Australian Open 2022 women’s doubles finals: Krejcikova and Siniakova take on Danilina and Haddad Maia

In the 2022 Australian Open women’s doubles final, the world’s top-ranked doubles team, Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova, will face a new pairing that has yet to drop a match. Immediately after their match, Rafael Nadal plays for a milestone title in the men’s singles. 

Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic defeated Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova and Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-3 in their semifinal. Krejcikova and Siniakova are in the final of the Australian Open women’s doubles for the second year in a row.

They will compete for the title against Kazakhstan’s Anna Danilina and Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia. In their semifinal match, the unseeded team overcame Japanese No. 2 seeds Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to win their tenth straight match.

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After finishing second behind Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka last season, Krejcikova and Siniakova are currently one win away from their first Australian Open women’s doubles title.

In women’s doubles, the Czechs attempt to get one step closer to completing the career Grand Slam. The pair has won two Roland Garros titles, in 2018 and 2021, as well as the 2018 Wimbledon Championships, leaving just the hard-court majors in Australia and the United States to complete.

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The third seeds were defeated in an hour and 11 minutes by last year’s Olympic gold medalists Krejcikova and Siniakova, stopping Mertens from earning a second straight title in Melbourne with two different partners.

“We had to go through a lot of tough matches to get to the final, so I think I can say for both of us that we’re really proud and looking forward to the final,” Krejcikova said on court, after the semifinal victory.

The Czechs combined to hit 18 wins, more than tripling their opponents’ total. To win the match, Krejcikova and Siniakova only dropped serve once and converted five of their six break chances.

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To win the first set, Krejcikova and Siniakova broke Mertens’ serve twice. When Mertens held for the first game in the second set for a 2-1 lead, things became more difficult for the top seeds. Kudermetova then broke Siniakova with a backhand volley, giving the third seeds a 3-1 lead.

The Czechs’ typically excellent volleying helped them turn the set around, and the world’s No. 1 and No. 2 doubles players won five straight games to cruise to victory and clinch a spot in yet another Grand Slam final.

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Earlier in the day, Danilina and Haddad Maia continued to win in the early stages of their collaboration and advanced to their maiden Grand Slam final.

The significant achievement extends their flawless start to 2022, as they boosted their team win-loss record to 9-0. Danilina and Haddad Maia teamed up for the first time two weeks ago in Sydney, where they won the title after defeating Aoyama and Shibahara in the semifinals.

Danilina and Haddad Maia defeated the Japanese pair for the second time, this time on Rod Laver Arena, in two hours and 19 minutes. Aoyama and Shibahara had six more winners and three more unforced errors than Danilina and Haddad Maia.

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“Of course winning Sydney was amazing, it was our first title at [WTA 500 level], together and separately,” Danilina said on court, after the match. “But we’re just trying to focus on every match here, because Sydney was two weeks ago, and in doubles everything changes so fast. So we’re just trying to focus on our things and go from match to match, basically from point to point.”

The unseeded team won the opening set in 37 minutes and seized control of the second set early on, breaking Aoyama to take a 2-1 lead. At 5-3 on the Shibahara serve, Danilina and Haddad Maia had a match point, but it was erased by a forehand winner.

Aoyama and Shibahara, who were 5-0 in WTA doubles finals last year, went on a tear after that comeback from set point down. When Haddad Maia served for the match at 5-4, the Japanese duo broke him, and they took the final four games of the second set to tie the match at one set apiece.

Danilina and Haddad Maia, on the other hand, remained unconcerned as they tried to maintain their winning streak. They shattered Aoyama.

“It was not easy for me to lose my serve when I was serving for the match (in the second set), serving to go to my first Grand Slam final,” Haddad Maia said on court. “As we did in the last matches, I think we had tough moments, and we just tried to keep going, even with these tough situations. I’m very happy we have another chance (in the final) to do better.”