Gabriela Dabrowski, of Canada, right, returns a shot alongside doubles partner Erin Routliffe, of New Zealand, left, during the women's doubles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Laura Siegemund, of Germany, and Vera Zvonareva, of Russia, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in New York. Dabrowski and Routliffe were on the wrong end of a comeback, falling 4-6, 7-6 (5), 11-9 to Americans Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the Miami Open women's doubles final on Sunday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Manu Fernandez
MIAMI – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe were on the wrong end of a comeback, falling 4-6, 7-6 (5), 11-9 to Americans Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the Miami Open women’s doubles final on Sunday.
After taking the first set, Ottawa’s Dabrowski and Routliffe found themselves behind 5-1 in the second.
However, they forced a tiebreaker in which they fell behind 5-1 in as well before trying to rally but ultimately losing the set.
In the match tiebreak game, Kenin and Mattek-Sands turned a 5-0 edge into an 8-4 lead. Dabrowski and Routliffe kept plugging away, though, making it a 9-9 game before the Americans pulled away to seal the win.
The unseeded duo of Kenin and Mattek-Sands entered the tournament draw as alternates after the withdrawal of another team.
It was the first final appearance of the season for the second-seeded Dabrowski and Routliffe, who won the U.S. Open title last September.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2024.
