Salisbury & Skupski Fall Short in French Open Doubles Final

GB’s Salisbury & Skupski Beaten in French Open Doubles Final

Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski missed out on making history at Roland Garros, as their bid to become Great Britain’s first men’s doubles champions since 1933 ended in a heartbreaking 6-0, 6-7(5), 7-5 defeat.

The duo, who only teamed up earlier this year, were outclassed in the first set by Marcel Granollers of Spain and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina, who broke serve three times en route to a first-set bagel.

British Fightback Falls Just Short

Salisbury and Skupski rallied impressively in the second set, saving five break points and showing strong resolve to force a tie-break.

Although Granollers and Zeballos took the early edge in the breaker, the Brits roared back with a double mini-break to level the match and take it into a deciding set.

Crucial Missed Chances in Final Set

The third set began with promise as the British pair earned the first break, but they were immediately pegged back by their experienced opponents.

At 3-3 and again at 5-5, Salisbury and Skupski had break point chances, but failed to convert — a turning point in the match.

Zeballos and Granollers, both in their late 30s and contesting their fourth Grand Slam final as a team, pounced on their first break opportunity in the 12th game of the set. They sealed the match to clinch their first Grand Slam doubles title together.

“It hurts, we gave it everything,” said Skupski. “We were close, but at this level, it’s about the small margins.”

“We’ll take this experience and build on it,” added Salisbury. “We’re still new as a team, and to make the final here already says a lot.”

Granollers & Zeballos Finally Triumph

For Zeballos (40) and Granollers (39), the victory marked redemption after falling short in three previous Grand Slam finals. Their experience and composure under pressure made the difference on Court Philippe Chatrier.