Plan accomplished! Zhang Shuai wins the championship!

The 2026 Australian Open has finally reached its final competition days. Chinese players have made a strong presence this year. Earlier, in the wheelchair women's doubles final, the top-seeded Chinese pair Wang Ziying and Li Xiaohui defeated another Chinese player Zhu Zhenzhen, who partnered with Japan’s Ueji Yui, successfully defending their wheelchair women's doubles title at this Australian Open.

It’s worth noting this is the fifth consecutive Grand Slam women's doubles final these two have reached together. Their dominance in this event is remarkable, marking their third consecutive Grand Slam doubles title after Wimbledon and the US Open in 2025.

Even more exciting was the Grand Slam women's doubles event, where the tournament’s fourth-seeded duo Zhang Shuai and Mertens won the recent final 7-6, 6-4 against Danilina and Krunic, finally claiming their first Grand Slam doubles title as partners.

Thanks to their semifinal doubles victory, Zhang Shuai helped Mertens reclaim the world No. 1 doubles ranking next week. With this final win, they earned 2000 championship points and a substantial prize of 810,000 Australian dollars. Zhang Shuai’s current doubles ranking has risen to seventh place.

This marks Zhang Shuai’s first Australian Open doubles title in seven years. From winning her first Grand Slam doubles crown with Stosur at Melbourne Park in 2019 at age 30, to now at 37 partnering with Mertens to win again, there is a full seven-year gap in between.

Undoubtedly, at 37, Zhang Shuai is experiencing a resurgence in both singles and doubles. Her singles performance towards the end of last season showed that maintaining a spot in the women’s singles top 100 at this age is quite an achievement — only a few players like Siegemund have managed this in women’s tennis.

On the doubles court, Zhang Shuai feels even more at ease. The strong chemistry and mutual trust with Mertens have been key to their first Grand Slam title together. This Australian Open win is Zhang Shuai’s third Grand Slam doubles title in her career, and it is also Mertens’ third Australian Open title and sixth Grand Slam doubles crown overall.

We look forward to more opportunities for this pair in upcoming competitions. Three Grand Slam doubles titles definitely aren’t the end for Zhang Shuai. After this doubles final, the biggest highlight today will be the Grand Slam women’s singles final around 16:30 Beijing time, where top seed Sabalenka will face off against Rybakina. So, who do you think will be the last to smile in this doubles final?(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Barbie)