Wimbledon | Krejcikova & Siniakova lift doubles silverware

Two Czech mates, Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova, won the Ladies doubles for a second time at The Championships on Sunday, the last match played at Wimbledon 2022, when they beat top seeds Elise Mertens & Zhang Shuai, 6-2 6-4, on the Centre Court.

We're just trying to show our best every time we step on the court, As Barbora said, we are really, really happy that we could play on the Centre Court and that we could win it. Katerina Siniakova

“Playing [a] Wimbledon final, I think, it doesn’t really matter what category you play, you always get goose bumps when you entering the court,” Krejcikova told reporters after the match. “I think, for us, we really like to play on a big court, so I think we really enjoyed the atmosphere.

“From very first point we really, really wanted to win. I’m really proud of us, that we managed to do that and that we get another trophy.”

The No 2 seeds, who also won in 2018, dropped just one set en route to their 5th Grand Slam title, which was also their 2nd of the year, having also lifted the silverware at the Australian Open after defeating Anna Danilina & Beatriz Haddad Maia in the final.

It took Krejcikova & Siniakova just 67 minutes to stamp their authority on proceedings, and they denied Mertens back-to-back titles at the All England Club, the Belgian having partnered 36-year old Hsieh Su-Wei from Chinese Taipei last year.

The Czech pair broke early to take a 3-0 lead in the opening set, and did not look back as they wrapped it up in half an hour.

Although troubled when they were broken at 3-3 in the second, opening the door for Mertens & Zhang to make a come-back, they rallied to win the next 3 games for the loss of only one point to seal their victory.

Krejcikova & Siniakova broke to love in the final game, setting up match point after a 38-stroke rally, and converting it when Zhang netted a forehand.

As a pair, the Czechs have now won Wimbledon in 2018, the French Open in 2018 and 2021, and the Australian Open earlier this year.

Top seeds Elise Mertens (L) & Zhang Shuai pose with the runners-up trophies after the final match on Centre Court of Wimbledon 2022

Mertens, the Doubles World No 1, has 3 doubles Grand Slam titles to her name, while Zhang has 2, and was looking for her first at Wimbledon.

Having first played together 3 years ago, Mertens & Zhang were unbeaten in completed matches in their grass-court reunion this summer, although they gave Lyudmyla Kichenok & Jelena Ostapenko a walkover in the final of the Rothesay Classic Birmingham, but otherwise scored 8 victories.

In the quarter-finals, Krejcikova & Siniakova rallied from being blitzed by No 10 seeds Nicole Melichar-Martinez & Ellen Perez to win, 1-6 7-6(2) 6-2.

“We’re just trying to show our best every time we step on the court,” Siniakova said. “As Barbora said, we are really, really happy that we could play on the Centre Court and that we could win it.”

It was the first Wimbledon women’s doubles final between the Top 2 seeds in 7 years, when No 1 seeds Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza defeated No 2 seeds Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina in 2015.

Krejcikova & Siniakova now own a 17-3 all-time women’s doubles record at Wimbledon after winning the junior title at the All-England Club in 2013.

They have also won Roland Garros twice in the last 5 years.

In the 2022 Grand Slam season, though, they will be looking forward to the US Open, the only major title they have yet to win.

“For sure we have many goals,” Krejcikova added. “I think the main goals are the Slams, really want to do well there.

“I think, just in general, just improving, getting better, getting to know each other more, trying to improve our game, our game style. … In doubles, but also in singles because we are both also singles players.

“I think we just want to keep going, keep having fun, just try to be better player and better person every single day.”