In the final Wimbledon of her career, Barbora Strycova will play for the doubles title on Sunday.

Champions in 2019, Strycova and Hsieh Su-Wei surged into the Wimbledon doubles final after dominating Marie Bouzkova and Sara Sorribes Tormo, 6-4, 6-1 in the semifinals.

In her final farewell, Strycova balancing motherhood with tennis

After initially retiring from competition to start her family in 2020, Strycova returned to competition for one last lap around the tour and will hang up her racquet after the US Open. Hsieh also took a two-year break after the 2021 season to rest and heal her injuries. The former World No.1s, who have each won 31 doubles titles including nine together as a team, reunited and returned to the tour earlier this spring in Madrid. 

Wimbledon semifinalist Strycova wins first singles match since maternity leave in Rome

Madrid: Hsieh/Strycova make a victorious return in doubles

Road to the final: Hsieh and Strycova

  • 1R: d. Gracheva/Blinkova, 6-1, 6-2
  • 2R: d. Alexandrova/Yang, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
  • 3R: d. [13] Kato/Sudjadi, 7-5, 7-6(4)
  • QF: d. Stefani/Garcia, 7-6(5), 6-4
  • SF: d. Sorribes Tormo/Bouzkova, 6-4, 6-1

Wimbledon will be their first team final since winning 2020 Rome. Last month, Hsieh teamed with Wang Xinyu to win Roland Garros. She is now a win away from capturing the rare "Channel Slam," winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon back-to-back in a single season. 

How Hsieh went from nurturing plants to conquering the court once again

To seal their fairytale run, Hsieh and Strycova have a tough task ahead of them. They will face No.3 seeds Elise Mertens and Storm Hunter for the title on Sunday. Champions in Rome two months ago, Mertens and Hunter needed just 55 minutes to dispatch Caroline Dolehide and Zhang Shuai 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals.

Mertens and Hunter have stormed through the doubles draw, losing no more than three games in a single match. Hsieh knows Mertens well. The two paired up for the 2021 season and won Wimbledon and Indian Wells. Mertens also made the Wimbledon final last year with Zhang Shuai. Sunday will be her third straight Wimbledon final with a different partner each year. It will be Hunter's Grand Slam final debut. 

Road to the final: Mertens and Hunter

  • 1R: d. Kichenok/Rosolska, 6-0, 6-2
  • 2R: d. Kalinina/Begu, 6-2, 2-0 (ret.)
  • 3R: Walkover
  • QF:Bains/Lumsden, 6-2, 6-1
  • SF: [16] Zhang/Dolehide, 6-1, 6-1

How Hunter and Mertens discovered their chemistry in Rome