2021 Ostrava Open | Sania Mirza and Zhang Shuai pair claim women's doubles title

The third-seeded duo of Sania Mirza and Zhang Shuai had earlier defeated the Japanese pair of Eri Hozumi and Makoto Ninomiya by a convincing scoreline of 6-2, 7-5. They were up against USA’s Kaitlyn Christian and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand in the summit clash.

The Indo-Chinese pair were on top of their game from the beginning itself, putting pressure on the opponents to enforce a break, which worked in their favour. A breakpoint in the sixth game allowed Sania-Zhang to take a 4-2 lead and eventually claim the first set.

In an attempt to turn the tide, the USA-Kiwi pair shifted gears in the second set, but the strategy backfired in the end. Sania-Zhang cashed on their opportunities to break in the third and seventh games to win the set and the match overall, with scores of 6-3, 6-2.

This was Sania Mirza and Zhang Shuai’s first WTA title win as a pair, with the duo making their debut as a team for the first time during the Luxembourg Open, where they lost in the quarter-finals. The Indian star’s last WTA title win was at the Hobart International, where she claimed top honours alongside Ukraine’s Nadiia Kichenok.