Desert native Desirae Krawczyk makes history with third Grand Slam title of season at US Open – Desert Sun

Professional tennis player and Rancho Mirage native Desirae Krawczyk won her third Grand Slam title of the year Saturdayat the U.S. Open in New York, making her just the secondwoman to win three majors in mixed doubles since 1985.

Krawczyk and mixed doubles partner Joe Salisbury, of Great Britain, defeatedGiuliana Olmos of Mexico and Marceo Arvalo of El Salvador, 7-5, 6-2, in the mixed doubles final in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Krawczyk, 27, and Salisbury, won the French Open together in June, and then Krawczyk and Neal Skupski, also of Great Britain, won the Wimbledon mixed doubles event a few weeks later.

Martina Hingis was the last to win three mixed doubles Grand Slamsin the same season when she did so in 2015. Prior to Hingis, Martina Navratilova won three of four in 1985.

Krawczykis now in rare company.In addition to Hingis and now Krawczyk, just four other women have won three slams in the same season over the last 20 years: Serena and Venus Williams, Paola Suarez and Virginia Ruano Pascual.

The title also makes Krawczyk the seventh player, male or female, to have won three of the four mixed doubles titles in a season in the Open Era. The others are Hingis and Leander Paes (2015), Navratilova ('85), Bob Hewitt ('79) and Marty Riessen and Margaret Court ('69).

"Honestly, just to think about that is just crazy to me," Krawczyk told reporters afterward. "I'm just happy with how well I've done. It hasn't really sunk in yet. Just happy to be able to play with so many friends and family and to play with Joe and have our whole team with us. It's been a good two weeks."

Salisbury won the men's doubles title,with American Rajeev Ram, on Friday at the U.S. Open, making him the first man to win men's doubles and mixed doubles at the event since Bob Bryan in 2010.

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Krawczyk began playing tennis at Palm Valley Country Club. At Palm Desert High School, shebecamethe top singles player underhead coachGlenn Erickson, and graduatedin 2012.

She then played at Arizona State, andbeat the nation's top-ranked player on two occasions. Krawczyk wasnt certaina pro career was sustainable, though sheplayed in 17 International Tennis Federation tournaments and playedher way onto the WTA Tour as a doubles player.

In 2018, Krawczykwon her first tournament, with Alexa Guarachi, of Chile,in women's doubles in Gstaad, Switzerland. A year later, following a series of strong performances, Krawczyk and Olmos won a women;s doubles WTA 250 event in Nottingham, England, and won a doubles title with Olmos in Acapulco before the ongoing pandemic forced much of the 2020 season to be canceled.

Krawczyk and Guarachi won a WTA 250 event in Istanbul last September and the two reached the final at Roland Garros, inOctober. The pair lost in a tight two-setter.

Together, Krawczyk and Salisbury reached the semifinals in mixed doubles at the Australian Open earlier this year. Krawczyk has been on a tear ever since.

Krawczyk and Olmosreached the final of a WTA 250 event in Guadalajara, Mexico, and Krawczyk also reached the final of a WTA 500 in Stuttgart, Germany with Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

WithGuarachi, she won doubles titles in Adelaide, Australia, and Strasbourg, France, and now has three Grand Slam titles to her name in mixed doubles.

"She's now won three in a row," Salisbury said of Krawczyk on Saturday. "We won French together, she won Wimbledon and now here. Just incredible."

Now, Krawczyk will enjoy a homecoming of sorts as she prepares to return to Indian Wells to play at her home tournament, the BNP Paribas Open, which starts Oct. 4.

Andrew John covers sports for The Desert Sun and the USA Today Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com and find him on Twitter at @Andrew_L_John.

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Desert native Desirae Krawczyk makes history with third Grand Slam title of season at US Open - Desert Sun