ATP Tour

Granollers/Zeballos save 3 championship points for stunning US Open triumph

Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos endured a long wait for their first Grand Slam title as a team. Now, they have won two in the space of four months.

Granollers and Zeballos pulled off a remarkable escape from three championship points down to overcome Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-5 on Saturday and claim the US Open trophy. With their thrilling two-hour, 24-minute win, the Spanish-Argentine duo became the first men’s doubles team to win multiple majors in a season since 2019.

When it means so much ✨@usopen | #USOpen | @M_Granollers | @HoracioZeballos pic.twitter.com/RLICMnAAbp

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“Honestly, I don’t know what to think right now. It was an amazing battle,” said Zeballos at the trophy ceremony. “When you play these kinds of matches, it is so unfair when there is a winner and a loser, because the guys did everything great. They really deserved also to win this match, so congrats and keep it going.

“I can’t believe we just won the US Open. It’s so beautiful to be here with all these people watching us.”

Granollers, who before the US Open had not competed since Wimbledon, added: “These two weeks were probably some of my toughest ever, so I have to thank all the physios here, our doctor, everybody who helped me be ready to play the tournament.

“Thank you to my partner, because we have been fighting for a long time together. This year we are having amazing results, and I’m very happy to do it with you.”

The 14-time tour-level titlists Granollers and Zeballos have enjoyed consistent success since joining forces in 2019 but they were 0-3 in Grand Slam finals until their Roland Garros triumph in June, when they also defeated Salisbury and Skupski 7-5 in the deciding set to lift the trophy. On Saturday in New York, they showcased cool under pressure to hold off Salisbury and Skupski, crucially rallying from 0/40 at 3-3 in the second set before doing the same when three championship points down at 4-5, 0/40 in the third.

The momentum in the match visibly shifted in the next game when Skupski, who had netted the ball on all three of his team’s championship points, stepped up to serve in the next game. He and Salisbury were soon down 0/40 and, despite fending off the first two break points, they could do nothing on the third when Granollers fired a rocket forehand return winner. The Spaniard then served out to clinch the title for his team.

Now up to second in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings, Granollers and Zeballos are in strong contention to secure Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF honours. They trail leaders Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool by just 830 points.