In their second WTA 1000 doubles event as a team, American Asia Muhammad and Dutchwoman Demi Schuurs defeated Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls, 6-2, 7-6(4) for their first team title on Saturday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. 

Muhammad, a 2022 runner-up in the California desert with Ena Shibahara, claims her 12th career WTA doubles title; Schuurs gets her 20th, and sixth at the 1000 level. 

“We started this week, and I told [Asia] I never play well here,” said Schuurs after raising the trophy. “She told me: ‘I always play well here.’ So I was like, what are we gonna choose? We chose to play well and we won the title.” 

“We’ve really trusted the process this year, and it paid off earlier than expected,” said a smiling Muhammad, who lives and trains in Las Vegas. 

On a perfect afternoon for tennis inside Stadium 1, California native Muhammad and Schuurs were the better team in a wild opening set that featured six breaks of serve and two deciding points. 

Nicholls and Mihalikova, who progressed beyond the quarterfinals at a WTA 1000 event for the first time this week, were playing for their first team title as well. 

The second set took on a more competitive flavor, as Nicholls ripped a return winner with Schuurs serving on deciding point to give the British-Slovakian pairing their first lead of the day at 3-1 in the second set.

Their momentum was thwarted in the very next game, however, as Nicholls was broken at love to put the set back on serve.After a quick hold by Muhammad, Mihalikova found herself in trouble while serving at 15-40 in the next game. That was the American’s cue to take over. Muhammad made a brilliant dig and followed it up with the winning volley for a break and a 4-3 lead.

That lead was squandered, as well. A quick-fire volley by Nicholls into the open court leveled the second set  at 4-4.

An uneventful service game from Mihalikova then put the scoreboard pressure back on the American-Dutch duo with a hold for 6-5.

Schuurs’ last two service games had gone to a deciding point and in both of them she was broken. This time the veteran locked it down and held serve to force a second set tiebreak.

Soon, Muhammad stepped to the line to serve at 5-4 in the tiebreak, and Shuurs knocked off one of her best volleys of the day to give the pair two championship points. 

Unfazed by the gravity of the moment, Muhammad sealed to deal with an ace out wide, sending Schuurs to her back in celebration before the pair met at the net for an emotional hug, their first title as a team secured in one hour and 43 minutes.