In the fierce competition of the second round of women's doubles at the 2025 Australian Open, 35-year-old veteran Zhang Shuai teamed up with Meladonovic to win a decisive victory over Sterns/Stefanie with a lopsided score of 6-2/6-2, advancing strongly to the third round. Adding to this, Zhang Shuai has successfully advanced to the round of 16 in both women's doubles and mixed doubles, becoming a shining star on the court.
Zhang Shuai, currently ranked 26th in the world in women's doubles, has achieved remarkable success in doubles. She twice held the women's doubles championship trophy high at the 2019 Australian Open and the 2021 US Open, and also won the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2022. At this Australian Open, Zhang Shuai teamed up with Meladonovic again as the No. 9 seed of the tournament, and their strength cannot be underestimated. Last year at the US Open, the two worked together to overcome all obstacles and reach the final, eventually winning the runner-up. This Australian Open is also their first time to partner again after the US Open, and their tacit understanding remains unchanged.
Their opponents, Stefanie as a doubles ace, reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open last year and twice entered the semifinals of the US Open; Sterns once reached the round of 16 in singles at the US Open, and successfully advanced to the third round at both the French Open and the US Open last year, with equally formidable strength.
The match began with intense competition. In the first set, the Zhang Shuai team faced challenges and fell into a tug-of-war. After resolving four break points, they managed to hold serve and took the lead 1-0. In the fourth set, the Zhang Shuai team was in top form, scoring four straight points for a crucial break, bringing the score to 3-1. In the eighth set, they quickly adjusted their state after losing a point first, scoring four straight points to complete the break and win the first set 6-2.
In the second set, the Zhang Shuai team continued their good form. They broke serve again in the fourth set to lead 3-1. In the eighth set, they pressed on to break serve again, sealing the victory 6-2, winning the match 2-0.
The whole match lasted 1 hour and 42 minutes, with the Zhang Shuai team having a first serve percentage of 75% and a first serve winning rate of 60%. In the key break point环节, they successfully grasped all four break points and successfully defused all seven break points from their opponents. With this victory, the Zhang Shuai team earned 240 points and a prize of 82,000 Australian dollars, with Zhang Shuai's immediate ranking rising to 25th.
It is worth mentioning that in the first round of mixed doubles the day before, Zhang Shuai partnered with Popana to defeat Meladonovic/Dodig with a score of 6-4/6-4, also advancing smoothly to the round of 16. Thus, on this Australian Open stage, Zhang Shuai has bloomed in both women's doubles and mixed doubles, and we look forward to her continuing to create excellent results in subsequent competitions and bringing more wonderful performances to fans!