Melbourne, Jan. 31 -- China's Zhang Shuai won her third Grand Slam women's doubles title after combining with Elise Mertens to beat seventh seeds Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic in the Australian Open final on Saturday.
The fourth seeds overcame a slow start and some late nerves to prevail 7-6 (4), 6-4 in one hour and 48 minutes at Rod Laver Arena.
It is the first major title for the pairing of Belgium's Mertens and Zhang, who were runners-up at Wimbledon in 2022.
Zhang, a former No. 2 ranked doubles player, had previously won the 2019 Australian Open and the 2021 US Open alongside Australian Samantha Stosur.
It was a disappointment for Danilina and Krunic, who were runners-up at last year's French Open.
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