Mertens places her name on the honors list of the Australian Open for a third time. In 2021 she won the first grand slam of the season together with the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, the current number one in singles, in 2024 she did so with the Taiwanese Hsieh Su-Wei.
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In 2021 (with Hsieh) and 2025 (with Veronika Kudermetova), Mertens won Wimbledon, and in 2019 the US Open (with Sabalenka). Mertens lost a Grand Slam final twice, each time at Wimbledon, in 2022 with Zhang, and in 2023 with the Australian Storm Hunter. Zhang celebrated her third Grand Slam final, the second in Melbourne. With Australian Samantha Stosur she won the Australian Open in 2019 and the US Open in 2021.
After the Australian Open, Mertens returns to first place in the WTA doubles rankings for the first time since June 2024. In May 2021 she became the world’s best doubles player for the first time, and on Monday she will start her fortieth week as number one in her tenth reign.
Elise Mertens: “It is very nice to be number one in doubles again”
“Being able to win a sixth Grand Slam title is of course what you dream of as a little girl. I have been able to do this twice in recent years and to be able to do this a third time is a dream. I had a lot of emotions after the last match ball. We started a little worse, but still kept fighting back. That way we were still able to win that first set.”
“I was happy at 5-4 that I could serve out. I was full of confidence and I felt that we really had to go for it. The click with Shuai Zhang is certainly there, because it is not someone who has left her hanging. We are similar in that respect. That is why we make such a good team”
“Looking ahead to Roland Garros is still a bit far. If it were to happen, that would be very nice. I certainly won’t let my career depend on it. Above all, we have to enjoy this Grand Slam victory. The start of the year has certainly been made. It is very nice that I am number one in doubles again. I am also happy that it is over, because it was two intensive weeks.”
