Taipei’s Hsieh Su-Wei & Elise Mertens from Belgium claimed their second BNP Paribas Open doubles title after beating Australia’s Storm Hunter & Katerina Siniakova from the Czech Republic, 6-3 6-4, in Saturday’s final.
Very happy about our game today. I think a lot of things worked. We were there from the beginning. Only lost our serve once, it was actually my serve. Yeah, I think we were really there. Also, especially on the second set, we didn’t drop anything. She had an amazing point in the 4-4. In that game she had an amazing point which really helped. Elise Mertens
All four women in the final were current or former doubles World No 1s, winning 83 doubles titles between them.
Mertens, Hsieh and Hunter are currently ranked No 1, 2 and 3, respectively, while Siniakova, now ranked 12th, reached the World No 1 ranking for the first time in October, 2018 and spent a total of 115 weeks in the top spot.
Mertens and Hunter were voted the Doubles Team of the Year last year before going their separate ways in the off-season, the Aussie teaming up with Siniakova immediately after the Czech split with her longtime partner Barbora Krejcikova.
A full-time team for the first time this season, Hsieh & Mertens kicked their year off by winning the Australian Open title.
“It was a little bit special, this year, because I didn’t play this tournament for a while, and I was sick after Qatar, so I have not practiced a lot,” said Hsieh after their win on Saturday. “I could not do any exercise because the doctor suggest to me – do not do any sport.”
This is 38-year-old Hsieh’s 4th Indian Wells title, and 28-year-old Mertens’ 3rd, and they had previously won the tournament here together in 2021.
In fact, Hsieh has won at Indian Wells 4 times, her first coming in 2014, with Peng Shuai, then again in 2018 with Barbara Strycova, and now twice with Mertens, who has won the title 3 times, having lifted her first with Aryna Sabalenka in 2019.
The reigning Australian Open champions capped off a dominating fortnight in the desert, storming through the draw without loss of a set.
Hsieh & Mertens defeated Dutchwoman Demi Schuurs & Luisa Stefani from Brazil, the No 6 seeds, American Nicole Melichar-Martinez & Ellen Perez from Australia, seeded 4, and the 3rd seeds on Sunday to win their second team title of the year.
The two teams had faced off in the Australian Open semi-finals, where Hsieh & Mertens won 7-5 1-6 6-3 on their way to the title in Melbourne.
Hunter & Siniakova captured their first team title of the year last month at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Hsieh Su-Wei & Elise Mertens celebrate their latest win at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden
© Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
The two pairs traded breaks at the start of the final, and held their service games until Hsieh & Mertens broke Siniakova to love with a clean Belgian backhand winner up the line to take a 5-3 lead, and Mertens then serving out the set, also to love.
Both held their serves in the second, but found no break chances until 4-4, when Hsieh fired a backhand winner to earn 2 of them, and they converted on the first before sealing the win on their first match point after 70 minutes.
“Very happy about our game today,” Mertens said later. “I think a lot of things worked. We were there from the beginning. Only lost our serve once, it was actually my serve.
“Yeah, I think we were really there. Also, especially on the second set, we didn’t drop anything. She had an amazing point in the 4-4. In that game she had an amazing point which really helped.”
This Indian Wells title is Mertens’ 20th career doubles title, and Hsieh’s 34th.
Showing off their trophies, doubles champions Hsieh Su-Wei & Elise Mertens and runners-up Storm Hunter & Katerina Siniakova on Saturday afternoon
© Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
The result spoiled Hunter’s perfect finals record at WTA 1000 level, though, having previously won all 4 finals she had contested, and a win here would have seen her reclaim the World No 1 ranking.
There was some consolation for the 3rd-ranked Aussie, though, who leaves the Californian desert after scooping up the inaugural Mixed Doubles Invitational title alongside fellow Australian Matt Ebden.
The Aussie duo defeated the French combination of Caroline Garcia & Edouard Roger-Vasselin, 6-3 6-3, in the final.
“There’s only limited opportunities to play [mixed doubles]. So to get just some more match practice, get on the court together, every single match helps,” Hunter said. “We had a lot of fun.
“You want to play on the biggest courts in the biggest tournaments. To play on Stadium One and have those moments is really special, and moments you, kind of, remember in your career.”
Storm Hunter & Matt Ebden defeated Caroline Garcia & Edouard Roger-Vasselin to win the inaugural mixed doubles invitational at Indian Wells
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Mixed doubles final lineup (L to R): Edouard Roger-Vasselin, Caroline Garcia, Tommy Haas (Tournament Director), Storm Hunter and Matt Ebden
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