London: No. 8 seeds Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens triumphed at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, capturing the ladies’ doubles title in a thrilling final on Centre Court. In a gripping match lasting 2 hours and 23 minutes, they staged a dramatic comeback to defeat the No. 4 seeds Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
After dropping the first set, Kudermetova and Mertens showed resilience, breaking Hsieh’s serve twice in the second set to level the match. Kudermetova’s net play and Mertens’ steady baseline consistency began to shift momentum in their favor. However, the third set saw another twist as Hsieh and Ostapenko raced to a 4-2 lead. Undeterred, the eighth seeds surged back, winning the final four games. Kudermetova sealed the victory with a volley winner on championship point, finally earning her first Grand Slam doubles title as per WTA.
This win holds special significance for Kudermetova, who fell heartbreakingly short in the 2021 Wimbledon final. Her partner Mertens, meanwhile, secured her fifth major doubles title and her second at Wimbledon. Ironically, Mertens’ previous Wimbledon crown came in 2021 when she partnered with Hsieh to deny Kudermetova and Elena Vesnina in another dramatic finish.
The pairing of Kudermetova and Mertens had been a top duo in 2022, notably winning the WTA Finals. After separating for two seasons, they reunited this spring and quickly regained form, reaching finals in Madrid and Rome before peaking perfectly at Wimbledon.
For Ostapenko, the loss was particularly disappointing as a win would have made her the new WTA Doubles World No. 1. She and Hsieh had shown great form early, rallying from 1-4 down in the first set to win five straight games. But the match turned when Kudermetova and Mertens raised their level, particularly under pressure.
(IANS)
