Week 4 - Challenger (€106,500) - Heilbronn, Germany (Hard) - doubles

TMH · Futures qualifying

RE: Week 4 - Challenger (€106,500) - Heilbronn, Germany (Hard) - doubles

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Final is underway.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Strong start from Ken and Neal who go 4-1* up in the 1st set.

TMH · Futures qualifying

Skupski's take the first set 6-3.

DWH · Club Coach

Now up a double break *4-1

Edit: But Bed/Kon get one break back and hold. Now *4-3

-- Edited by DWH on Sunday 26th of January 2014 01:02:47 PM

RJA · Hall of fame

Served for the match but couldn't take it

5-5*

-- Edited by RJA on Sunday 26th of January 2014 01:14:47 PM

RJA · Hall of fame

Lost the second set on the tie break.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Match point at 9-8*

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

Ken & Neal throw away their first title of the year! Nail-biting stuff in the CTB!

Final: Tomasz Bednarek & Henri Kontinen (POL/FIN) CR 181 (58+123) defeated (3) Ken Skupski & Neal Skupski CR 162 (76+86) by 3-6 7-6(3) [12-10]

As close as I expected! hmm The boys' level seemed to drop in the latter half of the second set: they were broken when they served for a 5-2 lead & for the match at 5-4 & points won on first service went from 92% to 71%. Also only two aces served compared with their opponents' nine, ...

DWH · Club Coach

Ouch that might sting a bit. Definitely had some chances to close it out. Shame for them. cry

Tennis36 · Masters Series Champion

sorry but ive seen the pair play in only two matches, in both recent finals, and both times ken has choked badly

steven · Tennis legend

They looked like they were going to win that until ... the last couple of points

RJA · Hall of fame

Nasty loss. They had at least 3 match points. One at 5-3* in the second, one at *5-4 and one in the MTB.

indiana · Tennis legend

Oh dear. The winning line was there twice over, but they couldn't cross it. Tough one to take.

korriban · Challenger level

In men's doubles at the highest level, where serve is so dominant usually, to lose from a set and a double break up is quite unusual. They have come through many tight matches to win, so really ought to get the benefit of the doubt. If Ken did wilt as the winning post came into sight, let's hope that this isn't an Achilles heel - more a one off. I have noticed Neal stepping things up at critical times in matches and Ken wobbling, when I rather expected it to be the other way round.....but there are very few data points to work with, so it could be nothing at all.

Shame!