“Today, for me, it’s really special because Sam is on court,” Zhang said. “This is why I’ve been waiting for the third one for so long! Thanks, Sam.”
Zhang later spoke about the significance of having her former partner watching on.
“I played with Sam. We won Australia, we won US Open, and also Rennae Stubbs was on court,” she said.
“Every time when I saw them, I can feel they give me energy, like Elise. So now we feel like not only we two on court. We feel like more energy, three, four. Then we team, coach, we have, like, big team.”
The title also carried added significance for Zhang, arriving exactly 20 years after Chinese duo Yan Zi and Zheng Jie captured the women’s doubles crown in Melbourne, upsetting Stosur and Lisa Raymond.
“Zheng Jie is on court,” Zhang pointed out. “Twenty years ago, she won the first Grand Slam in China. Thank you for helping me so much.”
Despite their decorated doubles resumes, the title marks the pair’s first Grand Slam triumph together, surpassing their previous best result as runners-up at Wimbledon in 2022.
Their Melbourne campaign was not without drama, having saved three match points in a second-round escape against Iva Jovic and Victoria Mboko.
Danilina and Krunic, meanwhile, impressed en route to the final, with a semifinal upset of defending champions Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova.