NEW YORK: Martina Hingis’ hopes of winning her first Grand Slam doubles title since 2002 were shattered on Saturday when the Russian pairing of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina took the US Open title.
Martina, 33, was playing with Italy’s Flavia Pennetta but despite a promising start to the final they went down 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to the fourth seeds.
Martina last appeared in a doubles final at a Grand Slam in 2002 at the Australian Open where she won the title with Anna Kournikova, one of nine doubles crowns she captured during her heydey.
She also captured the 1998 doubles title in New York with Jana Novotna.
“We definitely had our chances, but when we look back starting the tournament, if you ask me to sign a paper that I’m in the finals, I would probably accept it with my eyes closed,” said Martina.
“When you’re that close of course you want to win. We beat them before.
It’s not like we didn’t have a chance. We showed that we can beat the best doubles teams out there today again, but I felt like the juice ran out a little bit at the end.”
Ekaterina and Elena have now won two majors after their 2013 triumph at the French Open.
Their victory came a day after Ekaterina was beaten in the singles semi-finals by two-time defending champion Serena Williams. AFP
