Elise Mertens reaches Australian Open doubles final and returns to top of world ranking
Elise Mertens reached the Australian Open women’s doubles final for the third time in her career on Thursday and will return to the top of the WTA doubles rankings next week.
Partnering with China’s Shuai Zhang, with whom she is the fourth seed, Mertens defeated Japan’s Ena Shibahara and Russia’s Vera Zvonareva in straight sets in the semi-finals. The pair won 6–3, 6–2 in Melbourne.
In Saturday’s final, Mertens and Zhang will face the seventh-seeded duo of Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic. The Kazakh–Serbian pair overcame Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and Brazil’s Luisa Stefani in their semi-final, winning 7–6 (7–2), 3–6, 6–4.
By qualifying for the final, 30-year-old Mertens will regain the world number one position in the WTA doubles rankings on Monday, a spot she last held in July 2024. She has already won two Australian Open doubles titles, lifting the trophy in 2021 with Aryna Sabalenka and in 2024 alongside Hsieh Su-wei. Her doubles palmarès also includes Wimbledon titles in 2021 with Hsieh and 2025 with Veronika Kudermetova, as well as the US Open crown in 2019 with Sabalenka.
In the singles draw, Mertens was eliminated in the fourth round on Monday by fifth seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
#FlandersNewsService | Elise Mertens and Shuai Peng during their quarter-final at the women's doubles at the Australian Open, Melbourne, 28 January 2026 © BELGA PHOTO PATRICK HAMILTON
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