Elise Mertens and Storm Hunter met little opposition on their way to the final, but in that final it was very different. Su-Wei Hsieh and Barbora Strycova have reached a very high level on the English turf.
The final was a real commercial for the women’s doubles. Tactics, technique and physical strength: everything discussed. Mertens made some good points, but only the experience and skills of Hsieh and Strycova were the deciding factor.
The Czech Republic, in particular, made the difference in key moments with her fine game at the net. Mertens and Hunter came from 4-1 down in the second set, but then Strycova clinched the final.
Eye-catching: Hsieh and Strycova won together in 2019 at Wimbledon. “Since then I had a baby and we’re both back together. So this is special,” Strykova said. “This is really my last Wimbledon now.”
Mertens was his third consecutive Wimbledon finalist, but could only win in 2021 (along with Hsieh). “It was a tough match,” said Mertens. “It was hard for my doubles partner to keep her serve. I delivered over four times. I didn’t serve badly myself, but she was close. Just no.”
“We lost the final, but I still enjoyed it. I had a good week with Storm. It was fun playing together, we had a great time.”
And then the eternal dilemma: Shouldn’t Mertens stop playing doubles and focus on her singles? “I won’t, I guess. Should I miss the Grand Slam final? Doubles are usually an hour. And there will still be enough energy for that.”
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