Dabrowski, Routliffe defeated by Siniakova, Townsend in Wimbledon final

LONDON, Ont. — Ottawa's Gabriela Dabrowski and partner Erin Routliffe came up just short of winning a second Grand Slam title with a 7-6 (5), 7-6 (1) loss to Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend Saturday in the women's doubles final at Wimbledon.

The fourth-seeded team of Czechia's Siniakova and Townsend of the United States dominated the second set tiebreaker, with Routliffe hitting into her team's third double-fault on match point.

Siniakova and Townsend rode a strong service game to the win. They had five aces to one for Dabrowski and Routliffe, and did not commit a double fault.

Dabrowski and Routliffe, who were seeded second at the All England Club, faced break point nine times, defending eight. They converted one of their four break-point chances against Siniakova and Townsend.

Dabrowski and Routliffe, who formerly represented Canada before switching to New Zealand, the country of her birth, were seeking their second Grand Slam title after winning the U.S. Open in 2023.

Dabrowski also made it to the Wimbledon final in 2019 with partner Xu Yifan. They lost 6-2, 6-4 to Czechia's Barbora Strycova and Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan.

Despite the loss, the pair have enjoyed a successful grass-court season. They went 12-3 on the surface and reached the final at three tournaments, including a win last month in Nottingham, England.

It's a second straight Grand Slam doubles title for Siniakova. She partnered with American Coco Gauff at the French Open, where they beat Italians Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the final.

Siniakova won seven major doubles titles before this year with Barbora Krejcikova, who won the Wimbledon women's singles title on Friday.

It's the first Grand Slam double title for Townsend after reaching two finals, including the 2023 French Open with partner Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que.

Townsend said it was Siniakova's idea for the two of them to play together at Wimbledon.

“I’m so glad Katerina slid into my DMs,” Townsend said.

— With files from The Associated Press.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 13, 2024.