Melbourne

Elise Mertens celebrated her return to the top of the women’s doubles rankings in style on Saturday, teaming up with China’s Zhang Shuai to lift the Australian Open title. Later in the day, American Christian Harrison and Britain’s Neal Skupski secured the men’s doubles championship at Melbourne Park.

Reuniting as a pair after a gap of four years, Mertens and Zhang overcame a slow start in the final against Anna Danilina of Kazakhstan and Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic. After falling behind 3–0 and then 4–1 in the opening set, the Belgian-Chinese duo fought back to clinch the tiebreak before sealing a 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory.

The champions appeared on course for a comfortable finish when they surged to a 5–0 lead in the second set. However, Danilina and Krunic mounted a late challenge, winning four consecutive games before Mertens and Zhang closed out the match.

In the men’s doubles final, Harrison and Skupski also triumphed 7-6 (4), 6-4, defeating Australian wildcard pair Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans. Harrison sealed the contest with an ace on match point. Kubler had entered the final with an impressive 14–3 doubles record at his home Grand Slam.

Harrison and Skupski, who both featured at last year’s ATP Finals with different partners, formed their partnership only earlier this month in Adelaide, where they reached the semifinals in their first outing together.

Currently ranked No. 6 in doubles, Mertens is set to reclaim the world No. 1 position following the Australian Open, marking her 40th week at the summit of the doubles rankings. The ranking boost was assured regardless of the final’s outcome.

Saturday’s victory gave Mertens her sixth Grand Slam doubles title, including previous triumphs at Melbourne Park in 2021 and 2024. For Zhang, it was her third major doubles crown, adding to her Australian Open win in 2019 and the US Open title in 2021.

Although this was their first Grand Slam title together, the pair had previously finished runners-up at Wimbledon in 2022 during their last stint as a team.

“This really feels like the perfect ending,” Mertens said. “We decided to play together at the last moment, and this was our first tournament back as a team. Saving match points in the second round gave us belief and pushed us to another level.”

Zhang highlighted their composure under pressure, saying the duo’s experience helped them adapt during crucial moments. “We know how to handle finals. We stay calm and make adjustments when things don’t go our way,” she said.

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Earlier, the mixed doubles title was claimed on Friday by Australians Olivia Gadecki and John Peers, who became the first pair since 1989 to successfully defend the trophy after defeating France’s Kristina Mladenovic and Manuel Guinard 4-6, 6-3, 10-8.