Routliffe, Dabrowski Make Final Of WTA Finals

New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe and her Canadian partner Gaby Dabrowski are into the final of the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

On Friday the No 2 seeds defeated Nicole Melichar-Martinez from the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez 7-6(6) 6-1 in just over an hour and a half.

To reach the final of the season ending tournament, which just the best eight doubles teams in the world qualify for, is a massive achievement for Routliffe and Dabrowski and will go down as one of the stand out moments of their careers.

But it was a nervous start for the match from both teams, with all four players in the semifinal having their serve broken over the first five games.

Perez in particular showed her nerves, having three double faults in her service game.

The set went into a tiebreak, where Melichar-Martinez and Perez went out to a 5-3 lead. Even though Routliffe and Dabrowski got the mini break back, the American/Australian team went on to have a set point.

However, Melichar-Martinez missed with a backhand on it and soon after Routliffe ripped a forehand winner on a set point to her and Dabrowski to have one foot in the final.

That put the momentum firmly with the Kiwi/Canadian team and they kept hold of that throughout the second set.

Last year at the WTA Finals in Mexico, Routliffe and Dabrowski lost in the semifinals, so they were naturally thrilled to go at least one stage further this year.

"We've been in the WTA Finals a bunch of times, but semifinals was my best result with Erin last year in Cancun," Dabrowski said afterwards.

"So to go one round further is super exciting. In the later part of my career as well, it's really special. To do it together, with the vibe we've got, is really amazing.”

As for this semifinal, Dabrowski admitted it took a while to find her rhythm, but she and Routliffe stayed confident and believed in each other.

“I had a little bit of a slow start and Erin started really well," Dabrowski said.

"But she stood by me, and that enabled me to still have the freedom as the match went on to go for my shots and my serves and my plays.

“That helped me stay very present. Some of it is confidence, some of it is communication, but overall just a strong partnership was the key."

Routliffe said it was crucial for them to stay focused and in the moment to get this victory.

"We always try to bring the best out of each other," Routliffe said.

"We always try to smile and have fun, even when it's not going our way. It's so important in doubles. If anyone's playing doubles, make sure you support your partners!"

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