Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
New York: Wimbledon champions Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza captured their second consecutive Grand Slam women’s doubles crown Sunday, defeating Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 6-3 in the US Open final.
India’s Mirza and Swiss veteran Hingis did not drop a set in becoming the first top-seeded duo to win the US Open women’s doubles title since Cara Black and Liezel Huber won the 2008 crown.
“It has been a great year for us,” Mirza said.
“To win Wimbledon was a great year. Then to come back and back it up to win the US Open, we feel like we’re a really solid team. And we came through again today.”
Hingis also won the mixed doubles alongside a partner from India, men’s doubles veteran Leander Paes.
It was the 11th career Grand Slam doubles title for Hingis, 34, who has won four Australian Opens (1997, 1998, 1999, 2002), two French Opens (1998, 2000), three at Wimbledon (1996, 1998, 2015) and two on the New York hardcourts in 1998 with Jana Novotna and this year.
Hingis, who hit a backhand volley winner to break for the win after 70 minutes, won 14 matches in a row when she began playing alongside Mirza in March, taking titles at Indian Wells, Miami and Charleston before the streak ended in the Rome final.
“From the start, we hit it off,” Hingis said. “Our games work well together.”
Mirza, the world doubles number one at 28, won her only prior Slam women’s doubles title with world doubles number two Hingis in July at the All England Club.
Australian left-hander Dellacqua, 30, had been seeking her first Grand Slam doubles crown but settles for a sixth runner-up showing, including the 2013 US and Australian Opens and Wimbledon plus the 2008 and 2015 French Opens.
Kazak Shvedova, 28, owns two major women’s doubles titles from 2010 at Wimbledon and the US Open.
She delayed her wedding so she could play in the final.
“I will be flying home tomorrow, landing home Tuesday, getting married Wednesday and then flying to another tournament,” Shvedova said. “To my American family, save my bachelorette party for later.”
Hingis was also the US Open doubles runner-up last year alongside Italy’s Flavia Pennetta, who won her first Grand Slam singles crown Saturday by beating compatriot Roberta Vinci in the singles final.
Mirza and Hingis have reached finals in six of 12 tournaments together while Dellacqua and Shvedova have made four finals from seven pairings since partnering in May.
“It has been great,” Dellacqua said. “Slava and I get along well off the court. Our games complement each other. The more we keep playing together the more we will improve.”
