In the early morning of September 13, Beijing time, in the 2021 US Open Grand Slam women's doubles final, Zhang Shuai and Australian player Stosur fought hard in 3 sets, 6-3, 3-6 and 6-3 against the American combination Of Gauff/McNally to win the US Open women's doubles championship. Zhang Shuai has also accomplished a great achievement for Chinese women's tennis - from the Olympic Games to the four Grand Slam women's doubles competitions, Chinese mainland players have already reached the championship podium, which is a rare "Golden Slam".
Since the Chinese Tennis Association formulated the strategy of "driving singles with doubles", the Chinese women's doubles combination has won championships in many major competitions including the Olympic Games, Wimbledon, Australian Open and French Open, but no one has ever touched the US Open women's doubles championship. As the only Chinese mainland player to play in the US Open season, Zhang Shuai in the new season, in addition to participating in the women's singles competition, also played in doubles matches with his old friend Australia's famous Stosur. The two worked together for the first time this year, winning the women's doubles title at the Cincinnati Tournament. After that, the two moved to the US Open Grand Slam arena, and also continued the momentum of consecutive wins to the US Open women's doubles final.
In the final, the two met the American young duo Gauff/McNally. Although the pairing time is not as long as Zhang Shuai's combination, they have the advantage in physical strength and momentum, and the two will rush to the final with excellent serve and fierce play. The two sides were stuck in a stalemate in the first set, with each of the first seven innings holding their own serves. The experience of Zhang Shuai's combination came into play at key moments, and suddenly launched an attack in McNally's serve, with a wave of small climaxes of 9 consecutive points, and the consecutive breaks were saved to win the first set.
Gauff and McNally were not soft at the crucial moment, but were motivated by the setback in the first set. The two successfully equalized after breaking against Zhang Shuai in the 8th set. After that, the atmosphere of the US Open final was moved to the peak by the American combination, but in the face of adversity, Zhang Shuai and Stosur controlled their mistakes well and waited for the opportunity in the decider. Coming to McNally's serve again, Zhang Shuai took advantage of the opponent's unstable serve to suddenly improve the quality of the shot, forcing the opponent to be broken after consecutive mistakes. After that, the two were mentally unbalanced, and after many mistakes, they angrily smashed the racket. In the end, the combination of Zhang Shuai and Stosur took 1 hour and 56 minutes to defeat the opponent in three sets and win the victory.
This is the first time Zhang Shuai has reached the top in the US Open women's doubles match. At the award ceremony, Zhang Shuai proudly said: "Did you know, I am the only Chinese mainland player to participate in the US Open this year, and I won the championship." It's special! This is the second time that Zhang Shuai and Stosur have won the title together at a Grand Slam after the 2019 US Open. For Zhang Shuai, who gave up the Olympics and the National Games and threw himself wholeheartedly on the professional field, this US Open women's doubles championship is the best reward for her years of hard work.
With this victory, Zhang Shuai not only won the second Grand Slam championship trophy of his career, but also wrote a new history for Chinese tennis. This is the 9th time that a Chinese player has won a Grand Slam title and the 6th time in the women's doubles. With Zhang Shuai's success at the U.S. Open, the Chinese women's team has also achieved the feat of the women's doubles "Golden Slam", which has won the four Grand Slams and the Olympic Games.
Chinese Women's Doubles Gold Slam Achievements:
2004 Athens Olympic Games Women's Doubles: Li Ting / Sun Tiantian
2006 Australian Open Women's Doubles: Zheng Jie / Yan Zi
2006 Wimbledon Women's Doubles: Zheng Jie/Yan Zi
2008 Australian Open Mixed Doubles: Sun Tiantian (partner Zemundzic)
2011 French Open Women's Singles: Li Na
2013 Wimbledon Women's Doubles: Peng Shuai (partner Xie Shuwei)
2014 Australian Open Women's Singles: Li Na
2014 French Open Women's Doubles: Peng Shuai (partner Xie Shuwei)
2019 Australian Open Women's Doubles: Zhang Shuai (partner Stosur)
2021 US Open Women's Doubles: Zhang Shuai (partner Stosur)
Text/Beiqing Sports Chu Peng