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MELBOURNE, Australia – If the doubles relationship between Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and Canadian/Kiwi Erin Routliffe ran its course, that doesn’t mean their tennis has.

Both made their 2026 Australian Open debuts on Wednesday, with new partners.

And, as they did so often together during their very successful partnership, both came out winners.

New Routliffe partnership with Muhammad starts with a W

First up were Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani, who has been a best friend over the years and with whom she partnered – twice – before starting the partnership with Routliffe.

The No. 5 seeds a tough opener against Jessica Pegula and McCartney Kessler, who aren’t at the same level of doubles prowess but are excellent players – in Pegula’s case, a super-successful doubles player as well.

And Dabrowski hadn’t yet played a match this season.

Scheduled to be the playing captain at the United Cup, she then became the “non-playing captain” before skipping the event entirely, dealing with an unspecified leg/ankle issue that needed more time before she headed Down Under. She also skipped Adelaide.

Open Court first spotted her last Saturday, supporting her new/old partner in a doubles exhibition on Kia Arena. Later, she practiced alone, with her coach.

On Wednesday, and she Stefani picked right up there they have left off, twice, in posting a 6-4, 7-6 (3) victory that puts them into the second round against the far-less-dangerous Emiliana Arango and Elsa Jacquemot.

Third time the charm?

Stefani and Dabrowski have played together twice before.

The first incarnation was gangbusters – until Stefani suffered a brutal knee injury at the US Open in 2021, in the semifinals against Coco Gauff and Caty McNally.

The pair had only teamed up in San Jose about a month prior, and made the final. They won the Canadian Open, and reached the final in Cincinnati and were riding a wave coming in.

Stefani was out a full year with the knee, during which Dabrowski forged a partnership with Giuliana Olmos of Mexico that was succcessful enough that they qualified for the year-end finals in 2022.

But after the Australian swing in 2023, Dabrowski threw over Olmos to re-team with Stefani again.

They reunited at Indian Wells – only to have the partnership end, rather abruptly and reportedly somewhat contentiously, after losing in the third round of Roland Garros in 2023. So just a few months, during which the results weren’t incredible.

A lot of water under the bridge since then, though.

Doubles divorce as Dabrowski, Stefani go separate ways

A door closes, a window opens

After that second split with Stefani, that’s when Dabrowski gave Routliffe, who had sort of been hovering around No. 30 in the rankings and had trouble getting a regular partner to build with, a shot.

And they had a tremendous run which – just like Dabrowski’s debut with Stefani, began in the summer leading up to the US Open. Which they won.

In the meantime, Stefani found success with Timea Babos of Hungary. Both Stefani and Babos AND Dabrowski and Routliffe qualified for the year-end finals in Riyadh last November. And Stefani and Babos made the final.

But Babos (who played with Canadian Leylah Fernandez here) is scaling back in 2026. And the bloom seemed off the rose with Dabrowski and Routliffe; doubles partnerships are like marriages where you spend all your time with your spouse, and sometimes things get old.

If you want a full circle moment, here are Stefani’s former partner Babos and new partner Dabrowski, after the Australian Open junior girls’ doubles final in … 2010.

Babies.

Similar style, easy adjustment

If Dabrowski and Routliffe made their mark as a full-forward, classic doubles pair, it won’t be a tough adjustment for Dabrowski to move on to Stefani.

The Brazilian, too, plays old-school doubles. Plus, they have plenty of experience playing together.

It wouldn’t be a shock to see them in Riyadh at year’s end.