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Brazil’s Luisa Stefani Wins Wuhan Open Title and Takes Lead in WTA Doubles Race

Brazil’s Luisa Stefani and Canadian partner Gabriela Dabrowski captured their sixth doubles title of the 2026 season on Sunday, defeating defending champions Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova 7-5, 6-4 in the Wuhan Open final. The victory completed a remarkable two-week stretch for the Brazilian-Canadian team, which also won the China Open in Beijing last Sunday.

Their latest title moves them into first place in the WTA doubles team race for 2026, strengthening their position heading into next month’s season-ending championships. Stefani, 29, and Dabrowski, 34, entered the Wuhan final as the tournament’s top seeds and needed one hour and 32 minutes to secure the championship.

They started strongly, breaking serve early to take a 4-1 lead in the opening set. Hunter, from Australia, and Siniakova, from the Czech Republic, fought back to level the score at 5-5, but Stefani and Dabrowski broke again in the 12th game to take the set 7-5. The second set was another close contest. The Brazilian-Canadian pair broke serve twice while losing their own serve once, eventually closing out the match 6-4.

The result extended their winning streak to 12 matches and gave them consecutive WTA 1000 titles, the level immediately below the four Grand Slam tournaments. For Stefani, the Wuhan victory marks her 19th career WTA doubles title and sixth at the WTA 1000 level. Dabrowski now has 26 career doubles championships, including eight at WTA 1000 tournaments.

Their six titles this season have come in Dubai, Strasbourg, Eastbourne, São Paulo, Beijing and Wuhan. The pair also reached the Wimbledon doubles final in July, where they finished runners-up to Guo Hanyu and Kristina Mladenovic. Their latest success is particularly significant because of the competition they have faced in China.

In Beijing, Stefani and Dabrowski defeated Siniakova and China’s Zhang Shuai 6-1, 6-2 in a final lasting just 59 minutes. Seven days later, they overcame Siniakova again, this time playing alongside Hunter, to claim the Wuhan championship. Siniakova remains one of the leading doubles players in the world, but the Wuhan result changes the standings in the race to finish 2026 as the season’s most successful team.

The distinction is important. The WTA maintains individual doubles rankings as well as a separate race that measures the performances of established partnerships during the calendar year. Stefani and Dabrowski now lead the team race, but that does not make either player the individual world No. 1.

Stefani’s latest achievement adds to an already historic career for Brazilian tennis. In 2021, she partnered with Laura Pigossi to win bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, getting Brazil’s first Olympic medal in tennis. She followed that success by winning the 2023 Australian Open mixed doubles championship with fellow Brazilian Rafael Matos.

Her partnership with Dabrowski has become one of the most productive of her professional career. The two have now won eight WTA Tour titles together, including six during the current season. Their attention now turns to the WTA Finals, scheduled for November 8-15 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California.

Stefani and Dabrowski had already qualified for the prestigious season-ending event in September, but their victories in Beijing and Wuhan have established them as one of the teams to beat. The WTA Finals bring together the eight leading doubles teams of the season, with the competitors divided into two groups. The best two teams from each group advance to the semifinals.

For Stefani, who finished runner-up at the 2025 WTA Finals while playing alongside Hungary’s Timea Babos, the tournament offers another opportunity to claim one of the biggest titles in women’s doubles. After six championships and a 12-match winning streak, the Brazilian arrives at the final major event of the season with momentum firmly on her side.

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Steven Hodel
Steven Hodelhttp://www.globaltennisnews.com
Steven Hodel is the Tennis Correspondent for The Tico Times, covering the ATP and WTA tours and Latin American players from his base in Costa Rica. He is also the founder and editor of Global Tennis News. Reach him at steve@ticotimes.net or on X at @theticotimes.
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