Three days after conquering Flushing Meadows, Gabriela Dabrowksi is still struggling to achieve what she has just accomplished.
The 31-year-old Ontario native and her playing partner Erin Routliffe defeated Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva 7-6 (9), 6-3 to capture the US Open women’s doubles title.
“It’s clear that it means a lot to me. It’s even a little bit surreal that this is happening to me,” she told The Canadian Press in a telephone interview on Wednesday.
“I made the final at Wimbledon in 2019, so I’ve already been very close. But to find myself in another final and to be able to win alongside another Canadian [Routliffe est née en Nouvelle-Zélande, mais elle a grandi au Canada et a été formée au Centre national de tennis, à Montréal]it’s truly remarkable,” she continued.
Twice, Dabrowski has won the mixed doubles Grand Slam, first at Roland Garros in 2017, then in Melbourne in 2018. Without a shadow of a doubt, this coronation on the New York hard court is, however, his greatest feat.
“Yes, it’s bigger than mixed doubles, where teams are often formed at the last minute,” she said without hesitation. There are more registered; the competition is also stronger. We had to beat three very good teams to win this title: Leylah [Annie Fernandez] and Taylor [Townsend], who reached the final at Roland Garros, in the quarterfinals, then Su-Wei Hsieh and Xinyu Wang, who already won in New York in the semifinals. »
Dabrowski, winner in doubles in Toronto (2021) and Madrid (2022) alongside Brazilian Luisa Stefani, will not have time to celebrate this victory for too long. She will leave Friday for the Guadalajara Masters and two tournaments in Asia. She will also be in the Billie Jean King Cup later this fall.
Objective: Paris
In the medium term, however, it is the Paris Games that it has in its sights.
The one who participated in the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro (in 2016, with Eugenie Bouchard) and Tokyo (in 2021, with Sharon Fichman) would like to add an Olympic medal to her list of achievements. And why not with Leylah Annie Fernandez?
“That’s my main goal, and I hope to get there. I want to win a medal for Canada,” she said.
“We will have to wait until after the French Open next year to know if we have the necessary ranking to participate. If Leylah ever qualifies, then I would love to play with her. It would be a dream come true,” added Dabrowski.
This is possibly a duo that also makes Tennis Canada dream.