Hsieh wins third doubles title as she and Mertens defeat Russian pair in pulsating three sets

By Paul Lagan on Centre Court of AELTC

Veronica Kundermetova  / Elena Vesnina 

V

Su-Wei Hsieh / Elise Mertens 

6-3, 5-7, 9-7

After whats’ seen as the Lord Mayor’s show – the ladies singles final, came the women’s doubles final.

Most of the crowd had left, the energy created by the three-setter evaporated through the open roof.

But this was a match both sets of players were desperate to win.

A duo of Russians versus a Belgium and a Taiwanese fought out a three-setter and in particular a pulsating final set that went the way of Hsieh and Mertens 9-7.

They had come from a set down too.

It looked as if it would be a walk in the park for the unseeded Russians against the third seeds as they won the first set comfortably 6-3.

And It looked all over in the second for Mertens and Hsieh. The Taiwan player, 35, was targeted as the weak link of the duo. But she is a double, doubles’ Wimbledon champion, in 2013, and 2019 and her experience shone through and she and her partner hung in and took the set to a tie-break which they eventually won.

The third and deciding set went with serve, neither team looking like they were going to be broken.

It went on, and on until at six all, the Russian pair finally broke Mertens, serve.

Kundermetova served for the title.

She went two break points down but fought back to deuce, before losing the point.

The tension was ramping up and the crowd were loving it.

And then the break – was this match ever going to end – 7-7 after two hours and 25 minutes.

But after the Belgian held her serve it was up to the Russians to hold their nerve – they didn’t and they lost the game, the match and the title.