McCartney Kessler and Zhang Shuai are having a great debut as a duo in Austin but the story of how they ended up on the same side of the net is quite something.
At this week’s WTA 250 tournament in Austin, the American and the Chinese started off their doubles run by dismantling Elizabeth Mandlik and Caty McNally 6-3 6-0 before also overcoming Maia Lumsden and Heather Watson 6-3 5-7 10-8.
Following their quarterfinal win, the 25-year-old home favorite player was asked how she and the 36-year-old came to the idea of playing together.
The American then proceeded to hilariously reveal that after losing a couple of times to the Chinese, the veteran four-time WTA champion reached out to her.
“So we played against each other in singles at the China Open last year and Shuai beat me,” the home favorite explained.
“And then we beat at the Australian Open and Shuai beat me again.
“And then we played against each other in doubles at the Australian Open and she beat me again…
“And then she messaged me and was like, ‘Hey do you wanna play doubles?’ I’m like, ‘Sure, that sounds great.’”
McCartney explaining how her and Shuai teamed up is so funny
“Shuai beat me… Shuai beat me again… she beat me again… and then she messaged me” pic.twitter.com/f1Hc1fLV0C
— Owen (@kostekcanu) February 28, 2025
Kessler did lose three times to Zhang in recent months
When they met for the first time in late September, the Chinese claimed a tight 7-6 (5) 7-6 (1) win in the first round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing.
Then, Zhang also registered a 6-3 6-4 win over Kessler in this year’s Australian Open first round.
Also, they clashed in the doubles event at Melbourne Park as Zhang and Kristina Mladenovic edged out Kessler and Arantxa Rus 5-7 6-3 7-5.
Now, Kessler and Zhang – who play against Isabelle Haverlag and Alicja Rosolska in the Austin doubles semifinal – are two wins away from winning a title together.
Tennis World USA