Preview: Breaking down the women’s doubles final

By Richard Osborn

LEYLAH FERNANDEZ (CAN)/YULIA PUTINTSEVA (KAZ) VS. [3] ASIA MUHAMMAD (USA)/ERIN ROUTLIFFE (NZL) — 2ND EVENING MATCH | CENTER COURT

There’s good reason Erin Routliffe sits atop the PIF WTA Doubles Rankings: The 29-year-old New Zealander, a former University of Alabama standout, has had much success in 2024. With a variety of partners, including Coco Gauff and Gabriela Dabrowski, she has reached finals at Miami, Rome, Eastbourne, Wimbledon and Toronto, while taking the title at Nottingham.

Teaming with 10-time doubles titlist Asia Muhammad in Cincinnati, she is into yet another final, this time with a WTA 1000 trophy on the line.

Routliffe/Muhammad will face Canada’s Leylah Fernandez and Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan, who won their semifinal on Saturday night after Fernandez lost a three-hour-long singles quarterfinal to American Jessica Pegula, 7-5, 6-7(1), 7-6(3). Fernandez, the US Open runner-up in singles in 2021, reached the Roland Garros doubles final in 2023 with American Taylor Townsend.

Fernandez says she’s enjoyed the personality contrast of her partnership with Putintseva.

“It’s super-fun. Yulia, she’s an amazing player; a great person, too,” she said. “Very positive. We were joking around in the first round together. Things weren’t going well, but we were still smiling, not judging each other or making each other feel bad about our mistakes, just pumping each other up. That’s what makes it fun to partner with her.”

Putintseva, who upset defending champion Gauff in the Cincinnati Open singles draw, is into her second career doubles final. This would be their first doubles title.