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.
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.
Having let slip two break points in the following game, Granollers then produced the pivotal moment of the match. He fired a rocket forehand return winner against a Skupski serve down the middle, and the Spaniard then served out to clinch the title.
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.
More to follow…
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