The change of throne in women’s doubles was confirmed following Katerina Siniakova’s defeat at the Australian Open. The Czech – partnered since 2024 with Taylor Townsend – ended up bowing out in the quarterfinals, and after failing to defend the title, Siniakova will drop in the rankings to No. 2.
As a result, there will be a new women’s doubles world No. 1: 30-year-old Elise Mertens, who will climb five positions in the rankings to move to the top, after reaching the final of the Australian Open alongside her partner, China’s Shuai Zhang.
Mertens is a champion of five Grand Slam doubles titles, two of them at the Australian Open (2021, 2024). This season, however, she was not defending many points, after falling in the second round in 2025, partnered with local player Ellen Perez.
This time, Mertens had a strong chance to add points, and her great campaign in Melbourne secured her return to the doubles No. 1 ranking – a position she first achieved in 2021, when she became the third Belgian to reach the top of the singles or doubles rankings, only behind Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin.
Siniakova leaves Melbourne short of expectations
Siniakova will certainly not leave Melbourne satisfied with her results. In singles, she reached the second round, although she had a tough match against world No. 4 Amanda Anisimova. The Czech was seeking revenge in the doubles draw, where she was perhaps the main favourite, considering her experience in the category.
In women’s doubles, things were going well alongside Townsend, as the top-seeded pair and defending champions. They came through the first rounds in straight sets against Siskova/Kempen, and then the Chinese pair Yang/Xu. In the third round, they benefited from the withdrawal of the 15th-seeded duo Stollar/Kato, securing their return to the quarterfinals of the tournament.
However, this time they faced two players with extensive experience in the category, and it ended in a painful defeat, including a bagel in the third set, losing 6-2, 3-6, 6-0. The same pair, Krunic and Danilina, maintained their inspiration to overcome the semifinals, and will be precisely the opponents of Mertens and Zhang in the final of the tournament.
Siniakova also entered the mixed doubles alongside Sem Verbeek, but they were defeated in the quarterfinals by the French pair Mladenovic/Guinard – who finished the tournament as runners-up after falling in the final to the local duo Gadecki and Peers.
Ranking impact highlights Siniakova’s legacy as one of the greatest doubles players ever
The early defeat of Siniakova/Townsend leads them to lose more than 1,500 ranking points. While Townsend will drop from No. 2 to No. 5, Siniakova remains at No. 2 – currently around 400 points behind Mertens, although the Belgian could extend the gap if she and Zhang manage to claim the title in Saturday’s final.
Siniakova has arguably established herself as the best doubles player of the last decade – and one of the best in history – with a total of 32 doubles titles and another 19 finals reached, Olympic gold medallist in 2021 with Barbora Krejcikova, champion of 10 Grand Slam titles with three different partners, and having held the No. 1 ranking for a total of 180 weeks so far.
With this, she stands as the third player with the most weeks as doubles No. 1 in the Open Era, only behind Martina Navratilova (237) and Liezel Huber (199). She has also finished as the year-end doubles No. 1 on five occasions, tying Navratilova’s five seasons.
The new ranking leader, Mertens, has held the top spot for a total of 39 weeks in her career, between 2021 and 2025, although she has never remained No. 1 for more than 10 consecutive weeks. With a wide advantage this time over her closest pursuer, it remains to be seen whether Mertens can extend her stay at the top even further on this occasion.
Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist
Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.
His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.
In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.
claps 0visitors 0
Just In
Popular News
Latest Comments
- Was Saba not paying attention to those who sought an inordinate amount of attention outside of their sport (occupation)... and to the point they lost their focus and eventually their place in tennis? For example: Giorgi, Bouchard, Raducanu, etc. They became infatuated with endless Selfies, videos, podcasts, TV commercials, magazine shoots, and so on. Thus their tennis suffered. Priorities are important.
mandoist14-11-2026 - I, like writer of this wonderful article, also picked Noskova to win this entire thing. I would love it if she and Andreeva are in the final.Rapunzel12-11-2026
- "Priorities", Saba... spend less time in front of cameras, anti-Social Media, selfies and back to Tennis.mandoist12-11-2026
- Tell this to Andreeva!mandoist12-11-2026
- Andreeva with 11 games in a row to add to Saba's downward spiral issue !!! Personal feelings aside... Jess Pegula may want to reassess her evaluation of Mirra's abilities.mandoist12-11-2026
- I predicted whenthe list was finalised that Linda Noskova would win the WTA Finals and her matches against Gauff and Kostyuk prove that. She is the best (underrated) player in the world!Rapunzel11-11-2026
- Either Lena has a chronic internal ailment (i.e., colitis, enteritis, Crohn's, or some type of lower abdomen issue) -- or she is once again dealing with 'Vukovitis'. Mental stress can indeed cause lower body pains. No matter... whatever is truly going on sucks. "Virus" excuse is getting a bit old -- and often -- at this point.mandoist09-11-2026
- Ironically, Martina became a U.S. Citizen about the same time as the Orange Convicted Felon & Abuser was just beginning on his road to losing all Daddy's Millions!!mandoist09-11-2026
- "Another fresh start is in the cards." Thanks for the Humor!! I'm guessing this is the minimum one can do to keep all your sponsors hanging-on in perpetuity?mandoist09-11-2026
- Vukov is doing this to Lena... AGAIN!!!!! WTA's autonomous collective should be dismantled for allowing Vukov to re-emerge from his hand-slapping suspension. Just ask WTA employees how that's been going lately as they witness his continued verbal abuses. Women's Pro Tennis should start over.mandoist08-11-2026
