Canada's Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand's Erin Routliffe celebrate winning the women's doubles final against Czech Republic's Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend of the U.S.Mike Segar/Reuters
Gaby Dabrowski kicked off an exciting day for Canadian tennis at the U.S. Open on Friday by winning a women’s doubles title alongside partner Erin Routliffe of New Zealand.
Seeded third in the tournament, the pair beat the No. 1 team of American Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova of Czech Republic 6-4, 6-4 in the championship match inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
For Dabrowski, and Routliffe, this marks their seventh WTA doubles titles as a pairing and their second U.S. Open women’s doubles trophy in three years.
“Both are very sweet in different ways. I would say in that first slam that we played together, we were more of a surprise team I think for other players and other teams on tour,” said Dabrowski. “Now, over the years, I think we’ve proven how strong we are as a team and as individual players.”
While Routliffe represents New Zealand, she’s Kiwi-Canadian. She was born in Auckland and lived there as a young child, before moving to Canada, her parents’ homeland. She lived in Caledon, Ont., and later trained in Montreal at Tennis Canada’s national training centre as a teen, from 2011 to 2013.
Erin Routliffe, left, and Gabriela Dabrowski hold the U.S. Open women's doubles trophy after beating Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend to win their second U.S. Open doubles crown.Robert Deutsch/Reuters
“That’s who I am. To have a Canadian team win a slam or two slams is pretty phenomenal,” said Routliffe. “That’s where I went to school. That’s where my parents are from. That’s where I grew up. It means a lot to me. I wish that people talked more about the dual citizenship that people have, because there’s so many people on tour that are like me, like they have two countries that they represent.”
The two elite teams in Friday’s doubles final had only played each other previously in finals – at 2024 Wimbledon, where Siniakova and Townsend won, and at the 2024 WTA Finals, when Dabrowski and Routliffe took the title.
Townsend and Siniakova – the WTA’s No. 1- and No. 2-ranked doubles players respectively – applied plenty of pressure, with the New York faithful cheering especially for Townsend’s many fierce smash winners. Dabrowski and Routliffe had to withstand comeback attempts in both sets before they prevailed. The two women leaped in the air and embraced in celebration after the final stroke from their opponents sailed long.
It was the first Canadian highlight on a big Friday at the U.S. Open. Later on, Félix Auger-Aliassime was scheduled to face Italian world No. 1 Jannik Sinner under the lights on Arthur Ashe in the men’s semi-finals.
It was the 20th doubles title of 33-year-old Dabrowski’s career, and the 12th for 30-year-old Routliffe.
Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada, right, serves as partner Erin Routliffe of New Zealand looks on during their U.S. Open doubles final victory in New York on Friday.Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
It’s been quite a ride for the pair. They teamed up for the first time at the start of the 2023 North American summer hard-court swing and found fast success, winning the U.S. Open doubles title in just their fourth event together.
The duo was fresh off a title last month in Cincinnati, Ohio, their first together in a WTA 1000 event. They also won in Stuttgart earlier this year. Friday marked the third Grand Slam women’s doubles final for this pair.
It’s another remarkable chapter in the story for Dabrowski, who, earlier this year, revealed that she’d been diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer during her 2024 season. Only her closest circle knew about the diagnosis, surgeries and radiation she’d undergone during a season in which she earned a bronze medal in mixed-doubles tennis at the Paris Olympics and became the first Canadian to hoist the women’s doubles year-end championship trophy.
Dabrowski and Routliffe also both missed time on the court in the past year when each of them suffered fractured ribs due to excessive coughing while having bronchitis. The two have stuck together as partners and friends.
“Wild ride. Cancer, broken ribs for both of us. It was crazy, honestly,” said Dabrowksi. “I’m really proud of us. It was not easy, but I think we’ve shown that even if we don’t have a consistent schedule like the other teams have, we can still bring a really high level, which is awesome. I think that’s a testament to our work ethic and everything that we put in on court, off the court, with each other as friends too to keep the chemistry going.”