Canada's Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand's Erin Routliffe continue their winning streak at the WTA Finals in women’s doubles. The duo faced off in the Wimbledon women’s doubles final against Katerina Siniakova from the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend from the United States on Saturday, July 13, 2024, in London.
In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealander Erin Routliffe continued their impressive performance at the WTA Finals, advancing their record to an undefeated 2-0 in the tournament’s women’s doubles category. The pair, currently seeded second and fresh off their 2023 U.S. Open victory, overcame Italy’s fourth-seeded Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in a thrilling match on Tuesday, ending with a score of 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9).
The WTA Finals, a prestigious year-end tournament, gathers the top eight doubles teams from the WTA Tour, making this victory particularly significant. The intense match initially seemed uncertain, as Dabrowski and Routliffe dropped the first set quickly, taking only 22 minutes to concede it to the Italian duo. However, they rallied in the second set, managing to break Errani’s serve three times, including a crucial break at 6-5, to even the score. The final super-tiebreaker kept fans on edge as Routliffe defended a match point with a powerful serve, setting up Dabrowski to close with a key return against Errani’s serve-and-volley strategy.
Reflecting on the win, Dabrowski praised Routliffe’s strong serve that saved the match point, attributing it as a turning point. "When we got to the match point, it was a big serve – just what we needed," Dabrowski commented. She noted the challenges of adapting to the Italians’ distinctive serve-and-volley play, which, while familiar, required them to make tactical adjustments. “We’re proud of how we handled those shifts,” she added.
This win followed Dabrowski and Routliffe’s initial round-robin victory, a straight-set triumph over Chan Hao-Ching and Veronika Kudermetova. Routliffe acknowledged the intensity of Tuesday’s match, expressing relief at securing the win. “That was an intense battle. Glad it kept everyone entertained, but here’s hoping the next match isn’t quite as nerve-wracking!” she remarked lightheartedly.
Looking ahead, the duo will meet Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk, who are seeded fifth, in their upcoming round-robin match on Thursday. A victory here would guarantee Dabrowski and Routliffe a place in the semifinals. The WTA Finals is set to conclude on Saturday, and the duo appears well-prepared to push forward in their quest for the title.
