Looking to end a nearly three-month-long championship drought, former Gator Anna Danilina stepped onto centre court to battle for the Roland Garros women’s doubles title in Paris on Sunday. But defeating the No. 1-seed tandem of Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend proved challenging.
After battling through two competitive sets, the No. 2-seeded pair of Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic fell to Siniakova and Townsend, 6-2, 7-5.
Danilina and Krunic struggled to gain the upper hand early, dropping five straight games to lose the opening set in just 33 minutes. However, the pair regained momentum in the second set, breaking Townsend’s serve to gain a 4-1 advantage and a chance at a comeback.
But the lead didn't last long. Siniakova and Townsend bounced back to win four consecutive games, taking a 5-4 advantage. Danilina and Krunic responded by equalizing the set at 5-5, but the top seeds ultimately claimed the final two games to secure the championship.
The loss is reminiscent of last year’s Roland Garros final, where Danilina and Krunic also finished as runners-up. The Kazakhstani-Serbian pair continues searching for its first Grand Slam title after taking its major finals record to 0-3.
Fresh off the French Open, Danilina traveled to London, England, to compete for the Queen’s Club title in the HSBC Championship. Danilina and Krunic cruised past the Round of 16 with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Ulrikke Eikeri and Quinn Gleason after delivering a record seven aces in the match.
But the No. 1 seeded pair couldn't extend its success heading into the quarterfinals. Danilina and Krunic were defeated by Tereza Mihalíková and Olivia Nicholls in a 6-4, 6-4 contest.
This marks the second consecutive year where Danilina has missed out on the Queen’s Club title, as last season the 30-year-old fell in the final alongside partner Diana Shnaider to Asia Muhammad and Demi Schuurs.
Despite the loss in both tournaments, Danilina’s season has been her best yet. The former Florida player has made it past the quarterfinals in 10 of 13 tournaments played this year, earning a career-high doubles ranking of No. 6. Though Danilina hasn’t claimed a title since the Qatar Open in February, her dominant showings positioned her for many doubles title contests in the remainder of the season.
Next, Danilina is expected to compete in the upcoming grass-court WTA tournaments leading into Wimbledon.
Contact Sofia Alamo at salamo@alligator.org. Follow her on X @alamosofiaa.
Sofia Alamo is a Sports Journalism freshman at UF and the university’s Women’s Tennis beat reporter. Her favorite sports are soccer and tennis, and she aspires to be a sports broadcaster in the future.
