From Russia with love - and love. Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina claimed their first ladies’ doubles title at The Championships with a pitch-perfect display in the final, outplaying Hao-Ching Chan and Monica Niculescu 6-0, 6-0.
Not since 1953 had the ladies’ doubles final ended with the dreaded double-bagel, when Shirley Fry and Doris Hart beat Maureen Connolly and Julia Sampson in an all-American showdown.
NoSuchKeyBut playing under the lights of the closed Centre Court roof after the marathon gentlemen’s doubles final finished just one minute shy of 9pm, the reigning Olympic champions were a class apart, adding the Wimbledon title to their 2013 French Open and 2014 US Open titles, having lost the final together in 2015. Only the Australian Open remains for the duo to complete their career Grand Slam.
"It's very special," Vesnina said. "We were waiting for this title with Katia. When we lost at the French Open, we didn't play a good match there at all. We were sitting in the locker room, I told Katia, I was like, 'Katia, we have to win Wimbledon.' We won French Open. We won it in 2013. We have to win Wimbledon.
"Actually, it was our goal for all the time that we were playing. We had that close final two years ago, lost 7-5 in the third. We had it in our minds that we didn't finish something here. We need to finish it in the right way."
The Russians made the perfect start, breaking both Niculescu and Chan to open up a 4-0 lead in just 22 minutes. Left-hander Makarova was unplayable at times, bullying the Taipei-Romanian duo from the back court and showing fine touch coming forward, amply backed by Vesnina, who smothered the net and picked on Niculescu, who will be disappointed by her performance.
Chan held the No.9 seeds’ first game point of the match at 3-0 in the second set, but the Russians refused to let up, Vesnina threading a backhand pass return en route to their fifth break of the match.
Vesnina then saved two break points to move within a game of the title, duly delivered when Makarova blasted a backhand down the line to close out the win in 55 minutes.
"Thank you so much the crowd who stayed," Vesnina said ."I know it was a long day today, long wait. But people in London, people in Wimbledon, they really appreciate every day. They coming here every day. It's fully packed, every court, Centre Court, Court 1, Court 18. It's great to see it.
"On one side, they watching tennis. They supporting someone. On the other part, they want to be part of the history. They have strawberries, Pimm's. They enjoying themselves so much. Great to see it as well."
