Former Alabama player wins title at U.S. Open
Erin Routliffe won two NCAA women’s doubles titles while at Alabama. On Sunday, she became a Grand Slam tournament champion in women’s doubles, too.
In the championship match at the U.S. Open, Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada defeated Vera Zvonareva of Russia and Laura Siegemund of Germany 7-6 (9), 6-3 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
Routliffe and Dabrowski were the 16th-seed team for the U.S. Open and were playing in their fourth tournament together. Zvonareva and Siegemund were seeded 12th and had won the title in 2020.
Zvonareva and Siegemund had two set points in the first-set tiebreak, but a winner by Routliffe knotted the score on the second to keep the set going.
Routliffe and Dabrowski also saved eight of the nine break points that they faced in the match.
Routliffe played at Alabama for four seasons. She won the NCAA women’s doubles championship in 2014 and 2015 while playing with Maya Jensen.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.