NEW YORK, NY, USA - Alongside Flavia Pennetta, Martina Hingis made her first Grand Slam doubles final in more than a dozen years on Thursday, pulling off yet another upset - this time over the No.3 seeds, Cara Black and Sania Mirza in the semifinals - to make it into the championship match.
Hingis and Pennetta had already taken out No.15 seeds Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Lucie Safarova and No.3 seeds Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik earlier in the tournament, but this was their greatest victory yet, cruising through the first set and rallying from 4-1 down in the second set to close out Black and Mirza, 6-2, 6-4. Black and Mirza even had a point for 5-1 in that second set.
"I'm enjoying every second to be out there," Hingis said. "I said that two days ago already when we made the semifinals. I think we've beaten some really great teams on the way to get there, and we proved it again today. They were the No.3 seeds, right? So they are always contenders to win a Grand Slam. Cara has been there, done that - so I think we really deserve our spot in the finals now."
Hingis already has nine Grand Slam doubles titles to her name - four Australian Opens, two French Opens, two Wimbledons and one US Open. This is the WTA legend's first Grand Slam doubles final since the 2002 Australian Open, where she actually ended up winning the title with Anna Kournikova.
Hingis was asked how it feels to be back at this stage of the US Open. "Well, it means a lot to me," she commented. "I only won one title here in doubles. That was a while back in '98. I made some good matches, like some great memories, but it's been a while. So I'm really cherishing this moment.
"This tournament it's all just coming together for me. I played a lot better than I did in the previous tournaments. With Flavia I feel really comfortable being out there. I think that's the key to success."
Pennetta has a Grand Slam doubles title too - the 2011 Australian Open with Gisela Dulko.
Awaiting them in the final will be the No.4 seeds, Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina, who ended the surprise run of Kimiko Date-Krumm and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova earlier in the day, 7-5, 6-3.
Makarova and Vesnina, who took out the Williams sisters in a high-quality quarterfinal match earlier in the week, have more credentials as a team - they've won four WTA doubles titles together, and that tally actually includes a Grand Slam doubles title on the slow red clay of Roland Garros last year.
The two teams have played once before, with Hingis and Pennetta beating Makarova and Vesnina in the first round of Eastbourne this year, 7-5, 6-2. Hingis and Pennetta would make the final there.
"Makarova is playing really well this tournament," Hingis said. "It always helps if you played really great tennis at this tournament - even if it's playing well in the singles, it definitely helps.
"We have to come out with our best."
Who would have thunk it!. Go Martina!. Not bad for an almost 34 year old.
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