Williams, in the first round, defeating her in an epic match with 4–6, 6–3, 7–6. In the second round, Flipkens beat Lucie Šafářová, who retired after losing the first set with 6–2. Eventually, Flipkens was beaten in the round of 16 by Laura Siegemund from Germany. In doubles, Flipkens played alongside Yanina Wickmayer. In the first round, the Belgians faced Kazakh duo Shvedova/Voskoboeva, who retired after losing the first set 1–6. However, Flipkens and Wickmayer were defeated in the round of 16 by the Spanish team Muguruza/Suárez Navarro, the fourth seeds. She then travelled to the United States and played at the Cincinnati Open, but failed to qualify. However, she reached quarterfinals of the Connecticut Open, before being beaten by Agnieszka Radwańska. She closed out her U.S. hardcourt tour with a first round-loss at the US Open, losing to fifth seed Simona Halep with 0–6, 2–6. In doubles, she also lost in the first round, alongside Belinda Bencic. By the end of the year, she marked her first doubles title at the Korea Open; partnering with Swedish player Johanna Larsson, she defeated Akiko Omae and Peangtarn Plipuech in the final. At the end of the season, Flipkens took part in the IPTL for the third time in a row, as a member of the Micromax Indian Aces. The team ended runner-up, losing to the Singapore Slammers with 30–14. She was one of the players to receive the Fed Cup Commitment Award at the end of 2016 for being the Belgian player who's represented her country in the Fed Cup the longest: a total of 13 years in 2016. Flipkens was also nominated at the WTA Awards in the category of Shot of the Year for a spectacular behind-the-back winner she scored against Kristýna Plíšková in Seoul. Flipkens finished the year as No. 63 in the world. 2017–20: Success in doubles In 2017, Flipkens had few significant results in singles. At the Australian Open, she lost in the first round, while at the other three major events, she won one match per tournament, but then lost in the second round. During the 2017 season, she reached two quarterfinals, first at the International-level Monterrey Open in late February, and then at the Premier-level Connecticut Open in August. She also reached the third round of the Miami Open, being knocked out of the tournament by Dominika Cibulková. At Indian Wells and the Canadian