Tennis

Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko's plans for a wedding this week were put on hold as they triumphed in the US Open women's doubles championship. The duo defeated Kristina Mladenovic and Zhang Shuai 6-4, 6-3, claiming their first Grand Slam title together.Kichenok and Ostapenko, seeded seventh, had an impressive run at Flushing Meadows, not dropping a single set throughout the tournament. Their victory earned them a prize of $750,000.Ostapenko, a Latvian who won the 2017 French Open in singles, expressed her joy during the trophy ceremony, saying, "I think it's a good excuse to postpone it a bit."Kichenok, who hails from Ukraine, dedicated the victory to her home country, which is currently engaged in a conflict. "They are fighting really hard for our freedom right now and I just hope I can give them some encouragement," she said.The match began with Kichenok and Ostapenko taking an early lead of 4-1. Mladenovic and Zhang fought back to tie it at 4-all, but Ostapenko and Kichenok regained the lead and won the first set when Zhang double-faulted.In the second set, Kichenok and Ostapenko fell behind 2-0 but surged back as Arthur Ashe Stadium filled up with fans anticipating the men's semifinal between Jannik Sinner and Jack Draper.Mladenovic and Zhang fought off three match points before the champions sealed the victory on their next chance. Mladenovic, who has won six Grand Slam doubles titles, fell to 0-3 in the US Open final.Zhang, who won the 2021 US Open doubles title with Sam Stosur, expressed her disappointment but remained optimistic. "For me the biggest motivation is I wanted to put our name on this trophy," she said. "But we will fight next time."As for Kichenok's wedding, she said, "No plan yet. Maybe Las Vegas or in Europe somewhere."

Coco Gauff's Olympic campaign in Paris took a disappointing turn on Wednesday as she suffered a second-round exit in women's doubles, a day after her tearful departure from singles.Gauff and her American teammate, Jessica Pegula, were the top-seeded women's pair but were eliminated by the Czech duo of Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova in a thrilling match tiebreaker, 2-6, 6-4, 10-5.The setback came on the heels of Gauff's heartbreaking loss to Donna Vekic of Croatia in the third round of singles, where she was seeded second. The American had a heated exchange with the chair umpire near the end of that match over an officiating decision.Despite the setbacks, Gauff still has a chance to salvage her Olympic experience in mixed doubles, where she is scheduled to partner with Taylor Fritz later Wednesday.Gauff arrived in France as one of the most highly anticipated athletes in the Games. The 20-year-old from Florida won her first Grand Slam singles title at the US Open last September and collected her first major doubles title at the French Open in June.Muchova, who was the runner-up to Iga Swiatek at the French Open last year, returned to action in June after missing 10 months due to surgery on her right wrist.Noskova, 18, has emerged as a rising star in the sport. She made history at the Australian Open in January when she became the first teenager to defeat a No. 1-ranked woman at Melbourne Park since 1999.The match between Gauff and Pegula and Muchova and Noskova was delayed by rain before the Czechs took the second set. They then dominated the match tiebreaker, with Noskova sealing the victory with a volley winner.

Jasmine Paolini's remarkable Roland Garros campaign continues as she sets her sights on both the women's singles and doubles titles. The Italian, who reached the singles semifinals, has teamed up with Sara Errani to storm into the doubles final.Errani, a veteran of Grand Slam doubles success, is seeking her first major title in nearly a decade. She and former partner Roberta Vinci triumphed at Wimbledon in 2014 and reached the Roland Garros final three times between 2012 and 2014.Coco Gauff, who saw her singles hopes dashed by Iga Swiatek, has also found success in doubles. Partnering with Katerina Siniakova, the American has overcome adversity to reach the final.Siniakova, a two-time Roland Garros doubles champion with Barbora Krejcikova, is aiming to add to her Grand Slam tally. Gauff, on the other hand, is looking to break her streak of losing in major doubles finals.The doubles final promises to be a thrilling encounter between two experienced teams and two rising stars. Paolini and Errani will rely on their momentum and home-court advantage, while Gauff and Siniakova will look to their chemistry and Siniakova's Grand Slam pedigree.