Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko’s plans for a wedding this week were put on hold as they triumphed in the US Open women’s doubles championship. The duo defeated Kristina Mladenovic and Zhang Shuai 6-4, 6-3, claiming their first Grand Slam title together.
Kichenok and Ostapenko, seeded seventh, had an impressive run at Flushing Meadows, not dropping a single set throughout the tournament. Their victory earned them a prize of $750,000.
Ostapenko, a Latvian who won the 2017 French Open in singles, expressed her joy during the trophy ceremony, saying, “I think it’s a good excuse to postpone it a bit.”
Kichenok, who hails from Ukraine, dedicated the victory to her home country, which is currently engaged in a conflict. “They are fighting really hard for our freedom right now and I just hope I can give them some encouragement,” she said.
The match began with Kichenok and Ostapenko taking an early lead of 4-1. Mladenovic and Zhang fought back to tie it at 4-all, but Ostapenko and Kichenok regained the lead and won the first set when Zhang double-faulted.
In the second set, Kichenok and Ostapenko fell behind 2-0 but surged back as Arthur Ashe Stadium filled up with fans anticipating the men’s semifinal between Jannik Sinner and Jack Draper.
Mladenovic and Zhang fought off three match points before the champions sealed the victory on their next chance. Mladenovic, who has won six Grand Slam doubles titles, fell to 0-3 in the US Open final.
Zhang, who won the 2021 US Open doubles title with Sam Stosur, expressed her disappointment but remained optimistic. “For me the biggest motivation is I wanted to put our name on this trophy,” she said. “But we will fight next time.”
As for Kichenok’s wedding, she said, “No plan yet. Maybe Las Vegas or in Europe somewhere.”
