Hungarian tennis player Tímea Babos and France’s Kristina Mladenovic won their second Grand Slam title together, by defeating Duan Ying Ying and Zheng Saisai 6-2, 6-3 on 9 June at the Roland Garros (French Open) at Court Philippe-Chatrier.
With their victory, Babos and Mladenovic claimed their second Grand Slam as a team after last year’s first place at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
BREAKING: Hungary’s Timea Babos Wins Women’s Doubles Final at the Australian Open
Previously, Babos’ best result at the Roland Garros was in the quarter-finals in doubles, while at the other Grand Slams, she played three finals: at Wimbledon in 2014, 2016, and at the US Open in 2018.
Hungarian Tímea Babos and French Mladovic Defeated in Close Match at the US Open Final
At the Australian Open this January, Babos and Mladenovic tasted defeat, losing the title they won a year earlier to Samantha Stosur and Zhang Shuai. But at the French Open, Babos and Mladenovic, the No.2 seeds once again claimed a Grand Slam title, defeating Duan Ying Ying and Zheng Saisai, a Chinese unseeded duo, who both played their first slam final and who had never competed together as a team before.
Babos is the first ever Hungarian to win the Roland Garros since 1986, when Andrea Temesvári won the French Open. After the match, Babos talked about her partner in French:
I have to say thank you to my partner, my sister, my best friend Kiki because with her, every day is like playing a final. I love you so much.
Mladenovic appreciated the gesture by saying “my Tímea, who spoke in French, that was exceptional,” adding that “spending every day by your side is like being at a Grand Slam final and I’m very happy to have you as my best friend alongside me every day. Thank you for everything you give me on and off court. It’s a privilege to experience these moments – this moment is inscribed on my heart.”
featured photo: Corinne Dubreuil / FFT