Both lines have reached a new career high, with a difference of 15 years and Xie Shuwei becoming the best cross-strait partner! Wang Xinyu Bravely Holds Grand Slam First Crown, Xie Shuwei | Women's Doubles | First Crown
On June 11, 2023 Beijing time, in the women's doubles final of the French Open, the "Strait Combination" Wang Xinyu/Xie Shuwei played against the 10th seed Fernandez/Townsend. Wang Xinyu/Xie Shuwei lost one set first, then made a strong comeback and won two sets in a row to complete the comeback. In the end, with a total score of 2-1, they reversed and defeated Fernandez/Townsend, successfully winning this year's French Open women's doubles championship and creating history. Wang Xinyu became the fifth mainland player to win a Grand Slam women's doubles championship, while Xie Shuwei won the French Open women's doubles championship again since 2014, marking her fifth career Grand Slam women's doubles championship.
This year at the French Open, 22-year-old Chinese gold flower Wang Xinyu participated in the double track competition. In the women's singles, she won two consecutive games and reached the top 32, breaking her best record in the Grand Slam. In terms of women's doubles, Wang Xinyu teamed up with 37 year old Chinese Taipei star Xie Shuwei and won consecutive victories, reaching the final and also breaking her personal best record in women's doubles at a Grand Slam.
This is the second time that the Wang Xinyu/Xie Shuwei duo has collaborated in the competition. Unexpectedly, they quickly found a tacit understanding and shone brightly in this year's French Open, defeating Pudingseva/Lakshimova, 9th seed Zhang Shuai/Muradnovic, 5th seed Klutsk/Schuls, 15th seed Kudemetova/Samsonova, and 6th seed Merichal/Perez, respectively, and reaching the finals.
Xie Shuwei, who is 37 years old, once ranked first in the women's doubles world. She has reached the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam women's doubles 14 times and won the championship 4 times, including her victory at the French Open in 2014. But due to injuries, she was once far away from the field, and her doubles world ranking has now dropped to 286th place. Xie Shuwei has rich experience and good hand feel in front of the internet. She was impressed by Wang Xinyu's ability to hit the bottom line, so she took the initiative to contact him in front of the French Open, ultimately facilitating their cooperation.
Previously, Xie Shuwei had five Grand Slam women's doubles final trips and successfully won the cup four times.
Wang Xinyu was a skilled player in both singles and doubles during her teenage years, having won the Australian Open and Wimbledon Junior Women's Doubles Championships, the 2019 Jiangxi Open Women's Doubles Final, and the 2021 Kumayor Open Women's Doubles Championships. Now, she has made it to the finals at the Grand Slam stage, which can be said to be a godsend. She and Xie Shuwei cooperated harmoniously in this competition, showcasing their respective characteristics and successfully advanced to the final match.
In the first set of the finals, the Strait duo Wang Xinyu and Xie Shuwei performed poorly. After winning the first set, they were then crazily crushed by the Fernandez/Townsend duo, losing six consecutive sets and swallowing the Invisible Egg, leading to a 1-6 defeat and losing one set. The first set only lasted 27 minutes.
Entering the second set of the game, Wang Xinyu/Xie Shuwei took the lead by breaking through the bar and securing a 2-0 lead. They then engaged in a fierce battle with their opponents to secure their serve, maintaining a 5-3 lead in the eighth inning. Just the Fernandes/Townsend combination won three consecutive innings to overtake the score, while Wang Xinyu/Xie Shuwei scored four straight runs in the 12th inning to secure a 6-6 draw from their serve. Both sides entered a seven game battle, with Wang Xinyu and Xie Shuwei winning the seven game 7-5, thus winning the set 7-6.
In the decisive set, the two of them played better and better, completing consecutive breaks and easily winning 6-1, thus completing a comeback. They won 2-1 with a big score and won this year's French Open women's doubles championship.
After the game, Xie Shuwei and Wang Xinyu praised each other and said, "We each do our own jobs and do our own things well. Sometimes when I don't perform well, it's all thanks to her. Thank you." Xie Shuwei said after the game, "The key is that we are very happy and didn't give up even when we fell behind. It's important to encourage each other."
