New York | Ostapenko & Kichenok carry US Open girls’s doubles trophy

Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko & Lyudmyla Kichenok from Ukraine, the No 7 seeds, received the ladies’s doubles title on the US Open with a 6-4 6-3 victory over the Chinese language-French pair of Zhang Shaui & Kristina Mladenovic on Friday.

I simply got here to Jelena after the primary or second level and advised her, ‘Simply bear in mind, you might be Jelena Ostapenko, you’re the finest. It’s important to win it’. I nonetheless have goosebumps after match level. It feels superb. I am blessed to have such accomplice by my facet on the court docket. Thanks for carrying me these two weeks. Lyudmyla Kichenok

The win marked the primary Grand Slam doubles title for former French Open singles champion Ostapenko & Kichenok, who additionally reached the ultimate collectively at this yr’s Australian Open.

“We’re a very nice group and, I believe, it was simply an incredible two weeks,” Ostapenko mentioned in the course of the on-court trophy presentation. “We didn’t anticipate something, we had been simply taking part in higher and higher each match, we didn’t lose one set, so it was a very good match.”

They did so nicely that Kichenok, who’s engaged to Ostapenko’s coach Stas Kumarsky, needed to postpone their marriage ceremony organized for the second week of the US Open.

“We had an appointment to get married this Wednesday, however I had the semi-finals,” Kichenok advised Mary Joe Fernandez in the course of the trophy ceremony. “After we bought right here to New York, my boyfriend Stas, he checked the place we are able to do it, as a result of we bought engaged, like, greater than a yr in the past.

“We had been determining all of the issues, the place we are able to try this. He discovered a spot right here, and he simply booked an appointment for Wednesday. Simply this process while you signal the papers, simply to do this, however I needed to play semi-finals on Wednesday, and I mentioned, ‘OK, possibly subsequent time. However we’re going to do it someplace, someway’.”

© Al Bello/Getty Photos

Ostapenko & Kichenok made a red-hot begin on Thursday, the Ukrainian’s forehand strategy and cut-away volley enabling the Latvian to unleash an inside-out forehand winner over her ducking accomplice because the spotlight for a 3-0 break lead.

Mladenovic & Zhang weathered that early storm, and quick-fire volleys and angles helped them flip the tables, and the unseeded pair managed to attract stage at 4-4 with half-an-hour on the clock.

That momentum gained critical tempo when Mladenovic & Zhang flipped defence into assault for a break level, however Ostapenko’s searing serve and Kichenok’s shot choice finally staved off 5 break probabilities in a monster 13-minute maintain for the Latvian.

Serving to remain within the set, Mladenovic & Zhang held a recreation level, however then capitulated after Zhang double-faulted on set level.

They seemed primed for a come-back after constructing a 3-1 lead within the second, however Kichenok & Ostapenko stored the stress on to win the final 5 video games of the match, the Latvian shrugging off any stress as she served out the win.

“I simply got here to Jelena after the primary or second level and advised her, ‘Simply bear in mind, you might be Jelena Ostapenko, you’re the finest. It’s important to win it’,” Kichenok mentioned. “I nonetheless have goosebumps after match level. It feels superb.

“I’m blessed to have such accomplice by my facet on the court docket. Thanks for carrying me these two weeks.”

Doubles champions Jelena Ostapenko & Lyudmyla Kichenok pose with runners-up Zhang Shuai & Kristina Mladenovic after the presentation ceremony in Arthur Ashe Stadium

© Timothy A Clary/AFP by way of Getty Photos

Kichenok now has 2 Grand Slam titles after profitable her first on the Wimbledon blended doubles occasion in 2023, whereas it was the fifth title for Ostapenko, who received the French Open singles in 2017.

Ostapenko & Kichenok started the season with a loss within the Australian Open closing, however right here, at Flushing Meadows, they didn’t drop a set, and take dwelling $750,000.

On Thursday, Kichenok devoted the victory to her dwelling nation of Ukraine.

“They’re combating actually exhausting for our freedom proper now, and I simply hope I can provide them some encouragement,” Kichenok mentioned. “And my coronary heart is with them.”

Mladenovic has received 6 Grand Slam doubles titles, however fell to 0-3 within the US Open closing.

“However I nonetheless just like the place. It’s OK,” she joked afterwards, sharing $375,000 in prize cash with Zhang, who was in search of her 2nd trophy in New York, having teamed with Sam Stosur for the 2021 title.

“For me, the largest motivation is, I wished to place our identify on this trophy,” Zhang mentioned. “However we’ll battle subsequent time.”

As for her marriage ceremony, Kichenok solely knew that it could now be ‘someplace, someway’.

“No plan but,” she mentioned. “Perhaps Las Vegas or in Europe someplace.”