Harrison, Skupski win US Open for their second Grand Slam doubles title

NEW YORK (AP):

American Christian Harrison and British partner Neal Skupski claimed their second Grand Slam men’s doubles title of the year with a 6-4, 7-6 (6) victory over Germany’s Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz in the US Open final yesterday.

Harrison and Skupski were playing only their second tournament together when they won the Australian Open in January. They became the fourth men’s team to win both majors in the same year since Melbourne switched to hard courts in 1988.

“It’s been a great year,” Harrison said. “To get two titles like this, I’m speechless – and to do it at home.”

The pair cruised through the tournament at Flushing Meadows, becoming only the third team since the Open era began in 1968 to win the title without dropping a set. They had to save a set point in the second-set tiebreak before joining the duos of John McEnroe and Peter Fleming in 1983 and Bob and Mike Bryan in 2008 and 2010 in the record books.

“It’s amazing what a year does in tennis,” said Skupski, who lost in the 2025 US Open and French Open finals with former partner Joe Salisbury. “Still in shock. ... This moment right now feels so special.”

A series of setbacks

Harrison became a major champion on home soil after enduring eight surgeries between 2009 and 2018, a series of setbacks that led him to largely abandon singles play and focus on doubles. Those procedures included two operations on his left femur, along with surgery on each hip and an adductor.

His father and coach, Pat Harrison, was in attendance along with other family members, setting aside his fear of flying to make the trip.

“Got my dad to fly up here,” Christian Harrison said. “He doesn’t fly.”

Krawietz and Puetz fell short in the final for the second time in three years. They were beaten by Australian pair Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson in the 2024 championship match.

“To lose a final hurts, of course,” Krawietz said. “See you next year.”