US OPEN: Zhang, Mladenovic storm into US Open title clash
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 4: China’s Shuai Zhang and her French partner Kristina Mladenovic knocked out reigning Wimbledon champions Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova to storm into the US Open women’s doubles final.
The unseeded Chinese-French shocked the third-seeded American-Czech team 7-5 4-6 6-3 in a sensational semifinal on Wednesday.
Siniakova was gunning for her third straight Grand Slam title after winning the
French Open with American sensation Coco Gauff and taking the Wimbledon with Townsend.
Zhang and Mladenovic will now lock horns with the seventh-seeded team of Jelena Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok, who outplayed the 10th-seeded combo of Hao-Ching Chan from Chinese Taipei and Veronika Kudermetova 6-1 6-2 in just 65
Minutes.
The 35-year-old Zhang is aiming for her third Grand Slam title after winning the Australian Open (2019) and US Open (2021).
The 31-year-old Mladenovic has nine Major titles, including six women’s doubles and three mixed.
High-quality tennis was witnessed in two hours and seven minutes of the semifinal between the Zhang/Mladenovic pair and the Wimbledon champions.
There was no break of serve in the opening set till Siniakova came out, serving to stay alive at 5-6. Zhang dispatched a drive volley winner to pressure rivals and created a stunning backhand service return winner to get the crucial break.
In the second set, both Zhang and Mladenovic were broken early as the third seeds led 3-0. They kept fighting to get one break back when Townsend dropped serve in the fifth game.
However, the third seeds kept that one break to make it 1-all.
The decider was expected to be a cracker of a set but Zhang and Mladenovic broke Townsend in the sixth game, with Zhang hitting a service winner. Siniakova also dropped serve in the eighth, making it easy for their rivals.
Zhang served out the match when Townsend’s forehand return fell on the net on match point.
Photo Credits: Dustin Satloff/USTA
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