Liverpool’s Neal Skupski aims to win his fourth tournament of 2022 when he and partner Wesley Koolhof face Matwe Middlekoop and Lloyd Harris in the round of 32 of the Miami Open Men’s Doubles tomorrow (March 24).
Skupski, who specialises in doubles, has already won the Melbourne Summer Set 1, Adelaide International and Qatar Open alongside current Dutch counterpart Koolhof in 2022.
The British-Dutch couple paired together in the summer of 2021, and have been in fine form in the early tournaments of 2022.
The pair are now ranked world number 2 in the men’s doubles team rankings.
The Liverpool-born player also reached the final of the Miami Open Men’s Doubles in 2021, but was ultimately beaten alongside then partner Dan Evans, by Croatian duo Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic.
The British pair were unseeded before the tournament in March 2021 but impressively progressed all the way to the final.
Skupski is currently ranked as the 16th best men’s double player in the world, and is also the 2nd best British doubles player, behind Joe Salisbury.
The 32-year-old won his first ever grand slam at Wimbledon in 2021, winning the mixed-doubles alongside American female Desirae Krawczyk.
Three of his nine career tournament wins have came so far this year, perhaps suggesting Skupski may now be playing his best tennis, as well potentially finding his perfect partner with Koolhof.
Competing in their first grand slam as a duo, Skupski and Koolhof reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open Men’s Doubles in January, losing to Australian’s Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell.
The pair will hope they can continue their momentum into the grand slam tournaments later in the year, as they bid to win their first major title as a pair.
(Featured pic by author – Carine06 under creative commons licence)
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