Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez ended Svetlana Kuznetsova's hopes of a US double when they won an historic third straight US Open doubles title. Kuznetsova, Flushing Meadow's newly-crowned women's singles champion, was trying to end her opponents' reign with fellow Russian Elena Likhovtseva.
But Ruano Pascual of Spain and her Argentinian partner proved to good and chalked up a 6-4 7-5 victory.
It was the duo's third Grand Slam doubles success in 2004.
And it takes their career total doubles Slam haul to seven.
It is the first time in the Open era, which began in 1968, that a partnership have claimed a straight hat-trick of women's doubles titles at the US Open.
Last year, Ruano Pascual and Suarez beat Kuznetsova and Martina Navratilova for the title.
In 2002, they defeated Elena Dementieva and Janette Husarova.
"When we started this tournament we said, okay, we have to win six matches to be in the final again," Suarez said.
"I didn't believe we could be in the final again but we did it. It's amazing."
MMIX
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