Wang Xinyu (left) of China/Hsieh Su-Wei of Chinese Taipei kiss the trophy after winning the women's doubles title at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, June 11, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
China's cross-Strait team of Wang Xinyu and Hsieh Su-wei stole the show at the French Open's final day by winning the women's doubles title to cap a remarkable fortnight for Chinese tennis at Roland Garros.
Wang, a talented young ace from the Chinese mainland, and her partner Hsieh from Chinese Taipei, rallied from a set down in the final on Sunday to defeat Taylor Townsend of the United States and Canada's Leylah Fernandez, 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-1, to win the coveted doubles trophy at the clay court major tournament in Paris.
Competing at their second tournament after teaming up at the warm-up event in Strasbourg, Germany, Wang and Hsieh pulled off a stunning campaign that saw them upset five higher-ranked seeded teams to claim their first doubles title of the season.
Wang, a 21-year-old native of Guangdong province, became the fifth Chinese mainland player to lift a doubles trophy at the Grand Slam stage, while Hsieh bagged her fifth major doubles title and her second at Roland Garros nine years after her first triumph in Paris.
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Wang Xinyu (second left) of China/Hsieh Su-Wei (first left) of Chinese Taipei pose with Leylah Fernandez (first right) of Canada/Taylor Townsend of the United States before their women's doubles final at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, June 11, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Last week in the singles draw, Wang also achieved her career best result at a Grand Slam event by reaching the third round in Paris, where she lost to eventual tournament champion Iga Swiatek of Poland in straight sets.
In the men's singles, three Chinese players made it to the main draw either via rankings or qualifiers, marking the first time Chinese men qualified for the French Open main draw in group.
After winning the final in front of a rousing crowd at the Court Philippe Chatrier, Wang and Hsieh hugged each other in ecstasy before kissing the trophy from each side on the podium.
Wang, who is ranked 80th in singles and 105th in doubles, attributed her breakthrough to veteran Hsieh's lead.
China's Wang Xinyu (right) smashes the ball next to Chinese Tapei's Hsieh Su-wei as they play against Canada's Leylah Fernandez and US Taylor Townsend (not in photograph) during their women's doubles final match on day fifteen of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris on June 11, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)
"Thank you to my partner, thank you for playing with me. It was kind of a last-second decision (to team up). I am happy we made it so far, really enjoyed playing with you," Wang said in fluent English during the trophy ceremony.
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Hsieh, 37, who hadn't played a Grand Slam for the past two years due to injury, made a strong comeback to show her game has been aging like a fine wine.
"The secret for doubles is to find a good partner, to have fun on the court and to enjoy playing with your partner while outplaying the opponents," she said.
