Australian Open: Hsieh-Mertens pair battles into women's doubles final

Melbourne, Jan 24 (IANS) The no.2 seeds Begian-Taipei pair Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens booked their spot in the Australian Open women's doubles final with a gripping semifinal 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 win over No.3 seeds Czech-Aussie duo Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova on Thursday.

Hsieh and Mertens took 2 hours and 35 minutes to overcome Hunter and Siniakova in an engrossing match involving four players who have all held the WTA Doubles World No.1 ranking here at Margaret Court Arena.

Mertens is a win away from her fourth Grand Slam title in women's doubles, and her second at the Australian Open. She teamed with Aryna Sabalenka to win the title Down Under in 2021, according to WTA.

On the other hand, Hsieh has won six Grand Slam titles in women's doubles -- including two last year -- but she has yet to take the title in Melbourne. Her best Australian Open result is a runner-up showing alongside Barbora Strycova in 2020.

Hsieh and Mertens will face either No.11 seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko or No.4 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe, last year's US Open champions.