TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇) and Elise Mertens of Belgium were defeated by Czech duo Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova in the doubles at the Akron WTA Finals in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Wednesday (Nov. 17), ending a superb first-year partnership with a runner-up finish at the prestigious championships.

In the first set, three of the first six games went to a deciding point, but both teams held their serve until Mertens’ serve was broken at 2-3. The Czechs handed the break back in the following game but eased back to win the set 6-3.

The Czechs took the early lead in the second set as well, attaining a quick break in the opening game. They held onto that advantage through 5-4, where a Siniakova volley saved a break point. A Siniakova drop volley forced an error from Hsieh and sealed the victory for the No. 1 seeds.

The victory also propels Siniakova to the year-end WTA Doubles World No. 1 ranking, displacing Hsieh at the top when the next rankings are released. All four players in the final had held the WTA Doubles World No. 1 ranking at one point during their careers.

This is the fifth title of the season for the Czech pair. Their title haul this year includes their third career Grand Slam women’s doubles title at Roland Garros and the Olympic gold medal.

Hsieh and Mertens linked up for the first time during the summer and have established themselves as a formidable team on the WTA circuit. In the nine tournaments they played together this year, they won their first doubles title at Wimbledon, going on in October to capture the BNP Paribas Open doubles title at Indian Wells, California, before finishing second at the WTA Finals.

(YouTube, WTA video)