The top-ranked pairing of Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta won their first Grand Slam title on Friday, this after making it until the quarterfinals in the past year’s Grand Slams and in the semis in Wimbledon.
Dulko and Pennetta rank number one and two respectively among doubles players, which made their pairing one that was hard to beat. The game lasted for a set and 4-1 down, but even the winners were surprised at how the quickly it was over.
'’We were like in shock … a set and 4-1 down. In the changeover, we were like looking each other and saying, ‘C’mon, we play less than an hour. We cannot finish the match playing less than an hour in the final, Dulko said. They were already up a break at 3-1 before breaking when Maria Kirilenko netted a backhand. They broke Kirilenko and Victoria Azarenka to close the match in the next service game.
This was the first Grand Slam tournament for the opposing team. Azarenka was a two-time Grand Slam finalist. She reached the finals at last year’s Melbourne Park playing with Shahar Peer. The winning team won seven titles in doubles in 2010, keeping a winning streak that lasted for 17 matches. Pennetta showed their optimism by saying, ‘‘Last year was a great year, this year we are starting really good.”
