Rajeev Ram's Career Ends as Skupski–Harrison Prepare for US Open Final
Rajeev Ram walked off Louis Armstrong Stadium for the last time with the scoreline against him, but the setting exactly as he wanted it.
The 40-year-old American’s career ended in a 6-3, 6-4 defeat as Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz halted his and Joe Salisbury’s late run in New York, booking their own place in the US Open men’s doubles final and closing the book on one of the great modern partnerships.
Ram and Salisbury, three-time defending champions in New York and the only team ever to win the US Open men’s doubles title three years in a row (2021–2023), were denied a fifth final in six years. Their four Grand Slam titles together stand as a sharp marker of dominance in an era defined by rapid pairings and frequent splits.
This one, though, belonged to the Germans.
Krawietz and Puetz struck early in the semi-final, breaking once in each set and protecting their own serves with authority to keep the British-American pair at arm’s length. They never allowed Salisbury and Ram to build the kind of momentum that has so often turned Armstrong into their private stage.
For Ram, the defeat did not dull the moment.
“Honestly, it couldn't be better,” he said afterwards, taking in the court where he and Salisbury have staged so many comebacks and tight finishes. He lingered on the details: the tournament, the arena, the familiar face alongside him. “I know we've won the title and we've played on Ashe and for the final, but we've had some of our absolute most epic matches on that court, at Louis Armstrong.
“So first of all, it's at this tournament, it’s on that court. Joe was there. If you saw the poster that they made, more than half the pictures had him in it. So the whole thing, to me, it couldn't have been any better.”
A partnership that once seemed almost untouchable in New York now moves into the history books, its final chapter written not on Arthur Ashe Stadium, but on the court where so much of their story unfolded.
Skupski & Harrison vs Krawietz & Puetz: styles collide
Attention now turns to Saturday 12 September, when Neal Skupski and Christian Harrison face Krawietz and Puetz for the title.
It is a fascinating clash of timelines. On one side, the fresh force: Skupski and Harrison, still in their first season together, already with a major trophy in the cabinet after their breakthrough run at the Australian Open — a title they captured in just their second tournament as a team. On the other, the seasoned unit: Krawietz and Puetz, long-established, battle-tested, and crowned 2024 ATP Finals champions, but still chasing the one prize missing from their shared résumé — a Grand Slam crown.
They have met once before this season. In Adelaide, the Germans edged a tight contest 6-3, 2-6, 10-5, a match that underlined both their resilience and the volatility of the doubles format, where a single match tiebreak can flip an afternoon on its head.
Krawietz and Puetz also know the unique tension of a US Open final. They reached this stage in 2024, only to fall to Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson. That defeat still hangs over them. A second shot in New York offers both redemption and validation: proof that their consistency across the tour can finally translate into a major title.
Skupski and Harrison arrive with the swagger of recent champions and the freedom of a team still writing its story. Krawietz and Puetz step onto the same court with the weight of experience and a clear, unfinished mission.
One team will leave with its first US Open title together. The other will walk away wondering how many more chances this stage will offer.
