Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani closed the Wuhan Open with another statement victory, beating defending champions Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova 7-5, 6-4 to lift the WTA 1000 doubles trophy on Sunday.
The top-seeded pairing needed 1 hour and 32 minutes to overcome the third seeds in a final that repeatedly turned on narrow margins. It was their third consecutive title, their sixth of the season and the eighth they have won together.
A final decided by late breaks
- Dabrowski and Stefani made the sharper start, breaking early and moving ahead 4-1 in the opening set.
- Hunter and Siniakova, the reigning Wuhan champions, recovered the deficit and drew level before the set reached its decisive stages.
- The No. 1 seeds found another break in the 12th game, sealing the opener 7-5.
- They continued to pressure the Hunter-Siniakova serve in the second set, earning break opportunities throughout and converting twice.
- Although Hunter and Siniakova claimed one break back, Dabrowski and Stefani held firm to finish the final 7-5, 6-4.
Stefani said the opening set could easily have gone in the other direction. “These matches come down to a small number of moments and points,” she said. “We could have been a set behind in the first set.”
She identified a deuce-point backhand miss from Hunter as one of those turning points, saying the match might have taken a different path had that ball cleared the net.
“We started the second set well and kept creating break chances in nearly every game,” Stefani said. “Against a team like this, you need to be switched on all the time, or at least keep trying to make the right plays.”
She added that the straight-sets finish was especially satisfying against “a really great team” and “tough, tough opponents.”
Third straight trophy for the top seeds
The Wuhan crown follows titles in Dubai, Strasbourg, Eastbourne, Sao Paulo and Beijing, where the pair won the previous week. Their run in China has extended their tour-level record together to 79 wins and 19 losses.
| Team achievement | Record |
|---|---|
| Titles in 2025 | 6 |
| Titles together | 8 |
| Consecutive titles | 3 |
| Tour-level win-loss record | 79-19 |
For Dabrowski, the victory was the 26th WTA Tour doubles title of her career and her eighth at WTA 1000 level. Stefani collected her 19th career tour-level doubles trophy, including a sixth at the WTA 1000 tier.
The champions have already secured a place in next month’s WTA Finals in Indian Wells.
Relentlessness remains the target
Dabrowski said the pair have built their season around making deep runs while managing a demanding schedule.
“As a team, it is always important for us to keep pushing through the latter rounds of draws,” Dabrowski said. “We aim to play a fairly full calendar, but also a smart one.”
She said their coach has stressed “relentlessness” as a defining theme of the campaign, and believes the pair have consistently met that standard.
“I’m very happy with where we are and with our level,” Dabrowski said. “It is nice to see that work translate into results consistently through the season.”
Despite their title streak and Finals qualification, Dabrowski said the team’s attention remains on the remaining weeks of the year. “We still have a few weeks left, so we are not finished,” she said. “There is more to learn and more room to grow.”
Hunter and Siniakova were contesting only their ninth tour-level tournament together. Their partnership now owns a 30-6 record, with previous titles in Dubai in 2024 and Wuhan in 2025.
