Skupski and Harrison win US Open to seal perfect Slam year
Neal Skupski and Christian Harrison won the US Open men's doubles title with a 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) victory over Tim Puetz and Kevin Krawietz in New York. BBC Sport
It is their second Grand Slam trophy together. They did not drop a set all fortnight.
The final stayed close throughout. Britain's Skupski, 36, and America's Harrison, 32, took the opening set with a single break of serve, a game won against the server. The second set went to a tiebreak, the first-to-seven shootout that settles a set at 6-6. They held firm to take it 8-6.
No sets lost. Two Slams played. Two Slams won.
Their toughest test came one round earlier. Skupski and Harrison beat top seeds Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara 7-6(4), 6-2 in the semi-finals. LTA
Patten and Heliovaara arrived as world No 1s and reigning Wimbledon champions. The seeding, which keeps the highest-ranked teams apart in the early rounds, counted for little. Skupski and Harrison edged the first-set tiebreak and then pulled clear in the second.
For Skupski, this one carried extra weight. He lost last year's US Open final alongside Joe Salisbury after missing three championship points. He had also lost the 2022 final with Wesley Koolhof.
New York had asked him the same question three times. This time he had the answer.
The partnership is new at the top but not new. Harrison and Skupski first teamed up at a Futures event in Britain back in 2013, the entry-level circuit where professionals learn the job. Both men played at the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals, the year-end event for the best doubles teams. In 2026 they hold a 30-17 record together at tour level.
They showed their nerve in March, saving two match points in their opening match at Indian Wells. They showed their quality in January. Seeded sixth at the Australian Open in their first Grand Slam as a pairing, they beat Australian wildcards Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans 7-6(4), 6-4 to lift the title. Reuters
Skupski already knew how to win majors. He won the Wimbledon men's doubles in 2023 with Koolhof. He won the Wimbledon mixed doubles in 2021 and 2022 with Desirae Krawczyk.
What makes this stand out is the speed of it. Most new pairs need months to read each other's serves and movements when the pressure rises. Skupski and Harrison have turned that learning into two major titles in eight months. The wall behind the corner shop would approve. Patience wins.
