Elise Mertens has spent years quietly building one of the most impressive doubles resumes in modern tennis — and on April 26, 2026, she added another chapter that solidified her place among the elite. The Belgian star and her partner Hsieh Su-wei defeated Jelena Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5 in the Australian Open women's doubles final, giving Mertens her fourth Grand Slam doubles title. For a player who has never quite broken through as a dominant singles force, the accomplishment underscores a simple reality: Mertens is one of the most complete and reliable doubles players in the world, and she's not done collecting trophies.
The Australian Open Win: Breaking New Ground
The 2026 Australian Open women's doubles title was significant for Mertens in ways that go beyond the trophy count. According to The Score, this was Mertens' first Grand Slam title on hard court and her first at the Australian Open specifically — a notable gap finally closed after years of Grand Slam success on clay and grass.
The final itself was a dominant performance. A 6-1, 7-5 scoreline against Ostapenko and Kichenok signals a match where Mertens and Hsieh controlled the narrative from the start. The first set was nearly flawless. The second set, while tighter, never felt genuinely threatened. That level of consistency in a Grand Slam final — against two capable opponents — reflects a partnership operating with genuine tactical intelligence.
The win also made history for Hsieh Su-wei, who became the second-oldest woman to win a Grand Slam doubles title through this victory. It's a remarkable milestone that speaks to longevity, and to the kind of smart, shot-making tennis that doesn't necessarily fade with age the way explosive athleticism does. For Mertens, sharing that moment with a partner of Hsieh's caliber makes the achievement richer.
A Partnership Built on Intelligence Over Power
The Mertens-Hsieh pairing isn't built on brute force. It's built on reading the game, covering angles, and executing under pressure — qualities that are harder to develop than a big serve or a punishing forehand. This was their second Grand Slam doubles title together, adding to an earlier shared victory that demonstrated this partnership isn't a one-time experiment but a genuine collaboration.
What makes the pair effective is the complementary nature of their games. Hsieh's unorthodox shot selection and exceptional net presence create confusion for opponents who expect conventional patterns. Mertens, for her part, brings consistent groundstrokes, solid movement, and a competitive temperament that handles pressure moments cleanly. Together, they force opponents to solve problems they haven't solved before.
Mertens holds two Wimbledon and two French Open women's doubles titles — including both major doubles titles in the previous year. That's a player who doesn't just peak on one surface. She wins in slow clay rallies and in the faster, lower-bouncing conditions at Wimbledon. Adding the Australian Open hard court title completes a surface-spanning body of work that is genuinely rare.
Mertens at the 2026 Mutua Madrid Open
Less than a week before the Australian Open doubles final, Mertens was already in action at the 2026 Mutua Madrid Open, scheduled to face Alexandra Eala in the Round of 64. Ranked 21st, Mertens entered as a significant favorite at -275 odds against the 44th-ranked Eala, a promising Filipino player who has drawn significant attention for her WTA development arc.
According to MSN Sports, Mertens ultimately defeated Eala and advanced past the Round of 64. The Madrid clay suits Mertens well — it's a surface where her consistent baseline game is rewarded and where her doubles pedigree on clay translates into confidence. For Eala, the loss is part of a learning curve at the highest level; for Mertens, it's another data point confirming she remains competitive in singles even as her doubles profile dominates the conversation.
The scheduling overlap between the Australian Open doubles run and the Madrid draw highlights something often overlooked about top doubles players: they're frequently playing two full draws simultaneously, managing physical load across both disciplines. It's a grind that requires exceptional physical conditioning, mental focus, and logistical management.
The Singles Career: Where Mertens Fits
The honest assessment of Mertens' singles career is that she has been consistently good without becoming elite. A world ranking of 21st represents a meaningful place in the WTA hierarchy — she beats players she's supposed to beat, challenges higher seeds, and occasionally pulls off significant upsets. But she hasn't become a consistent Grand Slam singles contender.
The contrast was sharp at Wimbledon 2024, where Mertens was beaten 6-1, 6-2 by Emma Raducanu in the second round. Raducanu was electric that day, playing the kind of tennis that reminded the tennis world why she won the 2021 US Open as a qualifier. As Yahoo Sports reported, the win delighted a Wimbledon crowd starved for a home favorite to follow, and it placed Mertens in the role of opponent rather than protagonist.
That singles ceiling is worth contextualizing, not apologizing for. The WTA Top 50 is an extraordinarily competitive space. Reaching and sustaining a ranking of 21st over multiple seasons requires genuine skill, fitness, and mental fortitude. Not everyone who plays professional tennis becomes a Grand Slam singles champion. Mertens chose — or perhaps discovered — that doubles is where she can be truly dominant, and she's maximized that discovery completely.
For fans of women's tennis looking for another top doubles performer making waves, Karolina Muchová's recent form in singles offers an interesting parallel story of a European player finding sustained success on the tour.
Building a Legacy: What Four Grand Slam Doubles Titles Mean
Four Grand Slam doubles titles is a serious number. It places Mertens in rarefied company among active players and marks her as one of the most decorated doubles specialists of her generation. The spread of those titles — across clay at Roland Garros, grass at Wimbledon, and now hard court at Melbourne — demonstrates that her success isn't surface-dependent or partner-dependent.
The Hsieh partnership has been particularly fruitful, but Mertens has also found success with other partners, which speaks to her adaptability and game intelligence. A doubles player who can only win with one specific partner is reliant on that partner's availability and form. A player who wins with multiple partners brings something essential to the court regardless of who stands across the net from her.
Belgian tennis has a proud tradition, and Mertens carries it forward in a specific way. She isn't the power hitter that some Belgian champions have been, but she embodies consistency, professionalism, and a willingness to do the unglamorous work of doubles — the poaching at the net, the serving under pressure, the communication and trust that makes a pair function as one unit.
If she adds a US Open doubles title, she completes the career Grand Slam in doubles. That is now a realistic goal, not a fantasy.
What This Means for Women's Doubles Tennis
Mertens' continued dominance reflects something broader happening in women's doubles: the specialists are thriving again. For several years, the narrative in tennis — especially at the WTA level — was that top singles players would occasionally dip into doubles for Grand Slams and immediately contend for titles on the strength of their individual games. That dynamic still exists, but Mertens and Hsieh winning the Australian Open final shows that genuine partnerships built over time and grounded in doubles-specific skills can absolutely compete at the highest level.
The Mertens-Kichenok final matchup is also notable. Kichenok and Ostapenko were a formidable pairing — Ostapenko's heavy ball-striking would theoretically cause problems for any doubles team. The 6-1 first set suggests Mertens and Hsieh solved the tactical puzzle quickly and cleanly. That's not luck. That's preparation and execution.
For players developing their game and looking to practice at home, a quality set of tennis training equipment can help build the fundamentals that underpin performances like Mertens' — consistent volleys, net coverage, and quick hands at the net.
Frequently Asked Questions About Elise Mertens
How many Grand Slam titles does Elise Mertens have?
Mertens has four Grand Slam doubles titles as of April 2026. These include two Wimbledon women's doubles titles, two French Open women's doubles titles, and now her first Australian Open women's doubles title won with partner Hsieh Su-wei. She has not won a Grand Slam singles title.
Who is Elise Mertens' doubles partner?
Mertens has won doubles titles with multiple partners over her career, but her most successful current partnership is with Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan. Together they won the 2026 Australian Open women's doubles title, defeating Jelena Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5 in the final. This was their second Grand Slam doubles title as a pair.
What is Elise Mertens' current singles ranking?
As of the 2026 Mutua Madrid Open, Mertens is ranked 21st in the world in singles. She was seeded accordingly at Madrid and entered her Round of 64 match against Alexandra Eala (ranked 44th) as a heavy favorite at -275 odds.
What happened between Mertens and Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon 2024?
Raducanu defeated Mertens 6-1, 6-2 in the second round of Wimbledon 2024 in a dominant performance that thrilled the home crowd. The result was a significant statement win for Raducanu, who played attacking, precise tennis throughout. For Mertens, the loss highlighted the gap between her singles ceiling and the tour's elite singles players.
Has Elise Mertens won a career Grand Slam in doubles?
Not yet, but she is closer than ever. Mertens now has titles at Wimbledon, Roland Garros, and the Australian Open in doubles. The only remaining major is the US Open, where a title would complete a career Grand Slam in doubles — an achievement that would permanently cement her legacy as one of the great doubles players of her era.
Conclusion: A Player Who Knows Exactly Who She Is
What separates good athletes from great ones isn't always talent. Sometimes it's clarity — knowing where your best contribution lies and then pouring everything into that lane. Elise Mertens found her lane in doubles and has navigated it with remarkable consistency, intelligence, and ambition. Four Grand Slam doubles titles across three different surfaces, a top-25 singles ranking, and a partnership with Hsieh Su-wei that has proven durable and effective — that's a career to be proud of, not a consolation prize.
The 2026 Australian Open title is both a milestone and a stepping stone. With the US Open doubles as the final piece of a career Grand Slam within reach, Mertens has more to accomplish. She'll keep competing in singles, keep taking on challengers like Eala at Madrid, and keep doing the unglamorous, essential work that makes doubles champions. The trophy case is filling up. It should.
