Eight Grand Slams, five French Open titles together and a US Open dynasty: The forgotten doubles legends who dominated tennis

Tuesday, 13 October 2026 at 16:35

The Argentine/Spanish combination of Virginia Ruano-Pascual and Paolo Suarez combined to win eight majors together. It's a total that places them inside the all-time top five women's pairings of the Open Era for most Grand Slams won.

Suarez was born on the 23rd June, 1976, in Pergamino. The Argentine turned professional in 1994 at 15. Ruano Pascual came into the world on the 21st September, 1973. She became a professional in 1992.

Their partnership came to fruition in the early part of the 2000s. Suarez had already tasted doubles success with compatriot Laura Montalvo and initially split her competitions with both Montalvo and Ruano-Pascual. She eventually settled with the Spaniard and would ultimately win over thirty titles in unison.

French Open heartbreak in 2000 before redemption a year later

The Latin pairing advanced to a maiden Grand Slam final in 2000 at Roland Garros. In the title match, Mary Pierce, who also won the singles that year, partnered Martina Hingis to a 6-2, 6-4 victory.

It was a season that saw them lift silverware at Hilton Head and in the Sopot Open. Suarez also captured a trio of titles with Montalvo.

A year later, redemption was forthcoming in Paris. Suarez and Ruano-Pascual went one better and claimed French Open glory, providing both with a maiden Grand Slam triumph. A 6-2, 6-1 victory against Jelena Dokic and Conchita Martinez elevated them to major champion status. Three additional titles were accrued in 2001, all of which came on clay, including the Madrid Open.

Successful defence in Paris before starting a New York dynasty

2002 was the season where Ruano-Pascual and Suarez cemented their reputation as the world's leading doubles team. Two Grand Slams and a pair of Masters 1000 crowns was the backbone of a seven-title haul.

Their French Open defence was preceded by success at the Italian Open in Rome. At Roland Garros, they defeated Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs in straight sets to clinch back-to-back triumphs at the clay-court major.

The success continued into the North American swing, lifting a first Canadian Open title. This was followed by a third Grand Slam title at the US Open. Elena Dementieva and Janette Husarova were trounced in the final.

The Williams sisters proved too strong in the Wimbledon final this year, but they accumulated more titles than any other pairing in a glorious 2002 campaign. Later in her career, Ruano-Pascual would criticise the Americans for seemingly being more interested in fashion than their sport.

Great defence in New York but two major final defeats in 2003

Five titles were amassed in a 2003 season that was headlined by a successful defence in New York.

During the summer, they lost both the French Open and Wimbledon finals to the Belgian Kim Clijsters and Japan's Ai Sugiyama. They then lifted the Connecticut Open in preparation for the US Open. At the New York major, victory ensued after a straight-set triumph over Svetlana Kuznetsova and Martina Navratilova in the title match.

Their year finished with a first success at the season-ending Tour Championships. A defeat of Clijsters and Sugiyama in the final offered them a modicum of revenge for the major final losses earlier in the year.

Grand Slam nirvana in Australia and a treble clinched in New York

The 2004 season began with Ruano Pascual and Suarez with glory at the Australian Open. A 6-4, 6-3 victory over the Russian duo Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Likhovtseva left them one leg away from a Career Grand Slam.

Their dominance continued in the year's majors. Kuznetsova and Likhovtseva were beaten convincingly in the Roland Garros showpiece. A third title for them at the French Open. This was soon followed by the pair becoming US Open champions for a third consecutive year, a unique treble in the Open Era. The trio of majors formed half of a six-title haul in 2004.

Five titles were secured in 2005, including a fourth French Open title in five years. They were beaten in a further three finals. Heading into Paris, the Spanish/Argentine combination had already lifted three trophies, including the Indian Wells 1000 in March. In a fifth successive final in Paris, they bounced back from losing the opening set to defeat Cara Black, of Zimbabwe, and Liezel Huber, from South Africa.

Wimbledon continues to elude before splitting and leaving Ruano-Pascual to establish a new combination. Ruano-Pascual and Suarez lost their opening four finals in 2006, including another defeat in the title match at Wimbledon. This time losing the SW19 final to the Chinese pairing Zheng Jie and Yan Zi.

Three titles later in the year saw the prolific duo return to the winner's enclosure. The standout trophy was their first China Open crown. However, following the end of this term, Suarez would announce her retirement.

The 2007 season saw Ruano-Pascual join fellow Spaniard Annabel Medina Garrigues. Their only title victory came at the Nordic Light Open in Sweden. It was a year that saw Ruano Pascual fail to reach a major final for the first time since 1999.

Their partnership began to bloom in 2008. A victory at the Hobart International gave them a second title together. Later in the summer, at Roland Garros, the Spanish duo triumphed at a major when prevailing in three sets over Casey Dellacqua and Francesca Schiavone.

A further title materialised at the Slovenia Open, a month after losing the Birmingham Classic final. They went on to represent Spain at the August Beijing Olympics. The Williams sisters pummelling them in the Gold Medal Match, 6-2, 6-0.

A successful defence in Paris was the highlight of their 2009 season. A 6-1 victory over Elena Vesnina and Victoria Azarenka meant Ruano Pascual had now won six French Open women's doubles titles in a period spanning nine years. It turned out to be their only title of the campaign.

A last title for the pair came at the 2010 Warsaw Open. Ruano-Pascual retired at the season’s denouement after an 18-year professional career.

Both top 30 singles players

Ruano-Pascual initially tried to forge a singles career with a few doubles events on the side. She's known for defeating top seed Martina Hingis at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships.

The Spaniard lifted three singles titles, beginning with the Welsh International Open. She then picked up the Budapest Grand Prix in 1998 and the Tashkent Open five years later.

Ruano-Pascual in a Fed Cup celebration.

Her Grand Slam best was a pair of singles quarter-finals. She made the French Open last eight in 1995 and then, eight years later, advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2003 Australian Open. Ruano-Pascual’s highest ranking was 28. The fourth round turned out to be her best showing at Wimbledon.

Suarez fared a little better at the Grand Slams. The Argentine progressed to a semi-final at the 2004 French Open, losing in straight sets to Russian Elena Dementieva. She also featured in three additional major singles quarter-finals. It was only in Australia where she failed to reach the last eight.

A total of four singles titles were accumulated from eight finals on the WTA circuit. Three of these materialised in the clay - two in Bogota, Colombia and one in Vienna, Austria. A fourth trophy lift occurred in Canberra. Suarez's ranking peaked at nine.

Mixed doubles glory for Ruano-Pascual and Fed Cup joy

Suarez, playing with two separate partners, lost a pair of mixed doubles Grand Slam finals. The first of those unfolded at the 2001 French Open, where Suarez and Brazilian partner Jaime Oncins were beaten by the Spanish alliance of Tomas Carbonell and Ruano-Pascual. A year later, now in tandem with Gaston Etlis, also of Argentina, they were second best in the 2002 Australian Open final.

Ruano-Pascual formed part of victorious Spanish Fed Cup squads in 1993 and 1994. One of her teammates was Conchita Martinez. Those two grabbed a silver medal at the Athens Olympics in 2004.

Suarez's solitary Olympic medal was a bronze won alongside Patricia Tarabini in Athens.

Legacy and where are they now

Suarez and Ruano-Pascual stand out as one of the most successful partnerships of the Open Era. Their tally of eight majors together is bettered this century only by Serena and Venus Williams.

The Madrid native, Ruano-Pascual, has won ten Grand Slams in women's doubles and one in mixed, from 17 finals. She's lifted a grand total of 43 doubles titles from 78 finals.

Her partner Suarez pipped Ruano-Pascual's tally by one. The Argentine won 44 titles from 69 finals. From 2002 to 2004, the Latinos were awarded Best Doubles Team of the Year on three consecutive occasions.

They were honoured in 2003 when having bestowed upon them the Premio Consagracion Clarin Al Merito Deportivo. It's an award handed out to Argentine athletes.

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Ruano-Pascual now works as a television commentator and as a tournament director. Suarez runs a tennis academy, Pro Tennis, in Oviedo, Spain. She's also the current Argentina Billie Jean King Cup captain.

For a period in the 2000s, Ruano-Pascual and Suarez reigned supreme in women's doubles. Wimbledon proved elusive, but their success exceeds most partnerships.

Jay Brannon

Jay Brannon is a sports journalist from Sutton Coldfield, England, with a lifelong passion for athletic competition and storytelling. For the past 1.5 years, he has been a prominent voice at TennisUpToDate.com, where he has authored more than 3,000 articles, specializing in deep-dive columns, tactical analyses, liveblogs, and comprehensive match reports for the ATP and WTA tours.

Jay’s tennis reporting blends rigorous, real-time statistical analysis with on-the-ground coverage. He frequently travels to tournaments to cover the action firsthand from the press box and player press conferences. This direct access allows him to deliver sharp insight into player form and tour developments—a dedication sparked by his earliest sporting memory of the iconic 1991 Wimbledon final between Michael Stich and Boris Becker.

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Jay holds a degree in Music Journalism and Broadcasting from Staffordshire University, a foundational training that shaped his voice as a thoughtful, authentic storyteller. Grounded in core journalistic ethics, he places a strict emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and swift, verified updates.

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