Hunter and Mertens crowned Italian Open doubles champions

Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens are the Italian Open 2023 women's doubles champions.

The 28-year-old Australian and her Belgian partner secured the WTA 1000 title with a 6-4 6-4 victory against top-seeded Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula in today's final.

Hunter and Mertens recovered from a 1-4 deficit in the second set of their rain-delayed final, reeling off five consecutive games to triumph in 80 minutes.

"We just tried to compete really hard and even if the score is 0-40 or 40-0, just stay in the game," Hunter said.

"In the second set when we had a little bit of a lull and they lifted, we just did well to keep every game closer. We managed to stick it out and get the win."

It caps an impressive tournament for Hunter and Mertens, who have claimed their first team title after conceding only a single set across their five matches in Rome.

The fourth-seeded combination also defeated three former world No.1s in their title-winning run.

Hunter and Mertens' path to Italian Open title
1R	defeated Kirsten Flipkens (BEL)/Alicja Rosolska (POL) 6-0 6-7(6) [10-4]
2R	defeated [WC] Angelica Moratelli (ITA)/Camilla Rosatello (ITA) 6-1 7-6(6)
QF	defeated Timea Babos (HUN)/Anna Danilina (KAZ) 6-4 6-2
SF	defeated Marie Bouzkova (CZE)/Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 7-5 6-4
F	defeated [1] Coco Gauff (USA)/Jessica Pegula (USA) 6-4 6-4

This is Hunter's first tour-level clay-court title - and her sixth career WTA doubles title in total.

She has now won two WTA 1000 level titles, following her triumph at Guadalajara with Brazilian Luisa Stefani in October last year.

Hunter joins exclusive company as just the seventh Australian to win a prestigious Italian Open women's doubles title in the Open era.

Italian Open women's doublesAustralian champions - Open era
Player	Years
Lesley Hunt	1972
Wendy Turnbull	1979
Elizabeth Smylie	1989
Janine Thompson	1989
Rennae Stubbs	2000
Ash Barty	2018, 2019
Storm Hunter	2023