MELBOURNE, Australia — In a historic achievement for Chinese wheelchair tennis, Wang Ziying and Li Xiaohui have claimed the nation’s inaugural Grand Slam title.

The duo triumphed over the pair of Zhu Zhenzhen from China and Japan’s Manami Tanaka, clinching victory with a score of 6-2, 6-3 in the women’s wheelchair doubles final at the Australian Open held on Friday.

Li had previously reached the quarterfinals last year at this event and made it to the semifinals in doubles at both the French Open and Wimbledon. Meanwhile, Wang was participating in her first Australian Open, having previously achieved notable results by reaching the semifinals in both singles and doubles at Wimbledon last year.

For Zhu, the defeat marks another near miss at Melbourne Park, where she has been a runner-up in doubles on four occasions. Additionally, she has faced disappointment at the French Open, finishing as a runner-up in the wheelchair singles event three years in succession.

Tanaka has had her share of close calls as well, making it to the semifinals in both singles and doubles twice in Australia. However, she has yet to secure a major title in her career.

This victory cements a significant milestone for the athletes and reflects the growing prominence of wheelchair tennis in China.