LONDON, July 12 (Reuters) – Chinese and French pair Guo Hanyu and Kristina Mladenovic outwitted second seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani 6-3 7-5 to win the Wimbledon women’s doubles title on Sunday for their first major triumph together.
Tenth seeds Guo and Mladenovic were quick to read Dabrowski’s early lobs and raced to a 5-0 lead. The Canadian-Brazilian pairing of Dabrowski and Stefani fought back to win the next three games, but it was not enough to save the set.
The second seeds looked much more in their element as they pushed for a break in the second set, but their opponents saved two break points as Mladenovic’s strong forehands across the court helped them stay even at 5-5.
Guo’s backhand returns from the net set up a break point in the 11th game, which the Chinese 28-year-old, playing in her first major final, won with a cross-court backhand at a tight angle.
Serving for the championship, a clinical Mladenovic secured victory with a forehand that her opponents could only lash back into the net.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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