The incredible comeback of Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strycova culminated with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over No.3 seeds Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens in the Wimbledon ladies’ doubles final on Sunday.
Unseeded this fortnight, Hsieh and Strycova triumphed under a closed roof on Centre Court to win their second Wimbledon trophy as a team. They had previously paired up to win the event in 2019.
Wimbledon: Scores | Draws | Order of play
Both Hsieh and Strycova returned to Hologic WTA Tour action this April after lengthy absences. Prior to that, Strycova had been off the tour for over two years, which included giving birth to son Vincent in the fall of 2021. Hsieh had missed the entirety of the 2022 season as well.
Just three months later, the long-time doubles partners and friends became Wimbledon champions once again.
“It’s crazy,” Strycova said in the champions’ post-match press conference. “Actually, I don’t believe it still, but it’s real, right? It was a dream of mine.”
“Not expecting [the title], but nothing could be better than this,” Hsieh added.
Experience comes out on top!
37-year-olds Su-Wei Hsieh and Barbora Strycova are the Ladies’ Doubles champions after coming past Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens in the final#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/MsOxrNipIT
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 16, 2023
Veteran excellence: In a championship final which featured three players who have been ranked WTA Doubles World No.1 (Hsieh, Strycova and Mertens), Hsieh and Strycova took 1 hour and 51 minutes to hold off Hunter and Mertens and capture the trophy.
Hsieh and Strycova, both 37 years old, are the oldest doubles pair by combined age (74) to reach a Grand Slam doubles final, let alone win the title. They overtake 35-year-old Liezel Huber and 38-year-old Lisa Raymond, who had a combined age of 73 when they won the 2011 US Open.
Strycova ends an era: For new mom Strycova, this fortnight’s title caps a stellar career at SW19, as this will be her last appearance at Wimbledon as an active player. Along with her two doubles titles, the Czech also posted her career-best Grand Slam singles result at Wimbledon when she reached the 2019 semifinals.
“It’s a great fairy tale because it’s my last Wimbledon playing ever, so I couldn’t ask for a better finish,” Strycova said. “I am so, so, so, so happy.
“Last year I texted Su-wei, ‘Let’s try to play Wimbledon 2023 just to come back and feel the atmosphere.’ … She was like, ‘Yeah, let’s do…