Ashleigh Barty and Coco Vandeweghe, two talented and successful players on the singles court, joined forces for the first time in 2018 and their doubles prowess managed to qualify them for the 2018 WTA Finals in their first attempt. It has been a terrific year for them, grabbing their respective maiden women’s doubles Major title at the US Open while also triumphing at the Miami Open, another prestigious Premier Mandatory event.
Having played just seven tournaments together, it is extremely impressive for the Australian-American pair to qualify for the year-ending championships especially after falling in the opening round in four of those tournaments. Hence, effectively with points from just three tournaments, those were some darn good performances from the pair.
Performing at the big stages pave the way for Singapore qualification
In just their second tournament together in Miami, Barty and Vandeweghe defeated Babos and Mladenovic in the opening round before upsetting top seeds Makarova and Vesnina in the last four. Their dream run was completed with a stunning 6-2, 6-1 win over the current top-ranked pair of Krejcikova and Siniakova.
They were completely dominant over the French Open and Wimbledon champions Krejcikova and Siniakova, outclassing them in Madrid with an unbelievable 6-0, 6-1 scoreline. Due to Vandeweghe’s injury, they had to refrain from competing in the upcoming tournaments although they reunited for the US Open.
Vandeweghe, playing with the home advantage, alongside Barty, stormed to the final without dropping a set. They defeated Sestini Hlavackova and Strycova, and once again outclassed the top Czech pairing of Krejcikova and Siniakova, once again, to reach their first Grand Slam final together. Saving a match point in the final set, Vandeweghe and Barty stormed to their first Major title in a thrilling championship encounter after defeating Babos and Mladenovic.
Having qualified alongside compatriot and recently-retired Casey Dellacqua last year, Barty will look to better her result after falling in the opening round. This will be Vandeweghe’s debut in the prestigious competition, and they will be looking to end the season on a high note although the American is still currently under an injury cloud.