Jelena Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok are the women’s doubles champions at Brisbane International 2024.
The fifth seeds secured the title with a 7-5 6-2 victory against Belgian Greet Minnen and Brit Heather Watson in today’s final at Pat Rafter Arena.
After saving a match point in their opening match, world No.32 Kichenok and world No.34 Ostapenko did not drop a set for the remainder of the tournament.
“It was a great week,” beamed Ostapenko, who also advanced to the singles quarterfinals in her tournament debut.
Kichenok and Ostapenko were tested early in the final against Minnen and Watson, an unseeded duo who eliminated the top seeds in the second round.
Both teams exchanged early breaks, before Kichenok and Ostapenko lifted their level to close out victory in 80 minutes.
The fifth seeds finished the match with 34 winners to their opponent’s 15.
“We gave our best, but it wasn’t enough today,” acknowledged Watson.
This is the third WTA team title for the fifth seeds and their first since winning Cincinnati in August 2022.
It is the ninth career WTA doubles title in total for Kichenok, a 31-year-old from Ukraine, and a seventh for Ostapenko, a 26-year-old from Latvia.
Neither player had previously won a WTA title in Australia. They also become the first players from their respective nations to win a Brisbane International doubles title.
An emotional Kichenok acknowledged her homeland during the trophy presentation.
“I would like to dedicate our victory today to the Ukrainian people, who are fighting hard every day,” she said.
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The men’s doubles final is scheduled to be played tomorrow at the Queensland Tennis Centre, alongside the men’s and women’s singles championships matches.