Erin Routliffe set for WTA Finals title defence

New Zealand doubles star Erin Routliffe says she and Canadian partner Gaby Dabrowski are “excited to get going” as they return to Riyadh to defend their title at the WTA Finals from this weekend.

Routliffe and Dabrowski, who also won this year’s US Open, head into the eight-team season-ending championship as one of the favourites, having lifted the trophy in Saudi Arabia last year.

“It’s good. Obviously, anywhere you come back where you’ve won the tournament before, it’s always really great memories,” Routliffe said. 

“Immediately when we got here, we remembered winning last year, so that’s really exciting. We’re excited to get going and get playing again.”

The world’s top pairs are divided into two round-robin groups, with the top two advancing to the semifinals. Routliffe said the format rewards teams who can stay composed and aggressive under pressure, which is something they were able to do in Riyadh last year.

“I think just to stick together in the tough moments and to be super aggressive,” she said. “With the no-ads and 10-pointers, it’s really important to lock in for those big moments and support each other in whatever way we can.

“Last year, we didn’t have any regrets at the end of it. Even if we hadn’t won that much, we would have been aggressive and play on our terms. That’s probably what we learned from last year.”

Since claiming the US Open title in September, the second Grand Slam victory of her career, Routliffe’s schedule has been a mix of rest, practice, and a few tune-up events. She partnered Dabrowski in Beijing and briefly teamed up with another Canadian, Leylah Fernandez, in Wuhan when Dabrowski missed that week for a friend’s wedding.

“Gaby had to miss Wuhan because she had a friend’s wedding, and then I missed Japan because I had my friend’s wedding,” Routliffe said. 

“We’re at that stage where we’re sometimes going to miss some tournaments for stuff like that, especially when we’ve already qualified [for the Finals].

“It was good to play in Beijing and get the match there (with Dabrowski). I was lucky to be able to find Leylah to play with in Wuhan – that was a good experience. And I’ve just been doing the same old thing, practicing, getting ready for Riyadh.”

Although her US Open celebrations were brief, Routliffe said the short break before the Finals helped her reset, unlike after their 2023 triumph in New York.

“Last time we played basically right away, we had like five days off,” she said. 

“This time, I actually started practicing pretty soon after, and went to Beijing two weeks after. So to be honest, it was pretty quick, but that’s how our lives are with these longer seasons.

“The couple of weeks before Riyadh were super nice, not travelling as much and practicing. I’m definitely feeling fresh here.”

Routliffe and Dabrowski’s group in Riyadh includes top teams such as American Taylor Townsend and Czech star Katerina Siniakova, but the Kiwi says she’s relishing the challenge.

“It’s a privilege to play against the seven other best teams of the whole year,” she said. “No matter what happens, we’re grateful to be here, it’s an accumulation of everything over the year.

“As far as the groups go, they’re both really tough, and we’ve never really worried too much about them. We’ll play on our terms as much as we can and enjoy every moment, because normally that’s when we have the most success.”

Once the WTA Finals conclude, Routliffe will fly straight to Poland to represent New Zealand in the Billie Jean King Cup play-offs, against Poland and Romania.

“I don’t know how much time I’ll take off, but the Billie Jean King Cup is right after,” she said. 

“I go from Riyadh to Poland, and then the season is over, so I’ll take some time off. 

“I haven’t figured out exactly how much, I’ll try to figure it out after Riyadh. But I’m looking forward to having a couple weeks of some R and R and then getting back to it.”