Hsieh and Mertens win Wimbledon in yet ANOTHER doubles thriller

Hsieh Su-Wei now a three-time #Wimbledon champion in doubles.

2013 w/ Peng Shuai
2019 w/ Barbora Strycova
2021 w/ Elise Mertens. pic.twitter.com/JBo6WyXGw7

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) July 10, 2021

There have been some outrageously exciting doubles matches at this year's Wimbledon tournament, and they've all had something in common: Veronika Kudermetova and Elena Vesnina played in them. One could say that the Russian pair took the scenic route to the final (and almost to the title), but it was really more like the "edge of the mountain very narrow road with no lights" route. 

Vesnina took a maternity leave from the tour in late 2018, and returned this year. Her results in both singles and doubles have been quite good; she reached the third round of the French Open in singles, and she reached the final in mixed doubles. At Wimbledon, she and countrywoman Veronika Kudermetova were unseeded, but they did a lot of damage.

In the quarterfinals, the pair took out top seeds and French Open champions Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova, after saving three match points. And in the semifinals, they played an edge-of-the-seat thriller against Caroline Dolehide and Storm Sanders, in which they saved four match points. In that match, Kudermetova became despondent and appeared about to implode, but the veteran Vesnina (who has won three women's doubles majors) simply wouldn't let that happen, and eventually coaxed her partner back to life. 

We couldn't have asked for a better final--the talented and exciting Russian pair faced off against third seeds Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens, who--between them--have doubles skills galore. Hsieh's regular partner, Barbora Strycova, announced her retirement and is pregnant, so Hsieh needed a new partner. Mertens, half of the tennis's "odd couple," was suddenly available because the other half of that couple, Aryna Sabalenka, decided to focus on her singles game. 

What with Hsieh's magician's hands and trickster moves (she's kind of the Radwanska of doubles), Vesnina's tricky serving and "been there, done that" approach to rallies, Mertens' accuracy and clutch play, and Kudermetova's fiery forehand and deft volleys, there was non-stop entertainment in this match. The Russians took the first set, 6-3. In the second set, Vesnina and Kudermetova served for the championship, and held two championship points at 40-15, but Hsieh and Mertens saved them both, then went on to win the set, 7-5.

The third set was everything spectators might have hoped for. Hsieh and Mertens served for the championship at 5-3, and were broken. The Russians served for the championship again at 7-6, but they, too, were broken. The tension was high (as was the quality of play). Hsieh and Mertens then took control of the match, winning ten of the final eleven points, taking the set at 9-7, and winning the title. 

This is Hsieh's third Wimbledon doubles title; she and Strycova won the event in 2018, and Hsieh won with Peng Shuai in 2013. Hsieh and Peng also won the French Open in 2014. It's Mertens' first Wimbledon title. She and Sabalenka won the 2021 Australian Open, and they won the U.S. Open in 2019.

By reaching the final, Mertens returned to the world number 1 doubles ranking.