Asia Muhammad and Erin Routliffe turned their friendship into a perfect team debut by capturing this week's Cincinnati Open doubles title.

Cincinnati: Scores | Draws | Order of Play

Pairing up for the first time in their careers, No.3 seeds Muhammad and Routliffe outlasted another first-time partnership, unseeded Leylah Fernandez and Yulia Putintseva, 3-6, 6-1, [10-4] in an 80-minute doubles final on Sunday night.

Top-tier triumph: It is a milestone moment for both Muhammad of the United States and New Zealand's Routliffe, who each capture their first WTA 1000 title.

"We’re, like, best friends, so we’ve been wanting to play together for a while, and we got the chance to this week," Routliffe said on court during the trophy presentation. "I’ve lost in a lot of finals this year, so I’m really glad she could carry me to win one of them!"

"You are my best friend, so it’s amazing to share the court with you," Muhammad added. "It was a really fun work week. Not everyone can say they get to work with their best friend."

WTA Doubles World No.1 Routliffe, who won last year's US Open with regular partner Gabriela Dabrowski, has now collected seven WTA doubles titles. The 29-year-old had previously been 0-4 in WTA 1000 finals, including a runner-up showing last week in Toronto.

Muhammad, currently ranked a career-high No.24 in doubles, has now won 11 WTA doubles titles. The 33-year-old had been a WTA 1000 finalist once before, at 2022 Indian Wells alongside Ena Shibahara.

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Match moments: Both teams were superb when the chips were down in the first set. Muhammad and Routliffe saved seven of eight break points in the opener, but Fernandez and Putintseva were even better, fending off all five break points they faced. A strong Fernandez cross led to the only break of the first set at 5-3.

Muhammad and Routliffe regrouped spectacularly in the second set, racing out to a commanding 4-0 lead. The duo won 11 of their 12 first-serve points in the second set, and they held all the momentum going into the decisive match-tiebreak.

Indeed, Muhammad and Routliffe maintained control in the breaker. Bolstered by pristine net play by Muhammad, the eventual champions romped to a 6-0 lead, punctuated by an ace by the American before the changeover. They held on from there for WTA 1000 glory.