist, and owns 8 WTA Doubles titles. A former World #1, she owns 2 Australian Open Singles titles, is a 2-time US Open Singles Finalist, and spent 51-weeks at the sport’s top-ranked player. From Belarus, please welcome Victoria Azarenka.
Last year, this 23-year-old captured her first Grand Slam title right here in Arthur Ashe Stadium, teaming with Coco Vandeweghe to win the Doubles title. This year, she won her first Grand Slam Singles title at Roland Garros, claimed the World #1 ranking for the first time, and lifted Australia to it’s first Fed Cup Final in 26-years. She owns 10 WTA Doubles titles, and today – is competing in her 6th Grand Slam Doubles Championship. From Australia, please welcome defending champion Ashleigh Barty.
▲ SF: def Viktoria Kuzmova -52- (CZE) and Aliaksandra Sasnovich -113- (BLR) 60 61
▲ QF: def [1] Kristina Mladenovic -02- (FRA) and Timea Babos -03- (HUN) 26 75 61
▲ R3: def Caty McNally -111- (USA) and Coco Gauff -140- (USA) 60 61
▲ R2: def Nadiia Kichenok -47- (UKR) and Abigail Spears -41- (USA) 63 36 76(10)
▲ R1: def Monica Niculescu -36- (ROU) and M Gasparyan -81- (RUS) 46 61 61
Head to Head
These two teams had met once before – earlier this year in the Miami Semifinals. Aryna Sabalenka and Elise Mertens won that match in a very tight 2-sets. Final: 76(6) 75.
