Kristina Mladenovic and Zhang Shuai have pulled off a major upset at the US Open 2024, stopping Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova’s bid for a second consecutive Grand Slam women’s doubles title. The No. 3 seeds, Townsend and Siniakova, were aiming for a historic run after winning Wimbledon together and the French Open with different partners. However, Mladenovic and Shuai proved too strong, defeating them 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in a thrilling match on Wednesday.
Mladenovic and Shuai will now face a tough challenge in the semifinals. They will take on the No. 7-seeded team of Jelena Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok, who themselves overcame a tough battle against the No. 10 seeds, Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova. Ostapenko and Kichenok are no strangers to Grand Slam finals, having reached the Australian Open final this year, losing to Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens.
Siniakova’s Grand Slam dominance, which saw her win the French Open and Wimbledon with different partners, has come to an end with this loss. However, Townsend still has a chance to win a title at the US Open, as she will be competing in the mixed doubles final alongside Donald Young on Thursday. The US Open 2024 is proving to be a thrilling tournament with upsets and exciting performances in both singles and doubles.
