Taiwan's Hsieh and Belgian partner win Wimbledon women's doubles

Taipei, July 11 (CNA) Taiwan's Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇) and her Belgian partner Elise Mertens won the women's doubles title at Wimbledon on Saturday, defeating their Russian opponents in a 2.5-hour long match.

The duo, competing in their fifth tournament together, scored their first win by saving two match points in the second set, eventually beating Veronika Kudermetova and Elena Vesnina of Russia 3-6, 7-5, 9-7.

The victory is Hsieh's third Wimbledon double's trophy and fourth Grand Slam trophy. The 35-year-old won Wimbledon in 2019 and 2013 with Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic and China's Peng Shuai (彭帥), respectively, and she also won the French Open with Peng in 2014.

Her win at Wimbledon on Saturday marked the first time she has defended a championship title, as the tournament was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to Saturday's win, Mertens had won two Grand Slam titles in women's doubles, at the 2019 U.S. Open and 2021 Australian Open, both partnering with Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Hsieh said that the cheering of the crowd pushed them to work hard, a sentiment echoed by her partner Mertens.

"It was a great atmosphere playing with the crowd again and being back at Wimbledon, it was just unbelievable. And winning... I mean, this match could go either way so I'm very happy that we won," Mertens was quoted as saying on the official Wimbledon site.

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) congratulated the duo on Twitter Sunday morning, saying that their victory will "inspire future generations of tennis lovers in Taiwan & around the world."