ATP Bratislava: Neal & Ken Skupski secure the title

 

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By Glenys Furness

  • Neal & Ken Skupski take the title in Bratislava
  • Defeat the third seeds in thrilling match
BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA – Neal & Ken Skupski ended their season together by taking the title in ATP Peugeot Slovak Open.

 

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Fourth seeds for the tournament, the Skupski brothers drew Aleksandr Nedovyesov & Adam Pavlasek in the first round. The Brits struggled to get a handle on the Kazakh/Czech team serve in the first set, eventually breaking in the 12th game to seal the first set.

The second set was much easier for the Brits. Having worked out their opponents game, the fourth seeds managed to break and take the win in straight sets 7-5, 6-3. In the quarter final the Skupski brothers faced another unseeded pairing. Denys Molchanov & Igor Zelenay also put up a fight in the first set. The Ukranian/Slovak pairing proved difficult to break, just like the first match however, the seeds came through at the end.

Once in the second set, the Brits again found their game. Molchanov & Zelenay were dispatched in straight sets, co-incidentally by the same scoreline as the first round 7-5, 6-3. On paper the Brits should have lost the semi final. They were playing the top seeds Mariusz Frystenberg & Nenad Zimonjic.

The Polish/Serbian team only faced one break point, unfortunately for them the Skupski brothers converted it, this was all the Brits needed to seal the first set. The second set was much closer as the top seeds tried to fight back. Forcing a tiebreak Frystenberg & Zimonjic were looking to play a deciding set.

The fourth seeds had other ideas though. Dominating the tiebreak the Brits secured the spot in the final without dropping a set. 6-4, 7-6(2).

In the final the Skupski brothers faced the third seeds Purav Raja & Divij Sharan. The Indians got off to the better start and took the first set from the Brits.

The fourth seeds fought back in the second set to force a deciding match tie break. A ten point shoot out would decide the winners.

Taking a lead the Skupski brothers never looked back, taking the final point of the match to seal the win 4-6, 6-3, 10-5.

 

Doubles, Challenger & ITF Round up

Dan Evans lost in the second round of the Knoxville Challenger to Peter Polansky. Evans was top seed.

Liam Broady came through qualifying before losing in the first round to Polansky.

Daniel Cox also came through qualifying but lost in the first round in Knoxville.

Ed Corrie lost in the quarter final of Knoxville – he took out Sam Groth on his way.

Brydan Klein lost in the first round to second seed Frances Tiafoe.

Klein with Ruan Roelofse lost in the quarter finals of the doubles .

Corrie & Evans also lost in the quarter finals of the doubles.

Luke Bambridge with Tucker Vorster lost to Corrie & Evans in the first round.

Gabriella Taylor finished runner up again in Heraklion losing to the fourth seed.

 

Next week Brits play in London, Limoges, Taipei, Champaign & Brescia