After winning the WTA Finals in Fort Worth in 2022, Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens didn’t play a match together as partners in 2023 or 2024.

They reunited in late April and quickly picked up where they left off, reaching the finals at back-to-back WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome in their first two tournaments together. That kickstarted a run to the WTA Finals in Riyadh, where they secured the No. 4 seed despite a late start compared to their competitors. 

But it didn’t matter, because after defeating three-time champion Timea Babos and her partner Luisa Stefani 7-6 (4), 6-1 in 1 hour and 36 minutes Saturday at King Saud University Indoor Arena, their reunion culminated in a second Martina Navratilova Trophy.

They are the 22nd and 23rd players to hoist the trophy multiple times.

“Thanks to my partner, Elise,” Kudermetova said during the trophy presentation. “I’m so happy that we are together on one side. I hope that we can continue to play like that. Also, I would like to say thank you to our team. Sometimes they help us, sometimes no, but they’re always here with us, so thank you.”

Mertens echoed her sentiments.

“It was an amazing atmosphere,” she said. “Not only today, but throughout the week, the two weeks, it’s been amazing to be back here, and especially with Veronika on my side this year. I’m very happy about that, so thank you and also thank you to everyone who made this tournament possible.

“Today, we really wanted to win, and we went for it, and we’re very happy and hope to be back next year.”

Saturday marked the latest in a growing line of big titles the pair have won together.

A knack for big titles: Kudermetova and Mertens have shown a tendency to play their best tennis on the biggest stages. 

In addition to their second Martina Navratilova Trophy together, they won Wimbledon earlier this year. In total, they have five titles together, including Istanbul in 2021 and Dubai in 2022.

Mertens, a former world No. 1, has won 23 WTA doubles titles and reached 37 finals in her career. Her résumé includes five Grand Slam titles, seven WTA 1000s titles and the two WTA Finals trophies. She also owns 10 singles titles, two of which came this season.

Kudermetova, a former world No. 2, claimed her milestone 10th doubles title with the victory in Riyadh. Her career haul includes three WTA 1000s, one WTA Elite Trophy and a runner-up finish at Wimbledon in 2021 to go with her two WTA Finals trophies and the Wimbledon title. She also has two singles titles.

Path to the title: Before they collected their latest bit of hardware, Kudermetova and Mertens had to make it to the final. They did so by peaking at the right time.

The pair dropped their opening match in Riyadh in a match tiebreak to Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko, putting them at risk of failing to advance past the group stage. But they rebounded immediately with a two-hour win over Asia Muhammad and Demi Schuurs, 6-4, 6-7 (6), [10-6].

In their final round-robin match, they upset No. 1 seeds Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in straight sets to advance to the semifinals as runners-up in the Martina Navratilova Group.

The defining moment of their title run came in the semifinal against Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend. Facing match point in a second-set tiebreak, Kudermetova saved it with a volley and then produced a winner a few points later to force a match tiebreak. She later sealed the comeback with a smash for a 4-6, 7-6 (6), [10-6] victory, sending them to their first final at the year-end championships in three years.

Key moments: In the championship match, Kudermetova and Mertens struck first with a break to love for a 2-1 lead. Babos and Stefani rallied to 4-4 and saved three set points trailing 6-5 to force a tiebreak, but the eventual champions prevailed in the tiebreak 7-4.

They then dominated the second set, winning three straight games and 19 of 23 points to build a 3-0 lead. After Babos and Stefani held for 3-1, Kudermetova and Mertens closed out the match by winning three consecutive games.

For the champions, celebration ensued.

But for Babos and Stefani, the loss was bittersweet. During the trophy presentation, Babos revealed her partnership with Stefani would not continue, while citing a shocking reason behind the split.

“I’m very thankful for you and everything we have achieved,” Babos said in an emotional speech. “Thank you so much for sharing this amazing moment, and…unfortunately, it looks like we’re not going to continue, but not because we don’t match. It’s because I don’t think I will play a full season next year. Yeah, (Luisa’s) like, ‘How does it feel to say it out loud?’ Well, I’m kind of crying so…

“I don’t know if it’s good or bad to finish without a trophy, but as you said, I collected three of these already, so I’m just very happy to get to another final here.”

While it remains to be seen what this means for Babos’ future, whether she returns for a partial schedule next season or ultimately retires, she ends her full-time career with the résumé of a legend.

A four-time Grand Slam doubles champion, the 32-year-old Hungarian has won 29 doubles titles, three WTA Finals trophies — tied for fifth all-time — two WTA 1000s and three singles titles. Overall, she’s an eight-time Grand Slam doubles finalist, with two additional finals in mixed doubles.

Stefani, meanwhile, capped her career-best season with four titles alongside Babos in six finals appearances.