Neal Skupski and Christian Harrison Claim US Open Doubles Title
Neal Skupski has worn the scars of New York for two long years. On Arthur Ashe Stadium, under the hard lights and the heavier memories of squandered chances, he finally rewrote the story.
Alongside American partner Christian Harrison, the Briton captured the US Open men’s doubles title with a 6-4 7-6 (8-6) victory over Germany’s Tim Puetz and Kevin Krawietz, completing a flawless fortnight in which the fifth seeds did not drop a set.
This was not just another trophy. It was a reclamation.
From heartbreak to hardcourt redemption
Twelve months ago, Skupski stood on the same stage and watched a major title slip from his grasp, missing three championship points in the final with Joe Salisbury. A year earlier, he had also lost the 2022 final with Wesley Koolhof. Two runs, two defeats, one city that refused to yield.
This time, it did.
The path back began in unexpected fashion. Salisbury stepped away from the sport because of anxiety, a deeply personal decision that forced a reshuffle and ultimately led Skupski to team up with Harrison at the start of the season. Their very first Grand Slam together, in Melbourne, ended with the Australian Open trophy. New partnership, instant chemistry.
Now New York has confirmed it: this is no short-term spark.
One break, one chance, no way back
The final itself felt like a match on a knife-edge, yet Skupski and Harrison seized the one opening that mattered.
At 3-3 in the first set, Harrison ripped a backhand winner down the line, breaking serve and igniting Arthur Ashe. The American rode the roar of the home crowd, the pair calmly consolidating for 5-3 and then closing out the opener without offering a single break point.
Puetz and Krawietz, the sixth seeds, are too seasoned to fold. They tightened their patterns on serve, dragged the contest into a tense second set where neither team blinked. No breaks. No loose games. Just pressure building with every hold.
The second set became a sprint to the tie-break. And that’s where New York threatened to haunt Skupski all over again.
A cruel net cord, a louder response
At 5-5 in the breaker, the Germans caught the kind of fortune that can flip a final. A return clipped the net cord, wrong-footing Harrison and dropping dead on his side of the court. Suddenly, Puetz and Krawietz had set point and a route into a deciding set.
The crowd groaned, then rose.
Skupski and Harrison saved it, steeling themselves in the noise. The next few points swung like a pendulum, but the fifth seeds held their nerve, dragged the momentum back, and carved out championship point as Arthur Ashe rose to its feet again, sensing the finish.
This time, Skupski didn’t flinch.
Harrison did his job at the back of the court, and when the ball sat up, Skupski surged forward and smashed the winner at the net. Title secured. Ghosts exorcised in a single, emphatic swing.
He dropped to his knees, overcome, before turning to embrace Harrison as the stadium roared for its adopted duo – local hope and long-suffering visitor, finally united as champions.
“I don't know what to say really, I'm still in shock. The speech gets a little bit easier once you've won,” Skupski admitted on court, the emotion of the past two years written across his face. “Losing twice and having championship points in the final last year was a tough part of my career, but it's amazing what a year does in tennis.”
A growing legacy in doubles
This US Open triumph is Skupski’s third men’s doubles Grand Slam title, adding to his 2023 Wimbledon win with Koolhof and the Australian Open crown he lifted with Harrison in January.
His résumé runs deeper still. He owns two mixed doubles majors, both at Wimbledon, won in back-to-back years in 2021 and 2022 alongside American Desirae Krawczyk.
For Harrison, this title on home soil is a career-defining moment, the kind of breakthrough that can reshape a player’s trajectory. For Skupski, it feels like something else entirely: a full-circle victory in the city that had twice denied him.
Two lost finals. Three missed championship points. Then a perfect, unbeaten run to the trophy.
New York used to be the site of Skupski’s most painful near-miss. Now it sits firmly in his growing collection of Grand Slam landmarks – and the question is no longer whether he can win here, but how many more times he might climb these steps as a champion.
