Game, set, match! 🎾 China's Zhang Shuai and France's Kristina Mladenovic are on fire at the Australian Open, blasting their way into the women's doubles round of 16 with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 win over USA's Peyton Stearns and Brazil's Luisa Stefani on Saturday.
The dynamic duo were unstoppable in the clutch moments, seizing all four of their break point opportunities and fending off all seven threats from their opponents. Talk about ice in their veins! 🧊
The match kicked off with an epic 18-minute game off Zhang's serve, going to deuce ten times! 😮 The crowd was on the edge of their seats as Zhang and Mladenovic finally clinched it with back-to-back winners. After that marathon opener, they zoomed through the rest of the set in just 34 minutes, wrapping it up with a slick backhand down the line from Mladenovic. 🎯
Stefani's serve got broken again early in the second set, giving Zhang and Mladenovic a comfy 3-1 lead. Even another long game at 4-2 couldn't slow them down. Nine minutes and five deuces later, Zhang sealed the deal with a volley winner. 🙌
Match point? No problem! Mladenovic set it up with a sharp volley, and Zhang put the final nail in the coffin with a forehand winner straight up the middle. Game over! 💥
With 20 winners in the match, double that of their opponents, Zhang and Mladenovic are definitely a team to watch as they chase the title Down Under. Keep those rackets swinging, ladies! 🌟
Reference(s):
Zhang & Mladenovic reach last 16 in women's doubles at Australian Open
cgtn.com
