2026 Australian Open: Third Grand Slam Title! Zhang Shuai and Mertens Crowned Women's Doubles Champions

On January 31st, 2026, the Australian Open reached its second to last day, with the women's doubles final starting first at Rod Laver Arena. The 4th seeded duo of Zhang Shuai and Mertens overcame the 7th seeds Danilina and Krunic 7-6(4), 6-4 to secure the women's doubles championship. Zhang Shuai claimed the Melbourne Park doubles crown again after seven years, marking her third Grand Slam title overall (having won the 2019 Australian Open and 2021 US Open with Stosur), becoming the first player from mainland China to win three Grand Slam titles. Her doubles ranking will jump back into the top ten, rising to seventh place.

Zhang Shuai / Mertens

The Zhang Shuai pair started off a bit slow, dropping two consecutive service games and falling behind 0-3. However, they adjusted quickly and won four straight games after being down 1-4 to take the lead. The first set went to a tiebreak, where Zhang and Mertens surged to a 6-0 lead and withstood their opponents' comeback to win the tiebreak 7-4. In the second set, the duo maintained strong momentum, quickly building a 5-0 lead. Although they wavered near the end, missing two match points on their serve and allowing the opponents to win four games in a row, they held firm on their third match point with a love service game to close out the set 6-4 and secure the championship.

Zhang Shuai / Mertens

For Mertens, this is her third Australian Open title and her sixth Grand Slam victory overall. Zhang Shuai and Mertens previously reached the final at Wimbledon 2022, and this Australian Open marks only their second Grand Slam played together. Winning this title is highly significant for both players. Mertens will return to the top spot in the women's doubles rankings next week, while Zhang Shuai, with this prestigious championship, once again demonstrates her elite status and enduring strength in doubles competition.

(Text and editing by Wang Fei)