Mladenovic and Guo win Wimbledon women's doubles title

The unseeded pairing of Kristina Mladenovic and Guo Hanyu captured the Wimbledon women's doubles title on Sunday, July 12, defeating the second-seeded team of Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5. The victory on Centre Court delivered Mladenovic her seventh career Grand Slam women's doubles title and a first major championship for her Chinese partner.

Competing as the tenth seeds, Mladenovic and Guo seized control early, racing to a 5-0 lead in the first set by effectively reading Dabrowski's lobs. Although the Canadian-Brazilian duo fought back to win three consecutive games, they could not recover the set. The second set was more tightly contested, with Dabrowski and Stefani pushing for a break. Mladenovic's powerful forehands helped the pair save two break points to level the score at 5-5. In the crucial 11th game, Guo's sharp backhand returns set up a break point, which she converted with a crosscourt backhand at a tight angle. Serving for the championship, Mladenovic sealed the match with a forehand that her opponents could only return into the net.

Mladenovic, a French player who missed much of last season due to injury, had lost her only...