Mertens and Hsieh win 2021 Indian Wells doubles title

Doubles tennis can be extremely exciting and that was proven by this match between Mertens/Hsieh and Kudermetova and Rybakina. The two best doubles pairing over the past week met in the BNP Paribas Open doubles final and delivered a great match with the number two seeds taking the trophy. Hsieh and Mertens are slowly emerging as the best pairing in the world and they started off that way.

A 2-0 lead with a good chance to go up 3-0 with a double break but their opponents held. After that, it became 3-3 and it stay tied until 5-5 when Mertens and Hsieh took another break to make it 6-5. They failed to close it out right there sending the set into a tiebreak. In there they finally found a breakthrough winning 7-1.

The key for them was a better 1st serve percentage as it allowed them to finish off points easier and quicker. Both teams had their struggles on their 2nd serve which is why it was crucial to hit the 1st. Mertens and her partner hit it 64 % of the time compared to only 53 % and that proved key. Especially in the tiebreak where the margin for error is slim.

The 2nd set was another interesting one as both teams had their moments. Kudermetova and Rybakina took the first break in the 2nd set but soon after that completely collapsed to allow their opponents to come back into the match. Hsieh and Mertens went on to finish it off with 6-3 in the 2nd set cementing themselves as the deserved champions.