Saturday proved a long day on Centre Court after both the Ladies Singles and Gentlemen’s Doubles went the distance, pushing the Ladies Doubles final into the early evening, all due to the necessary changes to the traditional Order of Play because of the persistent rain that repeatedly disrupted the schedule of matches over the fortnight of The Championships at Wimbledon.
I just have to say I’m so glad that I could team up with Katerina. I remember in my first Grand Slam final, she kicked my butt, so it was great to be on the same side of the net this time. It’s been an amazing couple of weeks, and it means a lot to get across the finishing line. Taylor Townsend
While the roof was open on a rare lovely sunny day for the two earlier finals, it was closed for the women’s doubles so the lights could be used as Czech Katerina Siniakova & Taylor Townsend, her American partner, beat Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski & Erin Routliffe from New Zealand, 7-6(5) 7-6(1), in another title battle that lasted 2 hours and 4 minutes.
Townsend captured her first Grand Slam title, while old-hand Siniakova landed her 9th, but they were made to fight hard, and edged the win in two dramatic tiebreak sets.
With the rest of the All England Club in darkness at the end of the long day, Siniakova & Townsend shone under the illuminated Centre Court roof to win in what was only their 10th match playing together, an extraordinary feat.
Townsend had lost in the US Open doubles final in 2022, and last year’s French Open doubles final, but made it third time lucky alongside Siniakova.
28-year-old Chicago-born Townsend, who became a mother in 2021, was overcome with emotion after a double-fault from their opponents ended the very tight contest.
“I just have to say I’m so glad that I could team up with Katerina,” Townsend said on court. “I remember in my first Grand Slam final, she kicked my butt, so it was great to be on the same side of the net this time.
“It’s been an amazing couple of weeks, and it means a lot to get across the finishing line.”
Technically, the win was an upset, the No 4 seeds battling past the 2nd seeds Dabrowski & Routliffe, in what was a gripping final, with Siniakova & Townsend coming back from 2 set points down in the first set before beating the reigning US Open champions in the second, and wrapping up the win just before 10.30 pm, just inside the 11pm curfew.
“I feel great,” Townsend said after the match. “I got 500 text messages. I didn’t know that many people had my number. That’s going to take a while to go through.
“This is my first one, my first Grand Slam title. I’ve been close two other times. To get over the finish line the way that we did, I think we played so well. We were just locked in, in control. We played our way. It felt good the way we did it.”
Katerina Siniakova comforted her emotional partner, Taylor Townsend, after winning the doubles final against Gabriela Dabrowski & Erin Routliffe
© Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Siniakova won her 3rd Wimbledon doubles title, with 7 of her 9 Grand Slam titles coming alongside 2024 Wimbledon singles champion Barbora Krejcikova, while she picked up another last month at Roland Garros partnering Coco Gauff.
“I agree with Taylor, I think it was a really tough match,” Siniakova said after the final. “We played amazing. I think we stick together. That’s what makes the team even stronger. So I’m really proud of ourselves.
“Even if it’s nine [Grand Slams], I’m every time happy. It feels every time different, every time good.”
Siniakova, who has a career Golden Grand Slam in women’s doubles, which is the 4 major titles plus the Olympic gold medal, is the second player in two years to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon back-to-back with different partners.
Hsieh Su-wei did it last year, winning Roland Garros with Wang Xinyu and Wimbledon with Barbora Strycova.
As for Townsend, her debut major title comes 3 years after the birth of her son, Adyn Aubrey, although she has come near to achieving it, finishing runner-up at the 2022 US Open with Caty McNally, and 2023 Roland Garros with Leylah Fernandez.
Dabrowski & Routliffe, the reigning US Open champions, had a strong run at Wimbledon to make their 2nd Grand Slam final in a 10-month span.
Routliffe is projected to become the first Kiwi to reach WTA Doubles World No 1 when the updated rankings come out on Monday.
(L-R) Runners-up Gabriela Dabrowski & Erin Routliffe pose with their trophies alongside doubles champions Taylor Townsend & Katerina Siniakova after the final
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In their first Grand Slam event as a pair, and only their 3rd event together overall, Siniakova & Townsend, but it all clicked here at Wimbledon, where they defeated the top two-seeded teams in the last two rounds, taking down Hsieh Su-wei & Elise Mertens, 3-6 6-4 6-4, in the semi-finals.
Behind strong returns, Dabrowski & Routliffe claimed the first break of the day, and held 2 set points on Dabrowski’s serve at 5-4, but the solid ad-court returns of Siniakova snuffed both of them out, and a Townsend volley winner ultimately drew things back level at 5-5.
The set moved into the tiebreak, where another crunching Siniakova return winner from the forehand side gave her and Townsend 2 set points of their own, and the Czech struck a solid swing volley to close out their first-set comeback.
In the second, both pairs were clutch when they were in danger on serve, with Dabrowski & Routliffe saving both break points they faced in the set, while Siniakova & Townsend were a stunning 7-for-7 on break points saved during that same time-frame.
Siniakova & Townsend took early control of the next breaker, with the American propelling them to a 3-0 lead behind a succession of thunderous overheads.
The 4th seeds went on to line up 5 championship points at 6-1, and, after firing sturdy returns all night, Siniakova & Townsend elicited a Routliffe double-fault on the first to close out the proceedings.
Routliffe will take some consolation in reaching the No 1 spot in the women’s doubles rankings.
“This was my first Wimbledon final but, hopefully, not my last,” Routliffe said on court. “There is something about Wimbledon that makes every match so much more emotional.”
Siniakova won her first 2 Wimbledon doubles crowns with Krejcikova, who earlier on Centre Court beat Italy’s Jasmine Paolini to claim the singles title.
“I’m so proud of Barbora, and I’m so happy that we could do it as well,” the 28-year-old added.
Gabriela Dabrowski (R) & Erin Routliffe, the reigning US Open champions, let an opening set lead slip and lost in 2 tiebreaks to Katerina Siniakova & Taylor Townsend
© Andrej Isakovic/AFP via Getty Images
