Top seeds Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski continued their exceptional record as a team Saturday at the San Diego Open as they defeated Jordan Thompson and Jackson Withrow 6-4, 7-6(3) to reach the final.
Salisbury and Skupski improve to 9-1 after the straight-sets victory, with the British tandem searching for a second title. The last time the two played alongside each other was in Vienna in 2018, when they lifted the trophy.
“That’s a pretty good statistic. I knew we had a good win together three years ago, we haven’t played together since then,” Salisbury said. “It’s great to be back on court together, we know each other well and play well together.
“We’re happy we’ve come through some tough matches this week and hopefully we go one more in the final.”
The pair was effective on serve, winning 80 per cent (33/41) of first-serve points and 64 per cent (14/22) of second-serve points in the 93-minute encounter at Barnes Stadium. They will meet either third seeds John Peers and Filip Polasek or Marcelo Arevalo and Federico Delbonis in Sunday’s final.
“We’re feeling fresh, feeling good. So we’re ready to get straight back at it tomorrow,” said Skupski. “The fans that came out to support doubles is an amazing thing for us, it makes us play better. It’s a great atmosphere and hopefully the crowds will come out tomorrow.”