Melbourne: The experienced duo of Alice Mertens from Belgium and Zhang Shuai from China showcased remarkable skill to win the Women’s Doubles title at the Australian Open 2026. They defeated Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunić in a competitive final with scores of 7-6(4), 6-4.
In the first set, after trailing 4-1, the fourth-seeded pair of Mertens and Zhang made an impressive comeback to take the set in a tiebreak. In the second set, they established a strong 5-0 lead. Although the seventh-seeded Danilina-Krunić duo fought back, saving two championship points at 5-2, Mertens and Zhang ultimately secured the victory.
This was the first time Mertens and Zhang played together at the Australian Open since Wimbledon 2022. After a long gap, their renewed partnership proved successful as they displayed excellent coordination to claim the title.
With this win, Alice Mertens has now won six Grand Slam doubles titles, including three at the Australian Open. Zhang Shuai added her third Grand Slam doubles trophy, having previously won the 2019 Australian Open and 2021 US Open alongside Samantha Stosur.
Mertens has achieved the notable feat of winning at least one doubles Grand Slam title each year over the last three years. Currently ranked world number six, she is confident about reclaiming the world number one spot and is set to complete her 40th week at the top position next week.
In the men’s doubles category, hometown wildcards Jason Kubler and Mark Polmans are set to play in the final. Meanwhile, in mixed doubles, the Australian pair Olivia Gadecki and John Peers made history by winning the title for the second consecutive time.
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