Siniakova and Townsend claim second grand slam title at Australian Open
Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend secured their second grand slam title in a tense Australian Open women's doubles final, defeating Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko.
Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend have clinched their second grand slam title following a thrilling comeback victory in the Australian Open women's doubles final.
The Czech Republic's Siniakova and American Townsend triumphed over Taiwanese veteran Hsieh Su-wei and Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, securing the win with a score of 6-2 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 during their Australia Day showdown on Rod Laver Arena.
Initially, the top-seeded duo appeared poised for an easy win as they led 5-3 in the second set. However, a shaky performance from Townsend while serving for the match allowed their rivals to bounce back, equalising at 5-5. Hsieh then held serve to gain a 6-5 lead.
Despite this setback, World No.1 Siniakova maintained her perfect serving record, pushing the match to a tiebreak. Unfortunately, she and Townsend struggled to keep up with Hsieh and Ostapenko, resulting in the loss of the second set.
In the final set, both teams fought fiercely until the eighth game, where confusion over who would return a break point led to Hsieh losing her serve. This opportunity permitted Siniakova to serve for the championship, and she ultimately seized the moment.
Siniakova partnered with Townsend following the injury of her initial Australian partner, former top-ranked Storm Hunter, who ruptured her achilles in April. This partnership has now resulted in their first major title together, having previously won their first at Wimbledon.
This victory marks Siniakova's third title from four Australian Open women's doubles finals, having won in 2022 and 2023 alongside Barbora Krejcikova, and it represents her overall tenth major title. For Townsend, this is her first win at Melbourne Park.
The victory prevented Hsieh, coached by former Australian Open tournament director and doubles legend Paul McNamee, from claiming her eighth grand slam doubles title alongside a fifth different partner.
Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open singles champion, sought to claim her second consecutive title after her previous win with Ukrainian Lyudmyla Kichenok at the US Open last year. Last year, Hsieh won the Open with Belgian Elise Mertens, overcoming Ostapenko and Kichenok in the final.
Ostapenko, currently ranked 22nd in singles, teamed with Hsieh for the first time this year, marking their collaboration debut at a tournament in Adelaide.
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