The No. 1 doubles team of Cara Black and Liezel Huber have split. Huber reported on her blog on USTA.com that she’s going to play with different partners, starting with Jelena Jankovic in Stuttgart and then with Nadia Petrova in Rome (Petrova’s regular doubles partner, Sam Stosur, is limiting her doubles play). She also might play some summer events with her U.S. Fed Cup teammate, Melanie Oudin.
While Huber and Black had a successful partnership, winning 28 titles together including four Grand Slams, they have been unable to score a win over the Williams sisters, losing to them in the last three Grand Slams in straight sets. In their last tournament as a team, Huber and Black were upset in the first round of Miami.
“It was not an easy decision,” Huber said. “We have had a great partnership. We both want to be better players and right now it is best for us to just take a little break. We might get back together and we might not….I am just going to work hard and pick up partners as I go along. That is another challenge in life but I am going to enjoy and embrace the challenge. Fortunately I am healthy so I think it will be okay. I have spoken to Melanie about playing some of the American hardcourt tournaments but it is a question of ranking and getting into the tournaments. I am open to any possibility."
Black will be playing with Shahar Peer at the upcoming WTA event in Stuttgart.-M.C.