Chan Yung-jan wins first Grand Slam title at US Open

2017/09/12

Tennis star Chan Yung-jan became the first Taiwan athlete to win the women’s doubles title at the U.S. Open when she and teammate Martina Hingis of Switzerland claimed victory at the event Sept. 10 in Flushing, New York.

Chan and Hingis defeated Katerina Siniakova and Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-2 after a 65-minute final, winning US$675,000 in prize money to be split between the two champions.

This is the first Grand Slam women’s doubles title for Chan. Her best performance at the U.S. tournament up to now was during her debut in 2007 when she placed second in the same category alongside compatriot Chuang Chia-jung.

After clinching the title, Chan said she and Hingis both performed well, starting strong and aggressive in what was a great match. “It’s been a very amazing journey to make it all the way here,” she added.

Following this victory, Chan will rise to No. 3 from her current No. 6 in the Women’s Tennis Association global doubles ranking, while Hingis will jump three places to rank No. 2. The victory gives Hingis her 13th Grand Slam women’s doubles title and is her third women’s doubles win at the U.S. Open.

Since pairing up at the beginning of this year, the Chan-Hingis duo have dominated the 2017 WTA tour, reaching several finals and winning six women’s doubles titles. Describing Chan as a great and reliable partner, Hingis said they feel very comfortable playing together, whether on clay or grass courts.

Chan’s younger sister, Chan Hao-ching, also performed well at the U.S. Open, clinching second place with her partner Michael Venus of New Zealand in mixed doubles and earning US$70,000 in prize money. The younger Chan and Venus were defeated 6-1, 4-6, 10-8 by Hingis and the UK’s Jamie Murray in the mixed doubles finals after a 69-minute match.

The U.S. Open is one of four Grand Slam tournaments, in addition to the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. This year’s U.S. Open was held Aug. 28 to Sept. 10 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=10&post=121265)