CANCÚN, Mexico — Ottawa's Gabriela Dabrowski and partner Erin Routliffe of New Zealand finished the women's doubles group stage at the WTA Finals with a perfect record after defeating the Czech duo of Katerina Siniakova and Barbora Krejcikova 6-4, 7-5 on Friday.
The reigning U.S. Open champions, seeded seventh in the eight-team event, took one hour 34 minutes to defeat the reigning Olympic champions, who won this event in 2021.
Dabrowski picked up a crucial break with the second set tied 5-5 when she fired a backhand return down the line for a winner.
The Canadian served to love in the next game to seal the victory.
Dabrowski and Routliffe, who grew up in Ontario and used to represent Canada before switching allegiances to her native New Zealand, finished group play at 3-0 after opening with a win over top seeds Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, then beating Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva in a U.S. Open final rematch.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia's Ellen Perez on Saturday in a surprising semifinal matchup of the tournament's two lowest seeds.
This report by The Canadian Press was first publishedNov. 3, 2023.
The Canadian Press
