Ostapenko, Kichenok win US Open women’s doubles title

Lyudmyla Kichenok was set to marry Yelena Ostapenko’s coach this week. A run to the US Open women’s doubles championship forced a change of plans.

Kichenok and Ostapenko won the title for the first time as a team in a major on Friday, beating Kristina Mladenovic and Zhang Shuai 6-4, 6-3.

Kichenok said she and Stanislav Khmarskiy were to marry on Wednesday, the day she and Ostapenko won their US Open semifinal.

“I think it’s a good excuse to postpone it a little bit longer,” Ostapenko said at the awards ceremony.

The seventh-seeded players started the season with a loss in the Australian Open final, but were too good in Flushing Meadows, where they didn’t drop a set and won $750,000.

“We are a great team and I think it was just two great weeks,” Ostapenko said during the trophy presentation on the court. “We didn’t expect anything. We just played better and better every game. We didn’t lose a single set, so it was a really good tournament.”

It was the fifth title together for Ostapenko, a Latvian who won Roland Garros in singles in 2017, and Kichenok, who dedicated the victory to her native Ukraine.

“They are fighting very hard for our freedom now and I hope I can encourage them a little bit,” Kichenok said, “and my heart is with them.”

Mladenovic has won six Grand Slam doubles titles but lost 0-3 in the US Open final. Zhang was seeking her second trophy in New York after partnering Sam Stosur for the 2021 title.

“For me, the biggest motivation is that I wanted to put our name on this trophy,” Zhang said. “But we will fight next time.”

Ostapenko and Kichenok broke for an early advantage in the second game and, after Mladenovic and Zhang regained the set on serve, they had a huge hold in an eight-deuce game that saw them fight off five break points for a 5-4 lead. Zhang eventually gave away the next game with a double fault on the second set point.

In the second set, Zhang and Mladenovic broke early for a 2-0 lead, but Ostapenko and Kichenok broke Zhang to level the score at 3-3 and Mladenovic broke with love to level the score at 5-3. Mladenovic and Zhang fought off three match points – the last when a video review confirmed that Kichenok had touched the ball twice while attempting a volley – before the champions settled the score on their next opportunity.

“I still have goosebumps after match point. It feels great,” said Kichenok, who now has two Grand Slam titles after winning the 2023 Wimbledon mixed doubles event. “I am blessed to have such a partner by my side on the court. Thank you for carrying me these two weeks.”

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.