Trial Down Under: Dabrowski and … Mattek-Sands

.

A new season brings new possibilities.

And a doubles pairing that is going try things out in Australia is intriguingly full of potential.

Open Court has learned that Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and 10-time Grand Slam champion Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the U.S. are going to give it a go.

They’ll play the 500-level WTA Tour event, and then the Australian Open.

After a long and successful stretch with Yifan Xu of China, Dabrowski, 28, had planned to play a fairly full schedule with Jelena Ostapenko in 2020.

But the pandemic intruded. And Ostapenko never made it to the U.S. to play the “bubble” tournaments in New York.

Mattek-Sands, 35, has won five women’s doubles and five mixed-doubles Grand Slam titles. She is currently ranked No. 20.

Dabrowski, who has two mixed majors with Mate Pavic and reached the 2019 Wimbledon women’s doubles final with Xu, stands No. 10.

Neither won a title in the abbreviated 2020 season. Dabrowki went 20-11; Mattek-Sands went 13-10.

Other Oz pairings

There don’t seem. tohave been any dramatic breakups at the top of the game in women’s doubles.

Sofia Kenin, with whom Mattek-Sands paired up for several tournaments in 2020 (including Australia) plans to play the Australian Open with Belinda Bencic.

Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok will team up. So will Amanda Anisimova and Marketa Vondrousova.

The other Canadian doubles player, Sharon Fichman, will play with Giuliana Olmos of Mexico.

About Post Author