By Justin Ross
Today, the Miami Open crowned its women’s doubles champion. Your winners are the unseeded team of
Gabriela Dabrowski, Canada, and Yifan Xu, China.
In their first tournament as a team, the duo defeated the No. 3 seeded pair of Sania Mirza, India, and Barbora Strycova, Czech Republic 6-4, 6-3.
Dabrowski and Xu became the first women from their respective countries to win in Miami. By virtue of reaching the finals, the duo also ensured that at least one unseeded team contested the Miami championship for the fifth time in 10 years.
On their path to glory, Dabrowski and Xu defeated several formidable foes, including a quarterfinals win over the No. 2 seeded duo of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina, and a semifinals victory over the No. 4 seeded team of Andrea Hlavackova and Shuai Peng.
In Miami, Xu was a doubles semifinalist in 2016, while Dabrowski’s best result was just a second round showing.
Mirza and Strycova were playing in their fifth finals together, having won in Cincinnati and Tokyo in 2016. Mirza leads the four finalists with 41 WTA doubles titles.
With the victory, Dabrowski and Xu each hold four doubles titles.
About the Miami Open presented by Itaú
The 2017 Miami Open will be played March 20-April 2 at the Crandon Tennis Center in Miami. The two-week combined event is owned and operated by IMG. The Miami Open is one of nine ATP Masters 1000 Series events on the ATP calendar, a Premier Mandatory event on the WTA calendar, and features the top men’s and women’s tennis players in the world. The tournament is widely regarded as the most glamorous on the ATP and WTA calendars because of its exotic Miami location, thriving nightlife, five-star hotels and restaurants, beautiful weather and beaches, and its celebrity appeal. For ticket information, call +1.305.442.3367 or visit www.miamiopen.com.
About Itaú
Itau is the largest Latin America privately owned bank, with approximately 95,000 employees and operations in 20 countries throughout the Americas, Asia and Europe. Itaú’s relationship with sport goes back to the 1970s, when Itaú first sponsored the Itaú Tennis Cup in Brazil in 1970. Itaú has been a sponsor of the Miami Open for the last six years, and also sponsors the Rio Open, the only combined ATP/WTA event in South America. Itaú also supports the Brazilian Women’s Tennis Circuit, only female professional tournament in South America, certified by the Brazilian Tennis Confederation (CBT) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), as well as the Tennis Institute Training Center, responsible for the development of young, new talent.
About IMG
IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion and media operating in more than 25 countries around the world. IMG’s businesses include Events Media, College, Golf, Tennis, Performance and IMG Academy, Fashion, Models, Clients, Licensing, Joint Ventures, and creative management agency Art + Commerce. In 2014, IMG was acquired by WME, the world’s leading entertainment and media agency. Together, the companies offer an unparalleled client roster; strategic partnerships with sponsors and brands; and marquee assets across sports, entertainment, events, music and fashion.
