Doubles Take: Wuhan, Chengdu & more

The Asia Swing heats up, with Doubles Take covering the action on the ATP and WTA tours.

A HAPPY BIRTHDAY INDEED

When last we saw Martina Hingis and Yung-Jan Chan, the duo just won its seventh title of the year at the US Open. In their return to tournament play together, they picked up right where they left off.

The top seeds didn’t drop a set on their way to the final, but when they got there, they were put to the test by the unseeded team of Shuko Aoyama and Yang Zhaoxuan. Chan and Hingis won the first set in a tiebreak, dropped the second and then took the match tiebreak 10-4 for their tour-leading eighth title of 2017.

The title was a perfect present for Hingis, celebrating her 37th birthday on finals day.

Plus, she returns to No. 1 in the world, nearly 20 years after she first pulled off the feat.

"KILLER B"—WITH A CAVEAT

A couple of weeks ago, at the tour stop in Quebec, Timea Babos came close to joining the “Killer B’s” (trademarked by Doubles Take). It's the group of players on the WTA Tour who have swept singles and doubles tournaments—all of whose last names begin with “B.”

At the Tashkent Open, Babos replicated that feat by reaching the singles final and winning the doubles with her regular partner Andrea Hlavackova. The team beat Nao Hibino and Oksana Kalashnikova in straight sets in the final.

While Babos didn’t pull off the sweep, two single-doubles finals in three weeks is impressive, nevertheless. She’s earned her way into the Killer B’s with that feat.

VETERANS’ DAY

If you’re looking to pick up a title on the ATP World Tour, Aisam Ul-Haq Quereshi is proving to be the go-to guy.

At the Chengdu Open, Qureshi captured his fifth title of the year with his fifth partner. Qureshi and fellow longtime doubles standout Jonathan Erlich beat Marcus Daniell and Marcelo Demoliner in straight sets for the win.

Qureshi’s won on all surfaces this year—and he even picked up an ATP Challenger title with yet another partner.

FIRST TIME’S THE CHARM

Second seeds Rajeev Ram and Alexander Peya captured the Shenzhen Open title with a straight-sets win over Nicholas Monroe and Nikola Mektic.

It was a successful run for all four finalists as both teams were playing together for the first time. Ram won his fourth title of the season, while the veteran Peya triumphed for the first time since 2015.

A LOOK AHEAD

At the joint-event China Open in Beijing, Hingis and Chan are the top seeds on the women’s side, while Henri Kontinen and John Peers lead the men’s field.

Hingis and Chan are joined in the draw by Wimbledon champions Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina. They’re far from the only challengers for the title as Babos /Hlavackova and Sania Mirza/Shuai Peng are also in the field.

There’s already been a round of upsets on the men's side as John Isner and Jack Sock defeated Wimbledon runners-up Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic, and Wimbledon champions Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo fell in their opener.

At the Japan Open, men’s US Open champs Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau return to action as the top seeds. Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares are the second seeds. There’s an intriguing first-round matchup as Mektic and Monroe take on Daniell and Demoliner. Both teams will be looking to rebound from their final-round losses over the weekend.