Mertens and Zhang Rekindle Fire for Australian Open Doubles Crown
Four years after Wimbledon heartache, Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai turned their reunion into gold on Melbourne’s hard courts, outlasting Danilina and Krunic in a final thick with comebacks and close calls.
Under the glare of Rod Laver Arena, Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai stepped back into partnership at the 2026 Australian Open, their last Grand Slam doubles run a distant memory from Wimbledon’s grass four years prior. The Belgian and Chinese veterans, once the top two in doubles rankings, wasted no time syncing their games on the plexicushion surface, where quick bounces rewarded their aggressive returns and net rushes. This seventh event together yielded immediate dividends, capping a tournament path marked by resilience against younger foes and tactical grit.
Erasing the first-set shadow
Trailing 1-4 against the seventh-seeded Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic in the opener, Mertens and Zhang flipped the script with a four-game surge, Mertens’ heavy topspin forehands pulling opponents wide while Zhang poached volleys crosscourt. The Kazakh-Serbian pair, runners-up at Roland Garros last spring, pressed with down-the-line passes, but the No. 4 seeds held firm, squandering two set points at 6-5 before a 6-0 tiebreak lead sealed the 7-6(4) frame on their seventh opportunity. This rally echoed their second-round escape, saving three match points to edge teenagers Iva Jovic and Victoria Mboko 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(10), Zhang’s underspin slices disrupting the kids’ baseline power amid rising crowd cheers.
Building second-set momentum
Storming to a 5-0 edge in the second set, the duo unleashed one-two patterns—Mertens’ deep serves setting up Zhang’s inside-out forehand winners—that exploited the hard court’s pace, forcing errors from Danilina’s flat groundstrokes. Krunic’s lobs clawed back ground, erasing two championship points at 5-2 and stretching the finish to 6-4 after a tense net exchange. Mertens now claims six doubles Slams, three in Melbourne, while Zhang adds a third to her tally from the 2019 Australian Open and 2021 US Open alongside retired Samantha Stosur.
Mertens, ranked No. 6 entering the event but assured of the top spot, will log her 40th week at No. 1 come Monday, her steady returns and volley precision key to the reunion’s success. Their Wimbledon final loss that year to Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova, plus a Birmingham title match, had hinted at untapped potential, now realized after years of solo circuits and partnership shifts. As confetti rained down, the Melbourne night pulsed with their shared relief, a foundation for chasing more on tours where hard-court edges will test their bond further.
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