Top-seeded Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova win the women's doubles at the Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Taylor Townsend of the United States returned to the court on which her career first took flight, teaming with Katerina Siniakova to beat Hsieh Su-Wei and Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-3 in the women's doubles final Sunday at the Australian Open.

“This is super-special to me,” Townsend said. "The last time I played on this court I was 15 and in 2012 I won the juniors here and that was the kick-start.

“Honestly, being here is so special to me because this tournament was the beginning of me being able to live out my dream.”

Top-seeded Townsend and Siniakova of the Czech Republic led 6-2, 5-3 and served for the match for the first time at 5-4 in the second set. But third-seeded Hsieh and Ostapenko rallied to take the second set in a tie-break and to hold an early break in the third.

Taylor and Siniakova were able to fall back on proven teamwork on crucial points. This was their third Grand Slam together: they won Wimbledon last year and reached the semifinals of the US Open.

They were also able to exploit a hint of weakness on Hsieh's serve with Ostapenko at the net, breaking her four times in the match including in the ninth game of the final set. Siniakova then served out the match, with Townsend providing the finishing touch at the net.

The match was played in warm conditions on the Australia Day national holiday. The temperature was around 22C (71.6F) mid-afternoon and the court was warm, causing the ball to skip through quicker, particularly from the left-handed Townsend.

Siniakova and Townsend raced to a 5-1 lead inside 30 minutes and while Hsieh managed to hold at 5-2 in the best game of the set, Siniakova held to love to close out the first set in 37 minutes.

Win or lose Siniakova was going to extend her stay atop the WTA doubles rankings to 136 weeks, the fifth-best run of all-time. She has reached the semifinals or better at the last five grand slams.

The second set, much the same as the first, began with Ostapenko and Townsend holding serve, then Hsieh was broken at 2-1.

Ostakpenko held at 2-3 and there was noticeable lift in intensity from the third seeds, a recognition of the importance of the moment and they managed to break Townsend to level at 3-3.

But another Hsieh service break gave Townsend the opportunity to serve for the match at 5-4 but again, Ostapenko and Hsieh rallied to level at 5-all. Hsieh then managed a crucial hold with Ostapenko occasionally starting at the back of the court, rather than at the net.

Siniakova's hold sent the set into a tie-break in which Ostapenko and Hseih picked up two points off Townsend at 5-4 and 6-4 to level the match.

The complexion of the game had changed and the third seeds were able to break Siniakova for the first time in the opening game of the third set, though Siniakova and Townsend immediately broke Ostapenko to level at 1-all.

Hsieh was broken again in the ninth game and this time Siniakova didn't miss.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Katerina Sinikova of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the U.S. pose with their trophy after defeating Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the women's doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Katerina Sinikova of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the U.S. hold their trophy aloft after defeating Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the women's doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Katerina Sinikova, right, of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the U.S. jump with their trophy after defeating Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the women's doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Hsieh Su-Wei, left, of Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in action against Katerina Sinikova of Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Hsieh Su-Wei, left, of Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in action against Katerina Sinikova of Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Katerina Sinikova, right, of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the U.S. in action against Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the women's doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Katerina Sinikova, right, of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the U.S. in action against Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the women's doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Katerina Sinikova, right, of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the U.S. in action against Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the women's doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Katerina Sinikova, left, of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the U.S. in action against Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the women's doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Katerina Sinikova, right, of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the U.S. react during the women's doubles final against Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Katerina Sinikova of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend, left, of the U.S. in action against Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the women's doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Katerina Sinikova, right, of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the U.S. in action against Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the women's doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Katerina Sinikova, right, of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the U.S. hold their trophy aloft after defeating Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the women's doubles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025.(AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

LONDON (AP) — Hundreds of people in Ireland are calling for justice for a Congolese man who died after he was restrained by security guards outside a Dublin department store.

Activists said disturbing video of Yves Sakila in distress as he was pinned to the sidewalk was reminiscent of the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis in 2020.

Sakila, 35, had been chased and detained May 15 by several security guards who suspected him of shoplifting at Arnotts, Ireland's oldest and largest department store, in the heart of Dublin. He was unresponsive when police arrived and was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

“Yves Sakila was a man who did not deserve to die," Suzie Tansia, of the Congolese Community Ireland, said at a demonstration Thursday. "He was a human being, like you and I. He was somebody’s son, and that could have been any one of us.”

Here are some things to know about the incident.

Attorney John Gerard Cullen, who represents the man's family, said Sakila allegedly stole a bottle of perfume from the store.

Sakila was pursued by security officers as he fled, knocking over a man in his 80s who was hospitalized with injuries, police said.

Video of the incident, described by the Irish Network Against Racism as “very disturbing," shows a man said to be Sakila struggling and crying out in distress as he was held down by several men for nearly five minutes.

As he was subdued, another man, wearing a gray suit, appears to kneel on Sakila's neck, the group said. By the end of the video, he is motionless.

“We are very concerned that this case appears to have the hallmarks of a case of excessive use of force,” said Shane O’Curry, director of the network. "The death of a Black man in such circumstances is extremely worrying, and we urge the authorities to thoroughly investigate all of the circumstances leading to this man’s death, in order to ensure minority ethnic community confidence in the criminal justice system.”

The department store said it was “deeply saddened” by Sakila's death and was conducting a review of its privately contracted security services. It said it was cooperating with police.

Prime Minister Micheál Martin called for a thorough investigation.

“My deepest sympathies go out to his family, and to the wider Congolese community,” Martin said. “I don’t want to prejudice the outcome of that investigation but I think a lot of people are clearly very concerned about what has transpired here.”

Police are investigating the death but are also the subject of an internal probe by the ombudsman into their response.

News reports said the first officers on the scene handcuffed Sakila before realizing he was unresponsive and performing CPR.

An autopsy has been completed, but police have not released the cause of death, citing operational reasons.

Cullen said Sakila's family is frustrated at the little information they have been provided.

Police have asked for witnesses to come forward.

Sakila had moved from Congo to Galway as a teen and lived in Ireland more than 20 years. He had worked in the technology industry but was homeless in recent years. Cullen said Sakila struggled with drug abuse.

Walter Kabangu, the director of the Congolese Chamber of Commerce in Ireland who went to school with Sakila, described him as a “very down-to-earth young man."

A vigil was held Tuesday outside Arnotts and hundreds of protesters peacefully gathered Thursday outside Parliament.

They held signs that said “Black lives matter here too," and shouted, “Justice for Yves, dignity for all,” and “No justice, no peace.”

Before the protest, the Black Coalition Ireland held a news conference and announced five demands: a transparent investigation of the death; racial training for police; laws against excessive force in civilian detention; an end to “demonizing rhetoric” against ethnic communities; and equal treatment for all in practice — not just on paper.

“We are demanding this because our lives matter," said Yemi Adenuga, a Meath County councilor who is a spokeswoman for the coalition. "It would be sad to see this happen again on the streets of Dublin.”

Walter Kabangu, director of the Congolese Chamber of Commerce in Ireland, taking part in a protest outside Leinster House in Dublin, Ireland, Thursday, May 21, 2026, over the death of Congolese man Yves Sakila following an incident with security guards at a Dublin department store. (Cillian Sherlock/PA via AP)