# 1981 Australian Open – Women's doubles

Kathy Jordan and Anne Smith defeated the defending champion Martina Navratilova and her partner Pam Shriver in the final, 6–2, 7–5 to win the women's doubles tennis title at the 1981 Australian Open.
Betsy Nagelsen and Navratilova were the defending champions, but they competed with different partners that year, Nagelsen with Candy Reynolds and Navratilova with Shriver. Nagelsen and Reynolds lost in the first round to Chris Newton and Brenda Remilton.

## Seeds

Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.
* Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver (final)
* Kathy Jordan / Anne Smith (champions)
* Rosemary Casals / Wendy Turnbull (semifinals)
* Sue Barker / Ann Kiyomura (semifinals)
* Barbara Potter / Sharon Walsh (quarterfinals)
* Rosalyn Fairbank / Tanya Harford (first round)
* Betsy Nagelsen / Candy Reynolds (first round)
* Andrea Jaeger / Hana Mandlíková (first round)

## Draw
### Key

* Q = Qualifier
* WC = Wild card
* LL = Lucky loser
* Alt = Alternate
* SE = Special exempt
* PR = Protected ranking
* ITF = ITF entry
* JE = Junior exempt
* w/o = Walkover
* r = Retired
* d = Defaulted
* SR = Special ranking

### Final

| Final | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver | 2 | 5 | |
| 2 | Kathy Jordan Anne Smith | 6 | 7 | |

### Top half

| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals |
| 1 | M Navratilova P Shriver | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | M Blackwood S Leo | 3 | 3 | | 1 | M Navratilova P Shriver | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | L Allen M Jaušovec | 2 | 1 | | | S Acker P Smith | 4 | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| | S Acker P Smith | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | 1 | M Navratilova P Shriver | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | S Amiach C Vanier | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | D Fromholtz P Teeguarden | 3 | 3 | | | | |
| | D Fromholtz P Teeguarden | 6 | 6 | | | D Fromholtz P Teeguarden | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| | C Newton B Remilton | 6 | 6 | | | C Newton B Remilton | 6 | 4 | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | B Nagelsen C Reynolds | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | M Navratilova P Shriver | 6 | 6 |
| 4 | S Barker A Kiyomura | 6 | 4 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | 4 | S Barker A Kiyomura | 3 | 4 |
| | M-L Piatek A White | 4 | 6 | 3 | 4 | S Barker A Kiyomura | 6 | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| | J Durie A Hobbs | 6 | 5 | 7 | | J Durie A Hobbs | 7 | 4 | 4 | | | | | | | | |
| | E Little S Saliba | 2 | 7 | 5 | | | | | | 4 | S Barker A Kiyomura | 6 | 6 | | | | |
| | R Blount I Villiger | 6$^6$ | 3 | | | | | | | | E Goolagong Cawley B Stöve | 4 | 1 | | | | |
| | L Cassell K Pratt | 7$^8$ | 6 | | | L Cassell K Pratt | 4 | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| | E Goolagong Cawley B Stöve | 6 | 6 | | | E Goolagong Cawley B Stöve | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | R Fairbank T Harford | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Bottom half

| First round | First round | First round | First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Second round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals |
| 5 | B Potter S Walsh | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | C Baily N Gregory | 1 | 4 | | 5 | B Potter S Walsh | 6 | 4 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | B Bunge C Kohde | 3 | 6 | 6$^5$ | | B Gadusek J Preyer | 2 | 6 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | B Gadusek J Preyer | 6 | 3 | 7$^7$ | | | | | | 5 | B Potter S Walsh | 6 | 6 | 1 | | | | | |
| | E Sayers A Tobin | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | 3 | R Casals W Turnbull | 4 | 7 | 6 | | | | | |
| | D Desfor B Hallquist | 3 | 4 | | | E Sayers A Tobin | 4 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | M Pinterová N Sato | 6 | 5 | 1 | 3 | R Casals W Turnbull | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | R Casals W Turnbull | 4 | 7 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | R Casals W Turnbull | 4 | 7 | 4 |
| 8 | A Jaeger H Mandlíková | 6 | 4 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | K Jordan A Smith | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| | M Mesker K Skronská | 1 | 6 | 3 | 8 | A Jaeger H Mandlíková | 6 | 5 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | H Suková R Tomanová | 6 | 4 | 6 | | H Suková R Tomanová | 4 | 7 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | D Freeman P Whytcross | 4 | 6 | 4 | | | | | | | H Suková R Tomanová | 6 | 1 | | | | | | |
| | E Pfaff C Tanvier | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | 2 | K Jordan A Smith | 7 | 6 | | | | | | |
| | C O'Neil M Wikstedt | 6 | 6 | | | C O'Neil M Wikstedt | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | B Catton K Gulley | 1 | 1 | | 2 | K Jordan A Smith | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | K Jordan A Smith | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |