For the first time in the Open Era, a doubles team captured won back-to-back Rogers Cup presented by National Banktitles. Russian duo and defending champions Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina have not dropped a set in two years of Rogers Cup doubles competition. The No. 1 seeds defeated No.8 seeded German Anna-Lena Gröenefeld and Czech partner Květa Peschke 6-0, 6-4 in the final match on Sunday to secure their second championship.
The duo lived up to expectations with a convincing win. They did not allow their counterparts to pick up any momentum in the first set, taking just over 20 minutes to win 6-0. In the second set, Gröenefeld and Peschke lost the first two points and it looked like the match was over. However, the duo battled back and pushed the defending champions tying up the set at 4-4. Makarova and Vesnina stole the momentum back in the latter half of the set as they powered their way to a 6-4 victory.
The Russian champions had an incredible tournament, not losing a set on their way to the finals. In the second round it took them 47 minutes to defeat Canadian duo Carson Branstine and Bianca Andreescu 6-1, 6-1. Next they bested Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok and American partner Nicole Melichar 6-4, 6-4. Their semifinal against Australian Anastasia Rodionova and Ukraine’s Nadiia Kichenok took just under an hour as Vesnina and Makarova won 6-4, 6-0.
Their finals opponents were the No. 8 seeds in a talented draw. Gröenefeld and Peschke upset No.2 seeds Yung-Jan Chan of Chinese Taipei and two-time doubles Rogers Cup champion partner Martina Hingis of Switzerland in the quarter-finals. Next they surprised Czech No. 3 seeds Barbora Strycova and Lucie Safarova to book their spot in the final. It was a valiant effort from 2005 doubles champion Gröenefeld and Peschke her Czech partner. However, Vesnina and Makarova were just too much to handle, emerging victorious.
In addition to winning consecutive Rogers Cup titles, Makarova and Vesnina also won doubles titles at Wimbledon and in Dubai this season.
Congratulations to Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova, the 2017 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank doubles champions.
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