Kazakhstan’s Anna Danilina and Finland’s Harri Helijovaara have won the 2023 US Open mixed doubles title, defeating top seeds Jessica Pegula and Austin Krajicek of the United States 6-3, 6-4 in the final, Turanews.kz reports.
Danilina, 28, is the first Kazakh woman to win a Grand Slam title in mixed doubles. She is also the first Kazakh player to win a Grand Slam title in any discipline since Yaroslava Shvedova won the women’s doubles title at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships.
Danilina and Helijovaara, who met just before the tournament, were unseeded but played like a team that had been together for years. They were dominant throughout the tournament, dropping just one set en route to the title.
In the final, they broke Pegula’s serve twice in the first set and once in the second set to take control of the match. They never looked back, sealing the victory in just over an hour.
After the match, Danilina thanked her partner, the tournament organizers, and her team for their support. She also congratulated her opponents on their good play.
“I want to thank the President of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation Bulat Utemuratov, who is here today, and the entire federation for supporting and developing tennis in Kazakhstan,” Danilina said. “This is a wonderful opportunity and I am happy that we have won this title for the first time in history!”
Utemuratov, the President of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, also commented on Danilina’s victory.
“This is Anya Danilina’s first victory at the Grand Slam tournament and another success of Kazakhstani tennis!” Utemuratov said.
“Anna is the best player in our country in pairs, and her achievement allows us to look more confidently at the upcoming world team championship “Billie Jean King Cup”, where Danilina will be one of the leaders of the Kazakhstan team. Last year she already played in the final of the Australian Open, but then, unfortunately, she and her partner lost. Experience, perseverance and a high level of play have now allowed her to become the best in mixed doubles together with the Finnish tennis player Harri Helijovaara. It is clear that Anna’s skill is growing. This allows us to believe that the current success is far from the last, and she still has many victories ahead!”, he added.
